<?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>Fri, 08 May 2026 13:37:27 EDT</lastBuildDate><language>en-us</language><item><title>May 1, 2026 - May 31, 2026: Principles - Procurement and the Law (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access: &lt;/strong&gt;May 1 - 31, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Friday, May 29 | 12:00pm - 3:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;April 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 May&amp;nbsp;7th, May 14th, May 21st and May 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, May 29 at&amp;nbsp;12:00pm - 3:30pm&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 April 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 April 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 April 24, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:38 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:38 -0400</publishDate><date>04/15/2026</date><time>12:38 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186207</link></item><item><title>May 1, 2026 - May 31, 2026: Principles - Competitive Bidding (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access: &lt;/strong&gt;May 1 - 31, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, May 28 |&amp;nbsp;6:00pm - 9:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;April 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 May 7th, May 14th, May 21st and May 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, May 28 at&amp;nbsp;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 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;Victoria Mirlocca, Q.Arb, CPPB, C.Mgr., C.I.M., NIGP-CPP, CPSD&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 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: 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 April 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&amp;nbsp;April 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 April 24, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl23
	{color:black;
	font-weight:700;}
&lt;/style&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:12 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:12 -0400</publishDate><date>10/08/2025</date><time>5:12 pm</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186206</link></item><item><title>May 7, 2026 - May 8, 2026: Foundations of Strategy + Policy (2-day NIGP course)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Description&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Stakeholder engagement and strategic value demonstration are crucial skills for procurement professionals, fostering trust and success in their roles. NIGP&amp;rsquo;s Core Certificate: Foundations of Strategy and Policy is a comprehensive activity-based learning experience focusing on legal, ethical, and strategic aspects of public procurement. This course equips learners with the necessary tools to navigate governmental entities effectively, enhancing their procurement functions. By mastering these skills, professionals boost their career growth, gaining confidence in executing procurement tasks aligned with legal and ethical standards.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Course Date + Time&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
May 7 + 8, 2026 at 9:00am - 6:00pm ET - learners must participate in both days in full to earn their course certificate&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Emma Sears, CPPO, NIGP-CPP, CPPB&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Learning Objectives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Upon successful completion of the certificate, the certificate holder will be able to:
&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Participate effectively in strategic planning activities.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Advise internal and external clients on the strategic function of procurement.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Identify the differences between Law, Regulation and Policy, and Common Law.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Manage risk through proper identification and mitigation.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Operate with transparency.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Select the relevant procurement legislation, regulation, and laws that apply to the work.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Recognize and manage ethical and legal issues.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Establish a performance&amp;nbsp;assessment plan to ensure that all stakeholders are complying with the procurement as established in the contract.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Intended Audience&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This offering&amp;nbsp;is targeted to individuals who meet or exceed the following professional demographics: &amp;nbsp;
&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Entry-level public procurement and central warehouse professionals who serve as assistants, coordinators, buyers, or equivalent functions within their respective entities.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Non-procurement managers&amp;nbsp;and supervisors who are responsible for either the procurement function or staff who provide procurement functions under delegated authority.  &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Professionals&amp;nbsp;who are employed by governing entities and special authorities (such as K-12 and higher education, publicly-owned utilities, transportation providers, and other publicly-funded or created organizations) that either serve within or manage the procurement function. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Suppliers or representatives&amp;nbsp;of suppliers seeking to understand the public procurement function from a holistic level, including the policies, standards, and procedures by which public entities must function. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Completion Requirements&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Includes pre-class assignments at least one week in advance of the course and post-class follow up within one week.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In order to successfully complete the NIGP Foundations of Strategy and Policy Core Certificate, learners must:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete any pre-work materials provided prior to the course start date.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Attend and participate in the entirety of the instructional event.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete the post-course evaluation survey.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete the final assessment examination with a score of 81% or higher.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Competency &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alignment&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This certificate is designed as an exercise-based learning experience and is tied to NIGP&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Competency Framework. Upon completion of the certificate requirements, learners will have demonstrated the successful knowledge, skills, and abilities in alignment with the following Level 1 competencies:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Mission,&amp;nbsp;Public Benefit, Advocacy, Impact, and Placement&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Enabling&amp;nbsp;Regulations &amp;amp; Compliance&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Ethics, Integrity, Transparency&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Legislation&amp;nbsp;&amp;amp; Legal Environment.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees (incl. tax)*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Member Early Bird Rate [Mar 17 - Apr 17]: $545.79&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Member Regular Rate [Apr 18 - Apr 30]: $654.27&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Non-Member Rate [Mar 17 - Apr 30]: $767.27&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;*please note,&amp;nbsp;course registration fees are set at a special rate for this pilot&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Registration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This course requires a minimum of 8, maximum of 24, learners to move ahead.&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;strong&gt;&lt;span style="background-color:#FFFF00"&gt;Cancellation Policy: important note, this pilot course has a different refund policy than Principles/PPS courses.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Registration and payment must be received&amp;nbsp;24&amp;nbsp;hours&amp;nbsp;prior to the&amp;nbsp;course&amp;nbsp;start date. After this time, registrations will be based on space availability.&amp;nbsp;A full refund, less a&amp;nbsp;$75 administrative fee&amp;nbsp;will be given for cancellations made in writing 31+ days prior to the seminar date by emailing&amp;nbsp;&lt;a data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5db1a7e95c38146f89d96f7c" href="mailto:RegistrationInfo@nigp.org" rel="noreferrer noopener" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"&gt;m&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:members@opba.ca"&gt;embers@opba.ca&lt;/a&gt;. No refunds are given for cancellations received within&amp;nbsp;24 hours&amp;nbsp;of the course start date. There are no refunds for no-shows. If the course is cancelled for any reason, OPBA's liability is limited to the registration fee only.&amp;nbsp;Attendee substitutions within the same agency may be completed with email notification to OPBA sent more than 24 hours prior to the course start time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Last day to register: April 30, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:53 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:53 -0400</publishDate><date>03/26/2026</date><time>10:53 am</time><location>Course materials will be circulated after registration deadline</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=208555</link></item><item><title>May 9, 2026 - May 10, 2026: Principles Certificate Exam Prep [for June exam] Course (Virtual - Zoom)</title><description>&lt;p&gt;May 9 + 10, 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;Friday, May 1, 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 June 1st - 7th.&amp;nbsp;The topics covered in the course are what will be on the exam.&amp;nbsp;&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, May 9 at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm ET&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;AND&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sunday, May 10 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;May 1, 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 May 1, 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&amp;nbsp;May 1, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:12 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:12 -0400</publishDate><date>10/08/2025</date><time>5:12 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186208</link></item><item><title>May 13, 2026 - May 14, 2026: Foundations of Planning + Analysis (2-day NIGP course)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Description&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
For the public procurement professional, the ability to think strategically for both the procurement function and the larger governmental entity as a whole is critical to serving the communities in which we live and work. Designed to outline proactive, applicable approaches to ensuring best practice guidance and implementation, NIGP&amp;rsquo;s Foundations of Planning and Analysis Core Certificate empowers novice public procurement professionals to better identify and articulate the goals and objectives of public procurement. Outlining and exploring critical skills such as strength and weakness evaluation, opportunities and threat analysis, and stakeholder-end user engagement, the Foundations of Planning and Analysis certificate prepares learners with base-level interactive and exercise-driven instruction, providing best practice guidance to help you not only lead your entity to successful risk-averse strategy but also to secure the best benefit for stakeholders and communities alike.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Course Date + Time&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Wednesday, May 13 + Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 9:00am - 6:00pm ET - learners must participate in both days in full to earn their course certificate&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Lynda Allair, NIGP-CPP, CPPO&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Learning Objectives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Upon successful completion of the certificate, the certificate holder will be able to:
&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Analyze the requirements for a project and provide the best solutions for the entity.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Determine the components and criteria required to successfully award a contract that meets the needs of the end user.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Describe how to customize terms and conditions in a contract to meet the entity&amp;rsquo;s needs.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Evaluate, select, and apply the tools and processes available for a comprehensive procurement plan.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Analyze the requirements of various internal stakeholders in order to adopt one set of specifications for commonly procured commodities.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Design contracts that satisfy the shared needs of multiple internal stakeholders to promote efficiency of the procurement function.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Evaluate cost and price data to determine total cost of ownership to an entity.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Compare the price of a commodity against the benefit to be derived by the entity to determine whether the expenditure is justifiable.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Intended Audience&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This offering&amp;nbsp;is targeted to individuals who meet or exceed the following professional demographics: &amp;nbsp;
&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Entry-level public procurement and central warehouse professionals who serve as assistants, coordinators, buyers, or equivalent functions within their respective entities.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Non-procurement managers and supervisors who are responsible for either the procurement function or staff who provide procurement functions under delegated authority.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Professionals who are employed by governing entities and special authorities (such as K-12 and higher education, publicly-owned utilities, transportation providers, and other publicly-funded or created organizations) that either serve within or manage the procurement function.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Suppliers or representatives of suppliers seeking to understand the public procurement function from a holistic level, including the policies, standards, and procedures by which public entities must function.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Completion Requirements&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
In order to successfully complete the NIGP Foundations of Planning &amp;amp; Analysis Certificate, learners must:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete any pre-work materials provided prior to the course start date.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Attend and participate in the entirety of the instructional event.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete the post-course evaluation survey available.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete the final assessment examination with a 80% or higher.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Competency &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alignment&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This certificate is designed as an exercise-based learning experience and is tied to NIGP&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Competency Framework. Upon completion of the certificate requirements, learners will have demonstrated the successful knowledge, skills, and abilities in alignment with the following competencies:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Requirements Planning and Understanding&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Standardization&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Cost, Price, and Value Analysis&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees (incl. tax)*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Member Early Bird Rate [Mar 17 - Apr 17]: $545.79&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Member Regular Rate [Apr 18 - May 6]: $654.27&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Non-Member Rate [Mar 17 - May 6]: $767.27&lt;br /&gt;
*please note,&amp;nbsp;course registration fees are set at a special rate for this pilot&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This course requires a minimum of 8, maximum of 24, learners to move ahead.&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;strong&gt;&lt;span style="background-color:#FFFF00"&gt;Cancellation Policy: important note, this pilot course has a different refund policy than Principles/PPS courses.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Registration and payment must be received&amp;nbsp;24&amp;nbsp;hours&amp;nbsp;prior to the&amp;nbsp;course&amp;nbsp;start date. After this time, registrations will be based on space availability.&amp;nbsp;A full refund, less a&amp;nbsp;$75 administrative fee&amp;nbsp;will be given for cancellations made in writing 31+ days prior to the seminar date by emailing&amp;nbsp;&lt;a data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5db1a7e95c38146f89d96f7c" href="mailto:RegistrationInfo@nigp.org" rel="noreferrer noopener" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"&gt;m&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:members@opba.ca"&gt;embers@opba.ca&lt;/a&gt;. No refunds are given for cancellations received within&amp;nbsp;24 hours&amp;nbsp;of the course start date. There are no refunds for no-shows. If the course is cancelled for any reason, OPBA's liability is limited to the registration fee only.&amp;nbsp;Attendee substitutions within the same agency may be completed with email notification to OPBA sent more than 24 hours prior to the course start time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Last day to register: May 6, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:54 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:54 -0400</publishDate><date>03/26/2026</date><time>10:54 am</time><location>Course materials will be circulated after registration deadline</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=208562</link></item><item><title>May 25, 2026 - May 26, 2026: PPS - RFPs - A Step by Step Guide for Public Procurement Professionals (Virtual - Zoom)</title><description>&lt;p&gt;May 25&amp;nbsp;+ 26, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
12:00 PM - 3:00 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, May 18,&amp;nbsp;2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
COURSE 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;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;/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;&lt;font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Monday, May 25&amp;nbsp;at 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;AND&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Tuesday, May 26&amp;nbsp;at 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Learners must attend both sessions to receive course credit.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Zoom meeting link and course materials&amp;nbsp;will be distributed 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;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ATTENDANCE AND CREDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Learners are advised that they must attend both sessions in full to receive course credit. A learner 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. As this course is not part of the Principles Program, it can count as two (2) of the additional meetings/courses/workshops required if you are enrolled in the Principles Certificate Program and intend to write the exam. To qualify, participants must attend and participate in the full six (6) hours.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PRE-WORK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Learners will receive a short pre-work assignment to complete approximately 4 business days&amp;nbsp;before the first session.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&amp;nbsp;&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;This course is designed for learners to be able to engage and participate in the sessions.&amp;nbsp;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;Learners are also encouraged to maintain a respectful learning environment by minimizing multi-tasking distractions&amp;nbsp;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. Learners &lt;strong&gt;must&lt;/strong&gt; attend both sessions 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;A minimum number of 8 participants is required for this course to move forward.&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;$359.65&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until May 18, 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;$419.59&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until May 18, 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;
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;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes May 18, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:35 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:35 -0400</publishDate><date>04/16/2026</date><time>2:35 pm</time><location>Zoom - links will be distributed prior to event</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186209</link></item><item><title>May 27, 2026 - May 29, 2026: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting (3-day NIGP course)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Description&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Mastering sourcing and contracting skills is crucial for successful procurement professionals aiming to meet stakeholder demands and acquire commodities efficiently. NIGP&amp;rsquo;s Core Certificate: Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting is a comprehensive learning experience encompassing sourcing methods, specification development, evaluation techniques, and negotiation strategies. This course equips learners with actionable solutions to procurement challenges, enabling them to excel in their roles and enhance their career growth in the competitive procurement industry. By gaining expertise in these foundational procurement principles, professionals can effectively navigate sourcing and contracting complexities, ensuring optimal procurement outcomes and organizational success.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Course Date + Time&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Wednesday, May 27, Thursday, May 28 + Friday, May 29, 2026 at 9:00am - 6:00pm ET - learners must participate in all three days in full to earn their course certificate&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Instructor&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Lynda Allair, NIGP-CPP, CPPO&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Learning Objectives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Upon successful completion of the certificate, the certificate holder will be able to:
&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Identify the appropriate source selection method and describe the components required to successfully meet the needs of the end user.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Identify advantages and disadvantages of contracting for commodities.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Assist the end user in developing and preparing effective and open specifications, pricing strategies, and terms and conditions to promote maximum competition in the marketplace.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Evaluate offers, make awards and/or negotiate an optimal contract solution.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Identify and describe the different types of evaluation methodologies and their associated application.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Explain the process of receiving, opening and analyzing offers, methods for award, and award strategies.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Identify and select the most responsive offer(s) and responsible supplier(s).&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Prepare to conduct a negotiation by engaging in market research, determining negotiating strategy and goals, and selecting the negotiating team.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Conduct and document negotiations with each selected offeror to determine the proposal that best meets entity needs.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Establish a performance assessment plan to ensure that all stakeholders are complying with the procurement as established in the contract.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Intended Audience&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This offering&amp;nbsp;is targeted to individuals who meet or exceed the following professional demographics: &amp;nbsp;
&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Entry-level public procurement&amp;nbsp;and central warehouse professionals who serve as assistants, coordinators, buyers, or equivalent functions within their respective entities.  &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Non-procurement managers and supervisors&amp;nbsp;who are responsible for either the procurement function or staff who provide procurement functions under delegated authority.  &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Professionals who are employed&amp;nbsp;by governing entities and special authorities (such as K-12 and higher education, publicly-owned utilities, transportation providers, and other publicly-funded or created organizations) that either serve within or manage the procurement function. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Suppliers or representatives&amp;nbsp;of suppliers seeking to understand the public procurement function from a holistic level, including the policies, standards, and procedures by which public entities must function. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Completion Requirements&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
In order to successfully complete the NIGP Foundations of Sourcing &amp;amp; Contracting Core Certificate, learners must:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete any pre-work materials provided prior to the course start date.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Attend and participate in the entirety of the instructional event.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete the post-course evaluation survey.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Complete the final assessment examination with a 87% or higher within a 120-minute time period.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Competency Alignment&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This certificate is designed as an exercise-based learning experience and is tied to NIGP&amp;rsquo;s Public Procurement Competency Framework. Upon completion of the certificate requirements, learners will have demonstrated the successful knowledge, skills, and abilities in alignment with the following competencies:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Sourcing &amp;amp; Contracting Methods&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Specification Development&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Evaluation Methods&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Negotiations Strategies&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees (incl. tax)*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Member Early Bird Rate [Mar 17 - Apr 17]: $718.68&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Member Regular Rate [Apr 18 - May 20]: $870.10&lt;br /&gt;
OPBA Non-Member Rate [Mar 17 - May 20]: $983.10&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;*please note,&amp;nbsp;course registration fees are set at a special rate for this pilot&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Registration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
This course requires a minimum of 8, maximum of 24, learners to move ahead.&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;strong&gt;&lt;span style="background-color:#FFFF00"&gt;Cancellation Policy: important note, this pilot course has a different refund policy than Principles/PPS courses.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Registration and payment must be received&amp;nbsp;24&amp;nbsp;hours&amp;nbsp;prior to the&amp;nbsp;course&amp;nbsp;start date. After this time, registrations will be based on space availability.&amp;nbsp;A full refund, less a&amp;nbsp;$75 administrative fee&amp;nbsp;will be given for cancellations made in writing 31+ days prior to the seminar date by emailing&amp;nbsp;&lt;a data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5db1a7e95c38146f89d96f7c" href="mailto:RegistrationInfo@nigp.org" rel="noreferrer noopener" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"&gt;m&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:members@opba.ca"&gt;embers@opba.ca&lt;/a&gt;. No refunds are given for cancellations received within&amp;nbsp;24 hours&amp;nbsp;of the course start date. There are no refunds for no-shows. If the course is cancelled for any reason, OPBA's liability is limited to the registration fee only.&amp;nbsp;Attendee substitutions within the same agency may be completed with email notification to OPBA sent more than 24 hours prior to the course start time.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Last day to register: May 20, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:54 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:54 -0400</publishDate><date>03/26/2026</date><time>10:54 am</time><location>Course materials will be distributed prior to event</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=208565</link></item><item><title>May 27, 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="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Procurement Specialists Meeting&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, May 27, 2026&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;|&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Virtual Event&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes: May 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/section&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We have rebranded the &amp;quot;Buyers Meeting&amp;quot; to &amp;quot;Procurement Specialists Meeting&amp;quot; to better reflect the broader scope and role of public procurement professionals.&lt;/p&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. 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 virtual networking session.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Note: These sessions are designed for those actively involved in procurement and are not intended for people leaders who do not directly procure goods and services.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Send your burning questions or discussion topics to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:events@opba.ca ?subject=Agenda%20item%20ideas%20for%20Procurement%20Specialist%20Meeting"&gt;events@opba.ca&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;/p&gt;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;a {
    text-decoration: none;
    color: #464feb;
}
tr th, tr td {
    border: 1px solid #e6e6e6;
}
tr th {
    background-color: #f5f5f5;
}
&lt;/style&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:57 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:57 -0500</publishDate><date>02/18/2026</date><time>12:57 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=199053</link></item><item><title>Jun 1, 2026 - Jun 30, 2026: Principles - Co-operative Procurement (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;June 1 - 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, June 24 | 12:00pm - 3:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;May 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.&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 June 7th, June 14th, June 21st and June 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, June 24&amp;nbsp;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 February 20, 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 February 20, 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 May 25, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:35 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:35 -0500</publishDate><date>11/27/2025</date><time>3:35 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186241</link></item><item><title>Jun 1, 2026 - Jun 30, 2026: Principles - Procurement and the Law (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access: &lt;/strong&gt;June 1 - 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Monday, June 29 | 12:00pm - 3:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;May 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 June 7th, June 14th, June 21st and June 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, June&amp;nbsp;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;Emma Sears, NIGP-CPP, CPPB, CPPO&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 May 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&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 May 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&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 May 25, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 11:07 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 11:07 -0400</publishDate><date>05/05/2026</date><time>11:07 am</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=221237</link></item><item><title>Jun 1, 2026 - Jun 30, 2026: Principles - Advanced Competitive Bidding (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Dates: &lt;/strong&gt;June 1 - 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&amp;nbsp;Thursday, June 25 | 5:30pm - 9:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;May 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.&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 June 7th, June 14th, June 21st and June 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, June 25 | 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 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;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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl96
	{color:black;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	background:#B5E6A2;
	mso-pattern:black none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
&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:&amp;nbsp;10 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 May 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;10&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 May 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;10&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 May 25, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:09 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:09 -0500</publishDate><date>12/08/2025</date><time>1:09 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186210</link></item><item><title>Jun 1, 2026 - Jun 30, 2026: Principles - Introduction to Procurement for Construction (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;June 1 &amp;ndash; 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&amp;nbsp;Wednesday, June 24 | 5:30pm - 9:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;May 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 June 7th, June 14th, June 21st and June 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, June 24 at 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;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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.font23
	{color:black;
	font-size:10.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow";
	mso-generic-font-family:auto;
	mso-font-charset:0;}
.xl100
	{color:black;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow";
	mso-generic-font-family:auto;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:none;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	background:#B5E6A2;
	mso-pattern:black none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
&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 May 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&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 May 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&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 May 25, 2026.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl35
	{color:#0070C0;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:52 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:52 -0400</publishDate><date>04/01/2026</date><time>1:52 pm</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186214</link></item><item><title>Jun 1, 2026 - Jun 30, 2026: Principles - Competitive Bidding (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Course Access: &lt;/strong&gt;June 1 - 30, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Mandatory Live Zoom Session:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, June 25 at 6:00pm - 9:00pm ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Deadline: &lt;/strong&gt;Monday, May 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 June 7th, June 14th, June 21st and June&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;Thursday, June 25 at&amp;nbsp;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 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;/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; 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 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: 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 May 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;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&amp;nbsp;May 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;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 June 25, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl23
	{color:black;
	font-weight:700;}
&lt;/style&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 09:46 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 09:46 -0400</publishDate><date>05/06/2026</date><time>9:46 am</time><location>Public Procurement Learning Lab via Brightspace</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=221288</link></item><item><title>Jun 9, 2026: Coffee with Counsel: Ontario Bill 194 in Practice: What Public Sector Buyers Must Do Now on Cybersecurity, Privacy and AI</title><description>&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, June 09, 2026&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;1:00 PM&amp;nbsp;- 2:30 PM ET (90 minutes - Virtual Event)&lt;br /&gt;
Registration closes&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;June 08, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;- 12:00&amp;nbsp;PM ET.&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Bill 194 is reshaping expectations around cybersecurity, privacy, and AI in Ontario&amp;rsquo;s public sector&amp;mdash;bringing new considerations for procurement professionals.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Join&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Lise Patry (LXM Law LLP)&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;for a practical discussion on what this means for your day-to-day procurement work. This session will highlight key impacts of the legislation and outline actionable steps to strengthen due diligence, contract terms, and vendor risk management.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Presenter:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Lise Patry,&amp;nbsp;LXM Law&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Partner at LXM Law&amp;nbsp;| Business Law | Public Procurement Lawyer | Transaction Contracts | Governance&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt="" src="https://opba.ca/photos/Lise_Patry_04072026090708.PNG" style="width:110px" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Lise Patry is a business lawyer with over 25 years legal experience working in both public and private sectors advising on a wide spectrum of general business legal matters. Lise is a subject matter expert in government/public procurement and private sector tendering law with significant experience&amp;nbsp;negotiating domestic and international commercial arrangements, technology/software/SaaS transactions, construction tenders and related construction contract matters, legal and procurement department&amp;nbsp;management&amp;nbsp;and the establishment of legal compliance programs. Lise's practice is focused on the following sectors and industries: government (all levels) and government-funded organizations, for profit or not-for-profit businesses, IT and hardware technology, data/personal information, construction, credit and financial industries, staffing agencies, professional and contracted services, security industries, online&amp;nbsp;commerce&amp;nbsp;and manufacturing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration Fees&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table aria-rowcount="3" border="1" data-tablelook="1696" data-tablestyle="MsoTableGrid"&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr aria-rowindex="1" role="row"&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0" role="rowheader"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{178}" paraid="856478741"&gt;Title&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0" role="columnheader"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{185}" paraid="229141263"&gt;Fee&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0" role="columnheader"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{192}" paraid="1845720688"&gt;Member Status&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0" role="columnheader"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{199}" paraid="1471018052"&gt;Points&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0" role="columnheader"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{206}" paraid="235918360"&gt;CEUs&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0" role="columnheader"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{213}" paraid="451935175"&gt;Hours&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr aria-rowindex="2" role="row"&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0" role="rowheader"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{221}" paraid="1462319015"&gt;Members&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{228}" paraid="468040603"&gt;$20.00 + HST&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{241}" paraid="772204156"&gt;Members Only&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{248}" paraid="219788570"&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{47cdef97-94dc-4fc1-bf16-25d9ece3cf6b}{255}" paraid="1643623051"&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{71b2257d-0359-4c7b-afc2-78a390f2117c}{7}" paraid="863149262"&gt;1.00&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr aria-rowindex="3" role="row"&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0" role="rowheader"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{71b2257d-0359-4c7b-afc2-78a390f2117c}{17}" paraid="98747898"&gt;Non Members&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{71b2257d-0359-4c7b-afc2-78a390f2117c}{24}" paraid="1052207472"&gt;$35.00 + HST&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{71b2257d-0359-4c7b-afc2-78a390f2117c}{31}" paraid="579102827"&gt;All Registrants&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{71b2257d-0359-4c7b-afc2-78a390f2117c}{38}" paraid="345434475"&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{71b2257d-0359-4c7b-afc2-78a390f2117c}{45}" paraid="912668967"&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td data-celllook="0"&gt;
			&lt;p paraeid="{71b2257d-0359-4c7b-afc2-78a390f2117c}{52}" paraid="570783328"&gt;1.00&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&amp;nbsp;

&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p paraeid="{71b2257d-0359-4c7b-afc2-78a390f2117c}{64}" paraid="1545631686"&gt;Please refer to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.opba.ca/docs/OPBA_Refund-Payment_Policy.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"&gt;our refund + payment policy&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for information regarding cancelations and/or refunds.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 13:36 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 13:36 -0400</publishDate><date>05/08/2026</date><time>1:36 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=220220</link></item><item><title>Jun 19, 2026: People Leaders 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="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;People Leaders Meeting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Friday, June 19, 2026&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;|&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Virtual Event&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes: June 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET&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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;a {
    text-decoration: none;
    color: #464feb;
}
tr th, tr td {
    border: 1px solid #e6e6e6;
}
tr th {
    background-color: #f5f5f5;
}
&lt;/style&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:25 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:25 -0500</publishDate><date>02/18/2026</date><time>4:25 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=199064</link></item><item><title>Jun 23, 2026: OPBA Ignite: Navigating the OECM Indigenous Marketplace</title><description>June 23, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Virtual Event&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes on June 22, 2026 at 12 PM ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://oecm.ca/indigenous-marketplace/"&gt;OECM&amp;rsquo;s Indigenous Marketplace&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; reflects our commitment to social procurement and economic reconciliation, in alignment with &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524506030545/1557513309443"&gt;TRC Call to Action 92&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. Through this initiative, 40+ qualified Indigenous suppliers have been vetted to help municipalities advance their Indigenous engagement journey in a practical and compliant way.
&lt;p data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;This session will cover:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul type="disc"&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;Why and how the program was developed&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li&gt;The Supplier Selection Tool and how to use it to find the right Indigenous supplier for your needs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p aria-hidden="true"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Presenter&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Luba Medvedeva&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Luba Medvedeva is a Business Development leader with 15+ years of experience advancing marketplace growth, stakeholder engagement, and strategic partnerships across both the public and private sectors. In her current role, she actively advances ESG priorities, with a strong focus on social procurement and Indigenous engagement&amp;mdash;helping public sector organizations build partnerships with Indigenous businesses and connect with qualified Indigenous suppliers through initiatives like OECM&amp;rsquo;s Indigenous Marketplace.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Derame Aodesho&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Derame Aodesho is a Business Development and Customer Relationship Management leader with over 20 years of experience across customer service, account management, and business operations. With a legal academic background, he brings a disciplined, strategic approach to client engagement and growth. His work aligns with ESG priorities, emphasizing responsible business practices, inclusive relationships, and sustainable value creation. He is committed to delivering exceptional customer outcomes while enabling organizational excellence in service delivery.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Registration Fees:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;table border="1" summary="" title="" valign="top"&gt;
	&lt;tbody&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;Title&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;Fee&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;Member Status&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;Points&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;CEUs&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;Hours&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;Members&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;$20.00&amp;nbsp;+ HST&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;Members Only&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;0.0000&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;0.0000&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;1.00&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
		&lt;tr&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;Non Members&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;$35.00 + HST&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;All Registrants&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;0.0000&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td&gt;
			&lt;p&gt;1.00&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
			&lt;/td&gt;
		&lt;/tr&gt;
	&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&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;
</description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:04 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:04 -0400</publishDate><date>04/16/2026</date><time>11:04 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=220491</link></item><item><title>Jun 25, 2026: OPBA Annual General Meeting 2026 + AI in Procurement Feature</title><description>&lt;div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #1f2933; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 800px;"&gt;
&lt;p style="margin: 0 0 16px 0;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, June 25, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET&lt;br /&gt;
Virtual Event&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="margin: 0 0 16px 0;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes:&lt;/strong&gt; Tuesday, June 23, 2026&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="margin: 0 0 16px 0;"&gt;Eligible for 1.00 contact hour&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;OPBA Members Only | Free Registration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 style="margin: 24px 0 12px 0; font-size: 20px; color: #0f4c81;"&gt;Top 3 Reasons to Attend the Annual Meeting&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ol style="margin: 0 0 16px 20px; padding: 0;"&gt;
	&lt;li style="margin-bottom: 8px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elect Your Leadership:&lt;/strong&gt; Vote to elect the Board of Directors.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li style="margin-bottom: 8px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shape the Future:&lt;/strong&gt; Participate in important decisions on resolutions and policies.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li style="margin-bottom: 8px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stay Informed:&lt;/strong&gt; Get updates on key initiatives and OPBA activities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;p style="margin: 0 0 16px 0;"&gt;All OPBA members in good standing are encouraged to attend.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="margin: 0 0 16px 0;"&gt;Join &lt;strong&gt;Victoria Mirlocca, Chair of the Board of Directors&lt;/strong&gt;, to:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul style="margin: 0 0 16px 20px; padding: 0;"&gt;
	&lt;li style="margin-bottom: 8px;"&gt;Review and accept the financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2024.&lt;/li&gt;
	&lt;li style="margin-bottom: 8px;"&gt;Hear updates on OPBA&amp;rsquo;s work and direction for the coming year.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;div style="margin: 28px 0 16px 0; padding: 18px; background-color: #f4f8fb; border-left: 4px solid #0f4c81;"&gt;
&lt;h3 style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; font-size: 20px; color: #0f4c81;"&gt;Special 30-Minute Feature&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;AI in Procurement: Contracts, Vendors &amp;amp; Risk in a Changing Landscape&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="margin: 0 0 10px 0;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Presented by:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt="" src="https://opba.ca/photos/info-tech-research-group-logo_04222026135602.PNG" style="width:320px" /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="margin: 0;"&gt;Get a first look at an upcoming pre-conference workshop with &lt;strong&gt;Info-Tech Research Group&lt;/strong&gt; at the OPBA Annual Conference this September, exploring how AI is reshaping contracts, vendor relationships, and risk in today&amp;rsquo;s procurement environment&amp;mdash;especially when working with complex, large-scale vendors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:26 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:26 -0400</publishDate><date>04/22/2026</date><time>2:26 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=220680</link></item><item><title>Sep 1, 2026 - Sep 30, 2026: 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 29 | 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 29 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>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:31 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:31 -0500</publishDate><date>12/08/2025</date><time>1:31 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: 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;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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl35
	{color:#0070C0;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
&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>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:07 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:07 -0400</publishDate><date>10/08/2025</date><time>5:07 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 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: 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;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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl96
	{color:black;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	background:#B5E6A2;
	mso-pattern:black none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
</description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:47 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:47 -0400</publishDate><date>04/14/2026</date><time>11:47 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>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: Principles - Procurement and the Law (Virtual - PPLL)</title><description>&lt;strong&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 | 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;Friday, May 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, 08 Dec 2025 13:41 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:41 -0500</publishDate><date>12/08/2025</date><time>1:41 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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl23
	{color:black;
	font-weight:700;}
&lt;/style&gt;
</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 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;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>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></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186255</link></item><item><title>Oct 20, 2026 - Oct 21, 2026: PPS - RFPs - A Step by Step Guide for Public Procurement Professionals (Virtual - Zoom)</title><description>&lt;p&gt;October 20 + 21, 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;Tuesday, October 13, 2026&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
COURSE 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;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;/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;&lt;font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Tuesday, October 20 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;AND&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;Wednesday, October 21 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Learners must attend both sessions to receive course credit.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Zoom meeting link and course materials&amp;nbsp;will be distributed 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;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ATTENDANCE AND CREDIT&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Learners are advised that they must attend both sessions in full to receive course credit. A learner 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. As this course is not part of the Principles Program, it can count as two (2) of the additional meetings/courses/workshops required if you are enrolled in the Principles Certificate Program and intend to write the exam. To qualify, participants must attend and participate in the full six (6) hours.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PRE-WORK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Learners will receive a short pre-work assignment to complete approximately 4 business days&amp;nbsp;before the first session.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;REFUNDS &amp;amp; PAYMENTS&amp;nbsp;&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;This course is designed for learners to be able to engage and participate in the sessions.&amp;nbsp;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;Learners are also encouraged to maintain a respectful learning environment by minimizing multi-tasking distractions&amp;nbsp;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. Learners &lt;strong&gt;must&lt;/strong&gt; attend both sessions 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;$359.63&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 13, 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;$419.59&lt;/td&gt;
			&lt;td width="175"&gt;Until October 13, 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;
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;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes October 13, 2026&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:05 -0400</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:05 -0400</publishDate><date>10/08/2025</date><time>5:05 pm</time><location>Zoom - links will be distributed prior to event</location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=186256</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;Friday, November 27 | 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;Friday, November 27 at&amp;nbsp;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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl35
	{color:#0070C0;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
&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>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:09 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:09 -0500</publishDate><date>12/08/2025</date><time>2:09 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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl96
	{color:black;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	background:#B5E6A2;
	mso-pattern:black none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
&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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:"\.";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:"\,";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl119
	{color:black;
	font-weight:700;
	background:#82E391;
	mso-pattern:black none;}
&lt;/style&gt;
</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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.font23
	{color:black;
	font-size:10.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow";
	mso-generic-font-family:auto;
	mso-font-charset:0;}
.xl100
	{color:black;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow";
	mso-generic-font-family:auto;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:none;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	background:#B5E6A2;
	mso-pattern:black none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
&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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;table
	{mso-displayed-decimal-separator:".";
	mso-displayed-thousand-separator:",";}
tr
	{mso-height-source:auto;}
col
	{mso-width-source:auto;}
td
	{padding-top:1px;
	padding-right:1px;
	padding-left:1px;
	mso-ignore:padding;
	color:black;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-weight:400;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none;
	font-family:"Aptos Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:general;
	vertical-align:bottom;
	border:none;
	white-space:nowrap;
	mso-rotate:0;}
.xl35
	{color:#0070C0;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-weight:700;
	font-family:"Arial Narrow", sans-serif;
	mso-font-charset:0;
	text-align:center;
	border-top:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-right:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-bottom:.5pt solid windowtext;
	border-left:none;
	white-space:normal;}
&lt;/style&gt;
</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 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="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Procurement Specialists 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;&lt;/strong&gt;10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;|&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Virtual Event&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes: November 25, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/section&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We have rebranded the &amp;quot;Buyers Meeting&amp;quot; to &amp;quot;Procurement Specialists Meeting&amp;quot; to better reflect the broader scope and role of public procurement professionals.&lt;/p&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. 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 virtual networking session.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Note: These sessions are designed for those actively involved in procurement and are not intended for people leaders who do not directly procure goods and services.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Send your burning questions or discussion topics to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="mailto:events@opba.ca ?subject=Agenda%20item%20ideas%20for%20Procurement%20Specialist%20Meeting"&gt;events@opba.ca&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;/p&gt;
</description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:58 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:58 -0500</publishDate><date>02/18/2026</date><time>12:58 pm</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="
  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="font-size:16px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;People Leaders Meeting&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Monday, November 30, 2026&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;|&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Virtual Event&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Registration closes:&amp;nbsp;November 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET&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;
&lt;style type="text/css"&gt;a {
    text-decoration: none;
    color: #464feb;
}
tr th, tr td {
    border: 1px solid #e6e6e6;
}
tr th {
    background-color: #f5f5f5;
}
&lt;/style&gt;
</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:54 -0500</pubDate><publishDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:54 -0500</publishDate><date>02/20/2026</date><time>1:54 pm</time><location></location><link>http://members.opba.ca/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=200267</link></item></channel></rss>