Integrity Provisions

Integrity Provisions are the clauses in Canadian federal solicitations and contracts that incorporate the Government of Canada's Ineligibility and Suspension Policy and related directives. They establish when a supplier may be ineligible to contract with Canada, or suspended from doing so, and they require suppliers to give truthful certifications and the integrity information the Policy prescribes.

The term is a procurement clause heading. The framework behind it is Canada's Integrity Regime, which is administered through the supplier integrity function at Public Services and Procurement Canada. The regime reaches suppliers because departments and agencies that apply the Policy insert the relevant clauses into their solicitations and resulting contracts, as described on the PSPC page on ineligibility and suspension clauses.

How the Ineligibility and Suspension Policy Reaches a Bid

The Policy sets out the circumstances in which Canada may determine that a supplier is ineligible to enter, or suspended from entering, a contract with Canada. The Integrity Provisions are the mechanism that carries those rules into an individual procurement.

In a competitive goods or services solicitation, the Policy and its related directives, as in force when the solicitation is issued, form a binding part of the solicitation. A bidder is held to them from the moment it responds. The federal competitive requirements terms and conditions show how this is written into the document.

What Suppliers Certify and Disclose

Competitive solicitations commonly require bidders to certify that they are eligible, to provide the information the Policy requires, and to remain free of specified convictions, discharges or other circumstances during the resulting contract. The obligation continues after award and is not limited to the bid stage.

The Policy can also apply to charges or convictions involving the supplier, its affiliates and its first-tier subcontractors. Some solicitations require a complete list of relevant foreign criminal charges and convictions, submitted on an Integrity Declaration Form. The standard instructions for non-competitive requirements show that these disclosures are not limited to competitive bids. Federal standard instructions also ask bidders to respond honestly and comprehensively and to submit a bid only if they can fulfil the resulting contract, as in the standard instructions for competitive requirements.

Integrity Provisions in Defence Tenders

Defence procurements on CanadaBuys use the exact heading "Integrity Provisions". Tender documents for these procurements require applicable bidders to submit the Integrity Declaration Form where the solicitation calls for it. A current example is a defence request for proposal on CanadaBuys, which names the provisions and the form together.

Consequences of Incomplete or False Information

Canada may declare an offer non-compliant when the required information is incomplete or inaccurate. If a certification or declaration is later found to be false or misleading, Canada may terminate the contract for default. A weak submission can therefore end a bid, and a false one can end a contract already won.

What Integrity Provisions Mean for a Supplier

Read the Integrity Provisions in every solicitation before you commit to bid. Confirm which version of the Policy and directives applies, and check whether the solicitation requires an Integrity Declaration Form. Gather information on your affiliates and proposed first-tier subcontractors early, including any foreign charges or convictions, because the certifications cover them too. Submit complete and accurate documents, and keep your eligibility position unchanged through the life of the contract.