Following the renewal of the Task-Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS) Request for Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements in the fall of 2015, the Government of Canada published the median rates established for TBIPS Standing Offers by Region and Metropolitan Area, Category of Personnel, and Level of Expertise. The rates can be downloaded in PDF format from the TBIPS SO Median Rates notice. Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED May 9, 2016 – This page will no longer be updated. Please see https://blog.theproposalcentre.ca//list-of-primers/ for current information on key Government of Canada and Government of Ontario contract vehicles]

We are pleased to publish an update to our SO, SA, and VOR Primers Page and all associated contract vehicle primers.  On the List of SO, SA, VOR Primers page you will find the due dates for open and anticipated solicitations for qualifying for mandatory Supply Arrangements (SA), Standing Offers (SO), and Vendor of Record (VOR) Arrangements. This page also includes links to our updated Primers which summarize key details for each contract vehicle.

Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED February 6, 2018 – This page will no longer be updated. Please see https://blog.theproposalcentre.ca//2018/02/06/nafta-threshold-2018-2019/ for updated information on the NAFTA threshold]

The Government of Canada’s contracting policies and regulations are affected by numerous trade agreements that Canada has signed with other countries and even one between the provinces (the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT)). Of all the agreements, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has the most significant impact on government procurement by dictating some of the terms governing how solicitations are run.

From a services perspective, the threshold for the past two years has been $80,400.  Treasury Board has recently announced that for the period from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017, the threshold will be $89,600, inclusive of taxes. Updated thresholds for goods, services and construction, for all trade agreements can be found in Treasury Board’s Contracting Policy Notice 2015-3. Read the rest of this entry »

The Government of Canada purchases professional services primarily through contract vehicles such as standing offers (SO) and supply arrangements (SA). In some cases, the use of a standing offer or supply arrangement is mandatory.

For Information Technology (IT) professional services contracts, the Solutions-Based Informatics Professional Services (SBIPS) SA is one of several available contract vehicles, and will be for years to come.

Solutions-Based Informatics Professional Services (SBIPS) Supply Arrangement (SA): Qualify for Contracts for Contracts for IT Professional Services [Open for bids indefinitely – Quarterly due dates: last business day of the month in March, June, September and December. The next due date is December 31, 2021.]

The SBIPS SA is one of several procurement tools for the purchase of IT professional services. While the better known Task-Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS) SA and the ProServices SA focus on contracts dealing with resource-based contracts (i.e., services provided by individuals), the SBIPS SA is used to procure complete solutions. PWGSC defines SBIPS as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED March 14, 2017 – This page will no longer be updated. Please see https://blog.theproposalcentre.ca//list-of-primers/ for current information on key Government of Canada and Government of Ontario contract vehicles]

The Government of Canada purchases professional services primarily through contract vehicles such as standing offers (SO) and supply arrangements (SA). In some cases, the use of a standing offer or supply arrangement is mandatory.

Learning Services SO and SA: Design, Development and Delivery of Learning Services across Canada  [Next renewal anticipated for December 2016]

The Learning Services SO and the Learning Services SA are the mandatory procurement tools for most purchases of learning services to be provided to locations across Canada. Learning Services includes all aspects of the design, development and delivery of classroom learning, blended learning and eLearning product development. In general, the provision of services involves the development and delivery of government-owned materials.

The Learning Services Methods of Supply are organized into the following streams: Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED August 2, 2016 – This page will no longer be updated. Please see https://blog.theproposalcentre.ca//list-of-primers/ for current information on key Government of Canada and Government of Ontario contract vehicles]

The Government of Canada purchases professional services primarily through contract vehicles such as standing offers and supply arrangements. In some cases, the use of a standing offer or supply arrangement is mandatory.

Task-Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS) Standing Offer (SO) and Supply Arrangement (SA): Qualify for Contracts for IT Professional Services [Next renewal anticipated for June 2016]
The TBIPS SO and TBIPS SA are two of several mandatory contract vehicles related to the provision of IT Professional services. Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED November 7, 2016 – This page will no longer be updated. Please see https://blog.theproposalcentre.ca//list-of-primers/ for current information on key Government of Canada and Government of Ontario contract vehicles. The Primer for the new TSPS Task-Based Re-Compete will be posted on November 8, 2016]

The Government of Canada purchases professional services primarily through contract vehicles such as standing offers and supply arrangements. In some cases, the use of a standing offer or supply arrangement is mandatory.

Task and Solutions Professional Services (TSPS) Task-Based Standing Offer (SO) and Supply Arrangement (SA): Qualify for Contracts for Non-IT Professional Services [Next renewal anticipated for June 2016]
The TSPS Task-Based SO and TSPS Task-Based SA are two of several mandatory contract vehicles related to the provision of non-IT professional Services. The other related contract vehicles are the TSPS Solutions-Based SA and the ProServices SA.

Task-based services generally involve the assignment of a resource or group of resources to complete a well-defined set of deliverables/responsibilities on a per diem basis.

TSPS is organized according to the following streams (each containing multiple categories of resources): Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED November 7, 2016 – This page will no longer be updated. Please see https://blog.theproposalcentre.ca//list-of-primers/ for current information on key Government of Canada and Government of Ontario contract vehicles. The Primer for the new TSPS Solutions-Based Re-Compete will be posted on November 8, 2016]

The Government of Canada purchases professional services primarily through contract vehicles such as standing offers and supply arrangements. In some cases, the use of a standing offer or supply arrangement is mandatory.

Task and Solutions Professional Services (TSPS) Solutions-Based Supply Arrangement (SA): Qualify for Contracts for Non-IT Professional Services [Next renewal is anticipated for June 2016]
The TSPS Solutions-Based SA is one of several procurement tools for the purchase of Non-IT professional services. While the better known TSPS Task-Based SA, TSPS Task-Based SO, and the ProServices SA focus on resource-based contracts (i.e., services provided by individuals), the TSPS Solutions-Based SA is used to procure a complete solution in response to a client business problem. Services are not related to one particular activity or initiative, and suppliers are expected to manage the overall project and accept responsibility for the outcome.

The TSPS Solutions-Based SA is separated into two tiers: Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED June 19, 2017 – This page will no longer be updated. Please see https://blog.theproposalcentre.ca//list-of-primers/ for current information on key Government of Canada and Government of Ontario contract vehicles]

The Government of Canada purchases professional services primarily through contract vehicles such as standing offers (SO) and supply arrangements (SA). In some cases, the use of a standing offer or supply arrangement is mandatory.

For professional services contracts under the $89,600, the ProServices SA is an essential contract vehicle and will be for years to come.

ProServices: Professional Services Contracts under $89,600: Qualify for Contracts for IT and Non-IT Professional Services, Ongoing opportunity to qualify – next due date December 31, 2016
The ProServices Supply Arrangement is a mandatory procurement tool for most purchases of professional services under the NAFTA threshold ($89,600 from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017). In 2014, ProServices replaced PS Online for contracts under the NAFTA threshold. Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED February 9, 2017 – This page will no longer be updated. Please see https://blog.theproposalcentre.ca//list-of-primers/ for current information on key Government of Canada and Government of Ontario contract vehicles]

The Government of Ontario, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS) purchases management consulting services through a Vendor of Record (VOR) Arrangement. The VOR is similar to a Supply Arrangement and is used by all Government of Ontario ministries and other entities to procure a range of management consulting services.

Ontario Management Consulting Services (MCS) Vendor of Record (VOR): Qualify for opportunities to provide Management Consulting Services to the Ontario Public Service [Next refresh anticipated for January 2017 (if current VOR is extended)]
This VOR is mandatory for Ontario Government ministries and for Ontario Public Service (OPS) entities who wish to obtain professional services in the categories listed below. It is optional for Provincially Funded Organizations (which include but are not limited to municipalities, hospitals, and school boards).

As defined in the RFP: Read the rest of this entry »