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.

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[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 »

[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 »

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 »

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.

[ARCHIVED May 25, 2015 – 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 and the Government of Ontario have recently updated their schedule for renewals and open opportunities to qualify on supply arrangements (SA), standing offers (SO), and vendor of record arrangements (VOR). Key renewals include:

• PWGSC Task-Based Informatics Professionals Services (TBIPS) SO and SA
• PWGSC Task and Solutions Professional Services (TSPS) Task-Based SO and SA
• PWGSC TSPS Solutions-Based SA
• PWGSC Professional Audit and Support Services (PASS) SA

All existing TBIPS, TSPS, and PASS vendors will be required to renew their SOs/SAs in order to continue providing services under TBIPS, TSPS, and PASS.

Other vehicles open or soon to be opened for refresh include:

Read the rest of this entry »

Following the July 2014 renewal of the Learning Services Standing Offer and Supply Arrangement, the Government of Canada has published the established Learning Services Standing Offer adjusted median rates by Region, Category and Level. The rates can be viewed online, or downloaded in PDF format Read the rest of this entry »