Real Property Contracting

Real Property Contracting (RPC) is the contracting of real-property-related services for the Government of Canada. Those services include architectural, engineering, facility-maintenance and construction work. Within the federal procurement structure, RPC is a responsibility of the Acquisitions Program at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).

PSPC's Acquisitions Program provides these procurement services to federal departments and agencies. Suppliers meet RPC through solicitations for building construction, design work, and the upkeep of federal facilities. The program's own description is published on the CanadaBuys real property page.

Services covered by Real Property Contracting

RPC is responsible for four main groups of services:

• Architectural services
• Engineering services
• Facility-maintenance services
• Construction services

Related real-property professional services also fall under the program. A firm that designs a building, a contractor that builds it and a company that maintains it can all be suppliers under RPC, though each is procured through a different solicitation approach.

How RPC differs from the Real Property Branch

The term separates contracting from asset management. PSPC's Real Property Branch (RPB) manages the federal real-estate portfolio and acts as the Government of Canada's real-property expert. RPC operates separately from the RPB. Its role is to buy the architectural, engineering, maintenance and construction services that real-property projects need. Suppliers should treat the two as different parts of PSPC with different functions, as set out on the CanadaBuys real property page.

Construction methods and tendering

RPC uses three principal construction methodologies:

• Design-Bid-Build
• Design-Build
• Construction management

For construction contracts, RPC typically uses an invitation to tender. Offers are generally evaluated on the basis of the lowest-priced responsive offer, and bids are opened publicly after the closing time. Suppliers must submit offers in accordance with the invitation and its drawings and specifications.

Professional services, supply arrangements and legal framework

Architectural and engineering services are normally procured through standard contracts. Standing offers and supply arrangements may also be used. PSPC's task-based and solution-based supply arrangements include real-property project-management services, and the details are published on the task-based professional services page and the solution-based professional services page.

RPC procurements must comply with the Government Contracts Regulations. The Federal Real Property and Immovables Act applies to the sale and purchase of real property and to leases, including work performed through a lease.

What Real Property Contracting means for suppliers

A supplier responding to an RPC opportunity must follow the specific solicitation. That includes its instructions, drawings, specifications, evaluation requirements and any applicable RPC clauses or templates. Construction bidders should expect a lowest-priced responsive evaluation, so a compliant offer matters as much as price. Architecture, engineering and project-management firms should check whether the work is bought through a standard contract, a standing offer or a supply arrangement, because that determines how to qualify. Opportunities are posted on CanadaBuys.