Major Crown Projects

A Major Crown Project is a Government of Canada project-management and reporting category. It covers a major, complex and higher-risk government project, typically one that calls for enhanced oversight, approval and reporting. Federal sources identify a project as a Major Crown Project when its total value exceeds the applicable threshold.

The term is Canadian federal usage, not a NATO procurement term. It appears in departmental plans and departmental results reports, often alongside the related category of Transformational Projects. See, for example, the Department of National Defence (DND) departmental plan supplementary information on Crown projects.

The $100 million threshold

Transport Canada gives the clearest statement of the value test. It identified the Detroit River International Crossing as a Major Crown Project because the project's total value exceeded the $100 million threshold. The Canadian share of that project was estimated at $2.01 billion, as shown in the Transport Canada supplementary table on major Crown and transformational projects.

Where the category appears in federal reporting

Departments publish status reports on their Major Crown Projects as supplementary tables to their plans and results reports. Several departments do this, including DND, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Transport Canada and Shared Services Canada. The reports usually list the project, the sponsoring department and, where applicable, the contracting authority.

• DND: reports defence projects such as the Armoured Combat Support Vehicle Project, the Canadian Cryptographic Modernization Program and Mercury Global. See the 2020-21 DND report on Crown projects.
• PSPC: reports real-property programs, including the Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct and the National Defence Headquarters Carling Campus project. See the PSPC status report on Major Crown Projects.
• Transport Canada: reports infrastructure such as the Detroit River International Crossing.

The former PSPC Major Crown Projects sector

PSPC once had a dedicated Major Crown Projects sector. It was responsible for program management of multiple major, multi-million dollar real property projects described as complex and risky. Its work covered construction, renovation, engineering assets such as bridges and dams, and remediation, as set out in the PSPC publication from 2012. PSPC material also ties Major Crown Projects to construction-management services and major rehabilitation of federal buildings, including projects in the Parliamentary Precinct.

Sponsoring department and contracting authority

Major Crown Project reports can name two different departments. The Mercury Global project, for example, lists DND as the sponsoring department and PSPC as the contracting authority, according to the DND 2019-20 departmental plan supplementary information. A supplier may therefore deal with the contracting department while the end-user department sponsors the project.

What it means for a supplier

For a bid team, the label signals a large, complex federal project that is tracked closely in public reporting. Status reports can help you see which projects exist, which department sponsors them and which department contracts for them. The label does not by itself create a supplier form or clause. Your obligations come from the particular solicitation, the contract terms, security requirements, industrial benefits requirements, approval conditions and the statement of work. Read those documents first, and use the departmental reports to understand the project behind the tender.