Ineligibility and Suspension List

The Ineligibility and Suspension List is the public list of companies determined by Canada's Registrar of Ineligibility and Suspension to be ineligible or suspended under the federal Integrity Regime. For suppliers that are not individuals, the list shows the company's name, its address, and the applicable period or status. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) publishes the list as part of its Ineligibility and Suspension Policy.

The term is a Canadian federal procurement term. The Integrity Regime is administered by PSPC, formerly PWGSC, and it can bar or suspend suppliers from receiving federal contracts and real-property agreements. The grounds are generally specified wrongdoing, convictions, or other grounds set out in the applicable policy. The Ineligibility and Suspension Policy gives the Registrar the role of maintaining the list.

What the list contains and who maintains it

The list names companies that have been determined to be ineligible or suspended under the federal policy. Each entry for a non-individual supplier carries the name, the address, and the period or status that applies. The Registrar of Ineligibility and Suspension maintains the list, and PSPC makes it public so that federal buyers, and the suppliers that work with them, can check a company's standing.

How federal buyers use the list in solicitations

Federal buyers must verify a supplier against the list before awarding a contract or real-property agreement. The integrity directive on after-hours awards sets out this verification step. The check also appears in the guidance for specific solicitation methods on CanadaBuys:

• Request for quotation: the buyer's guide requires that the offeror is not listed, and the buyer must verify the list before soliciting a telephone offer.
• Invitation to tender: the buyer's guide requires verification before the solicitation is issued, unless the invited suppliers were selected from a prequalified list.
• Emergency requirements: buyers must verify with the Registrar that the offeror is eligible. If the emergency occurs outside regular hours, buyers should make reasonable efforts to consult the public list and complete the verification afterward, as described in the emergency requirements guidance.

Subcontractors and the list

The Integrity Regime reaches beyond the prime supplier. Under the regime, suppliers may need to consult the list before engaging a prospective first-tier subcontractor. This is described in the proposed draft Ineligibility and Suspension Policy. A prime contractor that builds a team for a federal bid should therefore treat the list as a check on its partners as well as on itself.

Listed suppliers, administrative action and the Public Interest Exception

A listed supplier is generally ineligible or suspended from being awarded a federal contract or real-property agreement. PSPC may also take further administrative action, including requiring an administrative agreement, as outlined on its administrative actions page.

There is one limited route to an award for a listed supplier. In certain after-hours situations, a contract or real-property agreement may still be awarded to a listed supplier if a Public Interest Exception is necessary and properly invoked under the applicable process.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Check your own listing status before you bid, because buyers check it before they solicit you or award to you. A listing generally means you cannot be awarded a federal contract or real-property agreement while it applies. If you plan to use a first-tier subcontractor, consult the list for that company too. Keep in mind that the verification step is built into request for quotation, invitation to tender and emergency procurement processes, so a listed supplier should expect to be screened out at the start rather than late in an evaluation.