ECPAR

What ECPAR does

ECPAR (Espace de concertation sur les pratiques d'approvisionnement responsable) is a Montreal-based non-profit network organization founded in 2011 that mobilizes and accompanies organizations across all sectors in Quebec and Canada to implement responsible procurement practices. It operates as a membership-based association offering a curated content library of more than 75 thematic resources, including the Baromètre de l'achat responsable (a self-diagnosis tool assessing supply chain maturity across four components and 18 indicators, developed with Université Laval, University of Ottawa, ITHQ, and CIRAIG), Excel-based Total Cost of Ownership calculators for nine product categories, and public and member-exclusive responsible procurement fact sheets.

The organization's technology footprint is intentionally light: tools are delivered as downloadable spreadsheets, PDF guides, online questionnaires, and a SharePoint-hosted member toolbox rather than a SaaS platform. ECPAR complements its content with professional training parcours, consultative accompaniment services, monthly newsletters, webinars, collaborative workshops (ateliers de concertation), café-partage peer sessions, and the flagship annual Forum ECPAR event. The 2026 edition ('Innover, ensemble') coincides with the organization's 15th anniversary.

ECPAR's revenue model combines recurring annual membership fees (size-tiered, with a rate freeze through August 31, 2026 and adjustments effective September 1, 2026), pay-as-you-go barometer diagnostics priced at $495-$950 CAD depending on organization type, training and workshop fees (with a 15% member discount), and custom advisory engagements. Customer segments are deliberately horizontal and span private enterprises, federal/provincial/municipal governments, healthcare networks, universities and CEGEPs, and social economy organizations, with the organization positioning itself as the largest Canadian network dedicated to responsible procurement.

Name

ECPAR

Legal name

ECPAR (Espace de concertation sur les pratiques d'approvisionnement responsable)

Website

https://ecpar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ECPAR is a Montreal-based non-profit network founded in 2011 that helps public, private, municipal, healthcare, educational, and social economy organizations across Quebec and Canada implement responsible procurement through diagnostic tools, training, and advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Procurement Consulting

NAICS

All Other Support Services (561990), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAALAO

Environmental, Health & Safety / Sustainability (EHS, Environmental Compliance CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

SECONDARYBPALAIAL

Certified Compliance & Reporting Services (R2/e-Stewards, Audit, ESG)

Business & Public Services/Waste Management & Remediation Services/Electronic Waste (E-waste) Recycling & IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)

Keywords

• Responsible procurement services
• Sustainable supply chain management
• Procurement maturity assessment
• Sustainability training programs
• Procurement advisory consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership fees, renewable each September, with pricing tiers based on organization size. The membership fee freeze is in effect until August 31, 2026, with rate adjustments effective September 1, 2026. Members receive access to the network, barometer diagnostics, toolbox with over 75 thematic resources, workshops, preferential training rates, forum participation, webinars, and visibility benefits.
2. Training and professional development: Public training sessions and training parcours offered at preferential rates for members (15% discount). Training covers topics such as responsible procurement, increasing local purchasing, and specialized workshops on topics like chemical products for municipalities.
3. Accompaniment and consulting services: Customized support services provided by ECPAR advisors, including detailed analysis of barometer results, comprehensive documentation evaluation, clarification meetings with internal stakeholders, and personalized diagnostic reports with findings and recommendations. Members receive 15% discount on accompaniment services.
4. Barometer diagnostics: Self-diagnosis tool available free for members (once per year) and at tiered pricing for non-members: $495 for small/medium organizations or non-profits, $750 for public organizations, $950 for large private organizations. Personalized diagnosis with ECPAR accompaniment offered as custom service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ECPAR operates a membership-based network that provides specialized tools, training, and customized advisory services to help organizations implement responsible procurement and sustainable development practices across their supply chains. Its core deliverables include the Baromètre de l'achat responsable diagnostic tool, Total Cost of Ownership calculators, responsible procurement fact sheets, training programs, an annual Forum event, advisory/accompaniment services, and a member toolbox with over 75 thematic resources.

Product overview

ECPAR is a network organization (not a traditional software product company) offering a suite of resources, tools, and services for responsible procurement in Quebec and Canada. The core offering consists of the Baromètre de l'achat responsable (a diagnostic questionnaire with maturity assessment across four components and 18 indicators), comprehensive Excel-based Calculateurs des coûts totaux de propriété (TCO calculators) for nine product categories, and public and member-exclusive Fiches d'achat responsable (responsible procurement fact sheets) covering procurement categories such as cloud services, food services, office equipment, and cleaning products. These tools are complemented by professional training programs, annual Forum events, advisory/accompaniment services, and a publications library including Barometer reports and sector guides. The organization also publishes a monthly Infolettre (newsletter) and maintains a members-only toolbox with over 75 thematic resources. All tools are delivered as downloadable documents and spreadsheets rather than a SaaS platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Baromètre de l'achat responsable (Sustainable Procurement Barometer) A self-assessment diagnostic tool that enables organizations to evaluate their responsible procurement maturity through an online questionnaire covering four components (Vision and issues, Commitment and governance, Implementation, Measurement and disclosure) and 18 indicators, providing a results sheet with scoring grid, definitions, and recommendations. Available free once per year for members and at tiered pricing ($495–$950 CAD) for non-members.
• Calculateurs des coûts totaux de propriété (Total Cost of Ownership Calculators) A toolkit of Excel-based calculators that enable organizations to evaluate the total cost of ownership (TCO) of products and services beyond the initial purchase price, based on ISO 20400 standards. Includes a generic calculator and nine specialized calculators for lighting, hosting, printers, office furniture, computers, cleaning products, cell phones, work clothing, and corporate vehicles.
• Fiches d'achat responsable (Responsible Procurement Fact Sheets) Detailed fact sheets providing environmental, social, and economic criteria for responsible procurement across various product and service categories, including food services, cloud services, landscaping, wall refinishing, flooring, renovation, catering, clothing cleaning, vehicle cleaning, and more. Available in public and member-exclusive versions.
• Formations en achat responsable (Responsible Procurement Training) Training programs designed to develop knowledge and skills in responsible procurement for internal teams, collaborators, and suppliers on various themes, including training parcours (e.g., April 8, 15, 22, 28, 10h-noon ET) and specialized workshops like 'Augmenter l'achat local' (Increasing local purchasing). Members receive 15% discount on training.
• Forum ECPAR The annual Forum on Responsible Procurement, bringing together procurement and sustainable development professionals for dynamic workshops, networking, panels, and conferences featuring practical cases. The 2026 edition is themed 'Innover, ensemble' (Innovate, together) and celebrates ECPAR's 15th anniversary, held at Parc Jean-Drapeau, salle La Toundra on June 17, 2026.
• Services d'accompagnement (Advisory Services) Collaborative and flexible advisory services adapted to organizational objectives, integrating all actors in the supply chain. Services include detailed analysis of barometer results, comprehensive documentation evaluation, clarification meetings with internal stakeholders, and personalized diagnostic reports with findings and recommendations. Members receive a 15% discount on accompaniment services.
• Publications (Publications Library) Collection of publications including Barometer reports (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024 editions), operational guides for purchasing from social economy enterprises, reports on promoting local economy through responsible procurement, circular economy studies, carbon-efficient transportation guides, and construction waste reduction planning guides.
• ECPAR Network Membership Annual membership providing access to the largest Canadian network dedicated to responsible procurement, including the member toolbox with over 75 thematic resources, barometer diagnostics, workshops (ateliers de concertation), preferential training rates, forum participation, webinars, café-partage sessions, and visibility through ECPAR communications. Membership is renewable annually in September with tiered pricing by organization size.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supply chain greenhouse gas emissions are on average 11 times higher than direct emissions from organizations' own activities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Université LavalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for the Baromètre de l'achat responsable. The collaboration involves the Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de la responsabilité sociale des entreprises (LIRSE) at Université Laval, contributing to the scientific methodology, data collection, and analysis for the sustainable procurement barometer reports.
• University of OttawacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for the Baromètre de l'achat responsable, contributing academic expertise and research capabilities to the development of the sustainable procurement maturity assessment framework.
• Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for the Baromètre de l'achat responsable, contributing to the 4th edition (2024) and sector-specific reports for the food sector.
• Centre international de référence sur l'analyse du cycle de vie et la transition durable (CIRAIG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing scientific expertise in life cycle assessment and sustainable transition for the Baromètre methodology and related publications on carbon-free transportation and circular economy.
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch funding partner supporting the academic research component of the Baromètre de l'achat responsable, enabling collaboration with prestigious research institutions.
• Fédération des chambres de commerce du QuébecsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner helping to disseminate ECPAR activities and events to its network of business chambers across Quebec.
• Buy Social CanadasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre, helping to promote responsible procurement practices and connect with organizations engaged in social procurement.
• Canadian Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement (CCSP)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner collaborating on sustainable procurement initiatives and helping to disseminate ECPAR resources.
• Union des municipalités du QuébecsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre, helping to reach municipal members interested in responsible procurement practices.
• Services publics et Approvisionnement CanadasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre, supporting the dissemination of sustainable procurement practices in federal procurement.
• RECYC-QUÉBECsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre, contributing expertise on waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and circular economy.
• Réseau des femmes en environnementsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre, contributing a gender and environmental perspective to responsible procurement discussions.
• ElliosupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre. Ellio is a sustainability consulting firm that helps organizations transition to more sustainable business models.
• AgécosupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre. Agéco provides expertise in sustainable development, ESG, and responsible procurement consulting.
• ÉcocertsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre, providing certification and verification services related to sustainable practices.
• Ville de GatineausupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre, representing municipal interests in responsible procurement.
• Maillon VertsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOutreach partner for the 2024 Baromètre, contributing expertise in sustainable and environmental practices.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ECPAR_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecpar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECPAR