Record of Agreement

A Record of Agreement is an administrative document used by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). PSPC uses it when a client's requirement is best met through a contract that includes a Task Authorization (TA) process. In that setting it is often called the Task Authorization Record of Agreement.

The document formalizes the administrative procedures, roles, responsibilities and reporting requirements between PSPC and the authorized client for that contract. Both parties agree to comply with it. The PSPC Supply Manual is the source for this definition.

What a Record of Agreement sets out

The Supply Manual describes the Record of Agreement as the place where PSPC and the authorized client write down how they will work together on a contract with a TA process. It covers four things:

• Administrative procedures that both parties will follow.
• Roles of PSPC and of the client.
• Responsibilities of PSPC and of the client.
• Reporting requirements that apply between them.

It is an agreement between PSPC and the authorized client. It records how the two government parties will manage the contract once it is in place.

When PSPC uses the document

The trigger is the contracting approach. According to the Supply Manual, a Record of Agreement is used when the client's requirement is best met through a contract with a Task Authorization process. If the requirement is met some other way, the Supply Manual does not call for this document in the same manner.

The CanadaBuys task authorizations guidance for buyers reinforces the link. It sits in the part of the buyer's guide on preparing approval documents, and it is where the Task Authorization Record of Agreement is named.

Timing: agreed before the solicitation goes out

The CanadaBuys buyer guidance states that, before issuing a solicitation, the contracting organization must confirm that the client and PSPC have agreed on their respective roles and responsibilities. That confirmation is made through the Task Authorization Record of Agreement.

In practice, this places the document early in the procurement cycle. The division of roles between PSPC and the client is settled before suppliers are invited to bid on a contract that uses a TA process.

How long it stays in effect

The Record of Agreement does not expire after the solicitation. The Supply Manual states that it remains in effect for the duration of the contract, and that both parties agree to comply with it. The procedures, roles, responsibilities and reporting requirements it records therefore continue to govern the PSPC and client relationship through the life of the contract.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

A supplier does not sign the Record of Agreement, because it is an arrangement between PSPC and the authorized client. Its presence still tells a bid team something useful. A solicitation for a contract with a TA process is issued only after PSPC and the client have confirmed their roles and responsibilities.

Bid teams should therefore treat the solicitation documents on CanadaBuys as the place to find the contract terms that apply to them. They should read the task authorization provisions closely, since the contract's TA process is the reason the document exists. Questions about those provisions belong with the contracting authority named in the solicitation.