Procurement Panel
Panelists will share their experiences, successes and challenges related to the Indigenous Procurement.
- John Giraldez, Indigenous Services Canada
- Lorenzo leraci, Office of Small & Medium Enterprise, PSPC
- David Acco, Acosys Consulting
- Jeff Provost, Bird Construction
- Mark Dokis, National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association
Indigenous Services Canada
John Giraldez is a Director (Business Development) at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs. His Directorate is responsible for supporting Indigenous businesses through the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business, Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program, Article 24 and other initiatives. Previously, he was a Director at Policy Horizons Canada, a foresight organization within the Government of Canada. He was also a Senior Regulatory Adviser at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Privy Council Office where he led the development of several major regulatory policy initiatives and was part of the Red Tape Reduction Commission Secretariat. He also worked at the Regulatory Affairs group of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. In 1996, he joined the Government of Canada as an economist and was responsible for developing and running econometric models and doing environmental economics policy studies. Previously, he was a Research Associate at the University of Guelph and a Management Consultant at Deloitte. John obtained his M.Sc. from the University of Guelph and his B.Sc. from McGill University in economics.
Lorenzo Ieraci is the Director General for the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises and Stakeholder Engagement (OSME-SE) at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). He has been in the position since April 2018. OSME-SE encourages the participation of SME’s in federal government procurement by providing information and training sessions. The organisation also seeks to help reduce barriers faced by SME’s by raising those concerns and advocating on their behalf within the federal public service. Prior to joining PSPC, Lorenzo worked at the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO) for more than six years, including as Interim Procurement Ombudsman for nearly two years (May 2016 to March 2018) and as Deputy Procurement Ombudsman (between January 2012 and April 2016). Having joined the Federal Public Service in 1999, Lorenzo has held a number of positions in varied organizations. He began his career at Public Safety Canada and then worked extensively at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat as both a Senior Program Analyst and as the Manager of the Learning and Knowledge Management unit. Prior to joining OPO, Lorenzo had been a Senior Director in PSPC where he was responsible for managing a national team of criminal forensic accountants. Lorenzo holds a Master's degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University, and obtained an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management from the University of Windsor's Faculty of Law. Lorenzo is happily married with two children. His wife and children keep him grounded by, among other things, reminding him that he’s “really not that funny”. Lorenzo enjoys reading, doing non-strenuous exercises, and routinely losing to his children in videogames.
Mark is a member of the Dokis First Nation in Northeastern Ontario and been with NACCA, since 2017. He graduated with honours from Laurentian University with a Bachelor of Arts in geography. He went on to earn academic certificates in economic development and, business administration and management. Mark has over 30 years of experience in Aboriginal economic, business, and financial services development. In April 2018, Mark was elected as a Trustee to the Okikendawt Hydro Trust to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust for the members of the Dokis First Nation. In his free time, Mark enjoys staying at his cottage on Lake Nipissing, hunting, fishing, and curling.
