Contributing (C)

Contributing (C) is a responsibility designation used in the Government of Canada's generic matrix of responsibilities between Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and its clients. It identifies the organization that supports the party designated Lead (L) in carrying out a procurement activity. The matrix is published for the procurement of goods and services on the CanadaBuys buyer's portal.

The two labels, Lead (L) and Contributing (C), show how each procurement activity is shared between PSPC and the client department that needs the goods or services. Contributing (C) is a classification of responsibility. It is not a procurement method, a contract type or a supplier certification.

How Lead (L) and Contributing (C) divide procurement work

The matrix lists procurement activities and shows, for each one, which party leads and which party contributes. Lead (L) marks the party that carries the activity. Contributing (C) marks the party that assists. The same organization can lead one activity and contribute to another, so the labels describe a role for a given activity rather than a fixed status for PSPC or for a client.

The matrix states the two roles side by side, so a reader can see at a glance who is accountable for each activity and who is helping.

What PSPC's contributory role covers

The matrix states that PSPC fulfills a contributory role in assisting clients with needs identification. It also states that PSPC assists clients in determining what information is required by the procurement process. In both cases the client owns the activity, and PSPC supports it.

• Needs identification: the client defines what it needs, and PSPC assists.
• Information requirements: PSPC helps the client determine what information the procurement process requires.

These activities come early in a procurement, before a solicitation is posted. The designation therefore describes work done on the government side of the process.

Contributions at NATO are a different matter

The word contribution also appears in NATO materials, but it carries a different meaning there and has no connection to the PSPC responsibility label. NATO describes national contributions as the personnel, equipment and resources that member and partner countries voluntarily provide for NATO operations and missions. NATO also states that national capitals make the final decision on whether to contribute to a NATO-led operation or mission. Details are on the NATO troop contributions page.

NATO also describes its funding as involving direct and indirect contributions from member countries, as set out on its page on funding NATO. Neither usage is a procurement role. A supplier who sees Contributing (C) in a PSPC responsibility matrix is reading a Canadian government role designation, not a NATO term.

What Contributing (C) means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Contributing (C) is a label for how responsibilities are shared inside government. It is not a requirement placed on bidders, and it is not a status a supplier can hold or apply for. Bid teams can use the matrix to understand which procurement activities PSPC leads and which it supports, particularly the early activities of needs identification and information requirements. That helps a team see why a client department, and not PSPC alone, shapes the requirement that eventually appears in a solicitation.

Suppliers should still read each solicitation on its own terms. The instructions, terms and conditions in the tender documents govern a bid, and the matrix explains the division of roles behind them.