OSME (Office of Small and Medium Enterprises)

OSME was the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) office dedicated to helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sell to the Government of Canada. Per canada.ca, it now operates as Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC) — same mandate, new name.

What it is

The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises was part of Public Services and Procurement Canada, the federal government's main buying arm. Its role was to reduce barriers that make it hard for smaller businesses to compete for federal contracts, and to help them understand the procurement process, find opportunities, and bid. Public Services and Procurement Canada confirms on canada.ca that the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises is now Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC).

What PAC does today

As part of PSPC, Procurement Assistance Canada actively engages with smaller businesses to understand and try to reduce barriers that impede SMEs from participating in federal procurement. That includes businesses owned or led by Canadians from under-represented groups, such as women, persons with disabilities and visible minorities, and social enterprises. The work is evidence-based: in 2018 the office received survey responses from approximately 3,000 suppliers identifying specific barriers to participating in federal procurement, according to the canada.ca program page.

What it means for vendors

If you are a small or medium business looking at Government of Canada tenders, PAC is the access-oriented counterpart to the formal buying machinery. The tender notices, solicitation documents and evaluation rules live on CanadaBuys; PAC exists to make sure smaller firms can actually navigate them. Registration, business number setup, finding your niche, understanding set-asides and industrial-technological-benefit obligations — the office's guidance material covers exactly this sequence. When you see OSME in older guides, presentations or contact listings, read it as PAC.

Common questions

Why was OSME renamed?

Government of Canada material on canada.ca states the change directly: "The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises is now Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC)." The rebrand reflects the office's broader role engaging under-represented suppliers, not a change in its PSPC reporting structure.

Is OSME the same as PSPC?

No. PSPC is the whole department that buys most goods and services for the federal government. OSME (now PAC) is a smaller office within PSPC focused on helping SMEs — and specifically under-represented suppliers — participate in that process.

Related definitions

Procurement business number (PBN) · Tender notice · Industrial and technological benefits (ITB)