<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Ontario Public Buyers Association Calendar RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.opba.ca</link><description>RSS Feed</description><lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:37:50 EDT</lastBuildDate><language>en-us</language><item><title>Sep 1, 2026 - Sep 30, 2026: Sold Out/Waitlist Available: Principles - Introduction to Public Procurement (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;September 1 - 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Monday, September 28 at 12:00pm - 3:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;August 25, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month. &lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on September 7th, September 14th, September 21st and September 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Monday, September 28&amp;nbsp;at&amp;nbsp;12:00pm - 3:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within the course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is the pre-requisite for the Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program, giving an introduction to policy and procedures, authority and agency, the public purchasing cycle and other aspects of the function of purchasing. Candidates will be given an overview of legal considerations purchasing staff need to know when developing and handling bid documents, deciding the best procurement option (tender and RFP processes), as well as discuss centralized versus decentralized procurement systems.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;/strong&gt;Shelly Ann Henry, CSCMP&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the roles and responsibilities of public procurement, and the differences from the private sector&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the importance of developing clear purchasing policies and procedures&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a centralized and decentralized purchasing organization structure&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the seven &amp;rsquo;R&amp;rsquo;s of public purchasing and the steps associated with the public purchasing cycle&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the legalities associated with public purchasing&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 7&amp;nbsp;contact hours&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 25, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 25, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes August 25, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:09 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:09 -0400</publishDate><date>08/11/2026</date><time>3:09 pm</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186244</link></item><item><title>Sep 1, 2026 - Sep 30, 2026: Sold Out/Waitlist Available: Principles - Risk Management (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?org_id=OPBA&amp;amp;eventid=224699"&gt;New Course Added - Click to Register!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;September 1 &amp;ndash; 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, September 29 |&amp;nbsp;12:00pm - 3:30pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;August 25, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on September&amp;nbsp;7th, September 14th, September&amp;nbsp;21st and September 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, September 29 at&amp;nbsp;12:00pm - 3:30pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within the course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course examines the various issues with managing risk when purchasing goods and services in the public sector. Candidates are given an overview of common risk issues, including those of ownership and copyright, the right to privacy, competitive bidding irregularities, occupational health and safety, environmental responsibilities and accountability in terms of personal and corporate liability.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Sarah Denomy, CPPB&lt;meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /&gt;&lt;meta name="ProgId" content="Excel.Sheet" /&gt;&lt;meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Excel 15" /&gt;
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&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Define risk management&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe eight major risk management issues of importance for public procurement professionals&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline three basic risk management techniques: avoiding, managing and&amp;nbsp;transferring risk&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the types of insurance and bonds a public agency will require or may request&amp;nbsp;from a vendor&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the six components to corporate risk management&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Better understand all of the roles involved in managing risk in your organization&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 9.5&amp;nbsp;contact hours&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 25, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 25, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes August 25, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:09 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:09 -0400</publishDate><date>08/11/2026</date><time>3:09 pm</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186246</link></item><item><title>Sep 1, 2026 - Sep 30, 2026: Principles - Risk Management (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;September 1 &amp;ndash; 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, October 1 at 5:30pm - 9:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;August 25, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on September&amp;nbsp;7th, September 14th, September&amp;nbsp;21st and September 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Thursday, October 1 at 5:30pm - 9:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within the course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course examines the various issues with managing risk when purchasing goods and services in the public sector. Candidates are given an overview of common risk issues, including those of ownership and copyright, the right to privacy, competitive bidding irregularities, occupational health and safety, environmental responsibilities and accountability in terms of personal and corporate liability.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Christine Wood, NIGP-CPP, CPPB&lt;meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /&gt;&lt;meta name="ProgId" content="Excel.Sheet" /&gt;&lt;meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Excel 15" /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Define risk management&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe eight major risk management issues of importance for public procurement professionals&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline three basic risk management techniques: avoiding, managing and&amp;nbsp;transferring risk&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the types of insurance and bonds a public agency will require or may request&amp;nbsp;from a vendor&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the six components to corporate risk management&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Better understand all of the roles involved in managing risk in your organization&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Important note:&lt;/strong&gt; to ensure you receive all course communications, please ask your IT department to&amp;nbsp;whitelist the server the Brightspace emails come from, being: IP address:&amp;nbsp;67.227.157.221&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 9.5&amp;nbsp;contact hours&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 25, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 25, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes August 25, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:04 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:04 -0400</publishDate><date>08/10/2026</date><time>11:04 am</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=224699</link></item><item><title>Sep 1, 2026 - Sep 30, 2026: Sold Out/Waitlist Available: Principles - Introduction to Public Procurement (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;September 1 - 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Monday, September 28&amp;nbsp;at 6:00pm - 9:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;August 25, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month. &lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on September 7th, September 14th, September 21st and September 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Monday, September 28&amp;nbsp;at 6:00pm - 9:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within the course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is the pre-requisite for the Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program, giving an introduction to policy and procedures, authority and agency, the public purchasing cycle and other aspects of the function of purchasing. Candidates will be given an overview of legal considerations purchasing staff need to know when developing and handling bid documents, deciding the best procurement option (tender and RFP processes), as well as discuss centralized versus decentralized procurement systems.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;/strong&gt;Jason Stober-Baboushkin,&amp;nbsp;NISCL-CSCL/CSCMP, CPSM, MCIPS&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the roles and responsibilities of public procurement, and the differences from the private sector&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the importance of developing clear purchasing policies and procedures&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a centralized and decentralized purchasing organization structure&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the seven &amp;rsquo;R&amp;rsquo;s of public purchasing and the steps associated with the public purchasing cycle&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the legalities associated with public purchasing&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform. &lt;strong&gt;Important note:&lt;/strong&gt; to ensure you receive all course communications, please ask your IT department to&amp;nbsp;whitelist the server the Brightspace emails come from, being: IP address:&amp;nbsp;67.227.157.221&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 7 contact hours&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 25, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 25, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes August 25, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:10 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:10 -0400</publishDate><date>08/11/2026</date><time>3:10 pm</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=223618</link></item><item><title>Sep 2, 2026 - Sep 3, 2026: PPS - Advanced Procurement for Construction (Virtual - Zoom)</title><description>&lt;p&gt;September 2&amp;nbsp;+ 3, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET&lt;br /&gt;
Virtual Learning&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, August 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DESCRIPTION&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered via the Zoom delivery method, happening in two (2) three 3-hour sessions.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Advanced Procurement for Construction course is for procurement professionals in the public sector who are called upon for their expertise in developing and administering large, sometimes complex procurement for construction. This course is part of OPBA's Public Procurement Specialties (PPS).&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Although the Introduction to Procurement for Construction is not a pre-requisite for the Advanced Construction course, it is strongly advised that learners have experience in construction procurement before enrolling. &lt;strong&gt;If a learner has experience in construction procurement, this course can be taken in place of Introduction to Procurement Construction to complete the course requirements for the &lt;em&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement Certificate Program&lt;/em&gt;. &lt;/strong&gt;Learners do not have to be enrolled in the Principles Certificate program to take this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Carl Bonitto, CPPO, CPPB&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain many of the pre-construction activities and activities that need to be addressed during a construction project: i.e., studies, assessments and surveys&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explore a variety of sustainability considerations; including LEED&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Identify the phases of a construction project&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the types of contract methods that can be used for a construction project;&amp;nbsp;including control, risk and cost considerations&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the roles and responsibilities the Prime Consultant and the Construction Manager&amp;nbsp;and their relationships to the Owner&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DATE AND TIME&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This six (6) hour Zoom virtual learning seminar has two (2) online sessions:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Wednesday, September 2&amp;nbsp;at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;AND&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Thursday, September 3 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Students must attend both sessions to receive course credit.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Zoom meeting link and login information will be distributed before the first session.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PRE-WORK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Students will receive a short pre-work assignment to complete approximately 4 business days before the first session.&amp;nbsp;If you have not received course materials/pre-work, etc. prior to the course you are registered for, you are responsible for emailing &lt;a href="mailto:members@opba.ca"&gt;members@opba.ca&lt;/a&gt; to obtain them before your course start date.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Course fees are &lt;u&gt;nontransferable&lt;/u&gt; to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;FORMAT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697"&gt;Learn more about the Zoom platform and its system requirements here.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Remember to use a wired internet connection (as opposed to wi-fi, if possible) for the best viewing experience.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;OPBA Principles Program seminars are designed for student participation. In order to get the most out of the session and ensure two-way discussion, students are encouraged to fully participate by having camera and microphone on during the virtual session, or to actively participate in chat where access to a A/V equipment is not possible.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Students are also encouraged to maintain a respectful learning environment by minimizing multi-tasking distractions, and background noise. Please ensure mobile phones and computer notifications are off or muted, and place yourself on mute until you want to, or are called upon, to speak.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: Six (6) contact hours. Students must attend both sessions to receive course credit.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Program Textbook:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;** Learners can purchase the updated textbooks for each construction course, which are available for purchase in the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/store.php?orgcode=OPBA" target="_blank"&gt;OPBA Store&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement&amp;nbsp;certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must be enrolled in the program - please click the link to enroll.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: this course requires a minimum of 10 learners to move ahead, and has a maximum of 20.&amp;nbsp;Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cancellations: &lt;/strong&gt;In writing only, up to ten&amp;nbsp;(10) business days before the event, after which we regret that we cannot refund your registration fee.&amp;nbsp;Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$269.73&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;6.0000&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$329.68&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until August 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;6.0000&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes August 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:35 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:35 -0400</publishDate><date>08/24/2026</date><time>10:35 am</time><location>Zoom - links will be distributed prior to event</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=220341</link></item><item><title>Sep 17, 2026 - Sep 18, 2026: Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) Exam Preparation 2-Day Course</title><description>&lt;p&gt;September 17 + 18, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDT&lt;br /&gt;
Virtual Learning&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes September 10, 2026&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{83}" paraid="206003139"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://uppcc.org/Certification/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO)&lt;/a&gt; is ideal for public procurement professionals in leadership roles seeking to validate their experience, enhance career opportunities, and demonstrate commitment to ethical and effective procurement practices.&amp;nbsp;Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, learners must also complete the CPPO exam as the final step in earning their CPPO certification.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please note, any queries around exam eligibility can &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; be answered &lt;a href="https://uppcc.org/cppbcert/"&gt;by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://uppcc.org/cppbcert/"&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;as they manage the CPPO&amp;nbsp;certification.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Preparation is important and the &lt;a href="https://uppcc.org/Resources/"&gt;CPPO BoK-C&lt;/a&gt; (Body of Knowledge and Competencies) is your best resource. The CPPO&amp;nbsp;BoK-C will guide your preparation efforts as it provides a comprehensive listing of the content that you will find on the exam, as well as the number of questions that will be presented from each of the content domains that comprise the BoK-C for CPPO.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{142}" paraid="1300107704"&gt;As a recognized training partner of the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC), the Ontario Public Buyers Association (OPBA) has developed this examination preparation course based on the BoK-C. Led by a qualified instructor, the course will cover the six (6) domain areas which comprise the BoK-C for CPPO&amp;nbsp;exam. The course will help learners understand their strengths and the areas that require additional focus.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{182}" paraid="180089966"&gt;This course has been designed to be one of the tools in a learner&amp;rsquo;s study toolbox, and participation in this class does not guarantee success on the examination.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Melissa Mordue, CPPO, CPPB&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;DATE &amp;amp; TIME&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{244}" paraid="618498614"&gt;Thursday, September 17&amp;nbsp;at 9am - 5pm EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
and&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Friday, September 18&amp;nbsp;at 9am - 5pm EDT&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Zoom meeting link and login information will be distributed after the registration deadline of September 10.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OUTCOMES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course, participants will:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ol role="list" start="1"&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Describe the structure and setup of the CPPO&amp;nbsp;exam, including question types and scoring methods.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Evaluate personal strengths and areas for improvement through assessment exercises.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Identify common pitfalls and develop strategies for maximizing test performance.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Analyze test questions by applying public procurement principles and best practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{232}" paraid="1473188876"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PRE-WORK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;This course does not have any pre-work assignments.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FORMAT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697" target="_blank"&gt;Learn more about the Zoom platform and its system requirements here.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Remember to use a wired internet connection (as opposed to wi-fi, if possible) for the best viewing experience. In order to get the most out of the session and ensure two-way discussion, students are encouraged to fully participate by having camera and microphone on during the virtual session, or to actively participate in chat where access to a A/V equipment is not possible. Students are also encouraged to maintain a respectful learning environment by minimizing multi-tasking distractions, and background noise. Please ensure mobile phones and computer notifications are off or muted, and place yourself on mute until you want to, or are called upon, to speak.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPPCC CERTIFICATION&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This course is to prepare for the exam that completes the&amp;nbsp;Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) certification program offered by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC). As this certification&amp;nbsp;is managed and offered by the UPPCC, any questions related to exam eligibility or program requirements can only be answered &lt;a href="https://uppcc.org/cppbcert/"&gt;by the UPPCC team&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: this course has a minimum of 10 learners and a maximum of 20.&amp;nbsp;Register early to avoid disappointment. Registration will be open until September 10, 2026. There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;PAYMENT/REFUND INFORMATION&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. Cancellation/refund requests must be submitted&amp;nbsp;in writing (by email) only, up to ten&amp;nbsp;(10) business days before the event, after which we regret that we cannot refund your registration fee. Course fees are &lt;u&gt;nontransferable&lt;/u&gt; to other courses.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION FEES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table border="1"&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:135px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Title&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:118px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fee incl. HST&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:128px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Member Status&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:75px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Points&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:81px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CEUs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:58px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:135px;height:30px;"&gt;Members&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:118px;height:30px;"&gt;$494.66&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:128px;height:30px;"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:75px;height:30px;"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:81px;height:30px;"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:58px;height:30px;"&gt;00&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:137px;height:30px;"&gt;Non Members&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:120px;height:30px;"&gt;$611.05&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:130px;height:30px;"&gt;All Registrants&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:77px;height:30px;"&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:83px;height:30px;"&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:68px;height:30px;"&gt;00&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes September 10, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:59 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:59 -0400</publishDate><date>03/30/2026</date><time>10:59 am</time><location>Zoom - course link will be circulated after the registration deadline</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=216640</link></item><item><title>Sep 22, 2026: 2026 OPBA Annual Conference and Tradeshow</title><description>&lt;section style="
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&lt;p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; color: rgb(31, 45, 61);"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:20px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2026 OPBA Annual Conference and Tradeshow&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/section&gt;
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&lt;h2 style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:6px;"&gt;&lt;img alt="" src="https://opba.ca/photos/Conference_Registration_landing_page_1_03162026093004.PNG" style="font-size:13px; width:1092px" /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;section aria-label="Conference Highlights" style="  margin:14px 0;  max-width:1100px;  font-family:system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"&gt;
&lt;div style="    border:1px solid #D9E2EA;    border-radius:14px;    background:#F8FBFD;    padding:12px 14px 14px 14px;  "&gt;
&lt;h3 style="      margin:0 0 10px 0;      font-size:18px;      line-height:1.2;      color:#0F172A;    "&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Overview&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The OPBA Annual Conference &amp;amp; Tradeshow brings together public procurement professionals across municipalities, broader public sector agencies, education, healthcare, and government organizations for a dynamic professional development experience.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In 2026, the program will include a blend of keynotes, expert-led sessions, and practical discussions designed to support learning, connection, and leadership in public procurement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/section&gt;

&lt;section aria-label="Program Overview"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/section&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 09:34 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 09:34 -0400</publishDate><date>06/11/2026</date><time>9:34 am</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=222667</link></item><item><title>Oct 1, 2026 - Oct 2, 2026: Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) Exam Preparation 2-Day Course</title><description>&lt;p&gt;October 1&amp;nbsp;+ 2, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET&lt;br /&gt;
Virtual Learning&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes September 27, 2026&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{83}" paraid="206003139"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://uppcc.org/cppbcert/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://uppcc.org/cppbcert/"&gt;)&lt;/a&gt; is a recognized certification designed for procurement professionals performing essential functions within the procurement cycle.&amp;nbsp;Upon meeting the eligibility criteria, learners must also complete the CPPB exam as the final step in earning their CPPB certification.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please note, any queries around exam eligibility can &lt;strong&gt;only&lt;/strong&gt; be answered &lt;a href="https://uppcc.org/cppbcert/"&gt;by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://uppcc.org/cppbcert/"&gt;)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;as they manage the CPPB certification.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Preparation is important and the &lt;a href="https://uppcc.org/Resources/"&gt;CPPB BoK-C&lt;/a&gt; (Body of Knowledge and Competencies) is your best resource. The CPPB BoK-C will guide your preparation efforts as it provides a comprehensive listing of the content that you will find on the exam, as well as the number of questions that will be presented from each of the content domains that comprise the BoK-C for CPPB.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{142}" paraid="1300107704"&gt;As a recognized training partner of the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC), the Ontario Public Buyers Association (OPBA) has developed this examination preparation course based on the BoK-C. Led by a qualified instructor, the course will cover the six (6) domain areas which comprise the BoK-C for CPPB exam. The course will help learners understand their strengths and the areas that require additional focus.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{182}" paraid="180089966"&gt;This course has been designed to be one of the tools in a learner&amp;rsquo;s study toolbox, and participation in this class does not guarantee success on the examination.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Melissa Mordue, CPPO, CPPB&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;DATE &amp;amp; TIME&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{244}" paraid="618498614"&gt;Thursday, October 1 at 9am - 5pm ET&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
and&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Friday, October 2 at 9am - 5pm ET&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Zoom meeting link and login information will be distributed after the registration deadline of September&amp;nbsp;27.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OUTCOMES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course, participants will:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ol role="list" start="1"&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Describe the structure and setup of the CPPB exam, including question types and scoring methods.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Evaluate personal strengths and areas for improvement through assessment exercises.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Identify common pitfalls and develop strategies for maximizing test performance.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Analyze test questions by applying public procurement principles and best practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;p paraeid="{7f6b84fa-8a11-4d9f-b7fd-eb23e4157d00}{232}" paraid="1473188876"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PRE-WORK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;This course does not have any pre-work assignments.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FORMAT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697" target="_blank"&gt;Learn more about the Zoom platform and its system requirements here.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Remember to use a wired internet connection (as opposed to wi-fi, if possible) for the best viewing experience. In order to get the most out of the session and ensure two-way discussion, students are encouraged to fully participate by having camera and microphone on during the virtual session, or to actively participate in chat where access to a A/V equipment is not possible. Students are also encouraged to maintain a respectful learning environment by minimizing multi-tasking distractions, and background noise. Please ensure mobile phones and computer notifications are off or muted, and place yourself on mute until you want to, or are called upon, to speak.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPPCC CERTIFICATION&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This course is to prepare for the exam that completes the&amp;nbsp;Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) certification program offered by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC). As this certification&amp;nbsp;is managed and offered by the UPPCC, any questions related to exam eligibility or program requirements can only be answered &lt;a href="https://uppcc.org/cppbcert/"&gt;by the UPPCC team&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: this course has a minimum of 10 learners and a maximum of 20.&amp;nbsp;Register early to avoid disappointment. Registration will be open until September 27, 2026. There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;PAYMENT/REFUND INFORMATION&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. Cancellation/refund requests must be submitted&amp;nbsp;in writing (by email) only, up to ten&amp;nbsp;(10) business days before the event, after which we regret that we cannot refund your registration fee. Course fees are &lt;u&gt;nontransferable&lt;/u&gt; to other courses.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION FEES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table border="1"&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:135px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Title&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:118px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fee incl. HST&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:128px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Member Status&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:75px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Points&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:81px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CEUs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:58px;height:30px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:135px;height:30px;"&gt;Members&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:118px;height:30px;"&gt;$494.66&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:128px;height:30px;"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:75px;height:30px;"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:81px;height:30px;"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:58px;height:30px;"&gt;00&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:137px;height:30px;"&gt;Non Members&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:120px;height:30px;"&gt;$611.05&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:130px;height:30px;"&gt;All Registrants&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:77px;height:30px;"&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:83px;height:30px;"&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="width:68px;height:30px;"&gt;00&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes September 27, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:02 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:02 -0400</publishDate><date>03/30/2026</date><time>11:02 am</time><location>Zoom - course link will be circulated after the registration deadline</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=216641</link></item><item><title>Oct 1, 2026 - Oct 31, 2026: Waitlisted: Principles - Procurement and the Law (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;You can join the waitlist for this course, or, we have added another Procurement and the Law courese in November - &lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/evr/reg_main.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;evid=58564029"&gt;click here to review course details and register&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Course Access: &lt;/strong&gt;October 1 - 31, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, October&amp;nbsp;29&amp;nbsp;at 12:00pm - 3:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;September 24, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on October 7th, October 14th, October 21st and October 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Thursday, October 29 at&amp;nbsp;12:00pm - 3:00pm&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be available within the course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In this course the mysteries of the law and the relationship of the procurement&amp;nbsp;agent to it are unraveled in a concise and easy to understand format. Candidates are given an overview of the issues and responsibilities related to entering into a legal contract as well as determining what comprises a contract. Other topics discussed are the Law of Agency, Contract Law, Laws of Competitive Bidding, comments on various Acts, bonding and alternatives to bonding.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;/strong&gt;Michelle Trudel, NIGP-CPP, CPPB&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the Law of Agency and the duties of the three parties involved in an agency relationship&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the six essential elements to create a binding, valid contract&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Give a detailed description of when Contracts A and B are formed and their importance to Procurement Law&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the duty of full disclosure and the duty of fairness and good faith&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the key provisions of several significant cases,&amp;nbsp;major Acts and Trade Agreements affecting public purchasing&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Course fees are &lt;u&gt;nontransferable&lt;/u&gt; to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 9&amp;nbsp;contact hours.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until September 24, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until September 24, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes September 24, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:20 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:20 -0400</publishDate><date>08/31/2026</date><time>4:20 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186250</link></item><item><title>Oct 1, 2026 - Oct 31, 2026: Principles - Competitive Bidding (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;October 1 &amp;ndash; 31, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, October 29 |&amp;nbsp;6:00pm - 9:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;September 24, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on October 7th, October 14th, October&amp;nbsp;21st and October 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Thursday, October 29 at&amp;nbsp;6:00pm - 9:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET​&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within your course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course gives a detailed examination of the tendering &amp;amp; request for proposal processes. It includes concepts, issues and the resolution of issues relating to preparing and issuing the procurement documents as well as the&amp;nbsp;ultimate receiving, opening and checking of bids. Participants will be given&amp;nbsp;an overview of the various components comprising tenders and request for&amp;nbsp;proposals documents and the differences of each.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Marie Kavanagh, CPPO, CPPB, NIGP-CPP&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Define competitive bidding and its basic elements&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the many procurement document formats and their use&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain a variety of bidder candidacy restrictions&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the aspects associated with the development of a bid document&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the purpose of pre-bid meetings; along with when to use them effectively and pitfalls to watch for&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the alternatives to competitive bidding&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registraton fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 8.5&amp;nbsp;contact hours&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until September 24, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;8.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until September 24, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;8.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes September 24, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:06 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:06 -0400</publishDate><date>10/08/2025</date><time>5:06 pm</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186249</link></item><item><title>Oct 1, 2026 - Oct 31, 2026: PPS - RFPs - A Step by Step Guide for Public Procurement Professionals (Virtual - Zoom)</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;October 1 &amp;ndash; 31, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, October 28&amp;nbsp;at 6:00pm - 9:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;September 24, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on October 7th, October 14th, October&amp;nbsp;21st and October 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, October 28&amp;nbsp;at&amp;nbsp;6:00pm - 9:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET​&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within your course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In this course, participants will uncover the secrets behind crafting successful Request for Proposals. The content is presented in an easily digestible format, providing an overview of RFP-related issues and responsibilities. Participants will have an in-depth look at all elements of the RFP process, including policies and procedures, RFP templates, methodology, communications with proponents, compliance, price proposals, contract assembly, and more. By the end of the training, participants will understand all facets of the RFP process, including how to provide relevant information during debriefings.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
LEARNING OBJECTIVES&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Define the term Request for Proposal&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Describe the Elements of the RFP process&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Describe the RFP template, including the different types of RFP&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Describe the RFP structure&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Understand evaluation criteria and its purpose&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Understand the negotiation process and strategy&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Understand criteria and its purpose&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Understand the purpose and role of the evaluation committee&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Execute&amp;nbsp;the RFP process&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Understand&amp;nbsp;and conduct&amp;nbsp;debriefs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;/strong&gt;Sarah&amp;nbsp;Denomy, CPPB&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Important note:&lt;/strong&gt; to ensure you receive all course communications, please ask your IT department to&amp;nbsp;whitelist the server the Brightspace emails come from, being: IP address:&amp;nbsp;67.227.157.221&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SPECIALTY COURSE HOURS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Contact hours: 9&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: this course requires a minimum of 10 learners to move ahead, and has a maximum of 20.&amp;nbsp;Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION FEES:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$359.65&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until September 24, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$419.59&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until September 24, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION closes September 24, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:35 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:35 -0400</publishDate><date>08/24/2026</date><time>10:35 am</time><location>Brightspace - you will be provided all details in the last week of September</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186256</link></item><item><title>Oct 17, 2026 - Oct 18, 2026: Principles Certificate Exam Prep [for November exam] Course (Virtual - Zoom)</title><description>&lt;p&gt;October 17 + 18, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET&lt;br /&gt;
Virtual Learning&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Monday, October 12, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;This course is delivered via the Zoom delivery method, happening in two (2) three 3-hour sessions.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Principles Certificate exam prep course is designed to get you ready for the exam - the next exam session is November&amp;nbsp;1st - 7th.&amp;nbsp;The topics covered in the course are what will be on the exam.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;This prep course does not count as one of the two additional workshops requirement for the Principles Exam.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Michelle Rasiulis, CSCMP, CPPB, NIGP-CPP&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DATE AND TIME&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This six (6) hour Zoom virtual learning course&amp;nbsp;has two (2) online sessions:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Saturday, October 17&amp;nbsp;at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm ET&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;AND&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sunday, October 18 at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm ET&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Zoom meeting link and login information will be distributed before the first session, after the registration deadline.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;strong&gt;Course fees are &lt;u&gt;nontransferable&lt;/u&gt; to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$269.73&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;October 12, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$329.68&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 12, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes October&amp;nbsp;12, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:57 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:57 -0400</publishDate><date>06/16/2026</date><time>12:57 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186255</link></item><item><title>Oct 21, 2026: 7th Annual Reverse Vendor Tradeshow (October 21, 2026)</title><description>&lt;div style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:#1f2933; line-height:1.5;"&gt;&lt;!-- Header Block --&gt;
&lt;table border="0" style="background-color:#fff8f4; border-collapse:collapse; border-left:6px solid #D24C2B; margin-bottom:18px; width:100%"&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:16px 18px;"&gt;
			&lt;div style="font-size:11px; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:0.8px; color:#9a4f00; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom:6px;"&gt;Supplier / Attendee Registration&lt;/div&gt;

			&lt;h2 style="margin:0 0 8px 0; font-size:24px; color:#004665;"&gt;Reverse Vendor Tradeshow 2026&lt;/h2&gt;

			&lt;p style="margin:0; font-size:15px; color:#334e68;"&gt;October 21, 2026 | Pearson Convention Centre&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;!-- Intro --&gt;

&lt;p style="margin:0 0 14px 0; font-size:15px;"&gt;Connect directly with public procurement professionals from municipalities, school boards, post-secondary institutions, and other publicly funded organizations across Ontario.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul style="margin:0 0 18px 20px; font-size:15px;"&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Meet public agencies face-to-face&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Build valuable relationships&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Gain insight into how public agencies buy&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Learn about upcoming opportunities&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;!-- Schedule --&gt;

&lt;table border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #f2d3b4; margin-bottom:18px; width:100%"&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:16px 18px;"&gt;
			&lt;h3 style="margin:0 0 10px 0; font-size:18px; color:#D24C2B;"&gt;Program Schedule&lt;/h3&gt;

			&lt;p style="margin:0 0 8px 0; font-size:15px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8:45 AM &amp;ndash; 9:15 AM&lt;/strong&gt; | Registration &amp;amp; Networking&lt;/p&gt;

			&lt;p style="margin:0 0 10px 0; font-size:15px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9:15 AM &amp;ndash; 12:45 PM&lt;/strong&gt; | Reverse Vendor Tradeshow&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;!-- Speed Networking --&gt;

&lt;table border="0" style="background-color:#fff8f1; border-collapse:collapse; border-left:4px solid #D24C2B; margin-bottom:18px; width:100%"&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:16px 18px;"&gt;
			&lt;h3 style="margin:0 0 10px 0; font-size:18px; color:#9a4f00;"&gt;Speed Networking (Optional)&lt;/h3&gt;

			&lt;ul style="margin:0 0 10px 20px; font-size:15px;"&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;Pre-scheduled 10-minute 1:1 meetings&lt;/li&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;Booking opens ~1 week before the event&lt;/li&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;First come, first served&lt;/li&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;Limit of 3 meetings per vendor&lt;/li&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;$30 per meeting&lt;/li&gt;
			&lt;/ul&gt;

			&lt;p style="margin:0; font-size:14px; color:#52606d;"&gt;High demand &amp;mdash; book early to secure your meetings.&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;!-- Pricing --&gt;

&lt;table border="0" style="background-color:#eef5f9; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #d9e2ec; margin-bottom:18px; width:100%"&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:16px 18px;"&gt;
			&lt;h3 style="margin:0 0 10px 0; font-size:18px; color:#004665;"&gt;Registration Options&lt;/h3&gt;

			&lt;ul style="margin:0 0 10px 20px; font-size:15px;"&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tradeshow Only&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; $99 per person&lt;/li&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tradeshow + Speed Networking&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; $99 per person&lt;/li&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Afternoon Session Only&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; $125 / $150&lt;/li&gt;
				&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-Day Package&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; $225 per person&lt;/li&gt;
			&lt;/ul&gt;

			&lt;p style="margin:0; font-size:14px; color:#52606d;"&gt;Pricing subject to HST. Afternoon session details will be announced soon.&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;!-- Footer --&gt;

&lt;p style="margin:0; font-size:14px;"&gt;Questions? &lt;a href="mailto:events@opba.ca" style="color:#D24C2B;"&gt;events@opba.ca&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Don&amp;rsquo;t forget to check back for updates to the exhibitor list&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/reverse_vendor_tradeshow.php"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br data-end="2948" data-start="2945" /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
</description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:24 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:24 -0400</publishDate><date>04/20/2026</date><time>1:24 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=220566</link></item><item><title>Nov 1, 2026 - Nov 30, 2026: Principles - Risk Management (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;November 1 &amp;ndash; 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Monday, November 30 at 9:00am - 12:30pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;October&amp;nbsp;26, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on November&amp;nbsp;7th, November 14th, November 21st and November&amp;nbsp;28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Monday, November 30 at 9:00am - 12:30pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within the course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course examines the various issues with managing risk when purchasing goods and services in the public sector. Candidates are given an overview of common risk issues, including those of ownership and copyright, the right to privacy, competitive bidding irregularities, occupational health and safety, environmental responsibilities and accountability in terms of personal and corporate liability.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Michelle Rasiulis, CSCMP, CPPB, NIGP-CPP&lt;meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /&gt;&lt;meta name="ProgId" content="Excel.Sheet" /&gt;&lt;meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Excel 15" /&gt;
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&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Define risk management&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe eight major risk management issues of importance for public procurement professionals&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline three basic risk management techniques: avoiding, managing and&amp;nbsp;transferring risk&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the types of insurance and bonds a public agency will require or may request&amp;nbsp;from a vendor&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the six components to corporate risk management&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Better understand all of the roles involved in managing risk in your organization&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 9.5&amp;nbsp;contact hours&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes October 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:07 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:07 -0400</publishDate><date>09/02/2026</date><time>1:07 pm</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=191040</link></item><item><title>Nov 1, 2026 - Nov 30, 2026: Principles - Advanced Competitive Bidding (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Dates: &lt;/strong&gt;November&amp;nbsp;1 - 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Friday, November 27 |&amp;nbsp;12:00pm - 3:30pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;October 26, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on November 7th, November 14th, November 21st and November&amp;nbsp;28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Friday, November 27 at&amp;nbsp;12:00pm - 3:30pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within your course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course builds on the foundations of the Competitive Bidding &amp;ndash; General course and focuses more on complex competitive bid solicitations, including both RFTs and RFPs. Candidates will discuss evaluated bid submissions, how to develop evaluation criteria, work with evaluators and evaluation groups, explore different costing calculations, as well as the two-envelope approach for the receipt of both proposals and tenders.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Victoria Mirlocca, Q.Arb, CPPB, C.Mgr., C.I.M., NIGP-CPP, CPSD&lt;meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /&gt;&lt;meta name="ProgId" content="Excel.Sheet" /&gt;&lt;meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Excel 15" /&gt;
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&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the phases associated with the RFP process&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the considerations involved in the evaluation, award and debrief of a bidding competition&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the purpose and benefits of an evaluation team&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the preferred approach to conducting a vendor debrief and practice for increased confidence&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the differences between protests and disputes and some considerations for handling each effectively&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 9.5 contact hours.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26,&amp;nbsp;2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9.5&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes October 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:04 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:04 -0400</publishDate><date>10/08/2025</date><time>5:04 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186258</link></item><item><title>Nov 1, 2026 - Nov 30, 2026: Principles - Co-operative Procurement (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access: &lt;/strong&gt;November&amp;nbsp;1 - 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, November 26 | 12:00pm - 3:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;October 26, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions.&amp;nbsp;If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on November 7th, November 14th, November 21st and November 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Thursday, November 26 at&amp;nbsp;12:00pm - 3:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within your course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course gives an overview of the cooperative purchasing process in the public sector, describing the types, benefits, structure, legal considerations and challenges cooperative purchasing groups face. Attendees will be shown and discuss examples of constitutions, strategic plans, business plan reports, commodity listings and standard terms and conditions for public tenders issued by cooperative groups.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Scott Agnello, CPPO, CPPB&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Define cooperative purchasing&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe a variety of methods and group purchasing models associated with cooperative purchasing&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the benefits and challenges associated with cooperative purchasing, along with ways to measure savings&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain several rules, statutes and treaties related to cooperative purchasing&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the characteristics and traits of a successful cooperative&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the business components of a cooperative group&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 7 contact hours&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes October 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:37 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:37 -0500</publishDate><date>11/27/2025</date><time>3:37 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186261</link></item><item><title>Nov 1, 2026 - Nov 30, 2026: Principles - Introduction to Public Procurement (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;November 1 -&amp;nbsp; November 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&amp;nbsp;Monday, November 30 | 12:00pm - 3:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;October 26, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month. &lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on November​&amp;nbsp;7th, November 14th, November 21st and November&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Monday, November 30 at 12:00pm - 3:00pm&amp;nbsp;ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be sent the week before the session.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is the pre-requisite for the Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program, giving an introduction to policy and procedures, authority and agency, the public purchasing cycle and other aspects of the function of purchasing. Candidates will be given an overview of legal considerations purchasing staff need to know when developing and handling bid documents, deciding the best procurement option (tender and RFP processes), as well as discuss centralized versus decentralized procurement systems.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;/strong&gt;Slavi Nalbantov, CSCMP&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the roles and responsibilities of public procurement, and the differences from the private sector&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the importance of developing clear purchasing policies and procedures&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a centralized and decentralized purchasing organization structure&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the seven &amp;rsquo;R&amp;rsquo;s of public purchasing and the steps associated with the public purchasing cycle&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the legalities associated with public purchasing&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 7 contact hours&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;7&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes October 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:22 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:22 -0500</publishDate><date>12/19/2025</date><time>3:22 pm</time><location>Zoom - links will be distributed prior to event</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=191974</link></item><item><title>Nov 1, 2026 - Nov 30, 2026: Principles - Introduction to Procurement for Construction (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;November 1 &amp;ndash; 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&amp;nbsp;Tuesday, December 1 | 5:30pm - 9:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;October 26, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on November&amp;nbsp;7th, November 14th, November 21st and November 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, December 1 at&amp;nbsp;5:30pm - 9:00pm ET​&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be provided within the course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Introduction to Construction&amp;nbsp;course content has been updated to ensure that learners receive current information related to construction procurement in today&amp;rsquo;s environment. This&amp;nbsp;course provides a step-by-step description of the process to retain a general contractor for construction using the design/bid/build contract model and stipulated price contract.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Carl Bonitto, CPPO, CPPB&lt;meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /&gt;&lt;meta name="ProgId" content="Excel.Sheet" /&gt;&lt;meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Excel 15" /&gt;
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&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain how &amp;ldquo;improvement&amp;rdquo; projects carried out in the province of Ontario are subject to&amp;nbsp;the Construction Act&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the type of contract method most commonly used for a construction project; including control, risk and cost considerations&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the types of pricing structures that can be used for a construction project&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline many of the important factors to consider when engaging a contractor&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 9&amp;nbsp;contact hours&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 26, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes October 26, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:53 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:53 -0400</publishDate><date>04/01/2026</date><time>1:53 pm</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186260</link></item><item><title>Nov 1, 2026 - Nov 30, 2026: Principles - Procurement and the Law (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;November 1 - November 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Monday, November 30 at 5:30pm - 8:30pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;October 26, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This course is delivered through OPBA&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If this is your first course with PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll receive an email with login instructions. If you&amp;rsquo;ve already taken a course through PPLL, you&amp;rsquo;ll use your existing login credentials to access the platform.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is a blended learning experience, combining self-directed online learning with a live instructor-led session. You&amp;rsquo;ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;The deadlines you will need to meet will fall on November 7th, November 14th, November 21st and November 28th.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &lt;strong&gt;mandatory&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;live Zoom session will take place on &lt;strong&gt;Monday, November 30 at 5:30pm - 8:30pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Zoom link will be available within the course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In this course the mysteries of the law and the relationship of the procurement&amp;nbsp;agent to it are unraveled in a concise and easy to understand format. Candidates are given an overview of the issues and responsibilities related to entering into a legal contract as well as determining what comprises a contract. Other topics discussed are the Law of Agency, Contract Law, Laws of Competitive Bidding, comments on various Acts, bonding and alternatives to bonding.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Emma Sears, CPPO, NIGP-CPP, CPPB&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LEARNING OBJECTIVES:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
By the end of this course participants will be able to:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Explain the Law of Agency and the duties of the three parties involved in an agency relationship&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the six essential elements to create a binding, valid contract&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Give a detailed description of when Contracts A and B are formed and their importance to Procurement Law&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Describe the duty of full disclosure and the duty of fairness and good faith&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;bull; Outline the key provisions of several significant cases,&amp;nbsp;major Acts and Trade Agreements affecting public purchasing&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COURSE LEARNING MATERIALS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You do not need any course materials in advance, everything required to support your learning with this course will be accessed in the learning platform.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Important note:&lt;/strong&gt; to ensure you receive all course communications, please ask your IT department to&amp;nbsp;whitelist the server the Brightspace emails come from, being: IP address:&amp;nbsp;67.227.157.221&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Course fees are &lt;u&gt;nontransferable&lt;/u&gt; to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: 9&amp;nbsp;contact hours&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Program Enrollment: If you plan to apply this course&amp;nbsp;toward the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://members.opba.ca/members/form.php?orgcode=OPBA&amp;amp;fid=5915381" target="_blank"&gt;Principles of Effective Public Procurement certificate program&lt;/a&gt;, you must enroll in the program within nine (9) months of completing this course.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: There is a minimum of 10 participants required and a maximum of 20. Register early to avoid disappointment. There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$288.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until &lt;strong&gt;October 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$352.10&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until &lt;strong&gt;October 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;9&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes October 26, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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</description><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:56 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:56 -0400</publishDate><date>08/31/2026</date><time>2:56 pm</time><location>Zoom - links will be distributed prior to event</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=225495</link></item><item><title>Nov 12, 2026: OPBA Ignite: Leading Through Transition: Succession, Change, and Smarter Decision Making</title><description>&lt;div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color:#333; line-height:1.6; max-width:900px; margin:0 auto;"&gt;
&lt;div style="background:#003A70; color:#ffffff; padding:24px; border-radius:8px; margin-bottom:24px;"&gt;
&lt;h2 style="margin:0 0 10px 0; color:#ffffff;"&gt;Leading Through Transition: Succession, Change, and Smarter Decision Making&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p style="margin:0; font-size:16px;"&gt;Thursday, November 12, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET | Virtual Event&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div style="background:#f7f9fb; border-left:5px solid #D24C2B; padding:18px 22px; border-radius:6px; margin-bottom:24px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;November&amp;nbsp;11, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Public sector organizations are navigating increasing complexity, evolving workforce dynamics, leadership transitions, and growing pressure to make informed decisions in rapidly changing environments. For procurement leaders and professionals, the ability to lead through change while building resilient teams and preparing future leaders has never been more important.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In partnership with &lt;a href="https://kirahsearch.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#0000FF"&gt;KIRAH Executive Search &amp;amp; Leadership Advisory&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, OPBA is hosting this interactive panel discussion for public sector professionals exploring succession planning, change management, and critical thinking through a practical public sector leadership lens. Designed as an insight-driven conversation, the session will examine how organizations can better prepare for leadership transitions, support teams through change, and strengthen decision-making in complex environments.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 style="color:#003A70; margin-top:28px;"&gt;Moderator&lt;/h3&gt;
Michelle Trudel, Manager of Purchasing, Town of Ajax

&lt;h3 style="color:#003A70; margin-top:28px;"&gt;Panelists&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul style="padding-left:20px;"&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;KD Khairah&lt;/strong&gt;, Founder, KIRAH Executive Search &amp;amp; Leadership Advisory&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Charmaine Hammond&lt;/strong&gt;, Leadership Consultant, Hammond International&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rosalia La Corte&lt;/strong&gt;, Director, Strategic Sourcing and Vendor Services, WSIB Ontario&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sam Pringle&lt;/strong&gt;, Director, Supply Chain Management, Halton Region&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Panelists will share perspectives, experiences, and practical considerations related to leadership development, organizational transition, workforce planning, and navigating change within public sector environments.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div style="background:#eef4f8; padding:18px 22px; border-radius:6px; margin:24px 0;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance to help shape the discussion. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:flo@opba.ca?subject=Submit%20a%20question%3A%20June%2018%20Webinar%20Leading%20Through%20Transition"&gt;Submit a question&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;h3 style="color:#003A70; margin-top:30px;"&gt;Registration Fees&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;table style="border-collapse:collapse; font-size:15px; margin-top:12px; width:100%"&gt;
	&lt;thead&gt;
		&lt;tr style="background:#003A70; color:#ffffff;"&gt;
			&lt;th style="padding:12px; text-align:left; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;Registration Type&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th style="padding:12px; text-align:left; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th style="padding:12px; text-align:left; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/thead&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;Members&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;$20.00 + HST&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;1.00&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr style="background:#f7f9fb;"&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;Non-Members&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;$35.00 + HST&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;"&gt;1.00&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size:14px; color:#555; margin-top:20px;"&gt;Please refer to our &lt;a href="http://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;refund and payment policy&lt;/a&gt; for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:37 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:37 -0400</publishDate><date>09/02/2026</date><time>1:37 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=225577</link></item><item><title>Nov 19, 2026: PPS - Supplier Performance (Virtual - Zoom)</title><description>&lt;p&gt;November 19, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET&lt;br /&gt;
Virtual Learning&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes Thursday, November 12, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;DESCRIPTION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;This course is delivered via the Zoom delivery method, happening in one (1) three 3-hour session.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Contractor/Supplier/Consultant (Suppliers) Performance Program (the Program) sets out the guidelines for managing the performance of Suppliers.&amp;nbsp;The program is administered in accordance with the agency&amp;rsquo;s procurement policy.&amp;nbsp;The project manager is responsible for administering the program in accordance with the policy.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
The purpose of this training is to provide support with supplier performance trends that will be assessed over both the short and long term to provide suppliers with feedback and to facilitate continuous improvement, where required.&amp;nbsp;Feedback from the project manager to the supplier will be provided through written evaluation as described below.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
The objectives of this program are to:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Ensure consistent compliance with the program through the completion of required documentation;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Establish clear expectations and benchmarks that encourage responsibility and accountability that benefit both the supplier and the agency;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Monitor and evaluate a supplier&amp;rsquo;s performance against the contractual requirements and deliverables;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Address shortfalls in supplier performance; and&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Encourage continuous improvement through appropriate corrective action as necessary.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor&lt;/strong&gt;:&amp;nbsp;Marie Kavanagh, CPPO, CPPB, NIGP-CPP&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;DATE AND TIME&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This three (3) hour Zoom virtual learning seminar has one (1) online session:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Thursday, November 19&amp;nbsp;at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The Zoom meeting link and login information will be distributed before the first session, after the&amp;nbsp;registration deadline.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ATTENDANCE AND CREDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Students are advised that they must attend the&amp;nbsp;session&amp;nbsp;in full to receive course credit. A student that arrives late to a course or has been found to be away or inactive for a duration of the session may not receive their credit. The decision to not grant credit shall be at the discretion of the the facilitator to the session and the Director of Professional Development.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PRE-WORK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note, there is no pre-work for this course.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancellations and/or refunds. &lt;strong&gt;Course registration fees are non-transferable to other courses.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;FORMAT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697"&gt;Learn more about the Zoom platform and its system requirements here.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Remember to use a wired internet connection (as opposed to wi-fi, if possible) for the best viewing experience.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;OPBA&amp;nbsp;seminars are designed for student participation. In order to get the most out of the session and ensure two-way discussion, students are encouraged to fully participate by having camera and microphone on during the virtual session, or to actively participate in chat where access to a A/V equipment is not possible.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Students are also encouraged to maintain a respectful learning environment by minimizing multi-tasking distractions, and background noise. Please ensure mobile phones and computer notifications are off or muted, and place yourself on mute until you want to, or are called upon, to speak.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CERTIFICATE PROGRAM&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Attendance Credit: Three (3) CE hours. Students must attend the full session&amp;nbsp;to receive course credit.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;REGISTRATION&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Space is limited: Register early to avoid disappointment.&amp;nbsp;There will be a $25 late fee applied to join this course after the registration deadline. Please email members@opba.ca to request a late registration.&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Title&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th&gt;Fee&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="175"&gt;Valid Dates&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="150"&gt;Member Status&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Points&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;CEUs&lt;/th&gt;
			&lt;th width="50"&gt;Hours&lt;/th&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Member Rate&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$203.80&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until November 19, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;Members Only&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;3.0000&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;Virtual Learning - Non Member&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;$269.73&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until November 19, 2026&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="150"&gt;All Registrants&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;0.0000&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="50"&gt;3.0000&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes November 19, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:02 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:02 -0400</publishDate><date>10/08/2025</date><time>5:02 pm</time><location>Zoom - links will be distributed prior to event</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186262</link></item><item><title>Nov 26, 2026: Procurement Specialists Meeting</title><description>&lt;section style="
  background:#F3F6F9;
  border:1px solid #D9E2EA;
  border-radius:12px;
  padding:12px 14px;
  margin:0 0 14px 0;
"&gt;
&lt;p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; color: rgb(31, 45, 61);"&gt;&lt;span style="color:033245"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Procurement Specialists Meeting&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;(formerly Buyers Meeting) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, November 26, 2026&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;Virtual Event&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes: November 25, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/section&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Join us quarterly for a unique and inclusive gathering of procurement peers! Our Procurement Specialists Meetings offer a welcoming space for professionals in a Procurement capacity within their organization, regardless of title.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Our goal is to cultivate a culture of open dialogue, curiosity, and inclusivity among peers. Procurement Specialists, new and seasoned, are welcome to share their perspectives and engage in a free-flowing exchange of ideas. This is an opportunity to learn from one another, broaden our perspectives, and strengthen the bond within our network of procurement professionals.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
These facilitated sessions use a structured yet flexible format that ensure everyone&amp;rsquo;s voice is heard and that current topics of interest are shared and discussed. Come prepared to ask questions, listen, and connect with peers in this networking session.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Don't miss out on these opportunities to be a part of an enriching and open-minded gathering.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Send your burning questions or discussion topics to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:flo@opba.ca ?subject=Agenda%20item%20ideas%20for%20Procurement%20Specialist%20Meeting"&gt;flo@opba.ca&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;at least one week before the meeting.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;A free OPBA member exclusive opportunity!&amp;nbsp;Attendees eligible for two (2) contact hours.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:59 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:59 -0400</publishDate><date>09/01/2026</date><time>9:59 am</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=199054</link></item><item><title>Nov 30, 2026: People Leaders Meeting</title><description>&lt;section style="
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&lt;p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; color: rgb(31, 45, 61);"&gt;&lt;span style="color:033245"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:16px"&gt;People Leaders Meeting&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Monday, November 30, 2026&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;Virtual Event&lt;br /&gt;
Registration closes:&amp;nbsp;November 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/section&gt;
Join us for a unique and inclusive gathering of procurement peers where the spirit of collaboration takes center stage! Our People Leader&amp;rsquo;s Meetings are&amp;nbsp;a welcoming space for management/leadership-level procurement professionals who lead others within their organization, regardless of their title.&amp;nbsp; This year, there will be four (4) people leader meetings - three virtual and one in-person (at the conference).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Our goal is to cultivate a culture of open dialogue, curiosity, and inclusivity among peers in a safe environment. People Leaders are welcome to share their perspectives and engage in a free-flowing exchange of ideas, problem solving and sharing. This is an opportunity to learn from one another, broaden perspectives, and strengthen the bond within our network of procurement professionals.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
This&amp;nbsp;session&amp;nbsp;is&amp;nbsp;built with a structured yet flexible format that ensures everyone's voice is heard and respected.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Come prepared to ask, listen, and connect with your fellow peers. Let's create a space where the power of sharing becomes a catalyst for personal and collective growth.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Don't miss out on this&amp;nbsp;opportunity&amp;nbsp;to participate in an enriching and open-minded gathering. We can't wait to see you there!&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Send your burning questions or discussion topics to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a data-linkindex="0" href="mailto:events@opba.ca?subject=People%20Leaders%20Meeting%20-%20Questions%20%26%20Topics" title="mailto:events@opba.ca?subject=Buyers%20Meeting%20Question"&gt;events@opba.ca&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;at least one week before the meeting.&amp;nbsp; We will try to inform the meeting about topics similar to what is being discussed in the Procurement Specialist (Buyers) Meeting.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;A free OPBA member exclusive opportunity!&amp;nbsp;Attendees are eligible for two (2) contact hours.&lt;/strong&gt;
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</description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:57 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:57 -0400</publishDate><date>09/01/2026</date><time>9:57 am</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=200267</link></item></channel></rss>