Resource Assessment Worksheets

Resource Assessment Worksheets are completed records used to demonstrate that a proposed personnel resource meets the requirements for the applicable professional-services category and level. They are used in Canadian federal procurement, where they support the review and authorization of task-authorized work under professional-services arrangements administered by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), formerly Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

The worksheets sit inside the task authorization process. Once a contract or supply arrangement is in place, individual tasks are authorized under it. Before PSPC authorizes a task authorization form, the client supplies completed worksheets showing that the consultant or other resource named for the work satisfies the category and level written into the contract.

What a completed worksheet establishes

The worksheet answers one question: does the person proposed for the task meet the requirements of the category and level being used? Professional-services contracts define categories of work and levels within each category. A resource is assessed against the category and level that apply to the task, and the completed worksheet is the record of that assessment.

The worksheet is therefore tied to the contract terms. It does not set the category or level itself. It documents that a named resource fits the one the contract already specifies.

Where the worksheets appear in the Supply Manual

The CanadaBuys Supply Manual, Chapter 3 annexes cover task authorization in Annex 3.4.1. That guidance tells clients to provide completed resource assessment worksheets when they request PWGSC authorization of task authorization forms. It states that the worksheets must demonstrate that the proposed resource meets the requirements for the applicable category and level.

Two points follow from the guidance. The obligation to provide the worksheets rests with the client department requesting authorization. The purpose is also fixed: the worksheets are evidence of fit between the proposed resource and the contractual category and level.

The Procurement Ombudsman's ArriveCAN recommendation

The Office of the Procurement Ombudsman reached the same position in its Procurement Practice Review of ArriveCAN. In a recommendation about PSPC's authorization of task authorizations, the review says PSPC should require clients to provide completed resource assessment worksheets. These show that proposed resources are assessed against the applicable professional-services category and level.

The same review states that a new Task Authorization approval checklist would help procurement officers review task authorizations submitted for approval. Together, the worksheets and the checklist form a review control. The worksheets supply the evidence on the resource, and the checklist gives the officer a consistent way to confirm the submission is complete.

What it means for a supplier

Suppliers on task-authorized professional-services arrangements should expect each proposed resource to be measured against the contractual category and level. The completed worksheet moves through the client and contract-administration process to PSPC, so a resource who does not clearly meet the stated requirements puts the task authorization at risk of not being authorized.

• Match each proposed person to the category and level in your contract before the task authorization is prepared.
• Keep résumé and qualification information in a form that lets the client complete the worksheet accurately.
• Work with the client on timing, because PSPC authorization of the task authorization form depends on the worksheets being provided.

The guidance cited above does not reproduce the worksheet template or list every field. Confirm the format and requirements with the contracting authority or client for your arrangement.