LPAC (Logistics Planning Advisory Committee)

LPAC stands for Logistics Planning Advisory Committee. In NATO usage the full name is the Bi-Strategic Command Logistics Planning Advisory Committee, shortened to Bi-SC LPAC. NATO describes it as a body that provides expert advice on logistics issues related to developing and providing logistics capabilities for current and future operations (NATO's role in logistics).

The advice is aimed at logistics capabilities that are deployable, usable, capable and interoperable. The "Bi-SC" label ties the committee to NATO's two Strategic Commands. For Canadian suppliers and bid teams, LPAC is mainly a term that appears in NATO logistics material, so it helps to know what it refers to when it turns up in defence-related reading.

What the Bi-SC LPAC advises on

NATO states that the committee provides expert advice on logistics issues connected to developing and providing logistics capabilities. Four qualities recur in that description:

• Deployable: capabilities that can be moved to where an operation requires them.
• Usable: capabilities that can be employed in practice once deployed.
• Capable: capabilities able to meet the demands placed on them.
• Interoperable: capabilities that work alongside those of other Allies.

The scope covers both current and future operations, so the committee's advice looks ahead as well as at present requirements.

LPAC in defence planning and operational planning

NATO's Logistics Handbook says the Bi-SC LPAC advises on logistics issues related to capable and interoperable forces. It also states that this advice supports both defence planning and operational planning. In practical terms, LPAC is a logistics-planning advisory body that serves two planning streams, and its focus is on logistics-planning issues that affect Allies. The full wording is in the NATO Logistics Handbook, which is also published in a French edition.

Where the acronym is defined

NATO's acronym glossary, AAP-15, expands LPAC as Logistics Planning Advisory Committee. The 2013 edition is available from the NATO archives. For other NATO terms, NATOTerm is NATO's official terminology database for non-classified military and relevant non-military terminology. It is maintained by the NATO Terminology Office within the NATO Standardization Office.

What LPAC means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

LPAC is a NATO logistics advisory committee. The NATO sources describe it as a source of expert advice, not as a contracting authority, and they do not tie it to any Canadian solicitation clause or supplier deliverable. Canadian tender and award notices are published on CanadaBuys, which the Government of Canada identifies as its official source for these notices (electronic procurement transition).

If you see LPAC in a NATO-related document, read it as the Logistics Planning Advisory Committee and look to the solicitation itself for any requirement that applies to your bid. Procedural questions about bidding on federal opportunities are covered in PSPC's guidance on bidding on opportunities, and PSPC lists ways to get assistance with the process.