About membership with OPBA

As a thought leader in public procurement, OPBA offers a wealth of information, education and resources designed to help you improve your skills and abilities and advance your public procurement career through professional development and peer networking. Unlike the private sector, public procurement professionals aren’t in competition with each other; consequently, OPBA members welcome the opportunity to support their colleagues to excel in their profession.

When you join OPBA, you are:

Investing in Your Career:

• Increase your knowledge and enhance your value to your employer by learning from subject matter experts at OPBA professional development events such as OPBA Talks, Coffee with Counsel, webinars, the Spring and Fall Workshops, and the annual professional development conference.
• New to the profession or public sector? You’ve come to the right place. When you enroll in the Principles of Effective Public Procurement Certificate Program you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary for anyone who spends public funds or is involved in tendering or contracting for goods and services or in issuing Requests for Proposals, Tenders, Quotations, or other bid documents. Discounted fees are available to members and associates.
• Be informed. Delivered to your inbox, the Caveat Emptor is a monthly e-news containing relevant and timely resources and articles from your colleagues and industry partners.  

Growing Your Professional Network:

• Gain access to a broad network of public procurement professionals who are willing to share resources and support each other.
• MemberConnect is an online community where you can post questions and get ideas and suggestions from your procurement peers. Need a template for an RFP or other procurement-related document? You’ll find it here!

Supporting Your Profession:

• Share your expertise or develop new competencies by volunteering on a committee, working group, or even the Board of Directors.
• A strong professional association results in a stronger advocacy voice for the profession.

Plus...Included with Your Membership:

• Our Member Perks Program adds value to your membership, and can save you money.
  
  

Member Types & Fees: 

Individuals & Individuals with Subgroup Memberships

Open to anyone employed by a public agency and spends the majority of their time performing the usual and customary duties of the procurement, contracting and materials management function. Eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting. Note: proof of membership eligibility must be submitted when you complete your application by uploading the official job description that reflects your current role. Please note a job posting does not fit this criterion. 

All tiers of membership dues for Individuals & Individuals with Subgroup are paid annually. The membership year runs from January 1st to December 31st, regardless of the join date. Please note, the discounted tiered membership dues outlined below only apply to active members at the time of sign up and/or renewal. For example, if an agency has 8 active members at the time that they renew, they will fall into the Tier 3 pricing, paying $203.63 per person. If this agency adds multiple members over the year, member #9 will pay Tier 3, member #10 will pay Tier 3, member #11 will pay Tier 4 as they are now in the new tier for 11+ employees. If all 11 members renew when the next upcoming renewal period hits, all 11 will renew at the Tier 4 pricing of $176.48 per person. 

Tier 1: For Single Individuals: $271.50 annually [for individuals employed by a public agency that do not have colleagues that are members with OPBA]

Tier 2: For 2 - 5 Individuals with the same Agency: $230.78 annually, per person [for individuals working for the same agency]

Tier 3: For 6 - 10 Individuals with the same Agency: $203.63 annually, per person [for individuals working for the same agency]

Tier 4: 11+ Individuals with the same Agency: $176.48 annually, per person [for individuals working for the same agency]

OPBA memberships all live with the person who purchased the membership, or who the membership was purchased for. For example, if an agency renews Jane Doe in February, and Jane starts working for a new agency in April, Jane will retain her membership regardless of who paid her membership dues. OPBA memberships cannot be transferred between members under any circumstance. 

Associate: Affiliates

OPBA has five (5) tiers of Affiliates outlined below, which enjoy all the privileges of the Individual tier, except for voting rights. Anyone in the Associate: Affiliate categories below do not count toward the tiered group discounts for subgroups outlined above.

Affiliate: Open to employees of any agency which expends public funds, and who is interested in supporting the objectives of OPBA, but who may not be engaged in procurement, contracting and materials management functions. 

Affiliate dues are $271.50 annually. Please note, an Affiliate does not count toward the number of employees outlined above in the Individual with Subgroup tiers.

Affiliate: Retired: Open to those who have retired from a public sector agency and are neither self-employed nor employed in the private sector.

Affiliate: Retired dues are $121.54 annually. 

Affiliate: Student: Open to all full-time students who are pursuing a relevant undergraduate or postgraduate diploma or degree such as business, public administration, purchasing, supply chain, or materials management. A new Student Affiliate joining between September 1st and December 31st will have access for the last quarter of they year they joined in + following year. Proof of enrollment is required. i.e. student timetable, enrollment letter from your institution - this document must include your full name, institution name, program name, and start and end dates of your enrollment.

Affiliate: Student dues are $25.00 annually.

Affiliate: Canadian GPOs: Open to employees of any Canadian Group Purchasing Organization (GPO)* which provides group purchasing initiatives or creates bids on behalf of a public agency, who is interested in supporting the objectives of OPBA, but who may not be engaged in procurement, contracting and materials management functions. Note: proof of employment with a GPO must be submitted when you complete your application by uploading the official job description that reflects your current role. This tier is eligible for group discounts based on the number of employees - please note, the discounted tiered dues outlined below only apply to active Affiliates at the time of sign up and/or renewal.
*A Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) combines the purchasing needs and requirements of multiple Broader Public Sector (BPS) and MASH (Municipal, Academic, Schools, and Hospitals) operations, as well as non-profits, on a single contract to aggregate volume and raise the purchasing power of each participating company.

Tier 1: For Single (1) Affiliates: $298.65 annually [for those employed by a Canadian GPO that do not have colleagues who have joined OPBA]

Tier 2: For 2 - 5 Affiliates within the same GPO: $253.86 annually, per person 

Tier 3: For 6 - 10 Affiliates within the same GPO: $223.90 annually, per person

Tier 4: 11+ Affiliates within the same GPO: $194.13 annually, per person

Affiliate: In Transition + Public Procurement Prospect: Open to any procurement professional that is either:
1. A public procurement professional who is in between employment opportunities and wants to continue their career in public procurement, or,
2. A procurement professional from the private sector who is striving to join the public sector.
This tier is to support those in the public sector to find new opportunities and continue their career path in public service, as well as those in the private sector who want to switch their career path to the public sector. This Affiliate tier is only renewable for a maximum of up to three (3) years. Sign off on OPBA's Code of Conduct is required to join this tier. Affiliates enjoy all the privileges of an Individual-tier member, except voting rights.

Affiliate: In Transition + Public Procurement Prospect dues are $271.50 annually.

OPBA membership / affiliate dues are not taxed/do not include HST. OPBA memberships / affiliates are not transferable.