Thinking about Procurement Options

The Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) has published another great paper by Ian Mack. It’s called “Another Way to Buy Frigates.” As the title suggests, there are ways other than the system Canada currently uses to organize the procurement of naval capabilities. Mack asks what Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy can learn from Australia’s Future Frigate Programme. Given the similarities between Australia and Canada in terms of population and economy – not to mention history – it’s always interesting to look at what Australia is doing. Both Canada and Australia have gone through waves of naval shipbuilding but given that Australia is located in a more contested environment than Canada, it currently is focusing increased attention on its navy. This is reflected in its current procurement system. According to Mack, “the Australian procurement process has proven itself to be more flexible, collaborative, and timely than Canada’s.” But, Mack concludes, this does not mean “that the Canadian procurement process is inferior to that of its counterparts” but Canada can learn valuable lessons from Australia. See “Another Way to Buy Frigates” at https://www.cgai.ca/another_way_to_buy_frigates?utm_campaign=pp_anotherwaytobuyfrigates&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cdfai