Procurement Business Number (PBN)

The Procurement Business Number (PBN) is a number issued through Public Services and Procurement Canada's Supplier Registration Information (SRI) system. It identifies an organization in PSPC procurement and payment systems, and it is based on the organization's Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number, as described in PSPC's Contract Security Program guidance.

The PBN is a federal Government of Canada supplier identifier. CanadaBuys states that a supplier needs to register for a PBN when it receives a Government of Canada contract that is not processed through SAP Business Network, as set out in its guidance on preparing to sell to government. For most suppliers, it is a routine registration step that must be finished before a federal contract can be awarded.

How the PBN relates to the CRA business number and SRI

The PBN is not the same thing as the CRA business number. PSPC says the PBN is based on the CRA number and is used to uniquely identify the organization in its procurement and payment systems. The CRA number stays the underlying identifier; the PBN is the version federal procurement systems use.

Suppliers obtain a PBN by registering in the Supplier Registration Information system. PSPC directs suppliers that do not yet have a PBN to register in SRI. According to the PSPC reference sheet on registering in SRI, registration also makes a company's name and capabilities available to federal departments and agencies that are looking for suppliers.

Where federal procurement requires a PBN

Several federal documents set out when a PBN is required:

• Bids not processed through SAP Ariba: PSPC states that the PBN is currently required for these bids, as explained on its electronic procurement transition page.
• Competitive solicitations: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's instructions for competitive goods and services requirements state that suppliers must have a PBN before contract award.
• Non-competitive contracts: IRCC's current non-competitive requirements likewise require a PBN before contract award.
• Joint ventures: the competitive instructions require the PBN of each joint-venture member.
• Professional services: the PBN is a mandatory enrolment field in PSPC's Centralized Professional Services System e-Portal.

The PBN and the Contract Security Program

A PBN is not mandatory simply to obtain security screening through the Contract Security Program. PSPC nonetheless states that a PBN is required to do business with the federal government. It is also used to distinguish organizations that have similar names, or organizations that have amalgamated. For a company that has merged or changed its legal name, the PBN gives federal systems a stable way to tell it apart from other entities.

What a PBN means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Register in SRI early. Several federal instructions require a PBN before contract award, and a missing or mismatched number can hold up an award that you have otherwise won. Because the PBN is based on your CRA business number, confirm that your organization's legal name and number are consistent across your registrations before you apply.

If you bid as part of a joint venture, collect the PBN of every member before the bid closes, since the competitive instructions ask for each one. Check whether the opportunity is processed through SAP Business Network or SAP Ariba. If it is not, a PBN is currently required.