Canadian Federal Government Looking to Hire Debt Collection Agency

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada posted a notice Monday on a site specializing in government contract procurement announcing its intention to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for debt collection services.

The Notice of Proposed Procurement revealed that the PPSC, which houses Canada’s attorney general, is owed about $137 million in unpaid fines. “The (Public Prosecution Service of Canada) requires the services of firm or agency specialized in collection services,” the notice says. “Specific services of PPSC are required to collect outstanding federal fines owed to Canada, including Criminal Code fines, surcharges and court costs ordered with the federal fine at sentencing. This includes legal costs where applicable, using appropriate collection methods.”

Currently, an in-house team of 19 civil servants provides debt collection through the National Fine Recovery Program. But federal officials are looking to close down the program and outsource the work to save money.

The notice included a breakdown of how many Canadians owe money to the PPSC:

• 2,009 people owed more than $10,000
• 1,049 people owed between $5,000 and $10,000
• 4,530 people owed between $1,000 and $5,000
• 3,702 people owed between $500 and $1,000
• 5,129 people owed between $250 and $500
• 5,894 people owed less than $250

Interested parties can view the notice on government contract site MERX.com. The notice carries an expiration date of Sept. 7, and it is expected that the PPSC will issue a formal RFP in the near future.