A new association aims to stand up for the interests of small and midsize IT service providers in Ontario. The group — the Ontario Small and Medium Business Coalition — officially launched yesterday. Its members provide specialized IT personnel, expertise and services to the governments of Ontario and Canada.

The group originally formed to oppose Ontario’s plans to reduce its vendor of record list in the IT service category to 10 large providers from 317 of all sizes. Opposition had also come from the Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services, the National Association of Canadian Consulting Businesses and the Information Technology Association of Canada. Ultimately, the government cancelled the proposal and extended the existing vendor list for 12 months with an option for an additional 12-month extension.

The coalition aims to provide membership with advocacy, networking, newsletters and other benefits to help strengthen the sector and ensure input develop procurement and policies. It is currently led by interim President Bud Derakhshani, president of Yoush Consulting, and interim CFO Rich O’Hanlon, senior associate at TEEMA Solutions. A board will be elected at its first annual general meeting Sept. 26.

“As the voice of small and medium IT companies in Ontario, OSMBC’s mission is to foster an environment that helps small and medium IT companies succeed, prosper, and grow,” Derakhshani said. “This is fundamental to Ontario’s continued prosperity and the OSMBC will work every day to ensure small and medium sized IT companies can thrive here at home and around the world.”

The coalition now counts more than 30 members but Derakhshani expects membership to exceed 50 in three to four months. “My hope is that within the first 12 months we be over 100,” he said. “The potential is there.”