Fairness Monitor Report

A fairness monitor report is a report prepared by an independent fairness monitor. It records the monitor's observations, impartial opinions and professional attestation about whether a procurement activity was conducted fairly, openly and transparently. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) describes the contents in these terms on its fairness monitoring page.

The report is the monitor's formal record and assessment of the process observed. It is not a supplier bid, an evaluation document or a contract award decision. The term comes from the Government of Canada's fairness monitoring program, which is administered through PSPC, formerly Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

What a fairness monitor does and what the report records

A fairness monitor is an independent third party engaged to observe procurement activities and to raise fairness-related matters with procurement officials while the process is underway. The report then sets out what the monitor saw and gives an opinion on the process.

Published reports are built around fairness, openness and transparency. The related ideas that appear in the Canadian material are objectivity, competitiveness and compliance. The monitor does not replace the contracting authority and does not decide whether a supplier's bid is compliant or successful.

Procurement stages covered by published reports

Reports cover different portions of a procurement, depending on the project. Activities commonly observed include industry engagement, requests for information, letters of interest, draft solicitations, requests for proposals, bidder questions, evaluations, contract award and bidder debriefings.

• Remotely Piloted Aircraft System for the National Aerial Surveillance Program: the monitor observed the process from the initial Letter of Interest through the Request for Proposal evaluation phase, including industry engagement, one-on-one sessions, solicitation documents and questions and answers. See the published report.
• Electronic Security Maintenance: the report covers the process from the draft RFP before posting through the mandatory site visit and responses to potential bidders' enquiries before bid closing. See the published report.
• Data Collection Modernization: PSPC engaged a fairness monitor on behalf of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions under solicitation WS4105045039. The report covers the procurement through contract award and debriefings. See the published report.

Where fairness monitor reports appear

PSPC publishes reports for procurements it conducts on behalf of other federal departments and agencies. Defence is well represented. The report for the Strategic Tanker Transport Capability Project's Long Term In-Service Support procurement was issued by PWGSC for the Department of National Defence under solicitations W847A-200275 and W847A-250401. The monitor's professional opinion was that the observed competitive procurement process was conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner. The full report is public.

Government of Canada material also describes fairness monitoring for the Canadian Surface Combatant as independent third-party monitoring and reporting on the fairness, openness and transparency of the competitive procurement to select the design and design team. That description is in a proactive disclosure document.

Reports are not limited to defence. They also exist for work done for Transport Canada, Correctional Service of Canada, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and Employment and Social Development Canada, including Employment Insurance Benefits Delivery Modernization.

What a fairness monitor report means for a supplier

The published sources identify no separate supplier form or certification that is required only because a fairness monitor has been appointed. Your obligations stay with the solicitation: submission instructions, deadlines, mandatory requirements, communications rules and evaluation procedures.

Suppliers may take part in monitored activities such as industry engagement, one-on-one sessions, questions and answers, site visits, proposal submission and debriefings. The monitor may observe these activities and raise fairness-related issues with procurement officials. Bid teams can read published reports for past procurements to see which stages a monitor observed and how the monitor assessed the process.