This paper by Rear-Admiral (Retired) Ian Mack explores how the Interchange Canada program can address gaps in commercial acumen among government personnel managing defence procurement. The program facilitates temporary secondments between public servants and private industry, enabling knowledge transfer and fostering mutual understanding. Challenges include limited participation, conflict of interest risks, and cultural resistance within government to adopting innovative practices. To mitigate these issues, the paper emphasizes the need for robust ethical safeguards, including detailed agreements, access controls, and public accountability measures.
Additionally, the paper suggests complementary strategies to strengthen procurement expertise, such as structured industry collaboration, group visits, and participation in targeted events. By prioritizing the Interchange Canada program and reinforcing it with proper ethical frameworks, Canada can improve its defence procurement outcomes, addressing inefficiencies and fostering stronger public-private partnerships critical for success in complex acquisitions.
This paper by Rear-Admiral (Retired) Ian Mack explores how the Interchange Canada program can address critical gaps in commercial acumen among government personnel managing defence procurement. It highlights challenges, such as personnel limitations, conflict of interest risks, and cultural resistance within the government, while emphasizing the importance of ethical safeguards like detailed agreements and access controls to mitigate these risks. The program facilitates knowledge transfer through temporary secondments between government and industry, fostering mutual understanding and improving procurement outcomes. Complementary approaches, such as industry collaboration and participation in targeted events, are also discussed. The paper concludes that leveraging Interchange Canada with robust ethical frameworks is vital to overcoming inefficiencies in Canada’s defence procurement system.
After retiring from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) as a Rear-Admiral, Ian served for a decade (2007-2017) as a Director-General in the Department of National Defence, responsible for aspects of the launch of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), and for guiding DND project managers for three RCN shipbuilding projects and four vehicle projects for the Canadian Army. Since leaving government, he has offered shipbuilding and project management perspectives in many papers and in person. Ian is a Fellow of the International Centre for Complex Project Management, of the World Commercial and Contracting Association and of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He also is a past Associate of Strategic Relationships Solutions Inc.
