Treasury Board Contracting Policy

The Treasury Board Contracting Policy is the Government of Canada policy that governs federal contracting. Its objective is to acquire goods and services and carry out construction in a way that enhances access, competition and fairness, while achieving best value or, where appropriate, the optimal balance of overall benefits to the Crown and Canadians. The objective is stated in the Treasury Board Secretariat purchasing activity report.

The policy is issued by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and forms part of the federal procurement policy framework. It addresses contracting authorities, competitive and non-competitive contracting, contracting limits, emergency contracting, contractual arrangements, reporting and disclosure. It defines a contract as an agreement between a contracting authority and a person or firm to provide a good, perform a service, construct a work or lease real property for consideration, as set out in the policy text on the TBS site.

How the policy defines a competitive contract

The policy describes a competitive contract as one that results from a solicitation process that enhances access, competition and fairness. That process must give a reasonable and representative number of suppliers an opportunity to bid. The same definition appears in the TBS purchasing activity report.

Federal departments and agencies apply this approach when they acquire goods and services or carry out construction. The policy sets the standard for how an open solicitation is designed and run.

Exceptions to competitive bidding and non-competitive contracts

The policy framework includes approved exceptions to competitive bidding. These sit alongside the Government Contracts Regulations and the limited-tendering provisions in Canada's trade agreements. Together they define when a department may award a non-competitive contract. The TBS policy notice 2007-4 describes this framework.

The policy also covers contractual arrangements. Its guidance applies to arrangements used for acquiring goods, services and construction services, and it is published in the TBS policy suite.

Contracting limits, approvals and emergency contracting

The policy governs who may enter into contracts and up to what value. Treasury Board policy notices record changes to these limits and to approval requirements. A 2014 policy notice recorded exceptional contracting limits for Public Works and Government Services Canada and Shared Services Canada. Further updates are published in a TBS notice on changes to contracting limits and approval requirements.

Emergency contracting is also addressed within the policy framework. TBS issued Contracting Policy Notice 2020-1 on emergency contracting to set out how it applies.

Proactive disclosure of contracts over $10,000

The policy requires quarterly public disclosure of contracts and amendments valued over $10,000, subject to the applicable disclosure rules. The requirement is set out in the TBS disclosure requirements. Departments publish this information, so suppliers can see what contracts have been awarded and amended.

Department-level pages, such as the Department of Finance contracts disclosure page, show how this works in practice.

What the policy means for a supplier

Suppliers do not register under the Treasury Board Contracting Policy. They meet it through the solicitation, the contract clauses, the bid instructions and the federal procurement rules that apply to the specific buy. A bidder must comply with every mandatory requirement stated in that solicitation or contract, whether it concerns accessibility, security, technical content or reporting.

CanadaBuys notices show the policy in use. A Department of National Defence request for proposals states that federal departments and agencies must consider accessibility criteria and features when procuring goods or services, in accordance with the Treasury Board Contracting Policy and the Accessible Canada Act. Bid teams should read such references as signals that the stated criteria will be evaluated.