Notice of Proposed Procurement (NPP)

A Notice of Proposed Procurement (NPP) is a public notice that a buyer uses to advertise a competitive procurement opportunity to businesses. It summarizes the solicitation and gives suppliers enough information to decide whether they are interested in the requirement and able to meet it. CanadaBuys uses the expanded term as the heading for its federal tender-notice guidance: Tender notices: Notice of proposed procurement.

In Canadian federal procurement, a buyer posts an NPP on the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS), which is now presented through CanadaBuys. The notice alerts the supplier community to an opportunity before or alongside the release of the complete solicitation documents. It is a supplier-facing summary and is not normally the full bid package.

What an NPP contains

An NPP identifies or summarizes the key facts of the opportunity. A typical notice covers:

• the requirement and the solicitation title;
• the solicitation number;
• publication and closing dates;
• applicable trade agreements;
• the region of opportunity and delivery;
• the relevant Goods and Services Identification Number (GSIN);
• the tendering procedure;
• key eligibility or participation conditions;
• where suppliers can obtain the complete solicitation documents; and
• how to request a debriefing.

A National Research Council Canada notice for the purchase and installation of an air compressor shows this structure. It states the solicitation number, dates, Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) applicability, GSIN, open tendering procedure and delivery requirements. It also says where Canada makes the NPP and related documents available. You can read it in the NRC air-compressor NPP.

Participation conditions and trade agreements in an NPP

The NPP is where a buyer sets out who may compete and under which agreements. CanadaBuys guidance says the notice can identify participation conditions, including Indigenous-business set-asides and Canadian-content restrictions. It also identifies the applicable agreements, including trade agreements where they apply.

Defence notices show how these conditions appear in practice. A Department of National Defence (DND) notice for seal assemblies, for delivery to CFB Halifax and CFB Esquimalt, states a preference for Canadian goods and/or services: DND seal-assembly NPP. Another DND notice, for pressure switches, requires bidders who propose equivalent or substitute products to identify the offered brand, model or part number, and NCAGE. It also states that submissions may be made in either official language: DND pressure-switch NPP.

NPPs for standing offers, supply arrangements and professional services

The term covers more than one-time purchases of goods. It also appears in specialized procurement vehicles such as supply arrangements, standing offers and professional-services arrangements. CanadaBuys guidance includes specific instructions for entering point-of-delivery information in an NPP for standing offers and supply arrangements.

CanadaBuys records NPPs issued under several task-based arrangements:

• Task-Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS), including a DND TBIPS NPP;
• Task and Solutions Professional Services (TSPS), as in this TSPS NPP; and
• a PSPC supply arrangement for forensic-audit services, used by Public Safety Canada in a fraud-risk assessment NPP.

DND also uses NPPs for procurements under supply arrangements for aviation replacement parts, such as this aviation-replacement-parts NPP. The Department of Justice Canada has used the same notice type for language interpretation services.

What an NPP means for a supplier

For a supplier, the NPP is the first screening document. Read it to confirm that the requirement, the delivery region, the tendering procedure and the participation conditions fit your business. Then use the notice to find the complete solicitation documents, read them in full, and verify that you meet every eligibility and mandatory requirement. Submit a compliant bid by the stated closing date. If a bid is unsuccessful, the notice also tells you how to request a debriefing.