Our Customers
Who are our customers?
Our customers are public organizations such as educational institutions (i.e., school boards or authorities, colleges, and universities, and may also include private schools and career colleges), healthcare facilities (i.e., public hospitals, private hospitals that received government funding, community health clinics, and public health organizations), social and community services, government ministries and agencies (e.g., Ministry of Education, children’s aid societies, welfare organizations, provincially funded organizations (PFO), electricity and hydro bodies), the Legislative Assembly, Municipalities and Related Service Organizations, Crown corporations, First Nations federal agencies, Indigenous Organizations and Communities, not-for-profit organizations, shared service organizations, utilities, and local boards, and any other publicly funded institutions, boards or commissions or similar organizations in addition to those listed here.
Why Become A Customer?
Drive value
OECM drives value with competitive pricing and collaborative sourcing for institutions across Ontario.
Ensure compliance
OECM ensures compliance to the BPS Procurement Directives and other trade agreements through an open, fair, and competitive sourcing process.
Tap into new markets
OECM helps you tap into new markets with access to OECM’s Marketplace of products and services offered collectively through hundreds of supplier partners.
Share expertise
OECM shares expertise through contract management support from OECM and supplier partners.
Foster innovation and strategic thinking
OECM fosters innovation and strategic thinking through collaboration amongst and between Ontario’s public sector.
How it Works
Get Started as a Customer
Follow our three-step process to start buying through OECM’s Marketplace of products and services.
1Create and Activate Your Account
2Access Marketplace
3Browse Agreements and Start Purchasing
OECM recommends that all users refer to their internal policies before signing any CSAs with OECM supplier partners. Please note: your organization may already be purchasing through OECM’s Marketplace. We encourage you to speak to your colleagues in procurement to find out more.
View an introduction to OECM and a website walkthrough.
Contract & Supplier Relationship Management Program
OECM supplier partners play a fundamental role in ensuring our customers’ needs are met with consistent and exceptional service. To support our mission of delivering value, savings, choice, and service to our customers, it is critical for OECM to strengthen our relationships with our growing portfolio of supplier partners.
Effectively managing supplier performance while harnessing their expertise and innovative ideas, are critical components to a successful Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) program. Working collaboratively with our key suppliers, OECM has built a comprehensive SRM program to effectively manage 200+ suppliers, drive innovation and deliver continuous improvement.
Contract Management
The agreements available through OECM’s Marketplace feature contract management services including:
- Developing and identifying savings and value
- Conducting ongoing business reviews with supplier partners to resolve issues
- Evaluating and monitoring performance objectives proactively through KPIs and SLAs
- Effective negotiations on customers behalf through the term of the agreement
- Establishing risk mitigation and management strategies
- Regular price audits
- Knowledge sharing
- and more.
Our supplier relationship management team works in close coordination with our supplier partners to ensure that OECM customers consistently receive high-quality products and superior services by maintaining open and clear lines of communication and providing a choice of competitively sourced products and services.
Supplier Recognition Program
OECM’s Supplier Recognition Program (“SRP”) acknowledges top-performing supplier partners for their exceptional service and overall value to OECM customers. OECM’s SRP is one of the first recognition programs in Ontario’s public sector, and we are proud to introduce this offering to our Supplier Partners. The SRP aims to drive long-term performance improvements by recognizing and motivating supplier partners to deliver continued savings, value, choice, and service to our customers. Learn more about the SRP.
SRP Customer Satisfaction Survey
As a valued customer with direct purchasing experience with our Supplier Partners, your feedback in the Supplier Recognition Program is crucial. Customer feedback is one of the focus areas used for SRP evaluations and survey (Net Promoter Score, NPS) is used for a customer feedback mechanism. The survey includes the list of suppliers who are eligible to participate in each year’s SRP. Survey result will be collected and shared back with the supplier partner by OECM.
Supplier Code of Conduct
Together with our supplier partners, OECM has established trusting and successful relationships with customers. To build upon these relationships, OECM employs a robust Supplier Code of Conduct. Based on OECM’s core values, the Supplier Code of Conduct (SCC) was developed to ensure that all supplier partners adhere to a set standard when conducting business in the OECM Marketplace. By promoting these standards and applying measures to ensure compliance, OECM demonstrates its intention to partner with suppliers that operate in a manner that is congruent with its core values.
Supply Chain Centralization Initiative
In 2019, the Ontario government announced their plans to deliver a Supply Chain Centralization Initiative for Ontario Public Service (OPS) and Broader Public Sector (BPS) organizations, consequently introducing their centralized supply chain agency, Supply Ontario. OECM continues to work closely with government partners to determine how our strengths and practices can be leveraged to support this new initiative. Stay tuned for updates.
