Northern Purchasing Policy

Purpose and Scope

This policy is to guide procurement actions with the aim of promoting business, contract and employment opportunities for Northern Aboriginal people and Northern Manitoba businesses on work within the Northern Affairs Boundary.

The Northern Purchasing Policy is subject to the overriding principle that the quality of goods, attainment of schedules, and achievement of acceptable costs will be the primary factors considered in all preferential purchase decisions.

The policy is meant to “support” and not to contradict existing and future agreements between Manitoba Hydro and Northern Aboriginals. Where agreements do exist, the application of this policy is subject to the terms and conditions contained in those agreements.

Policies and principles outlined in this document may be extended to include projects outside the Northern Affairs Boundary only if specifically identified and approved by Manitoba Hydro President & CEO.

Objectives

• To encourage the maximum business participation of local communities and businesses, particularly local Aboriginal communities and businesses, situated within the Northern Affairs Boundary.
• To enhance Manitoba Hydro's business relationships with these same communities and to assist them in building the capacity and competitiveness of their businesses through involvement in Manitoba Hydro contracts.

General Principles

1. The corporation will encourage and promote business participation by Northern Aboriginal people and Northern Aboriginal contractors through information sharing, scoping initiatives, negotiation or restricted tendering, recognition of Aboriginal Joint Ventures, and Aboriginal Content provisions.
2. The corporation will encourage and promote business participation by Northern Manitobans and businesses through information sharing, scoping initiatives, restricted tendering, and Manitoba Content provisions.
3. The corporation will make a concerted effort on large value contracts to obtain benefits for Aboriginal people and the province from contracts awarded to out-of-province businesses through Industrial Offset initiatives as provided for by that specific policy.
4. The corporation's purchasing priorities on Northern work will be applied in the following descending order:
   
   4.1  Northern Aboriginal contractors
   4.2  Northern businesses
   4.3  Manitoba businesses
   4.4  Canadian businesses
   4.5  All others