Requests for Information (RFIs)

A Request for Information (RFI) is a formal, preliminary request used to gather information from industry and other potential suppliers before a procurement is defined or launched. It helps a buyer understand available capabilities, refine a requirement, and shape a later procurement.

An RFI is not a bid solicitation. It normally creates no commitment to buy anything or to award a contract. NATO's Procurement Manual describes an RFI as a document that establishes the rules and procedure for industry participation in a market research activity, and it states that activities involving active industry participation in market research must be conducted through a formal RFI. You can read that language in the NATO Procurement Manual.

How CanadaBuys describes an RFI

The Government of Canada treats the RFI as a preliminary procurement step. According to CanadaBuys guidance on requests for information, businesses may use it to provide information, feedback, ideas and suggestions about a potential requirement and the structure of a future solicitation. CanadaBuys groups RFIs with Letters of Interest (LOIs) as preliminary instruments for obtaining supplier information and feedback.

CanadaBuys sets out three points about these notices:

• RFIs and LOIs are typically published on the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS) to reach a broad supplier audience.
• The notice must clearly state that it is not a solicitation.
• The notice must state that there is no commitment to future purchases or contracts.

RFIs at PSPC and the Canadian Space Agency

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) uses RFIs within the Task and Solutions Professional Services (TSPS) method of supply. The TSPS RFI process is meant to determine whether the TSPS supplier base holds the specific expertise a client department needs. A department may use it when it seeks very specific expertise that it believes may not be available through TSPS. The PSPC guidance for government employees recommends the process as a way to obtain an appropriate list of pre-qualified suppliers.

A Canadian Space Agency example shows the tool at work. PSPC, on behalf of the agency, used an RFI to find out whether interested and available Canadian sources could provide technologies, systems, products or services for future cislunar space exploration initiatives. The RFI was intended to help formulate a later Request for Proposal (RFP) for concept studies, and it stated plainly that it was not a bid solicitation. See the Canadian Space Agency cislunar RFI.

Provincial rules in British Columbia and Ontario

British Columbia provides an RFI template for use with BC Bid. Its stated purposes include soliciting information from a particular supplier community, conducting market sounding about available products or services, identifying licensing models, determining supplier interest in a possible opportunity, and obtaining technical information about a contemplated procurement. The template is listed on the province's solicitation processes and templates page.

Ontario's Broader Public Sector Procurement Directive defines an RFI as a document issued to potential suppliers to gather general supplier, service or product information. It describes the process as giving a preliminary description of a problem or need and asking suppliers for information or advice on defining the problem, the need, or alternative solutions. The directive also states that an RFI response must not pre-qualify a potential supplier and must not influence that supplier's chances of success on a later opportunity. The text is in the Broader Public Sector Procurement Directive.

How NATO uses RFIs

NATO Allied Command Transformation uses RFIs to engage nations, industry and academia on emerging capabilities, technologies, products and services. Recent notices have covered 5G over non-terrestrial networks, open-source intelligence capabilities, and NATO's Innovation Continuum. One example is the NATO ACT RFI 025012. These notices state that the RFI is not a current RFP and does not commit NATO to issuing a future RFP.

What an RFI means for your bid team

An RFI is your chance to shape a requirement before the rules of a competition are fixed. A thoughtful response can put your capabilities in front of the buyer and influence how a later solicitation is written. Responding does not qualify you for anything, and in Ontario's broader public sector it must not affect your standing on a later opportunity. Not responding does not necessarily bar you from a later bid either, so treat an RFI as an early market-engagement opportunity and not as a bid.

Monitor GETS on CanadaBuys, BC Bid and other provincial portals for RFI notices in your sector. Read each notice for its closing date, its stated purpose, and its confirmation that it is not a solicitation.