The City of Calgary says it is increasing its focus on buying local as it continues to face the threat of tariffs from the U.S. government.
Beginning March 31, the city says it is increasing its support of local businesses for large capital projects.
For goods and services, Calgary’s social procurement questionnaire weighting will be increased to 10 per cent, up from five to 10 per cent. For consulting and construction, the weighting will also be at 10 per cent.
The city includes a social procurement questionnaire on all competitive procurements, officials said.
The strategy is expected to give “a competitive advantage” to small and medium-businesses - the two areas most vulnerable to tariffs.
For smaller purchase agreements, the city said it will attempt to acquire three quotes from local suppliers, where possible, up from one local quote of out of three quotes.
If the suppliers are not local, the city said it will prioritize Canadian suppliers over other countries.
Officials say the move is expected to decrease Calgary’s reliance on the U.S. market.
Currently, about 95 per cent of the city’s contract value is with Canadian suppliers and approximately 70 per cent of that is with Alberta companies.
More details on Calgary’s tariff response can be found online.
