Rectification Period

A Rectification Period is a defined window during which a bidder or proponent may correct specified deficiencies in its submission after the buyer issues a rectification notice. It gives a supplier a structured chance to fix a problem instead of losing the bid immediately.

In the Canadian procurement documents reviewed, the consequence of missing the window is the same: a proposal that has not been corrected within the period is rejected or excluded from further evaluation. The term appears in the evaluation of mandatory submission requirements and mandatory criteria, as in this National Capital Commission solicitation on CanadaBuys.

How the rectification notice starts the clock

The period is tied to a rectification notice, which is the notice that identifies the deficiencies a bidder may correct. In the National Capital Commission (NCC) process, a proponent that fails the mandatory submission requirements receives a rectification notice and an opportunity to correct the deficiencies. The NCC states that its Rectification Period begins when it issues that notice (NCC solicitation document).

A solicitation can set a different start point, such as the bid closing time, so the start of the period is always defined in the document itself. The length is also solicitation-specific. One request for a supply arrangement from VIA HFR sets the period at three business days from the date and time VIA HFR issues the notice. Its example calculates the deadline from the notice's date and time, subject to non-business days (VIA HFR supply arrangement solicitation).

What a bidder can and cannot correct

The right to rectify is limited. In a Parliamentary Protective Service request for proposals for employee and family assistance and health and wellness services, bidders may correct completeness deficiencies during the Rectification Period. They may not change their responses except to provide the information requested to complete the response (Parliamentary Protective Service RFP).

This means the period is for curing gaps the buyer has identified. It is not a second opportunity to rewrite a proposal or improve its content.

What happens when the period ends

The outcome depends on whether the deficiencies were fixed in time. In a sustainability consulting request for supplier qualification issued by the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, proponents that fail the mandatory criteria are given an opportunity to rectify. Proposals that satisfy the mandatory criteria before the end of the Rectification Period proceed to further evaluation. Proposals that still fail are excluded from further consideration (sustainability consulting solicitation).

The NCC applies the same rule. If the proponent does not satisfy the mandatory submission requirements within the Rectification Period, the proposal is rejected.

Where the term appears and related terms

The examples above show the term in federal and federally related competitions, including requests for information, requests for supply arrangements, and RFP and RFSQ evaluation procedures. Terminology varies by solicitation. Some documents refer to a proposal, a bidder or a proponent, and each document defines its own process.

• Rectification notice: the notice identifying the deficiencies that the bidder may correct.
• Mandatory submission requirements: requirements whose failure can lead to rejection if not corrected within the period.
• Mandatory criteria: criteria that must be satisfied for a proposal to continue in the evaluation.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Read the evaluation section of every solicitation to find out whether a Rectification Period applies, when it starts and how long it lasts. The duration and the permitted corrections are not standard across buyers.

• Monitor the contact address you gave the buyer, since the clock can start when the notice is issued.
• Keep the documents needed to cure common gaps ready before closing.
• Limit your response to the information requested, because additional changes may not be accepted.

Treat the period as a deadline as firm as bid closing. A proposal that remains deficient when it ends is rejected or excluded.