Department of National Defence Qualified Products Lists

Department of National Defence Qualified Products Lists are lists of products that DND has qualified as conforming to applicable recognized performance standards or specifications. Canada's Supply Manual glossary defines a Qualified Products List (QPL) as a list of products qualified by the appropriate authority. The list identifies the qualifying authority, the product identification and reference data, and the supplier of the qualified product.

DND maintains these lists for categories of goods with direct military application. Listing programs exist to speed up procurement, because products are qualified in advance and independently of a specific purchase. A buyer can then call for a listed product in a solicitation without testing each offer from scratch. CanadaBuys describes DND's qualified-products lists as part of its guidance on defence contracts and defence supplies.

What a DND qualified products list records

Each entry ties a specific product to a specific supplier. The list names the qualifying authority, which is the body that confirmed the product meets the standard or specification. It also carries the product reference data used to identify exactly what was qualified. Because the supplier is part of the entry, qualification attaches to a particular supplier's product and not to a generic type of item.

Product categories covered by the DND lists

The lists cover military-use commodity groups. Categories named in federal guidance include:

• batteries
• electronic components
• firefighting agents and chemicals
• gaskets
• hydraulics
• marine and industrial coatings
• mechanical hardware
• petroleum products
• printed-wiring boards
• rubber hoses, tires and tubes
• solder
• wire and cable

Who qualifies products and who buys from the lists

DND acts as the qualifying authority for commodity groups and items with direct military application. Its Technical Authority performs the qualification function and may be assisted by the Directorate of Quality Assurance. Public Services and Procurement Canada (formerly PWGSC) uses or references the lists when it buys on behalf of departments. Historical federal guidance directs suppliers and PWGSC to the applicable DND Technical Authority for information on qualified products and for application forms. DND also publishes information for companies that want to do business with the department.

DND's lists sit alongside other Canadian listing programs, including Qualification Program Lists and Certification Program Lists. CanadaBuys distinguishes these programs from ordinary product specifications and says the responsible authority maintains the relevant list.

How listing requirements appear in solicitations

When a buyer uses a listing program, the notice of proposed procurement, the solicitation and the resulting contract must state that the offeror or contractor, and the product supplied, must be listed on the applicable list. The CanadaBuys standards and quality assurance guidance sets out this requirement.

The same guidance sets a condition on what is delivered. A product supplied under a listing program must be equal in all respects to the product qualified through the QPL or related qualification process. It must also be manufactured under the same conditions as the qualified product. A change to the product or its manufacturing conditions after qualification puts that match at risk.

Listing is not a contractual exemption. Federal guidance states that being listed does not relieve a supplier of its contractual obligations and does not guarantee acceptance of the goods under a contract.

What this means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

• Check each solicitation for a listing requirement. Where prior listing is required, the product must already be qualified and listed when you bid.
• Contact the applicable DND Technical Authority to obtain application forms and qualification information well before a bid closes.
• Keep the delivered product identical to the qualified product, and keep manufacturing conditions the same.
• Plan to meet every other contract requirement. A listing does not replace them.