Listing Programs

A listing program is a procurement mechanism that establishes, in advance and independently of any specific purchase, a list of products or services that comply with recognized performance standards or specifications. The definition appears in the federal Public Works and Government Services Canada supply publication on quality assurance. A product or supplier is placed on the list before a buyer issues a solicitation, so the compliance question is answered ahead of time.

Listing programs are intended to expedite procurement. They can also give the buyer advance assurance of product conformance or supplier capability. Related terms include qualified products lists, qualification programs, certification programs and Government Quality Assurance (GQA). The CanadaBuys Buyer's Guide section on standards and quality assurance describes how federal buyers consider them.

Who develops and maintains the lists

The Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) and the Department of National Defence (DND) develop and maintain listing programs and qualified products lists. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) buyers are instructed to inform their clients about CGSB and other listing programs when using one could reduce the need for GQA.

DND maintains qualified products lists for various categories of goods, including batteries and military-identification decals. These are described on the CanadaBuys defence contract and defence supplies page.

When buyers choose a listing program

Listing or qualification programs are normally used in specific circumstances. The Buyer's Guide identifies these situations:

• Testing could delay delivery.
• Acceptance-inspection costs are high.
• Advance assurance of product conformance or offeror capability is needed.
• Testing equipment or procedures are complex.
• Recurring purchases involve large quantities.

In each case, confirming conformance once, ahead of the purchase, replaces repeated checks on every contract.

How a listing requirement appears in a solicitation

When a procurement uses a listing program, the buyer must state in the notice of proposed procurement, the solicitation and the contract documents that the offeror or contractor and its product must be listed in the appropriate listing. The requirement is therefore visible from the first notice onward, and a supplier can check it before deciding to bid.

Before contracting, the buyer should also verify that the offered product or service has been approved by the relevant standards or listing organization. A supplier that is not on the specified list cannot satisfy a solicitation that requires listing.

What listing does not do

Listing confirms compliance with the recognized standard or specification. It does not guarantee acceptance under the contract, and it does not release the supplier from meeting all other contract requirements. The federal quality assurance publication and the Buyer's Guide both make this point. Delivery terms, specifications beyond the listed standard and other contractual obligations still apply in full.

What listing programs mean for a supplier

If a solicitation requires listing, your product or service must already be in the specified listing when you bid. Read the notice and solicitation documents for the listing requirement early, and identify which body maintains the list, whether CGSB, DND or another standards or listing organization. Treat listing as a qualifying condition and not as proof of acceptance: you must still meet every other requirement in the contract.