Manitoba PC leader and premier Brian Pallister speaks during a press conference in Winnipeg on August 26, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government says it has saved nearly $13 million by “shopping smarter” for items related to running the province.
Premier Brian Pallister said Friday savings are being generated across several departments and categories, including architectural and engineering services, janitorial services and paving materials, fuel purchases and IT hardware.
“We are shopping smarter by knocking down silos and bundling purchases for volume discounts,” said Pallister.
“Our first year alone has generated significant savings and Manitobans can expect to see more savings as we continue to focus on better ways of pooling our resources to generate more buying power.”
The province says savings have been found by consolidating purchases and centralizing how items are bought, such as reducing the number of individual departments paying for their own goods and services.
Pallister says the initiative is expected to save $200 million by the end of the 2024-25 fiscal year. PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada (PwC) is assisting the province to modernize the purchasing process.
“By co-ordinating our approach to contract decisions and sharing that purchasing power across government, we will continue to see cost benefits.”
