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Prime contractors deliver Canada’s major defence programs and must fulfill Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) obligations requiring them to generate business activity in Canada equal to the value of the contracts they win. For Canadian SMEs, that is a genuine window of opportunity—but an ITB obligation is not a business case. Primes partner with companies that bring real value to their programs; the ITB credit is the icing, not the cake.

This session, co-hosted with Strix, opens the door to the prime ecosystem: the people who evaluate SMEs, SMEs who’ve completed ITB transactions, and advisors who’ve helped move hundreds of millions in ITB obligations, sharing how prime partnerships form and how to earn one.

It’ll explore:

1. How primes evaluate Canadian SMEs internally – & how to approach them realistically

2. Procurement pathways with primes – the direct & indirect routes into programs

3. The ITB mechanics that matter: Canadian Content Value (CCV) ratios, the 10x SME multiplier, prime-funded SME certifications, & recent ITB policy changes

4. Where the windows of opportunity are now – & how to time your approach 5. IP strategy in prime engagements – what to protect, what to share, & how to structure relationships

➤ Host: Genevieve Bonin, DIGITAL Executive Senior Advisor

➤ Moderator: Walter Chan, Chief Strategy & Business Officer, Strix.

➤ Panelists:

– Camila Grove, Policy Analyst, Industrial & Technological Benefits Branch, Defence Investment Agency

– Carole Cazes, Head of Offsets & Industrial Participation, BAE Systems

– Jeff LaFrenz, President, VizworX

– Tarig Abdellatief, Managing Director, Arctech Accelerate

– Nathaniel Pitt, Regional Leader Offset & Industrial Cooperation Canada, CAE

Whether you’re preparing your first approach to a prime or already in discussions, you’ll leave knowing how primes evaluate partners, how ITB value reaches SMEs, and how to position your company.