Post-delivery Appraisals

Post-delivery appraisals are quality-assurance activities conducted after defence materiel or services have been delivered. They include the review of quality history and related performance information. In Canadian defence procurement, the Department of National Defence (DND) leads these activities.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) typically participates in a supporting role. The term comes from the Government of Canada's division of responsibilities between the two departments, published on CanadaBuys, which lists post-delivery appraisals as a defined quality-assurance sub-activity.

Where post-delivery appraisals sit in the DND and PSPC responsibility matrix

The responsibility matrix on CanadaBuys sets out who does what when PSPC procures goods and services for DND. It applies to all DND goods and services procured by PSPC. Within the quality-assurance portion of the matrix, the entry reads "I – Post-delivery appraisals".

The matrix places this entry under materiel and services for military specifications. DND is shown as the lead organization for the activity. PSPC is shown as typically participating to provide support.

Quality-assurance activities that surround post-delivery appraisals

Post-delivery appraisals are one item in a longer list of quality-assurance activities in the same matrix. The related activities include:

• Inspection planning
• Control of technical data
• Incoming inspection
• Identification of defective material
• Packaging and shipping
• Inspection records
• Quality audits
• Corrective action

The matrix also covers inspection at several points in the life of an item: upon receipt, during storage, upon issue and after repairs. Post-delivery appraisals belong to this group. They look at how delivered materiel and services have performed, using quality history and related performance information.

How the Library of Parliament describes the split between DND and PSPC

The same division of labour appears outside the matrix. A Library of Parliament overview of the Canadian defence procurement system states that DND is responsible for the inspection and selection of defence products and for post-delivery appraisals. It states that PSPC is responsible for contracting and acquiring defence products.

In practice, this means two departments touch the same purchase at different stages. PSPC handles the contracting and acquisition. DND leads the quality-assurance review of what was delivered, including the appraisal that follows delivery.

What post-delivery appraisals mean for a supplier

For a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts, the main point is who reviews delivered performance. DND leads that review, even where PSPC issues and manages the contract. This is most relevant to defence procurements for materiel or services subject to military specifications and quality-assurance requirements.

Supplier obligations are set out in each solicitation and in the resulting contract. Bid teams should read the clauses that deal with inspection, quality records, corrective action and defective material, since these are the areas that connect to the quality-assurance activities listed in the matrix. Keep accurate inspection records and quality documentation, because quality history is part of what a post-delivery appraisal reviews.

Current defence solicitations and their quality-assurance requirements are published on CanadaBuys. Checking those requirements before bidding shows what DND and PSPC expect from a supplier on a given contract.