Assistant Deputy Minister of the Acquisitions Program (ADM/AP)

The Assistant Deputy Minister of the Acquisitions Program, abbreviated ADM/AP, is the senior official who leads the Acquisitions Program at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). It is a Canadian federal government title. It is not a NATO procurement term.

PSPC's Acquisitions Program conducts procurement on behalf of federal departments and other clients. Some government materials call it the Acquisitions Branch or the Procurement Branch. In procurement guidance, the ADM/AP is best known as the authority who approves requests to invoke a National Security Exception (NSE) under applicable trade agreements.

The ADM/AP and the National Security Exception

CanadaBuys identifies the ADM/AP as the PSPC authority for invoking a National Security Exception. An NSE allows a procurement to be excluded from a trade agreement's coverage. The CanadaBuys general principles for trade agreements set out that the ADM/AP reviews each request and approves or denies it, with the decision communicated in writing.

The authority is not delegated to lower-level officials. This reflects the nature of the exception, and it keeps the final decision at the most senior level of the Acquisitions Program.

How an NSE request reaches the ADM/AP

The process starts with the client department, not with PSPC and not with a supplier. The CanadaBuys guidance on trade agreement applicability describes the steps:

• A client department seeking to exclude a PSPC Acquisitions Program procurement from a trade agreement prepares a request letter.
• The letter is signed by the department's responsible Assistant Deputy Minister, or an equivalent official.
• The request explains the procurement and its connection to national security interests or relevant international obligations.
• PSPC's Specialized Services for Procurement Group reviews the request.
• The reviewed request is then submitted to the ADM/AP for a decision.

What an approved exception does not change

Invoking an NSE does not exempt a procurement from every legal and policy requirement. The CanadaBuys general principles state that other obligations continue to apply. These include the Government Contracts Regulations, sole-source justification requirements and applicable departmental policies.

An approved exception therefore changes how trade agreement rules apply to a procurement. It does not remove the rest of the government's contracting framework.

What the ADM/AP means for a supplier

The ADM/AP is an internal government approval authority. Suppliers do not submit bids, proposals or routine contract deliverables to the ADM/AP. An NSE decision is normally initiated and justified by the client department and PSPC, not by the supplier.

If a solicitation states that a trade agreement does not apply because of a National Security Exception, treat that as a settled decision. Follow the procedures stated in the solicitation and check the notice on CanadaBuys tender opportunities for the terms that apply. Suppliers who want to understand how PSPC engages industry on its acquisitions activities can also review the PSPC Supplier Advisory Committee page.