The Western Canadian Defence Industries Association (WCDIA) has been formed to promote Western businesses as viable suppliers for federal defence procurement initiatives.

The stated objective of the Association is to provide a means of mutual support to Tier 2 and smaller Western Canadian companies; to help develop their ability to serve the procurement needs of the Canadian defence industry.

The WCDIA’s intent is to provide its members with practical training and advice on critical tools and issues such as:

• MERX, the on-line tendering system used by the Canadian and Provincial governments;
• the Controlled Goods Program, the qualification process for working on many defence projects;
• IRBs, the “Industrial Regional Benefits” component of most Federal procurement contracts, which requires successful bidders to do business with Canadian suppliers;
• the various government departments charged with overseeing these programs; and
• the strategies Western companies can use to maximize their opportunities to succeed.

The association also intends to engage the Prime and Tier-1 defence contractors and present the WCDIA to them as a means of developing qualified supply chain partners in the Western region.

Startup costs for the association were underwritten by VariSystems Military Inc., a Calgary manufacturer of cable systems for military applications and the Alberta Provincial government – in a demonstration of their commitment to support economic diversification.