Fairness Monitor Report

A Fairness Monitor Report is the formal written assessment produced by an independent third-party observer who watches over your procurement process to verify it's being conducted fairly, openly, and transparently. According to Canada.ca, these reports contain the monitor's observations, impartial opinions, and professional attestation of the monitored activity. If you're running a complex or high-risk procurement, you'll likely need one—and understanding what goes into these reports can save you from costly problems down the road.

How It Works

Here's the thing: fairness monitoring isn't optional for many federal procurements. The Fairness Monitoring Program, managed by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), mandates independent oversight for any competitive procurement with a complexity assessment level of 4-5 or a risk assessment level of medium-high or high. You'll also need fairness monitoring for departmental activities requiring ministerial or Treasury Board approval—with exceptions for non-competitive procurements and amendments to existing contracts.

The monitor observes your procurement activities as they unfold. They're watching everything from how you develop your evaluation criteria to how you handle bidder questions and conduct evaluations. They document what they see, flag potential fairness issues in real time, and ultimately produce a report attesting to whether the process met standards for fairness, openness, and transparency. Since the program launched in 2009, monitors have identified and helped correct at least 300 fairness issues before they became serious problems, according to the Evaluation of the Fairness Monitoring Program.

In practice, the monitor's report becomes part of your procurement record. If issues arise that can't be resolved through the escalation process outlined in PSPC's Policy on Fairness Monitoring, you'll receive a "qualified report"—essentially a red flag that fairness deficiencies weren't adequately addressed. Not what you want. These reports are publicly available, though subject to disclosure limits under Access to Information and Privacy legislation. The Auditor General has noted that PSPC runs this program as part of the government's commitment under the Financial Administration Act to promote open, fair, and transparent procurement practices.

Key Considerations

• Engage monitors early: Don't wait until your Request for Proposal is drafted. Monitors can observe planning activities too, and catching issues early prevents expensive fixes later.

• Qualified reports have consequences: If your monitor issues a qualified report because fairness deficiencies weren't resolved, it becomes part of the public record and can undermine confidence in your procurement.

• Mandatory assessment requirements matter: Check your Project Complexity and Risk Assessment Tool results. If you're at the thresholds, you must have fairness monitoring—there's no discretion here.

• Documentation is everything: Monitors base their reports on what they observe and what's documented. If your rationale for a decision isn't written down, it didn't happen as far as the report is concerned.

Related Terms

Procurement Risk Assessment, Evaluation Criteria, Project Complexity Assessment, Treasury Board Submission

Sources

• Fairness monitoring - Canada.ca

• Evaluation of the Fairness Monitoring Program - Canada.ca

• Government of Canada Supply Manual

The monitor's report isn't just a formality—it's your insurance policy against fairness challenges that could derail your entire procurement. Treat it seriously from day one.