Canadian Commercial Corporation Visits ACC-New Jersey

By Lyndsey L. Phillips and Megan C. BoyleApril 2, 2014

ACC-N.J. visit
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Canadian Commercial Corporation representatives Kelly Hewitt and Eric Hamelin visited Army Contracting Command-New Jersey to explain the organization's different roles and responsibilities and to facilitate an open forum for those who may not have done business with them in the past.

According to its website the CCC is a federal Crown corporation mandated to facilitate international trade on behalf of Canadian industry, particularly within government markets and is the government's international contracting and procurement agency connecting government buyers with Canadian expertise.

Since the inception of the Defense Production Sharing Agreement in 1956, the United States and Canada have had a working relationship regarding the procurement of defense products and services. DPSA mandates that all Department of Defense contracts over the simplified acquisition threshold of $150,000, placed with a Canadian supplier, shall be awarded and administered by the CCC. The primary objectives of this agreement are to integrate the defense production of both countries and to support mutual economic interests.

"Based upon today's presentation and exchange, it became very evident that our goals, objectives and processes are similar," said Paul Milenkowic, ACC-N.J. deputy director. "It was great to meet each other face-to-face and get a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities CCC has when we contract with a Canadian firm. Hopefully, we can build upon today, identify any remaining gaps in understanding, and try to close those gaps as best we can. We hope to continue the conversation with them in the future."

Hewitt said there are many advantages of using the CCC as the prime contractor, including value for the customer and contracting personnel. Because Canadian suppliers are exempt from submitting certified cost and pricing data, the CCC performs its own internal due diligence to determine that proposed prices are fair and reasonable and that they are no higher than what the Canadian government would be charged for the same item.

When the CCC acts as the prime contractor, the customer benefits from a government of Canada guarantee that the terms will be met and the scope of work will be completed according to the specifications and conditions set forth in the contract.