OSME Coaching Service

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The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) developed the Coaching Service to provide personalized assistance to businesses owned by diverse groups who have had only limited success bidding on federal government opportunities.

Coaching service pilot with Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) - Summer 2021

OSME and WBE Canada have partnered to pilot the coaching service with certified women-owned businesses. The pilot will provide OSME with feedback before coaching launches as a core OSME service in late 2021. Registration is open until June 30 and the service pilot runs July to September 2021. As a business with WBE Canada certification, you may be eligible to participate in the pilot. (See below for participation criteria.)

You will work with a coach who will personalize your coaching to address specific areas in the procurement process where your business needs assistance. You will gain practical tools and learn strategies to find, understand and respond to federal opportunities that are best suited to your business.

Coaching sessions will include activities and discussion to address the most common questions from unsuccessful bidders: how to find the best opportunities for the business, how to create how to create compliant bids, how to create a custom bidding roadmap for their business, how to create a bidding template from the solicitation documents.

Who is this service for?

The service is open to representatives of businesses owned by women who have had limited success in bidding on federal government opportunities.

Participation criteria

  • Your business has a current and valid certification through WBE Canada.
  • Your business is 51% owned by women.
  • Your business has had limited success in bidding on federal tender opportunities (e.g. no contract award for a majority of your bid submissions).
  • Your business has a Procurement Business Number (PBN).
  • Your business intends to bid on future federal tender opportunities.*

*Exclusions: The coaching service does not apply to businesses who submit primarily through Professional Services systems: Centralized Professionals Services Solution (CPSS), Task and Solutions Professional Services (TSPS), Task-Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS), Temporary Help Services (THS). Also excluded: Directory of linguistic services suppliers - Translation Bureau and SELECT (Construction, Engineering and Architecture).

If the coaching service isn’t right for you, visit Support for smaller businesses to learn about other services offered by OSME.

What is the structure of the OSME Coaching Service?

All sessions are run remotely either by video or by phone. The full service takes place over a 5 to 8 week period.

Workshop (2 hours)

The kickoff workshop is held with all coaching participants. This group session is an opportunity to reflect on your previous bidding experience and identify areas of focus for the coaching sessions. You will participate in group discussions and complete individual tasks using the Participant Guide as a reference.

Introductory meeting (1 hour)

This meeting is an opportunity to meet your coach and identify areas of focus for your coaching sessions.

Coaching sessions (1 hour each)

The service includes three (3) one-on-one coaching sessions. Your coach will work with you to address the areas of the bidding journey where your business requires the most support through a series of discussions and activities.

Each business is unique; your coach will help you determine which topics and activities are most relevant to the needs of your business. Between sessions, you may be requested to complete some activities independently to prepare for subsequent coaching sessions.

Pilot schedule

Timing Activity
May-June Registration (Closes 11:59pm Eastern on June 30, 2021)
Week of July 5-9 Applicants confirmed for pilot
Week of July 19-23 Coaching Workshop
Week of July 26-30 Introductory session with your coach
August-September Coaching sessions

Registration for the coaching pilot is closed

Registration is now closed for the OSME Coaching Service Pilot with WBE Canada.

OSME offers a range of services that can support your business, from educational sessions to personalized assistance. For a full list, visit Canada.ca/OSME.

For upcoming education seminars and workshops, visit the Event Calendar. You can also contact your regional OSME office for one-on-one assistance.

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