Task Authorizations (TA)

A task authorization (TA) is a structured administrative instrument used under a contract to authorize a contractor to perform specified work on an "as and when requested" basis. The work is authorized in line with conditions set in the contract at award. The Supply Manual annexes on CanadaBuys describe this as a method of supplying services.

In Canadian federal procurement, a contract with TAs is one where all or part of the work is performed through individual task authorizations instead of being fully defined at contract award. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) administers the mechanism, and federal client departments use it when the exact nature, timing, volume or scope of the services cannot be fully established when the contract is awarded.

How a task authorization works under a contract

The contract sets the rules, and each TA applies them to one piece of work. The contract must define the TA process and the conditions under which work can be authorized. The contractor then performs only the specific task described in the TA, in accordance with both the TA and the underlying contract.

Related terms appear often in solicitations:

• Task Authorization Contract (TAC): a contract under which individual TAs are issued for specific work.
• As-and-when-requested services: work that is authorized only when the client or PSPC issues a TA.
• Limitation of expenditure: the maximum amount available for work authorized through TAs.
• Call-up: a different method of authorizing work under a standing offer. It is not the same as a TA. PSPC explains the distinction in its guidance on choosing a method of supply.

Client approval limits and PSPC authorization

The contract must establish the client's authority to issue TAs, including its financial limit. A TA that exceeds the client's limit must be forwarded to PSPC for authorization. This is why the contract states a client TA limit: the maximum value of TAs the client can approve without referring them to PSPC.

The CanadaBuys guidance on managing task authorizations sets out what the responsible organization must confirm before a TA is authorized:

• the TA follows the process specified in the contract;
• the estimated cost is within the client's delegated TA limit;
• the requirement, deliverables, schedule and work are within the contract's scope; and
• applicable resource-security requirements are met.

Where task authorizations appear in federal procurement

TAs show up across many types of federal buying:

• Cloud services: Shared Services Canada described its procurement for Infrastructure as a Service and Native Platform as a Service as a Task Authorization Contract, with individual TAs issued for cloud services. See the prequalification document.
• Professional audit support: the terms of the PSPC supply arrangement allow resulting contracts to include task authorizations, security requirements, options and limitations of expenditure.
• Canada Revenue Agency: the CRA describes a TA as an instrument against an existing contract that authorizes specific consulting work when the precise nature and timing of the need could not be established at contract award. Its internal audit report on contract administration sets this out.
• Collaborative procurement: for the body-worn camera and digital evidence management system procurement, PSPC is the contracting authority and issues TAs to the contractor on behalf of authorized federal users.
• Global Affairs Canada: a 2025 TA-based contract covered responsive professional services for international climate finance and the International Assistance Innovation Program, including due diligence, risk management, financial analysis, modelling and investment-negotiation support. The award notice is on CanadaBuys.

What task authorizations mean for a supplier

A supplier under a TA contract can perform only work that has been authorized through the contract's TA process. Do not start work on the strength of the contract alone. Wait for a TA that meets the contract's conditions.

The contract ceiling is not a guaranteed volume of work. Federal contract records, such as this ESDC contract record, state that the value ultimately realized under a TA contract depends on the number and value of TAs issued and may be lower than the amount initially disclosed. Suppliers should plan revenue around the TAs actually issued.

Bid teams should read the TA process, the client TA limit, the limitation of expenditure and the resource-security requirements in each solicitation. These terms decide how work reaches the contractor and who must approve it.