Fairness Monitoring Coverage Assessment and Recommendation Form

Before Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) launches a major procurement, someone needs to decide whether it requires independent oversight. That's where the Fairness Monitoring Coverage Assessment and Recommendation Form comes in. This internal document evaluates whether a particular procurement activity warrants the assignment of a fairness monitor—an independent third party who watches over the process to ensure everything runs fairly and transparently.

How It Works

The form serves as a screening tool. When PSPC begins planning a procurement, the responsible officer completes this assessment to determine if fairness monitoring is necessary. According to Canada.ca's fairness monitoring guidance, the assessment is mandatory in specific circumstances: any departmental activity requiring ministerial or Treasury Board approval (excluding non-competitive procurements and contract amendments), and competitive procurements where the complexity assessment reaches level 4 or 5, or where risk assessment hits medium-high or high levels.

Not every procurement gets a fairness monitor. The form helps PSPC's management make an informed decision about where to deploy these resources. In fiscal year 2016-2017, for example, fairness monitoring coverage assessment and recommendation forms were submitted for 32 procurements, according to PSPC's evaluation of the Fairness Monitoring Program. Even when not mandatory, procurement officers can recommend fairness monitoring for activities where enhanced assurance seems prudent.

The assessment ties directly to PSPC's internal Policy on Fairness Monitoring, which was revised in 2012. This policy implements the government's broader commitment under Section 40.1 of the Financial Administration Act to "take appropriate measures to promote fairness, openness and transparency in the bidding process." The form asks you to consider factors like procurement complexity, financial value, political sensitivity, and past challenges with similar procurements. It's basically a structured way to identify high-stakes situations where independent oversight adds value.

Key Considerations

• The complexity and risk thresholds that trigger mandatory assessments come from PSPC's Project Complexity and Risk Assessment Tool. You need to complete that evaluation first before you can accurately fill out the coverage assessment form.

• Don't confuse the assessment form with the actual fairness monitoring plan. The form only determines whether you need a monitor. If the recommendation is approved, a separate process engages the monitor and defines their scope of work.

• Treasury Board submissions create an automatic requirement for this assessment. Even if your procurement seems straightforward, the TB approval process itself triggers the need to evaluate fairness monitoring coverage—no exceptions for competitive procurements.

• The form includes a recommendation section, but final approval rests with PSPC management. Your procurement team can advocate for or against fairness monitoring, but someone higher up makes the call based on organizational priorities and resource availability.

Related Terms

Fairness Monitor, Project Complexity and Risk Assessment Tool, Treasury Board Submission

Sources

• Fairness Monitoring - Public Services and Procurement Canada

• Evaluation of the Fairness Monitoring Program - Public Services and Procurement Canada

• Government of Canada Supply Manual

In practice, treat this form as an early warning system. Completing it forces you to think critically about potential fairness issues before they become problems, whether or not you ultimately engage a monitor.