Call-Up

A call-up is an order issued against a standing offer in Canadian federal procurement. It is the document that turns a pre-arranged offer into a binding contract and directs the supplier to deliver specific goods or perform specific services.

The standing offer sets out prices and terms in advance, but it is not a contract. Until a department issues a call-up, the government has no purchasing obligation. Each call-up creates its own separate contract for a specific requirement, so one standing offer can lead to many contracts over its life.

How a call-up creates a contract from a standing offer

CanadaBuys describes a standing offer as an offer to provide goods or services at pre-arranged prices and under set terms and conditions. The same page states that goods or services under a standing offer are ordered using a call-up document, and that the call-up is the government's acceptance of the offer and a legally binding contract. Read the full explanation on the CanadaBuys page on standing offers and supply arrangements.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) makes the same point for professional services. Its guidance for suppliers says a professional-services standing offer does not become a contract, and creates no obligation to purchase, until a call-up is issued. See PSPC's guidance on supplying services.

Who issues call-ups and where they appear in federal records

PSPC establishes procurement tools, including standing offers and supply arrangements. Federal departments and agencies then place call-ups against those tools to obtain what they need. National Defence is one such user, and its contract-disclosure records identify equipment and parts purchases as call-ups against standing offers. One example is a Department of National Defence contract record.

The proactive disclosure records on open.canada.ca use wording such as “call-up against a standing offer” and “call-up or contract against a standing offer or supply arrangement agreement.” Records from Shared Services Canada and from PWGSC classify contracts this way. Searching these records shows which departments are placing call-ups and against which tools.

What a supplier must do when a call-up arrives

Once a supplier receives a call-up, it must provide the specified goods or services in accordance with the call-up and the terms, prices, conditions and delivery requirements of the standing offer. The call-up fixes the scope of that single order, while the standing offer supplies the commercial terms behind it.

Because the call-up is the contract, a supplier holding a standing offer has no guaranteed volume of work. Revenue depends on departments choosing to issue call-ups.

Reporting and selection rules behind call-ups

The CanadaBuys buyer's guide covers how call-ups are managed. Call-up approval and coding depend on the procurement strategy used for the associated standing offer. Under applicable standing offers or supply arrangements, offerors may be required to report call-up activity. Typical report contents include the call-up number, client department, dates, services or line items, and total value.

Where several standing offers are available for the same requirement, the contracting authority may have to apply the stated selection method, such as ranking, proportional allocation or a documented justification for each call-up. The details are in the CanadaBuys buyer's guide on managing standing offers and supply arrangements.

What a call-up means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

• Winning a standing offer is not the same as winning work. Revenue starts only when a call-up is issued.
• Each call-up is a binding contract, so delivery must meet the call-up and the standing offer terms.
• Check the reporting requirements in any standing offer you hold and plan to track call-ups from the start.
• Where several offers cover one requirement, the selection method stated in the offer affects how often you receive call-ups.