Communications during the solicitation period

Communications during the solicitation period are the questions, requests for clarification and other exchanges about a solicitation that take place between the day it is released and the day it closes. In Canadian federal procurement, offerors must direct all of these communications only to the contracting authority named in the solicitation document.

The rule exists to protect the integrity and equal treatment of the competitive process. The CanadaBuys Buyer's Guide says offerors must direct all communications about a solicitation only to the buyer identified in it, and it advises buyers to avoid one-on-one contact and to keep communications in writing.

The standard clause in federal solicitations

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) uses a standard clause titled "Communications During Solicitation of Offers Period" in Requests for Proposals and other solicitations posted on CanadaBuys. The clause states that all questions and other communications about the solicitation must be directed only to the identified contracting authority. It also states that failure to follow this requirement may result in Canada rejecting the offer. You can see the wording in a PSPC Request for Proposal amendment.

The same principle appears across departments. Defence requirements, such as a goods RFP for spare parts, carry the clause. A Parks Canada Request for a Standing Offer requires questions and clarification requests in writing to the contracting authority and warns that non-compliance may make the offer non-responsive. A CanadaBuys example Invitation to Tender for construction directs all enquiries during the solicitation period to the contracting authority and says a failure may lead to the bid being declared non-compliant.

Written questions and the question deadline

Questions and clarification requests must be submitted in writing through the channel the solicitation specifies. Offerors should identify the relevant item or section of the solicitation and explain the question well enough for an accurate answer.

Deadlines matter. One federal RFP asks offerors to submit questions in writing no later than five business days before the offer closing date and states that Canada may not answer later questions. Federal clauses commonly use five business days, but the exact period can differ by solicitation, so check each document.

How answers reach every supplier

The single point of contact also keeps information fair. Federal assessor guidance says that where a question or its response could affect suppliers' offers or their decisions to bid, the question and answer must be shared with all relevant suppliers or issued as a solicitation amendment. A private answer from a buyer is not the way new information is meant to circulate. Changes and clarifications that matter to everyone arrive as addenda or amendments on the official tendering system.

What it means for a supplier

Treat the contracting authority named in the solicitation as your only contact. Use these habits on every bid:

• Send questions in writing, through the specified channel, and keep a record.
• Cite the solicitation section your question concerns.
• Submit questions well ahead of the stated deadline.
• Do not contact other departmental, military or program personnel about the solicitation.
• Check CanadaBuys regularly for answers, amendments and addenda, and follow any acknowledgement requirements in the document.

Contact outside the named channel can cost you the bid, because the offer may be rejected or declared non-responsive. Following the process also means you work from the same information as every competitor.