Terms and Conditions

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce Notice

Materials on this website were produced and/or compiled by the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO / the Office) for the purpose of providing Canadians with direct access to information about the services offered by the Office.

The material on this site is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and international agreements. Such provisions serve to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission.

Non-commercial Reproduction

Information on this site, other than government symbols, has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from OPO. However, we ask only that:

• Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
• OPO be identified as the source; and,
• The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, or as having been made, in affiliation with or with the endorsement of OPO.

Reproduction of Government Symbols

The official symbols of the Government of Canada, including the "Canada" wordmark, the Arms of Canada, and the flag symbol may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without written authorization. Request for authorization may be addressed to:

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Federal Identity Program
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R5
Telephone: 613-957-2533
Fax: 613-946-5187
E-mail: information@fip-pcim.gc.ca

Commercial Reproduction

Reproduction of multiple copies of materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution is prohibited except with written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). Through the permission-granting process, PWGSC helps to ensure that individuals / organizations wishing to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions. To obtain permission to reproduce materials on this site for commercial purposes, please go to the Government of Canada Publication's Apply for Crown Copyright Clearance" website or write to:

Crown Copyright and Licensing
Publishing and Depository Services
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Ottawa Ontario, Canada, K1A 0S5
E-mail: publications@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Third-party Materials

Some of the materials and graphical elements found on Government of Canada websites are subject to copyrights held by other organizations. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply and it may be necessary to seek permission from the rights holder prior to reproducing the material.

To obtain information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions on reproduction on this website, please contact:

Office of the Procurement Ombudsman
Constitution Square
340 Albert St., 11^th floor
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1R 7Y6
E-mail: media@opo-boa.gc.ca

Hyperlinking Notice

Links to websites not under the control of the Government of Canada (GC) are provided solely for the convenience of the website user. The GC is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The GC does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the websites and their content.

Users should also be aware that information offered by non-Government of Canada sites to which OPOlinks is not subject to thePrivacy Act and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities. The information offered may be available only in the language(s) used by the websites in question and users should research the privacy policies of these websites before providing personal information.

Official Languages Notice

OPO respects the Official Languages Act and the relevant Treasury Board policies, and is committed to ensuring all information and services on this website are available in both English and French. However, users should be aware that some information from external sources that are not subject to the Official Languages Act is only provided as a convenience and is available only in the language in which it is provided.

Privacy Notice

The Government of Canada and the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman are committed to providing users with websites that respect their privacy. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices on OPO's website.

• OPO's website does not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, phone number or e-mail address. We would only obtain this type of information if you supply it by sending us an e-mail or registering in a secure portion of the site.
• All personal information created, held or collected by OPO is protected under the federal Privacy Act. This means that at any point of collection you will be asked for consent to collect your information, and you will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.
• OPO employs software programs to monitor network traffic in order to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our website, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We do not attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our website unless an attempt to damage the website has been detected.
• OPO does not normally use "cookies" to track how our users use this website or to determine websites previously visited. If "cookies" are used, the website will notify you before any cookies are used so that you may refuse them. (A "cookie" is a file that may be placed on your hard drive without your knowledge by a website to allow it to monitor your use of the site.)
• Information on individual users is only used by OPO employees who need to know the information in order to respond to your request or to ensure the security of this website. We will only share the information you give us with another government department if your inquiry relates to that department and we will seek your written consent prior to doing so. We do not use the information to create individual profiles, nor do we disclose this information to anyone outside the Government of Canada, unless required by law or a court order.
• OPO is a participant in the Government of Canada Public Key Infrastructure, which gives you the opportunity to communicate with OPO in a confidential manner.
• The internet is a public forum and electronic information can be intercepted. This is not a secure website. Please do not disclose unnecessary confidential information about yourself or your contacts with OPO.
• Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act within OPO may be directed to the Privacy Coordinator by email, boa.opo@boa-opo.gc.ca, by calling 1-866-734-5169, or writing to:

Office of the Procurement Ombudsman
C/o Privacy Coordinator
Constitution Square
340 Albert St., 11^th floor
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1R 7Y6
If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

OPO Twitter Terms of Use

OPO's Twitter accounts provide OPO stakeholders with a great way to interact with the Office and learn about its activities and services. OPO looks forward to sharing information beyond the usual government web experience, and will also continue to encourage visits to OPO's web site for more detailed information.

The use of Twitter by OPO is intended to encourage interaction and in no way verifies or confirms either the accuracy of user comments or their compliance with the guidelines outlined here. OPO does not endorse any of the views in comments posted by users.

Content

If you follow OPO on Twitter (@OPO_Canada or @BOA_Canada), you can expect information covering the following subjects:

• Website updates including new analyses, studies, procurement practice reviews and reviews of procurement complaints;
• "Did you Know?" facts and anecdotes;
• News releases;
• Information on OPO's participation in upcoming events; and
• Procurement related information and links of relevance to followers.

If you are looking for more information about the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman, please visit OPO's website.

Links to Other Websites

From time to time an OPO Twitter account may tweet links to websites that are not under the control of OPO or the Government of Canada. These links are intended to be provided solely for the convenience of the users. The Government of Canada is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content. The Government of Canada does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.

Availability

OPO's aim is to update and monitor its Twitter accounts during core office hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time) Monday to Friday, with limited monitoring on weekends. Any activity during holidays, after core hours and on weekends would be for emergency or urgent communications. Otherwise, the accounts will be relatively inactive during these times.

Following

At this time, OPO will primarily follow other Government of Canada institutions and organizations relevant to its mandate. OPO following any particular Twitter user does not imply endorsement.

Followers

The appearance of a Twitter user as a follower of an OPO Twitter account does not imply endorsement. OPO welcomes feedback and ideas that are constructive and relevant to a topic, and does not discriminate against any views. Disagreements and constructive arguments are acceptable as part of the discussion. However, abusive or insulting comments are not acceptable. The content of tweeted material must be respectful of others.

OPO will moderate tweets and reserves the right to remove or block a tweet and/or follower when that follower tweets material that is not appropriate, including any of the following:

• material that is contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• racist, hateful, sexist, homophobic, slanderous, insulting or life-threatening messages
• serious, unproven, unsupported, or inaccurate accusations against individuals or organizations
• abusive, aggressive, coarse, vulgar, violent, obscene or pornographic comments;
• messages that encourage or suggest illegal activity
• messages that infringe copyright or other intellectual property rights
• solicitations, advertisements or endorsements by or of any financial, commercial or non-governmental entity
• attempts to defame or defraud any financial, commercial or non-governmental entity
• announcements from labour or political organizations
• messages written in a language other than English or French
• comments not sent by the author and/or posted by anonymous or robot accounts
• repetitive posts copied and pasted by multiple users
• unintelligible or irrelevant messages
• messages that infringe upon an individual's privacy
• messages that are off-topic
• messages that will not contribute to the flow of discussion

Retweets

OPO may retweet relevant material posted by other Government of Canada Twitter accounts or other accounts determined to be relevant to our followers and of significant value. This may include research findings, statistics and relevant events and conferences.

Direct Messages and @replies

Feedback and interaction is highly encouraged. OPO will pay attention to emerging themes and helpful suggestions and look forward to this potential interaction. All @replies and direct messages sent to an OPO Twitter account will be addressed on a case-by-case basis and responded to when deemed appropriate.

Where a comment or a question posed to OPO is of significant business value or requires a detailed response, OPO may distribute the information through other channels such as its website.

Reporters are asked to send questions to OPO's Media Inquiries and to refrain from submitting questions on Twitter.

Accessibility

Twitter, as a third party service provider, is not bound by Government of Canada policies for web accessibility.

The Government of Canada is committed to achieving a high standard of accessibility and is working to address issues with third-party service provider platforms.

Copyright

Information posted by OPO is subject to the Copyright Act of Canada.

Official Languages

OPO respects the Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring that information products, including tweets, are available in both French and English.

Tweets or retweets that originate from OPO will be made available in both official languages. Responses to direct messages and @replies will be made in the official language of origin.

Users should be aware that some links direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and that these sources are only available in the language in which they are written.

Twitter.com is available in multiple languages including English and French. To change this user preference, go in your account settings and adjust accordingly.

Privacy

OPO Twitter accounts are not Government of Canada websites and represent the Office's presence on Twitter, a third-party service provider. Users are encouraged to read Twitter's privacy policy.

Information shared with OPO on Twitter is subject to the provisions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, which means the information you share with OPO's Twitter accounts may be captured, stored, accessed and disclosed in response to a request under either of these acts.

To protect your privacy and the privacy of others, OPO recommends not to include personal information in your comments or other content you post. Personal information includes home addresses and telephone numbers, photographs containing images of identifiable individuals, and any other information consisting of personal information as defined in paragraph 3 of the Privacy Act

The personal information provided by you to an OPO social media account is collected under the authority of the Financial Administration Act (FAA), in accordance with the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada. This information is being collected to capture conversations between you and OPO via the organization's social media accounts. "Conversations" include questions and answers, comments, "likes", retweets and other interactions where you provide feedback on content that OPO has posted, or when OPO provides you with information based on content that you post. The personal information collected is described in a Personal Information Bank entitled Public Communications. Under the provisions of the Privacy Act, individuals have the right of access to, correction of and protection of their personal information. Instructions for obtaining your personal information are provided in Info Source, a copy of which is available in major public and academic libraries or online at http://www.infosource.gc.ca.

Contact information

OPO's Twitter accounts (@OPO_Canada and @BOA_Canada) are managed by OPO's Communications team. If you have questions about these terms of use, please contact the Office at opo-boa@opo-boa.gc.ca

For Complaints

Procurement related complaints cannot be filed with OPO through social media. Please visit the Making a Complaint section of the website for step-by-step information on how to submit a complaint to OPO or call us at 1-866-734-5169.

For media enquiries

Media representatives are asked to send questions to OPO's Media Inquiries and to refrain from submitting questions on Twitter.

Thank you for taking the time to read OPO's Twitter Terms of Use. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.