Grant: Engage Grants Program

Over the past two decades, many Canadian corporations have come under increasing pressure to address the economic, environmental, and social implications of their activities. As a part of their response to this pressure, many corporations are now considering supply chain issues to be a critical aspect of their overall sustainability program. However, many corporations have struggled to develop models to facilitate the integration of sustainability criteria into the management of their supply chains. The purpose of this research project is to develop an original model for evaluating Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) suppliers on the basis of environmental criteria. The development of the model will be based on several key assumptions, including it will be: (1) applicable to all of OPG's suppliers, (2) readily understood by experts and non-experts alike, (3) practice-oriented, (4) populated with readily available data, (5) able to yield repeatable evaluations of OPG's suppliers, and (6) integrated with existing decision-making processes. The development of the model will consist of four key steps: (1) conduct detailed process planning, (2) develop a draft supplier evaluation model, (3) test and adjust the model, and (4) integrate the model with existing infrastructure. Each step will involve consultation with internal experts at OPG. Several operations research techniques, including, weighting, normalization, aggregation, and sensitivity analysis will also be employed in the development of the model. A Ph.D. student will be involved throughout the research. Completing the research project will address key gaps in the academic and practitioner knowledge base. This is significant since many Canadian corporations have struggled to develop scientifically-sound models that address this issue. The model will therefore provide a needed starting point for corporations in the electric utility sector and may have relevance for other sectors as well.