HAZMAT (hazardous material)

HAZMAT stands for hazardous material. The Department of National Defence (DND) defines it as any material that, if handled improperly, can endanger human health and well-being or the environment or equipment. The definition appears in DAOD 4003-1, Hazardous Materials Management.

The term is used in the management and procurement of materials that carry risk to people, the environment or equipment. In federal contracting, it sits alongside related terms such as dangerous goods, hazardous products, hazardous waste, toxic substances and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs). Which of these applies to a given contract depends on the solicitation and the contract clauses.

How DND assigns responsibility for acquiring HAZMAT

DAOD 4003-1 makes the delegated procurement authority responsible for obtaining HAZMAT. Where practicable, HAZMAT procurement is decentralized and delegated to an appropriate level. Procurement officials and technical authorities select the supply source and the procurement method, verify products against approved lists and make the appropriate material-data entries. Suppliers to DND should expect these checks to shape how a requirement is bought and what product information they must supply.

Hazardous materials clauses in federal contracts

The Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions Manual includes clauses for contracts involving hazardous materials and toxic substances, including asbestos, lead, PCBs and silica. Contractors may be required to price the removal, handling, storage and disposal of these materials, and any work carried out near them, into their bids.

The same clauses can make the contractor responsible for hazardous waste that is removed or uncovered during the work. The contractor must dispose of it in accordance with the contract and with applicable federal, provincial and municipal law. This is most relevant to construction, maintenance and work on government sites.

Dangerous goods, SDSs and NATO Stock Numbers in defence supply

Defence supply and transportation contracts carry their own clauses. Under the clause covering dangerous goods and hazardous products, suppliers can be required to provide bilingual SDSs that identify the NATO Stock Number where specified. They must also package and label products correctly and comply with federal, provincial and municipal requirements. The contractor can be held responsible for damage caused by improper packaging, labelling or carriage of these goods.

HAZMAT in aircraft support and environmental services

DND technical airworthiness material addresses HAZMAT for aviation. Where applicable, operators and contractors must follow the rules governing the carriage of dangerous goods or hazardous material. They may also have to provide a list of known hazardous materials carried as cargo or incorporated into an aircraft through design, manufacture or maintenance, as set out in Annex C of the 2022-01 technical airworthiness advisory.

Hazardous materials also appear as the subject of the work itself. CanadaBuys records a procurement for hazardous-materials assessment and abatement services in the Pacific Region, covering British Columbia and Yukon.

What HAZMAT means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Read the solicitation and the incorporated clauses closely, because the exact obligation depends on the contract. The federal clauses cited here support several typical requirements:

• Providing SDSs, in both official languages where required.
• Using the required packaging and labels.
• Complying with dangerous-goods transportation rules and obtaining any required transportation authorization.
• Handling and disposing of hazardous materials or waste safely and lawfully.
• Building the associated costs into the bid price.

Bid teams should confirm early whether the goods or the site work trigger these clauses, so that compliance and costs are reflected in the proposal.