Download OCDS Pilot Data

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) Pilot data file includes standing offer and supply arrangements, tenders, awards and contract history information for procurement conducted by PSPC on behalf of government departments and agencies since 2012.

The data elements used to share information are specific to the OCDS. This means that certain data elements that are used by PSPC may not be required in the OCDS Pilot data. The following describes which PSPC procurement data elements and information are included or not included in the OCDS Pilot data.

Updates made to the OCDS Pilot data files

As of January 1, 2022, PSPC has achieved an advance level of compliance to version 1.1.3 of OCDS as a part of the pilot activity which sampled 250 government contracts that stretch from planning to implementation. This demonstrates Canada’s commitment to open and transparent government and paves the way for OCDS compliance as a proof of concept for the new CanadaBuys procurement platform.

The data includes the following updates over the previously published OCDS Pilot data.

  • OCDS Version 1.1.3: A new release of the international open contracting data standard, that has broadened its scope and transparency, has been implemented.
  • Planning data: The new sample pilot data includes planning data that discloses contract preparation information like budgeting and risk assessment.
  • Implementation data: The implementation of awarded contract information have been provided in this release with invoice information that gives a clearer picture of public spending.
  • Methodology and Lessons Learned: A companion document included with the pilot data that explains the process of achieving OCDS.

Disclaimer

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) Pilot data carries an Open Government Licence - Canada that governs its use.

Download the files

Visit the Open Government web portal to download the OCDS Pilot data.

For detailed specification of the fields and data structures used when publishing the OCDS Pilot data, please refer to the Open Contracting Data Standard Release Schema.

What PSPC information is included in the OCDS data file?

The contract records are a comprehensive detailed display of data in the procurement process for from PSPC. This pilot data includes all stages of the procurement cycle:

  1. Planning
  2. Tender
  3. Award
  4. Contract
  5. Implementation

The pilot data is a compilation of 250 contracts from across PSPC’s procurement sectors. The outlined 250 contract records were chosen from a filtered pool of contracts based on the distribution of five specific attributes: High/Low Dollar Value, Size of Enterprise, Goods/Services, Closed Contracts, and Contracting Type. The following table lists the number of records as it evolves through each of the five stages of the procurement cycle.

Excel Table /
Procurement Phase
Number of Records
Planning 250
Tender 250
Award 285
Contract 961
Implementation 4745

What PSPC information is not included in the OCDS Pilot data file?

The OCDS Pilot data does not include the following elements:

  • Specific bidder information: We did not identify bid values and bidders names have been kept anonymous.
  • Planning Milestones are not included because there is no set structure across all the procurement sectors.
  • Specific identifiable supplier contact information has been removed.

Archived OCDS Pilot data

PSPC has previously had a pilot program that applied an older version of OCDS to archived fiscal data published on Buyandsell.gc.ca. These dataset can be downloaded here: