Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP)

The Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) was a Government of Canada procurement program that helped Canadian businesses move late-stage, pre-commercial goods and services toward the market. It did this by purchasing those innovations and testing them inside the federal government. The Public Services and Procurement Canada sustainable development strategy describes it as a program that bought and tested late-stage Canadian research and development innovations.

BCIP used a supply-push model. Innovators proposed innovations they had already developed, and the program matched them with federal departments that could try them in operational settings. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) administered it, and it had two components: a standard component and a military component.

How BCIP matched innovators with federal departments

PSPC ran BCIP and connected Canadian innovators with departments that had an operational need. Those departments acted as first buyers and users. They tested the innovation in real-life conditions, gave the supplier feedback and served as a reference customer. That reference customer addressed the pre-commercialization gap, where a Canadian company has a working product but no first sale to point to.

BCIP ran through calls for proposals. Suppliers submitted existing, late-stage innovations instead of responding only to a requirement a department had defined in advance. A successful supplier received a federal contract so that a department or agency could use and test its innovation. The program is still visible on CanadaBuys, where an award notice names "Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) – Call 007."

BCIP eligibility: readiness, Canadian content and commercial status

The program applied firm conditions to every submission. Under the BCIP eligibility requirements, an innovation had to be pre-commercial and had never been sold commercially. It also had to contain at least 80% Canadian content.

Technology readiness was a further test. According to the BCIP technology readiness guidance, an innovation had to be at technology readiness level 7, 8 or 9 when submitted. Applicants also had to meet commercialization and pricing conditions.

Contract value limits for standard and military innovations

The two components carried different ceilings. The 2016 PSPC announcement sets the maximum eligible contract value at $500,000 for standard-component innovations. For the military component, which covered innovations intended for military use, the maximum was $1 million.

Pre-qualification did not guarantee a contract. The BCIP frequently asked questions explain that an award depended on matching the innovation with a testing department, on negotiations and on available funding.

BCIP and Innovative Solutions Canada

In 2018, BCIP was merged with Innovative Solutions Canada. BCIP became that program's Testing Stream, as described on the Innovative Solutions Canada page on innovation and procurement. Suppliers looking for a federal first-buyer route for a late-stage innovation should therefore look to Innovative Solutions Canada.

What BCIP means for a supplier

BCIP shows how the federal government has bought innovation: a department tests a Canadian product and the supplier gets a contract and a reference customer. Suppliers that bid on testing opportunities should confirm their readiness level, Canadian content and commercial history against the stated criteria before they apply. They should also treat pre-qualification as a step, not a promise of award. Bid teams should check CanadaBuys for current notices that name the program or its successor stream.