Price and Availability (P&A)

A Price and Availability (P&A) enquiry is a request to the trade for information that Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) or a client department needs for program planning or budgetary purposes. The CanadaBuys Supply Manual glossary defines it this way and requires the enquiry to state clearly that it is not a bid solicitation. The French equivalent is demande de prix et disponibilité. See the CanadaBuys Supply Manual glossary.

In practice, a P&A enquiry is an information-gathering tool. The buyer asks businesses what specified goods or services would cost and whether they can be supplied. The answers help the buyer plan and budget. They do not lead directly to a contract.

What a P&A enquiry asks suppliers to provide

A P&A enquiry asks businesses for information about specified goods or services, including price and availability. The buyer uses the responses for program planning or budgetary considerations, either for PSPC itself or for the client it is buying for. Because the request is not a bid solicitation, a supplier's response is not a bid made under a resulting solicitation.

How PSPC issues a P&A enquiry

PSPC's buyer guidance on engaging businesses describes two ways to issue a P&A enquiry. It can be sent to selected businesses, or it can be posted publicly on the CanadaBuys Tender opportunities page. The same guidance states that the enquiry must communicate that it does not commit the government to future purchases or contracts. Read the PSPC guidance on engaging businesses for the full description.

Federal departments also use the label. CanadaBuys tender listings have included a Department of National Defence notice titled "RFI / Price and Availability Request," which shows that defence buyers use P&A requests in their market engagement.

How a P&A enquiry differs from an RFI or SOIQ

PSPC lists the P&A enquiry alongside the Request for Information (RFI) and the Solicitation of Interest and Qualification (SOIQ) as tools for engaging industry during procurement planning. The three are distinct instruments. PSPC identifies them as ways to give industry information early, including when an acquisition is urgent. The guidance on managing urgent acquisitions sets out all three.

Land claims notification

P&A enquiries also appear in PSPC's procedures for notifying land claimant groups. When a procurement is subject to a comprehensive land claims agreement, applicable claimant groups may need to be notified of notices, and P&A enquiries are among the notices listed. The details are in PSPC's page on notifying land claimant groups.

What a P&A enquiry means for a supplier

A P&A enquiry is an early signal that a federal department is planning a purchase. Suppliers who respond give the buyer the price and availability information it needs, and they put their products or services in front of the planning team.

• Respond with accurate information. The buyer uses it for planning and budgeting, so current price and availability details are the most useful reply.
• Do not treat it as a bid. The enquiry is not a solicitation and does not commit the government to any purchase or contract.
• Watch Tender opportunities. Public enquiries are posted there, but PSPC may also send an enquiry only to selected businesses.
• Expect a separate solicitation. Any later competitive process is a different document with its own requirements.