Mr. Paul Quinn:

Absolutely; the term we use from a procurement perspective is value because one must consider the life cycle cost. If one buys the cheapest product, one may find it fails very quickly. If a cheap boiler is installed in a building, it may fail very quickly, which is not an economy or saving. We must consider the quality of the products and services we procure. A key part of the new operating model is that Departments and agencies will be key in assessing quality and it will not simply be presented to them as a fait accompli by a faceless central procurement function. A key element will be that Departments and agencies will work with the new office of government procurement in determining the standards and signing off on the requirements and assessing the tenders for this quality aspect.