4.10.15. Bid solicitation

Attention! As the transition to CanadaBuys is ongoing, Supply Manual references to ABE are to be interpreted as a generic system reference only. Users of the SAP Ariba environment should adapt their activities accordingly.

Buyers are advised to consult the tools available on CanadaBuys for guidance and procedures on completing procurement transactions in the SAP Ariba environment.

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  1. A bid solicitation may be used for low dollar value (Simple), medium complexity (MC) and higher complexity (HC) requirements. It can be used when the bidder selection is based on price or best value. The Standard Instructions 2003 and 2004 of the Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions (SACC) Manual must be used in bid solicitations for goods and/or services. Contracting officers establishing bid solicitations for low dollar value, medium and higher complexity requirements must use the standard procurement templates following the Standard Procurement Template ProceduresThe information is only accessible to federal government department and agency employees., which provides instructions on how to use the templates.
  2. A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a form of bid solicitation that is used when the bidder selection is based on best value rather than on price alone. A RFP should be used when, owing to the nature of the requirement, suppliers are invited to propose a solution to a problem, requirement or objective, and the selection of the contractor is based on the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
  3. Bids must be evaluated and the successful supplier must be selected in accordance with specific criteria and procedures as set out in the bid solicitation.
  4. A bid solicitation can be used to solicit bids through public advertisement on GETS, through direct invitation of selected suppliers by means of a source list where permitted, or by invitation of one source only if conditions for a non-competitive process have been met.
  5. Responses to the bid solicitation may result in negotiations before contract award when the bid solicitation states the right to negotiate in accordance with the international trade agreements and/or the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).
  6. The preparation of bids is often costly to suppliers. To keep the total cost down while ensuring freedom of access to suppliers, consideration should be given to soliciting bids in two steps.
    1. during the first step of this process, suppliers are requested to provide letters of interest and qualifications, from which a short list is developed. During the second step, suppliers on the short list are requested to submit detailed bids;
    2. suppliers not included on the short list are still able to request the bid solicitation and submit bids.
  7. Such a process might be appropriate where many suppliers are known. When doing a two-stage procurement, contracting officers must follow procedures required under the applicable international trade agreements and the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) related to selective tendering and prequalification of suppliers, respectively.
  8. The bid solicitation should include, as a minimum, the following information:
    1. a clear definition of the requirement;
    2. bidder instructions;
    3. bid preparation instructions;
    4. clear evaluation procedures;
    5. certification requirements;
    6. security and financial requirements;
    7. validity of the bid;
    8. resulting contract clauses; and
    9. instructions informing bidders that they may request information about the results of the RFP and how their bid was evaluated. (See 7.40 Debriefings to Unsuccessful Bidders/Offerors/Suppliers for information to be included in debriefings.)
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