New Brunswick First is a procurement strategy that ensures that goods, services, and construction services required by the government are procured from New Brunswick suppliers wherever possible while respecting trade agreements.
This program recognizes that public procurement can play a vital role in economic development by increasing the opportunities available for businesses to sell their goods and services. As businesses grow and scale their operations they become more resilient and competitive.
New Brunswick First will give New Brunswick suppliers the opportunity to submit unsolicited proposals to the provincial government for innovative, market-ready products or solutions that could assist in the delivery of public sector programs or services.
“Opportunities NB is proud to be part of the development of this program. New Brunswick is home to many strong innovative companies,” says ONB Vice President of Business Growth Donald Hammond. “By leveraging government’s purchasing power, we can encourage their growth journey and ultimately ensure we are creating more opportunities in New Brunswick.”
For full details visit the New Brunswick First Procurement Strategy website. Some highlights follow below.
What it Means for New Brunswick Businesses
Simply put, New Brunswick First is intended to help New Brunswick companies do more business with the provincial government.
The New Brunswick First strategy will:
- Maximize the awards to New Brunswick businesses;
- Introduce best value and innovative procurement practices;
- Support strategic supplier development; and
- Streamline procurement policy and legislation.
How Do I Get Started?
All Government of New Brunswick public tenders for goods and services are advertised on a web-based e-tendering system – the New Brunswick Opportunities Network (NBON). Vendors are encouraged to register, free of charge, for access to thousands of tender opportunities posted every year. It holds official tender documents for goods and services, as well as tender notices for transportation and building construction issued on behalf of the province.
NBON also contains tender notices from other public sector bodies such as municipalities, Crown corporations, universities, community colleges, and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. Suppliers can register with Strategic Procurement and create a “product profile” to indicate the products and services they have to offer. This provides Strategic Procurement with a list of suppliers to invite to non-public lower value tender opportunities. The system can automatically send email notifications to suppliers when tenders are posted for products and services they sell. It is highly recommended that suppliers keep their profiles and products/services updated in order to remain competitive.
Register with NBON here
Need Training?
GNB’s Public Procurement Training presentations provide you with the fundamentals of selling goods and services to the Province of New Brunswick. They include vital information from the Strategic Procurement Division of Service New Brunswick and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Topics include:
- How to register with the NBON
- How to search for tender opportunities
- Understanding provincial public procurement rules and processes
- Bidding tips
- Intro to electronic bidding
- How to respond to Requests for Proposals
Get started with Training Resources here
Unsolicited Proposals
An unsolicited proposal (USP) is a written application for a new or innovative product, service, or idea that is submitted to Government for the purpose of obtaining a contract in the delivery of public sector services.
The new Unsolicited Proposals Program is an additional tool New Brunswick businesses can leverage to promote government awareness of their innovative, market-ready products or solutions.
A valid USP must be:
- innovative and unique;
- independently originated and developed by the offeror;
- prepared without Government supervision, endorsement, direction, or direct Government involvement; and
- more than a concept – the product, service, solution, or idea must be market-ready.
A USP is not a:
- response to a request for proposal issued by Government;
- mechanism for by-passing a competitive procurement process; or
- process by which a for-profit or not-for-profit entity attains Government support for a private mechanism to obtain financial support for research and development.
Click here to review the Terms and Conditions for the Submission of Unsolicited Proposals.
Click here to download the application form for GNB’s Unsolicited Proposals Program.
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If you have any questions, please email NBON@snb.ca or phone the Help Line at (506) 444-5636 or Toll-Free at 1-800-561-1422.