ARCHIVED Standard Instructions - Goods or Services - Competitive Requirements

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Legal text for SACC item

  • 01 Integrity Provisions - Bid
  • 02 Procurement Business Number
  • 03 Standard Instructions, Clauses and Conditions
  • 04 Definition of Bidder
  • 05 Submission of Bids
  • 06 Late Bids
  • 07 Delayed Bids
  • 08 Transmission by Facsimile
  • 09 Customs Clearance
  • 10 Legal Capacity
  • 11 Rights of Canada
  • 12 Rejection of Bid
  • 13 Communications - Solicitation Period
  • 14 Price Justification
  • 15 Bid Costs
  • 16 Conduct of Evaluation
  • 17 Joint Venture
  • 18 Conflict of Interest - Unfair Advantage
  • 19 Entire Requirement
  • 20 Further Information

01 (2014-03-01) Integrity Provisions - Bid

  1. Bidders must comply with the Code of Conduct for Procurement. In addition, bidders must respond to bid solicitations in an honest, fair and comprehensive manner, accurately reflect their capacity to satisfy the requirements stipulated in the bid solicitations and resulting contracts, and submit bids as well as enter into contracts only if they will fulfill all obligations of the Contract.
  2. By submitting a bid, bidders confirm that they understand that, to ensure fairness openness and transparency in the procurement process, the commission of certain acts or offences will render them ineligible to be awarded a contract. Canada will declare non-responsive any bid in respect of which the information requested is missing or inaccurate, or in respect of which the information contained in the certifications is found by Canada to be untrue in any respect, at the time of contract award. If it is determined, after contract award, that the Bidder made a false declaration, Canada will, following a notice period,have the right to terminate the Contract for default. The Bidder will be required to diligently maintain up-to-date the information requested. The Bidder and any of the Bidder's Affiliates will also be required to remain free and clear of any acts or convictions specified in these Integrity Provisions during the period of any contract resulting from this bid solicitation.
  3. Affiliates
    For the purpose of these Integrity Provisions, everyone, including but not limited to organizations, bodies corporate, societies, companies, firms, partnerships, associations of persons, parent companies, and subsidiaries, whether partly or wholly-owned, as well as individuals, and directors, are Bidder's Affiliates if:
    1. directly or indirectly either one controls or has the power to control the other, or
    2. a third party has the power to control both.
    Indicia of control, include, but are not limited to, interlocking management or ownership, identity of interests among family members, shared facilities and equipment, common use of employees, or a business entity created following the acts or convictions specified in these Integrity Provisions which has the same or similar management, ownership, or principal employees, as the case may be.
  4. Bidders who are incorporated, including those bidding as a joint venture, must provide a complete list of names of all individuals who are currently directors of the Bidder. Bidders bidding as sole proprietorship, including those bidding as a joint venture, must provide the name of the owner. Bidders bidding as societies, firms, or partnerships do not need to provide lists of names.
    If the required names have not been received by the time the evaluation of bids is completed, Canada will inform the Bidder of a time frame within which to provide the information. Failure to provide the names within the time frame specified will render the bid non-responsive. Providing the required names is a mandatory requirement for contract award.
    Canada may, at any time, request that the Bidder provide properly completed and signed consent forms (Consent to a Criminal Record Verification form - PWGSC-TPSGC 229) for any or all individuals mentioned above within a specified time frame. Failure to provide such consent forms and associated information within the time frame provided, or failure to cooperate to the verification process, will result in the bid being declared non-responsive.
  5. The Bidder must diligently inform Canada in writing of any changes affecting the list of names of directors during this procurement process as well as during the contract period. The Bidder must also, when requested, provide Canada with properly completed and signed consent forms.
  6. By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that it is aware, and that its Affiliates are aware, that Canada may request additional information, certifications, consent forms and other evidentiary elements proving identity or eligibility. Canada may also verify the information provided by the Bidder, including the information relating to the acts or convictions specified in these Integrity Provisions, through independent research, use of any government resources or by contacting third parties.
  7. By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that neither the Bidder nor any of the Bidder's Affiliates have directly or indirectly, paid or agreed to pay, and will not, directly or indirectly, pay a contingency fee to any individual for the solicitation, negotiation or obtaining of the Contract if the payment of the fee would require the individual to file a return under section 5 of the Lobbying Act.
  8. Time Period
    The Time Period is 10 years and is measured from the date of the conviction or from the date of the conditional or absolute discharge.
    In addition, for a conviction under paragraphs a. or b. of subsection 9, following the 10-year period, a pardon or a record suspension must have been obtained, or capacities must have been restored by the Governor in Council. The Bidder must therefore provide with its bid or promptly afterwards a copy of confirming documentation from an official source for its certification to be found true by Canada for the purpose of these Integrity Provisions. If the documentation has not been received by the time the evaluation of bids is completed, Canada will inform the Bidder of a time frame within which to provide the information. Failure to comply within the time frame specified will render the bid non-responsive.
  9. By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that neither the Bidder nor any of the Bidder’s Affiliates have been convicted of an offence or received a conditional or an absolute discharge under any of the following provisions, unless the time period, as defined in the Time Period subsection, has elapsed:
    1. paragraph 80(1)(d) (False entry, certificate or return), subsection 80(2) (Fraud against Her Majesty) or section 154.01 (Fraud against Her Majesty) of the Financial Administration Act, or
    2. section 121 (Frauds on the government and Contractor subscribing to election fund), section 124 (Selling or Purchasing Office), section 380 (Fraud) for fraud committed against Her Majesty or section 418 (Selling defective stores to Her Majesty) of the Criminal Code, or
    3. section 119 (Bribery of judicial officers, etc), section 120 (Bribery of officers), section 346 (Extortion), sections 366 to 368 (Forgery and other offences resembling forgery), section 382 (Fraudulent manipulation of stock exchange transactions), section 382.1 (Prohibited insider trading), section 397 (Falsification of books and documents), section 422 (Criminal breach of contract), section 426 (Secret commissions), section 462.31 (Laundering proceeds of crime) or sections 467.11 to 467.13 (Participation in activities of criminal organization) of the Criminal Code, or
    4. section 45 (Conspiracies, agreements or arrangements between competitors), section 46 (Foreign directives), section 47 (Bid rigging), section 49 (Agreements or arrangements of federal financial institutions), section 52 (False or misleading representation), section 53 (Deceptive notice of winning a prize) of the Competition Act, or
    5. section 239 (False or deceptive statements) of the Income Tax Act, or
    6. section 327 (False or deceptive statements) of the Excise Tax Act, or
    7. section 3 (Bribing a foreign public official), section 4 (Accounting), or section 5 (Offence committed outside Canada) of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act, or
    8. section 5 (Trafficking in substance), section 6 (Importing and exporting), or section 7 (Production of substance) of the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act.
    The Bidder also certifies that no one convicted under any of the provisions under a. or b. are to receive any benefit under a contract resulting from this bid solicitation, unless a pardon or a record suspension has been obtained or capacities restored by the Governor in Council, as defined in the Time Period subsection.
  10. Foreign Offences
    The Bidder also certifies that, within a period, as defined in the Time Period subsection, neither the Bidder nor any of the Bidder's Affiliates have been convicted of or have received a conditional or an absolute discharge, under any foreign offence that Canada deems to be of similar constitutive elements to the offences listed in these Integrity Provisions. Canada will also consider foreign measures declared by Canada to be similar in nature to the Canadian pardon, record suspension, or restoration of capacities by the Governor in Council.
  11. Subcontractors
    The Bidder must ensure that subcontracts include Integrity Provisions no less favourable to Canada than those imposed in the resulting contract.
  12. Preventive Measures associated with the Time Period
    In cases where the period (as defined in the Time Period subsection), for a conviction, or a conditional or an absolute discharge of the Bidder or any of the Bidder's Affiliates has elapsed, then the Bidder must also certify for itself and for its Affiliates that measures have been diligently put in place in order to avoid the reoccurrence of such convictions or reprehensible actions.
  13. Public Interest Exception
    Bidders understand that Canada may enter into contract with a bidder, where the Bidder or the Bidder’s Affiliates have been convicted of or have received a conditional or an absolute discharge for an offence specified in these Integrity Provisions, when required to do so by law or legal proceedings, or when Canada in its sole discretion considers it necessary to the public interest for reasons which include, but are not limited to:
    • no one else is capable of performing the contract;
    • emergency;
    • national security;
    • health and safety;
    • economic harm;
    If all bids are found non-responsive for reason of a listed relevant conviction or act, then Canada may invoke the public interest exception, as described in the paragraph above. In such cases, only bids containing a declaration concerning a relevant offence or act will be further considered. Canada may also elect to procure outside of the present process. In all cases, Canada reserves the right to impose additional conditions or measures to ensure the integrity of the procurement process.
  14. Non-application
    For governments, as well as entities controlled by a government, including Crown corporations, the present Integrity Provisions are reduced to complying with article 750 of the Criminal Code, the Government Contracts Regulations and the Code of Conduct for Procurement.

02 (2012-03-02) Procurement Business Number

Suppliers are required to have a Procurement Business Number (PBN) before contract award. Suppliers may register for a PBN online at Supplier Registration Information. For non-Internet registration, suppliers may contact the InfoLine at 1-800-811-1148 to obtain the telephone number of the nearest Supplier Registration Agent.

03 (2007-05-25) Standard Instructions, Clauses and Conditions

Pursuant to the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (S.C. 1996, c.16), the instructions, clauses and conditions identified in the bid solicitation and resulting contract by number, date, and title are incorporated by reference into and form part of the bid solicitation and resulting contract as though expressly set out in the bid solicitation and resulting contract.

04 (2007-11-30) Definition of Bidder

"Bidder" means the person or entity (or, in the case of a joint venture, the persons or entities) submitting a bid to perform a contract for goods, services or both. It does not include the parent, subsidiaries or other affiliates of the Bidder, or its subcontractors.

05 (2014-03-01) Submission of Bids

  1. Canada requires that each bid, at closing date and time or upon request from the Contracting Authority, be signed by the Bidder or by an authorized representative of the Bidder. If a bid is submitted by a joint venture, it must be in accordance with section 17.
  2. It is the Bidder's responsibility to:
    1. obtain clarification of the requirements contained in the bid solicitation, if necessary, before submitting a bid;
    2. prepare its bid in accordance with the instructions contained in the bid solicitation;
    3. submit by closing date and time a complete bid;
    4. send its bid only to Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) Bid Receiving Unit specified on page 1 of the bid solicitation or to the address specified in the bid solicitation. The facsimile number and related instructions for bids transmitted by facsimile are provided in section 08;
    5. ensure that the Bidder's name, return address, the bid solicitation number, and bid solicitation closing date and time are clearly visible on the envelope or the parcel(s) containing the bid; and,
    6. provide a comprehensible and sufficiently detailed bid, including all requested pricing details, that will permit a complete evaluation in accordance with the criteria set out in the bid solicitation.
  3. Canada will make available Notices of Proposed Procurement (NPP), bid solicitations and related documents for download through the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS). Canada is not responsible and will not assume any liabilities whatsoever for the information found on websites of third parties. In the event an NPP, bid solicitation or related documentation would be amended, Canada will not be sending notifications. Canada will post all amendments, including significant enquiries received and their replies, using GETS. It is the sole responsibility of the Bidder to regularly consult GETS for the most up-to-date information. Canada will not be liable for any oversight on the Bidder's part nor for notification services offered by a third party.
  4. Bids will remain open for acceptance for a period of not less than sixty (60) days from the closing date of the bid solicitation, unless specified otherwise in the bid solicitation. Canada reserves the right to seek an extension of the bid validity period from all responsive bidders in writing, within a minimum of three (3) days before the end of the bid validity period. If the extension is accepted by all responsive bidders, Canada will continue with the evaluation of the bids. If the extension is not accepted by all responsive bidders, Canada will, at its sole discretion, either continue with the evaluation of the bids of those who have accepted the extension or cancel the solicitation.
  5. Bid documents and supporting information may be submitted in either English or French.
  6. Bids received on or before the stipulated bid solicitation closing date and time will become the property of Canada and will not be returned. All bids will be treated as confidential, subject to the provisions of the Access to Information Act (R.S. 1985, c. A-1) and the Privacy Act (R.S., 1985, c. P-21).
  7. Unless specified otherwise in the bid solicitation, Canada will evaluate only the documentation provided with a bidder's bid. Canada will not evaluate information such as references to Web site addresses where additional information can be found, or technical manuals or brochures not submitted with the bid.
  8. A bid cannot be assigned or transferred in whole or in part.

06 (2007-05-25) Late Bids

PWGSC will return bids delivered after the stipulated bid solicitation closing date and time, unless they qualify as a delayed bid as described below.

07 (2012-03-02) Delayed Bids

  1. A bid delivered to the specified bid receiving unit after the closing date and time but before the contract award date may be considered, provided the bidder can prove the delay is due solely to a delay in delivery that can be attributed to the Canada Post Corporation (CPC) (or national equivalent of a foreign country). Purolator Inc. is not considered to be part of CPC for the purposes of delayed bids. The only pieces of evidence relating to a delay in the CPC system that are acceptable to PWGSC are:
    1. a CPC cancellation date stamp; or
    2. a CPC Priority Courier bill of lading; or
    3. a CPC Xpresspost label
    that clearly indicates that the bid was mailed before the bid closing date.
  2. Misrouting, traffic volume, weather disturbances, labour disputes or any other causes for the late delivery of bids are not acceptable reasons for the bid to be accepted by PWGSC.
  3. Postage meter imprints, whether imprinted by the Bidder, the CPC or the postal authority outside Canada, are not acceptable as proof of timely mailing.

08 (2012-03-02) Transmission by Facsimile

  1. Unless specified otherwise in the bid solicitation, bids may be submitted by facsimile. The only acceptable facsimile number for responses to bid solicitations issued by PWGSC headquarters is 819-997-9776 or, if applicable, the facsimile number identified in the bid solicitation. The facsimile number for responses to bid solicitations issued by PWGSC regional offices is identified in the bid solicitation.
  2. For bids transmitted by facsimile, Canada will not be responsible for any failure attributable to the transmission or receipt of the faxed bid including, but not limited to, the following:
    1. receipt of garbled or incomplete bid;
    2. availability or condition of the receiving facsimile equipment;
    3. incompatibility between the sending and receiving equipment;
    4. delay in transmission or receipt of the bid;
    5. failure of the Bidder to properly identify the bid;
    6. illegibility of the bid; or
    7. security of bid data.
  3. A bid transmitted by facsimile constitutes the formal bid of the Bidder and must be submitted in accordance with section 05.

09 (2010-10-07) Customs Clearance

It is the responsibility of the Bidder to allow sufficient time to obtain customs clearance, where required, before the bid closing date and time. Delays related to the obtaining of customs clearance cannot be construed as "undue delay in the mail" and will not be accepted as a delayed bid under section 07.

10 (2007-05-25) Legal Capacity

The Bidder must have the legal capacity to contract. If the Bidder is a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporate body, the Bidder must provide, if requested by the Contracting Authority, a statement and any requested supporting documentation indicating the laws under which it is registered or incorporated together with the registered or corporate name and place of business. This also applies to bidders submitting a bid as a joint venture.

11 (2007-11-30) Rights of Canada

Canada reserves the right to:

  1. reject any or all bids received in response to the bid solicitation;
  2. enter into negotiations with bidders on any or all aspects of their bids;
  3. accept any bid in whole or in part without negotiations;
  4. cancel the bid solicitation at any time;
  5. reissue the bid solicitation;
  6. if no responsive bids are received and the requirement is not substantially modified, reissue the bid solicitation by inviting only the bidders who bid to resubmit bids within a period designated by Canada; and,
  7. negotiate with the sole responsive Bidder to ensure best value to Canada.

12 (2012-03-02) Rejection of Bid

  1. Canada may reject a bid where any of the following circumstances is present:
    1. the Bidder is subject to a Vendor Performance Corrective Measure, under the Vendor Performance Corrective Measure Policy, which renders the Bidder ineligible to bid on the requirement;
    2. an employee, or subcontractor included as part of the bid, is subject to a Vendor Performance Corrective Measure, under the Vendor Performance Corrective Measure Policy, which would render that employee or subcontractor ineligible to bid on the requirement, or the portion of the requirement the employee or subcontractor is to perform;
    3. the Bidder is bankrupt or where, for whatever reason, its activities are rendered inoperable for an extended period;
    4. evidence, satisfactory to Canada, of fraud, bribery, fraudulent misrepresentation or failure to comply with any law protecting individuals against any manner of discrimination, has been received with respect to the Bidder, any of its employees or any subcontractor included as part of the bid;
    5. evidence satisfactory to Canada that based on past conduct or behavior, the Bidder, a subcontractor or a person who is to perform the Work is unsuitable or has conducted himself/herself improperly;
    6. with respect to current or prior transactions with the Government of Canada:
      1. Canada has exercised its contractual remedies of suspension or termination for default with respect to a contract with the Bidder, any of its employees or any subcontractor included as part of the bid;
      2. Canada determines that the Bidder's performance on other contracts, including the efficiency and workmanship as well as the extent to which the Bidder performed the Work in accordance with contractual clauses and conditions, is sufficiently poor to jeopardize the successful completion of the requirement being bid on.
  2. Where Canada intends to reject a bid pursuant to a provision of subsection 1. (f), the Contracting Authority will so inform the Bidder and provide the Bidder ten (10) days within which to make representations, before making a final decision on the bid rejection.
  3. Canada reserves the right to apply additional scrutiny, in particular, when multiple bids are received in response to a bid solicitation from a single bidder or a joint venture. Canada reserves the right to:
    1. reject any or all of the bids submitted by a single bidder or joint venture if their inclusion in the evaluation has the effect of prejudicing the integrity and fairness of the process, or;
    2. reject any or all of the bids submitted by a single bidder or joint venture if their inclusion in the procurement process would distort the solicitation evaluation, and would cause a result that would not reasonably have been expected under prevailing market conditions and/or would not provide good value to Canada.

13 (2014-03-01) Communications - Solicitation Period

To ensure the integrity of the competitive bid process, enquiries and other communications regarding the bid solicitation must be directed only to the Contracting Authority identified in the bid solicitation. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in the bid being declared non-responsive.

To ensure consistency and quality of information provided to bidders, significant enquiries received and their replies will be posted on the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS). For further information, consult subsection 3 of the Submission of Bids section.

14 (2007-11-30) Price Justification

In the event that the Bidder's bid is the sole responsive bid received, the Bidder must provide, on Canada's request, one or more of the following price justification:

  1. a current published price list indicating the percentage discount available to Canada; or
  2. a copy of paid invoices for the like quality and quantity of the goods, services or both sold to other customers; or
  3. a price breakdown showing the cost of direct labour, direct materials, purchased items, engineering and plant overheads, general and administrative overhead, transportation, etc., and profit; or
  4. price or rate certifications; or
  5. any other supporting documentation as requested by Canada.

15 (2007-05-25) Bid Costs

No payment will be made for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a bid in response to the bid solicitation. Costs associated with preparing and submitting a bid, as well as any costs incurred by the Bidder associated with the evaluation of the bid, are the sole responsibility of the Bidder.

16 (2008-05-12) Conduct of Evaluation

  1. In conducting its evaluation of the bids, Canada may, but will have no obligation to, do the following:
    1. seek clarification or verification from bidders regarding any or all information provided by them with respect to the bid solicitation;
    2. contact any or all references supplied by bidders to verify and validate any information submitted by them;
    3. request, before award of any contract, specific information with respect to bidders' legal status;
    4. conduct a survey of bidders' facilities and/or examine their technical, managerial, and financial capabilities to determine if they are adequate to meet the requirements of the bid solicitation;
    5. correct any error in the extended pricing of bids by using unit pricing and any error in quantities in bids to reflect the quantities stated in the bid solicitation; in the case of error in the extension of prices, the unit price will govern.
    6. verify any information provided by bidders through independent research, use of any government resources or by contacting third parties;
    7. interview, at the sole costs of bidders, any bidder and/or any or all of the resources proposed by bidders to fulfill the requirement of the bid solicitation.
  2. Bidders will have the number of days specified in the request by the Contracting Authority to comply with any request related to any of the above items. Failure to comply with the request may result in the bid being declared non-responsive.

17 (2010-01-11) Joint Venture

  1. A joint venture is an association of two or more parties who combine their money, property, knowledge, expertise or other resources in a single joint business enterprise, sometimes referred as a consortium, to bid together on a requirement. Bidders who bid as a joint venture must indicate clearly that it is a joint venture and provide the following information:
    1. the name of each member of the joint venture;
    2. the Procurement Business Number of each member of the joint venture;
    3. the name of the representative of the joint venture, i.e. the member chosen by the other members to act on their behalf, if applicable;
    4. the name of the joint venture, if applicable.
  2. If the information is not clearly provided in the bid, the Bidder must provide the information on request from the Contracting Authority.
  3. The bid and any resulting contract must be signed by all the members of the joint venture unless one member has been appointed to act on behalf of all members of the joint venture. The Contracting Authority may, at any time, require each member of the joint venture to confirm that the representative has been appointed with full authority to act as its representative for the purposes of the bid solicitation and any resulting contract. If a contract is awarded to a joint venture, all members of the joint venture will be jointly and severally or solidarily liable for the performance of any resulting contract.

18 (2012-03-02) Conflict of Interest - Unfair Advantage

  1. In order to protect the integrity of the procurement process, bidders are advised that Canada may reject a bid in the following circumstances:
    1. if the Bidder, any of its subcontractors, any of their respective employees or former employees was involved in any manner in the preparation of the bid solicitation or in any situation of conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest;
    2. if the Bidder, any of its subcontractors, any of their respective employees or former employees had access to information related to the bid solicitation that was not available to other bidders and that would, in Canada's opinion, give or appear to give the Bidder an unfair advantage.
  2. The experience acquired by a bidder who is providing or has provided the goods and services described in the bid solicitation (or similar goods or services) will not, in itself, be considered by Canada as conferring an unfair advantage or creating a conflict of interest. This bidder remains however subject to the criteria established above.
  3. Where Canada intends to reject a bid under this section, the Contracting Authority will inform the Bidder and provide the Bidder an opportunity to make representations before making a final decision. Bidders who are in doubt about a particular situation should contact the Contracting Authority before bid closing. By submitting a bid, the Bidder represents that it does not consider itself to be in conflict of interest nor to have an unfair advantage. The Bidder acknowledges that it is within Canada's sole discretion to determine whether a conflict of interest, unfair advantage or an appearance of conflict of interest or unfair advantage exists.

19 (2007-11-30) Entire Requirement

The bid solicitation documents contain all the requirements relating to the bid solicitation. Any other information or documentation provided to or obtained by a bidder from any source are not relevant. Bidders should not assume that practices used under previous contracts will continue, unless they are described in the bid solicitation. Bidders should also not assume that their existing capabilities meet the requirements of the bid solicitation simply because they have met previous requirements.

20 (2007-11-30) Further Information

  1. For further information, bidders may contact the Contracting Authority identified in the bid solicitation.
  2. For bid solicitations issued out of PWGSC headquarters, enquiries concerning receipt of bids may be addressed to the Bid Receiving Unit, Procurement Operational Support Division, telephone 819-956-3370. For bid solicitations issued out of PWGSC regional offices, enquiries concerning receipt of bids may be addressed to the Contracting Authority identified in the bid solicitation.