SACC (Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions)

SACC stands for Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions. The SACC Manual is the Government of Canada's collection of standardized clauses and conditions for solicitations and contracts. It is associated with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and is published through CanadaBuys, the federal procurement service. The CanadaBuys entry identifies the manual by this full name.

Instead of drafting every bid instruction and contract term from scratch, federal buyers drew on SACC clauses and referred to them by code. A supplier reading a solicitation would see those references and then look up the wording in the manual. SACC is a Government of Canada procurement term and is not a NATO term.

What the SACC Manual covers

The manual organizes its content into categories. They include standard procurement clauses, requirements definitions, supplemental conditions, insurance, delivery, supply arrangements and other groupings. The standard procurement clauses section includes "Instructions to Bidders and Contractors" and "Requirements Definition."

Across the manual, clauses address:

• instructions to bidders and contractors;
• bid consideration and evaluation;
• authorities;
• samples and materiel requirements;
• delivery, inspection and acceptance;
• insurance;
• supplemental conditions; and
• supply arrangements.

How SACC clause codes work

Each clause carries an identifier. Examples include A0000, the A1000 to A1999 range, the B0001 to B0999 range and D-series identifiers. The letter groups clauses by subject, so a D-series clause relates to delivery and acceptance. Many clauses also carry a dated identifier, such as the one in the web address of the D5509C delivery clause, which tells a reader which version of the wording applies.

Examples of SACC clauses in solicitations and contracts

SACC clauses work at two stages. In a solicitation, they can set bidder instructions, evaluation requirements and certifications. One archived clause covers procurements limited to Canadian services. It requires bidders to certify that the offered services are Canadian services, and a bidder that fails to provide the certification can have its services treated as non-Canadian.

After award, SACC clauses create performance obligations. Insurance is one example. The cited insurance clause sets a commercial general liability requirement of at least $2 million per accident or occurrence. Other clauses deal with delivery conditions, ownership and title, confidentiality, and intellectual property.

Some clauses are specific to a department. The D5509C delivery and acceptance clause refers to the Department of National Defence (DND). For certain contracts, it requires the contractor to submit a quality plan prepared in accordance with the latest applicable issue of ISO 10005.

Archived status of the SACC Manual

The SACC Manual has not been maintained since June 2023. CanadaBuys now presents clauses that were formerly marked "Active" as archived. Contracts that incorporated SACC clauses remain valid, so the wording continues to bind suppliers under existing agreements.

What SACC means for a supplier

Read every SACC clause that a solicitation or contract incorporates, because SACC is not a single obligation applied the same way to every procurement. Provide the certifications and bid information the clauses require, and plan to comply with the resulting contract terms, from insurance coverage to quality plans. Because the manual is archived, rely on the clause version and wording incorporated into the specific solicitation or contract. Do not assume that every historical SACC clause is active or applies universally.