Furniture National Center of Expertise (FNCOE)

Furniture National Center of Expertise (FNCOE) Français - English This will be the Furniture National Center of Expertise (FNCOE) page Accommodation Management and Workplace Solutions Meet our team Our team FNCOE mandate Our mandate latest news News! Special initiatives Initiatives Questions or comments? Join us! Tools and guidelines Important links Supply Arrangements (SA) Master Standing offer (NMSO) Members only

Our team We are a dedicated team of five professionals committed to excellence in furniture design and specification. Our team is led by our Manager, who guides our strategic initiatives and ensures that our work aligns with the government's priorities. Our Senior Technical Furniture Lead plays a crucial role in defining and developing furniture specifications that meet accessibility, environmental, and health and safety standards. Our Senior Furniture Specialist brings extensive expertise in the selection and application of office furniture, ensuring that all solutions are functional and meet the GCWorkplace and Fit-up Standards for Canada. Our Furniture Specialists are skilled in providing detailed technical guidance, supporting our mission to meet the highest standards in office furniture across the nation. At the Furniture NCOE, we are dedicated to research, the issuance of functional directives, and the development of tools that support our application process. Our work is driven by a commitment to meeting the evolving needs of workplaces across Canada. We want to hear from you, please send us an email: Lisa Maidens: [[1]] Catherine Ménard : [[2]] Back to top

Mandate The Furniture NCOE’s main responsibility as the TA (Technical Authority) is defining and developing furniture specifications with minimum performance requirements that meet accessibility, environmental, and health and safety requirements that align to GCWorkplace and Fit-up Standards for Canada. Additional national responsibilities include conducting research, issuance of functional directions for office furniture, development of supportive application tools, and the provision of technical guidance that aligns with the government’s mandates and priorities. Back to top

News Hot off the press! FNCOE has collaborated with Procurement Branch to implement a National Master Standing Offer (NMSO), providing increased flexibility and a catalogue of pre-approved furniture products for future design and fit-up projects. The National Master Standing Offer (NMSO) Cat 4 (Phone booth and Pods) was awarded Aug 26th 2024 and remaining categories are expected to be awarded end of October 2024 FNCOE and PB will be working next on a seating Standing Offer (SO) that will generate a catalogue of qualified product to select from. Back to top

Initiatives Current Initiatives: Development and implementation of an Office Seating NMSO Study on smart lockers and future improvements. Collaboration with Green Procurement and Sustainable Buildings – integrate various sustainability criteria for furniture and plastics reduction and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Furniture catalogue application (E-Purchasing). On-going collaboration with Digital Service Branch (DSB) to develop catalogue application for both the workspaces and future seating SO's.    Coming Soon: Guidance Document on Reuse, Remanufactured and Refurbishing Furniture Audit Process Guidance for post-installation review New "Environmental Certification Documents" for Design teams for green credits on furniture towards projects. Post and Beam Specs and Guidance Replacement strategy for withdrawn Canada General Standards Board (CGSB) specifications for furniture Back to top

Contact us Lisa Maidens: [3] Catherine Ménard : [4] Back to top