June 20, 2014 – Gatineau, Quebec – Public Works and Government Services Canada
Today, the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, announced the launch of the fifth Call for Proposals for the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP), while visiting Tektrap, a Gatineau-based company that received a BCIP contract and is now selling its product internationally.
The Harper Government is helping to bring Canadian businesses one step closer in moving their products and services into domestic and international markets, contributing to job creation and economic growth in Canada.
Minister Finley also announced that the Government of Canada has pre qualified 72 innovations under the fourth round of the BCIP.
Over the coming months, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) will match the pre-qualified innovations from the fourth call with various government departments.
The BCIP encourages Canadian entrepreneurs to submit innovative designs that can potentially help departments find solutions for achieving their operational objectives. If innovations are successfully matched with a department’s needs, businesses will have their pre-commercial innovative products and services tested within a government environment and will receive valuable feedback.
There are many success stories of small companies like Tektrap. Tektrap’s innovation, the CargoKeeperTM, is a small, undetectable electronic tag for GPS tracking of maritime cargo containers. It can also detect when a container has been mishandled or even opened. Since Tektrap was awarded a BCIP contract, international clients have purchased its innovation. The BCIP helps Canadian businesses expand and succeed, directly benefiting Canadian workers and their families.
The Harper Government encourages all Canadian entrepreneurs to submit their proposals for the fifth round on Buyandsell.gc.ca/tenders before the September 16, 2014 deadline.
Quick Facts
• The BCIP was launched in 2010 as a pilot program to connect Canadian companies with federal departments and agencies that have a need for innovative products and services.
• To build on the early success of the pilot program, Economic Action Plan 2012 allocated additional funding for three years, starting in 2013. As of 2016, $40 million will be permanently dedicated to the BCIP annually.
• Since 2010, 1,244 proposals were submitted, 84 innovations were pre-qualified during the pilot phase of the program, of which 72 contracts were awarded to Canadian companies to test their products and services with government departments.
• An additional 72 innovations (61 standard and 11 military) were pre-qualified under the fourth Call for Proposals, which was the first Call for Proposals under the permanent program, and the first to include the military component.
• The fifth Call for Proposals, which includes a military component, is currently available on Buyandsell.gc.ca/tenders. Suppliers have until September 16, 2014, to submit their proposals.
