Overview

The B.C. Government provides staff training for procuring goods, services and construction according to corporate standards and principles. Open School BC worked with the Public Service Agency to update and refresh their program to align with current policies and incorporate modern technology.

The Challenge

The PCMP courses needed an overhaul - it was time to make updates that would:

• Replace outdated online components
• Reduce time spent at face-to-face workshops with redundant material
• Align with the BC Bid Resources website
• Make it possible to train any provincial government employee who uses procurement processes
• Work with the Learning Centre's technical requirements

The Approach

We relied heavily on our client's expertise here - to help us navigate the details of procurement. We booked a lot of face time with experts to plan learning scenarios, record training videos and develop case studies.

Our team also:

• Created new content from the ground up using current technology
• Addressed important differences across ministries within course content
• Removed redundant material
• Reduced the amount of face-to-face instruction required
• Used branching scenario training for a "choose-your-own-adventure" type of engagement with learners
• Integrated courses with the BC Bid Resources site to increase the longevity of content relevance
• Designed workshop guides that connect to online course content

The Outcome

We created online and face-to-face training that follows the stages of the procurement lifecycle - from planning to post-contract evaluation.

We're especially proud that we "flipped the classroom" - making 21 hours of adult education available online, ahead of the face-to-face workshop (a first for the Learning Centre!). So far, the refreshed courses have been getting excellent reviews.

Learn more about the courses:

• Procurement and Contract Management Program