Purchasing Guidelines

The City conducts its procurement needs under the guidelines set out in the Procurement Policy (PDF). The policy sets the following requirements for the City to get quotes or publicly advertise an opportunity, based on its value:

The City of New Westminster is a living wage employer, and was the first city in Canada to set this standard in 2011 with a Living Wage Policy (PDF).

All firms that are contracted directly or subcontracted by the City must pay their employees a living wage, as calculated by Living Wage BC. This applies to:

• employees of a service provider or of its subcontractor that perform services physically on City premises
• work that lasts longer than one continuous hour per occasion

The current living wage rate for Metro Vancouver is $27.85 per hour, assuming the employer provides no benefits. To calculate an employee’s hourly rate with benefits, Living Wage BC has provided a Living Wage Calculator.

For all competitive bids, the City includes a living wage declaration (PDF) and a clause about policy compliance. Completion and submission of the declaration is mandatory before a bid can be awarded.

The City enforces the policy by performing audits of its service providers and subcontractors when we receive a report of non-compliance. These audits may take the form of a review of paystubs issued by the vendor.

Report a possible violation to the Purchasing Division by letter, fax, or by emailing nwpurchasing@newwestcity.ca.

Include these details:

• The name of the service provider or subcontractor
• The date, time, and location where the employee(s) were working
• The type of work that the employee was performing
• Your name and contact information — we cannot accept anonymous reports. All reports will be kept confidential.

If an employer is found to be non-compliant, they will have to make up the difference in pay to the affected employees, at no extra cost to the City. The City may also cancel the contract with the employer.

• Procurement Policy (PDF)