Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think there's one more person after me. So I'd like to request a really quick speed date with the Minister of ITI.
Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering if the Minister is willing to commit to consolidating their procurement policies under one shop and if she will also commit to a shift in focus from a service to government for procurement to service to NWT businesses. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for ITI.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are two different things I'm being asked to commit to.
With respect to bringing things under one shop, that was one of the items that was recommended in the review. It is something I certainly have spoken about the importance of. But as to how that will unfold, I am still going to abide by the process that we are in the middle of, which includes a defined process of engagement with Indigenous governments. So I'm not going to make any formal commitments other than to refer back to things I've already said in that regard.
And as to the philosophy underlying it and the commitments thereof, again Mr. Speaker, it's what is the purpose and the objective of procurement. Bringing it under one shop would allow us to have a clear purpose and principles of objectives attached to procurement.
So that may well come to pass, Mr. Speaker. And I hope that we all stay tuned as the process unfolds. I think the process is a good one. It's been good so far. I'm convinced it'll be good going forward. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering if the Minister sees this as an incremental process where we can see implementation of change as they go, or does the Minister anticipate this happening in one large change at the very end once all of the consultation engagement is done, and can the Minister speak to that process. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's always been my intention and vision, and I've said this before, to make changes as we can. And when we saw that there were changes that were implemented with respect to the contracting terms over the last year to see what that might do, and we are already working on vendor performance management. So there's things underway already.
As far as what the next date for the next changes might be, I my hope is that early 2022 some small things could start to be impacted. Again, I'm mindful that as this process has unfolded, a complementary process working with Indigenous governments at the Modern Treaties table and now also at the Council of Leaders around Indigenous procurement has evolved. So I want to be respectful of that; I want to be mindful of that before we make too many changes too quickly that might impact or impede on those discussions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. I'm wondering if the Minister can provide some clarification on how we how we got here and how we intend to not get here again. Times change. Needs of communities and needs of the government, needs of the people of the Northwest Territories evolve, and so does the Minister see procurement as a living process and, if so, how does the Minister intend to ensure that our policies and processes stay current from here on in? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's a big question, and I'm trying to be brief, but it's an important one and I'm happy to have a chance to speak to it very, very briefly. But there needs to be a balance between being flexible and responsive and providing certainty to the business community. The business community needs to know what they're dealing with when they're making a bid. At the same time, things do change. COVID has showed us that things do change.
So it's certainly been my view in this role that we can have certainty and have clear processes, transparent processes, but also make it clear that we will make changes when we need to and when it's pointed out to us that they are required. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Before we continue, I think the speed date has got the interpreters in overdrive here. So just slow down a little bit, and we'll get through this. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm trying to make sure that my colleague from Monfwi has time to ask questions.
Mr. Speaker, the next commitment I'm looking for from the Minister is a better evaluation and picture of the landscape of procurement so that we know that the government is being held accountable and businesses have a clear indication of what is happening with GNWT procurement. I'm very thankful, first of all, to the Minister of Finance actually, with her other hat on, who did produce an infographic of what procurement looks in the Northwest Territories. But what businesses want to be able to see is more data and more data being analyzed as to how the government is actually spending public money in the Northwest Territories. And I'm wondering if the Minister is willing to commit to an annual report card of the sorts. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I'm not mistaken, that infographic grew out of a series of questions here in the House maybe this time last year. I've also had positive responses to it. If we can improve it, I'm committed to doing that. So let me start by saying perhaps I'll check in with my colleague to see what gaps she sees, and we can continue to improve the report card that we have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
