FreshWorks Studio of Victoria is the first company to be awarded a contract using Sprint With Us, a new procurement process that makes it simpler and faster for British Columbia’s tech companies to do business with government.

The project will use new ideas and emerging technologies to build and improve applications that support regulatory oversight of the mining sector in British Columbia. Sprint With Us reduces procurement timelines from more than three months, to six weeks. It allows the Province to develop business solutions quickly and effectively, while still maintaining rigorous procurement standards.

"Sprint With Us makes it easier for small and medium-sized tech companies to work with government, by reducing the time, effort and cost of bidding on contracts,” said Jinny Sims, Minister of Citizens’ Services. “We are listening to our stakeholders and working with B.C. businesses to drive innovation, spur the economy and create good-paying jobs across the province."

Designed in collaboration with approximately 50 B.C. tech firms, Sprint With Us offers a fixed price to teams that can deliver software products in a specific time period.

“Sprint With Us is a progressive and innovative approach to procurement, as it creates a level playing field for companies of all sizes,” said Sam Mod, CEO, FreshWorks Studio Inc. “This new focus is great for creating jobs and building the economy here in B.C. The fact that Sprint With Us is fast allows small companies like us — who are short on resources or time required for traditional procurements — to still be competitive and actually win the contract.”

Sprint With Us was designed as part of government’s BC Developers’ Exchange, an open network of developers, app builders, startups and public-sector innovators who work collaboratively on software challenges, while seeding business opportunities for B.C. tech companies.

“It is phenomenal what the BCDevExchange team have achieved. This new procurement process is totally different from the traditional model. The new process is more transparent in its ability to identify the required skills and fit for the project and client,” said Tamer Shafik, director of consulting, Sierra Systems. “The shorter time frame generated a buzz, and required intense, focused effort. Our team enjoyed going through the challenging technical process.”

“Sprint With Us is another way the B.C. government is driving innovation, and showing it is open for business,” said Sims.

Quick Facts:

• Sprint With Us reduces the cost for businesses submitting a contract proposal to government from approximately $15,000-25,000 to $1,000-2,000.
• Since the program began in May 2018, 58 companies of all sizes have registered with Sprint With Us.
• Sprint With Us offers companies opportunities to bid on contracts of up to $2 million. The value of the FreshWorks Studio contract is up to $1.5 million.
• Launched in June 2018, government’s new procurement strategy will improve how the Province purchases goods and services, and will make it easier for businesses to access opportunities.

Learn More: 

Sprint With Us: https://bcdevexchange.org/sprintwithus

British Columbia Procurement Strategy: www.gov.bc.ca/ProcurementStrategy