Certification

Certification is a formal statement that a stated requirement has been met. In Canadian federal procurement, it is a bidder's or contractor's attestation that it meets a requirement set out in a solicitation or contract. Buyers use certifications to confirm eligibility, origin, pricing and integrity before they award work.

The term has a second, narrower meaning in NATO information security. There, certification is a formal statement by an appropriate authority or agency, supported by an independent review of an evaluation, confirming that an information system meets specified security requirements or that a product meets predefined security claims. Suppliers working on defence and allied contracts can meet both uses of the word.

How certification works in a Canadian solicitation

CanadaBuys explains that a solicitation can require certifications in order to qualify for a contract, standing offer or supply arrangement. The requirement is part of the solicitation, so the bidder must submit each certification in the form the document prescribes and by the bid deadline. The CanadaBuys certifications guidance states that the absence of a required certification makes an offer non-compliant.

Certifications do not end at contract award. The same guidance states that Canada verifies certifications before award and throughout the duration of the contract, standing offer or supply arrangement. A bidder that cannot support a certification, or whose certification proves untrue, risks rejection of its offer or, after award, contract termination.

Canadian content, price and integrity certifications

Several kinds of certification appear repeatedly in federal solicitations.

• Canadian content: In procurements subject to the Canadian Content Policy where competition is limited solely or conditionally to Canadian goods or services, bidders submit a Canadian-content certification. For the aggregate-basis example in the CanadaBuys Canadian Content Policy guidance, at least 80% of the total offer price must consist of Canadian goods.
• Price and rate: Canada requires a price or rate certification for negotiated firm-price and fixed-time-rate contracts worth $50,000 or more, as set out in the CanadaBuys certifications page.
• Integrity and eligibility: Procurement instruments must include clauses under the Ineligibility and Suspension Policy. Submitting an offer constitutes a certification of compliance with those clauses.

Certification clauses in the SACC Manual and defence tenders

Buyers draw standard wording from the Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions (SACC) Manual. CanadaBuys places certification clauses in the A3000 to A3999 Certifications series, described in the SACC Manual. The archived SACC material includes clauses for procurements limited to Canadian goods and services. The cited clause has the bidder represent and warrant that at least 80% of the bid price consists of Canadian goods or services.

Department of National Defence tender documents on CanadaBuys apply the same rule. A DND request for proposal states that bidders must provide the required certifications and additional information to receive a contract. It also states that certifications are subject to verification and that an untrue certification can make a bid non-responsive or place the contractor in default.

Canada also has agreements with several NATO allied governments for audits and price certifications involving foreign contractors in non-competitive contracts. These are described in the CanadaBuys audit guidance.

Certification in NATO information security

In NATO information assurance, certification is a separate process from a bidder's attestation. The NATO archival policy document defines it as a formal statement issued by an appropriate authority or agency. The statement rests on an independent review of how an evaluation was conducted and what it found. It confirms the extent to which an information system meets agreed INFOSEC requirements, or the extent to which a product meets its predefined security claims.

What certification means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Treat certifications as pass-or-fail requirements. Read the certification section of every solicitation, submit each required certification in the prescribed form by the deadline, and provide Canadian-content certification whenever the procurement is limited or conditionally limited to Canadian goods or services. Confirm that every statement is accurate before signing, because Canada can verify it before award and throughout the contract. Keep the records that support each certification, since an absent, inaccurate or unverifiable one can lead to rejection, non-compliance or contractor default.