Ontario Public Buyers Association

The OPBA-Canoe Scholarship Program is designed to support procurement professionals across Canada to build skills, enhance competencies, and support career advancement. Successful applicants will be provided with access to learning opportunities offered through the Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL), the learning department of the OPBA.

With a demographic shift in the workplace, this scholarship initiative addresses an impending critical knowledge gap, supports the development of practitioners, emerging leaders, and people leaders. In addition, it contributes to a strong national foundation of procurement expertise ensuring continuity in public procurement expertise.

All scholarships must be used exclusively for PPLL-delivered education or professional development through OPBA. There are $20,000.00 in scholarships available annually.

Any recipient of a 2026 scholarship must use their awarded funds within the program year: July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

Accessibility
OPBA is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application process. If you require the application in an alternative format (such as Word or large print) or need accommodations to complete any part of the process, please email members@opba.ca or phone 905-682-2644 ext. 255. Assistance is available upon request to support equal access to the scholarship and will not affect the evaluation of your application.

Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must meet all eligibility and application requirements listed below including:

Must be currently employed in a public procurement role in Canada.
Submit a fully completed application applying for one (1) scholarship only.
Must be one of the first 100 applicants. This page will be updated regularly to reflect the number of applications received.
Commit to using the scholarship within the program year (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027).
Use the scholarship only for OPBA/PPLL events or courses.

Allocation of Scholarships
- 20 Professional Development Scholarships ($250)
- 15 Education Scholarships ($1,000)

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Employer Name *

Employer Address *

Employer Address 2

Employer City *

Employer Province *

Employer Postal Code *

Applicant Position Title *

Supervisor Name (note: supervisor details will be used to confirm the applicant's employment) *

Supervisor Email Address *

Supervisor Phone Number *

Scholarship Categories
Please select which scholarship you are applying for (you may select one scholarship only):

Category A: Professional Development Scholarship ($250)
Eligible for:

Coffee with Counsel
OPBA Ignite
Workshops
Leadership Day
Other OPBA professional development events

Category B: Education Scholarship ($1,000)
Eligible for:

OPBA Annual Conference and Tradeshow
Principles of Effective Public Procurement Certificate program courses
Public Procurement Specialty Courses (PPS)
NIGP courses offered through OPBA/PPLL
Other OPBA education programs

*
Choose 1

Scholarship Program Window

I acknowledge any scholarship funds I may be the recipient of must be used within the program year of July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 (the registration window and event/course date(s) must fall within this window to be eligible). *
Choose 1

Professional Development Plan

Applicants must submit a plan for the current program year (July 1 – June 30) that clearly outlines how the scholarship will be used, based on the outline below:

Describe the desired purpose of the funding: (e.g. to strengthen procurement knowledge or to develop leadership skills in preparation for a supervisory role.)
Please list the specific OPBA/PPLL activities and timelines (see examples below): Click here to review the course calendar.
- $250 scholarship examples:
  - Attend four (4) Coffee with Counsel and six (6) OPBA Ignite sessions for the YYYY-YYYY program year, or, YYYY Leadership Day.
- $1,000 scholarship examples:
  - Complete the following Principles Certificate courses: Procurement and the Law MMM YYYY, Competitive Bidding MMM YYYY and Advanced Competitive Bidding Q2 YYYY, or, Attend the YYYY OPBA Annual Conference and Tradeshow.
Expected learning outcomes. Articulate what skills, knowledge and/or competencies that you expect to gain from the scholarship (e.g. OPBA Principles courses will enhance my knowledge in procurement - you can utilize the Principles Certificate Program handbook for course descriptions and learning objectives)
Career impact. Outline how the learning will enhance your current role, support your career path, increase your effectiveness, or contribute to long-term professional growth.)

OPBA-Canoe Scholarship Application