Joint Solution Procurement (JSP)

Joint Solution Procurement (JSP) is a multi-stage procurement process for complex business problems where no clear off-the-shelf solution exists. Instead of specifying a finished product and asking for prices, the buyer selects preferred proponents, develops or refines the solution with them, completes due diligence and negotiation, and then finalizes a contract. British Columbia procurement documents define it this way in the enquiry BC JSRFP and the residential tenancy JSRFP.

The acronym JSP stands for Joint Solution Procurement in those documents. The process is meant for situations where a government organization cannot readily identify a suitable pre-existing solution and wants to work with a selected private-sector partner to build one. The BC materials describe the outcome as a long-term relationship or commercial arrangement with that partner.

The JSRFP: how proponents are qualified and shortlisted

The first part of JSP is a Joint Solution Request for Proposals, or JSRFP. Its job is to qualify and shortlist proponents, not to award a contract. BC evaluates proponents on factors such as capacity, capability, commitment and their written solution. Only the shortlisted proponents move into the later phases, so a weak response at this stage ends a supplier's participation.

The phases that follow shortlisting

After the JSRFP, the process moves through further phases:

• Joint solution definition: the buyer and shortlisted proponents work together to define or refine the solution.
• Due diligence and negotiation: both sides test the proposed solution and work through its terms.
• Contract negotiation: the final contract is negotiated and executed.

BC's payroll operations materials describe iterative design cycles in which proposed solution frameworks are developed jointly before a proponent is selected for negotiation. Details differ by project, but the sequence of qualification, joint definition, due diligence and contract negotiation is consistent across the BC documents.

BC projects that have used JSP

The concrete examples come from the Government of British Columbia, including its Strategic Partnerships Office. They include:

• A Provincial Laboratory Information Solution, with a proponent qualification phase, joint solution definition, due diligence and negotiations, and contract negotiations.
• A Pan-Canadian Public Health Communicable Disease procurement, where BC acted as project coordinator and the process ran in four phases, starting with qualification and shortlisting.
• A payroll operations and information management procurement.
• A workplace support services procurement, which used a Joint Solution Request for Proposal and contemplated a long-term contract after joint solution development and negotiations.

JSP compared with federal and NATO procurement

JSP is a British Columbia procurement approach. It is not a NATO term, and it is not a standard federal clause or mandatory procedure at Public Services and Procurement Canada or the Department of National Defence. NATO publishes its own opportunities through its procurement opportunities page and its headquarters business opportunities page. Federal contract records can be reviewed through the Open Government contracts search.

What JSP means for a supplier

A supplier interested in a JSP opportunity must first answer the JSRFP and show capacity, capability and commitment, along with a written solution. A shortlisted supplier should then expect to take part in solution-definition work, due diligence and negotiations before any contract is executed. That means committing staff and time well before a contract exists, with the prospect of a long-term arrangement at the end. Bid teams should read each JSRFP closely, because the phases and evaluation steps are set out project by project.