[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 »

The Government of Ontario, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS) purchases IT Professional 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 IT Professional Services.

Ontario Task-Based Information & Information Technology (TB I&IT) Services Vendor of Record (VOR): Qualify for opportunities to provide IT Professional Services to Ontario ministries and entities (Replacement Scheduled for November 2018)
[N.B. This primer provides information on the current Task-Based I&IT Services VOR. Based on an RFI released in early 2017, it is clear that there will many changes, including a new name “On-Demand IT Services”. See https://www.doingbusiness.mgs.gov.on.ca/mbs/psb/psb.nsf/VORDetails?OpenForm&Lang=EN&unid=D065105B7C6C2FED8525817E00724F71 for latest information.]

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 (PFOs), formerly referred to as the Broader Public Sector (BPS). PFOs include but are not limited to municipalities, hospitals, and school boards.

As defined in the RFP, vendors 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 professional services contracts related to audit and accounting services, the Professional Audit and Support Services (PASS) SA is an essential contract vehicle and will be for years to come.

PWGSC PASS SA: Mandatory for Audit and Accounting Services [Currently Closed – To be re-competed Fall 2018]

The PASS SA is the mandatory procurement tool for most purchases of professional audit and accounting services. PASS is organized into the following streams: Read the rest of this entry »

Following the renewal of the Task-Based Request for Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements, the Government of Canada has established the 2015 median rates for TSPS Standing Offers by Region and Metropolitan Area, Category of Personnel, and Level of Expertise. The rates can be viewed online, or downloaded in Microsoft Excel or PDF format from the TSPS SO Median Rates notice.

Read the rest of this entry »

[ARCHIVED August 2, 2016 – This page will no longer be updated.]

Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is seeking feedback from federal government departments and suppliers on the way that the federal government buys temporary help services (THS). To this end, PWGSC has provided two online questionnaires, one for THS suppliers, and one for client departments. The deadline for responses is 2:00 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2015.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you find it hard to keep track of all the key Standing Offers (SOs), Supply Arrangements (SAs) and Vendor of Record (VOR) arrangements that are essential to doing business with the public sector? The Proposal Centre is pleased to announce that we are publishing a series of Primers to give you a quick handle on the many federal (Government of Canada) and Ontario contract vehicles available.

You can find a list of current and upcoming Primers on our SO, SA & VOR Primers page.

The Proposal Centre works with small and medium-sized enterprises to help them win government and public sector contracts. We’re here to help! If you have any questions about contract vehicles, doing business with the federal or provincial governments, or any other public sector opportunities, please don’t hesitate to contact us.