For decades, Canadian public procurement has been an architectural bête noire. In 2026, the broad problems are well-established. Across the country, municipalities, provinces and the federal government alike have long favoured a combination of past experience and low fees, a paradigm that has stifled innovation and kept new ideas from entering the civic conversation. And while the rules ostensibly exist to reduce risk and uncertainty, the status quo accomplishes neither, with Canadian public works — from schools and community centres to entire transit lines — facing chronic delays and cost overruns.

In fact, the system is wound so tight it sometimes ends up tripping over its own rules. This was the case for Global Affairs Canada (GAC), a federal body responsible for diplomatic and consular relations, including the maintenance and construction of Canadian government offices abroad. Below, an anonymously published piece — written by a prominent Canadian architect — outlines a series of recent Requests for Proposals (RFPs) by the agency, including for a project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that was ultimately awarded to an Italian engineering firm.