Calgary strengthens local procurement to counter U.S. tariffs

The City of Calgary is increasing its commitment to local and Canadian procurement in response to U.S. tariffs, strengthening its Social Procurement program to give small and medium-sized businesses a competitive edge.

Starting March 31, the city raised the weighting of its Social Procurement Questionnaire to 10 per cent for large competitive procurements of goods and, where possible, for services and construction. For smaller purchases, Calgary will aim to source all three required quotes from local suppliers or prioritize Canadian vendors when that is not feasible.

“We are making conscious decisions to Buy Local or Canadian where we can, to decrease our reliance on U.S. suppliers, to further support our economy,” said Amit Patil, director of supply management.

The city’s Supply Chain Resilience program, established in response to past disruptions, has been working to mitigate risks, including tariffs and commodity price fluctuations.

Approximately 95 per cent of Calgary’s contract value is with Canadian suppliers, with about 70 per cent of that within Alberta.