Solely Limited

Solely limited is a Canadian federal procurement designation. Under it, a solicitation or a request for standing offers is restricted to suppliers that can offer Canadian goods and/or services. Offers that do not meet the Canadian-content definition are not eligible to win.

The term comes from the Canadian Content Policy and appears in procurement guidance first issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada, now Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). The contracting officer applies the designation when they believe at least three suppliers of Canadian goods and/or services exist in the marketplace. The federal Supply Manual sets out this threshold.

The three-supplier test behind a solely limited decision

The decision to limit a competition to Canadian content is made during procurement planning. The contracting officer assesses the marketplace and determines whether at least three qualifying suppliers can offer Canadian goods and/or services. If the officer holds that belief, the procurement can be designated solely limited. The earlier Supply Manual edition describes the same restriction to suppliers able to offer Canadian goods and/or services.

The designation is not tied to one type of document. It can apply to competitive bid solicitations and to requests for standing offers.

Canadian-content certification clauses in the SACC Manual

Suppliers prove eligibility through certifications. These are delivered as clauses in the Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions (SACC) Manual. Historical Supply Manual guidance identifies the following certification clauses:

• K4001T
• K4003T
• K4004T
• K4011T
• K4013T
• K4014T

Later versions of the guidance identify these clauses for bid solicitations:

• A3051T
• A3052T
• A3053T
• A3055T
• A3056T
• A3059T

Corresponding clauses exist for requests for standing offers. The Supply Manual explains that Canadian-content certifications are provided through these SACC clauses.

How offers are evaluated in a solely limited procurement

The responsibility for showing that an offer qualifies rests with the offeror. The supplier must demonstrate that its offer meets the definition of Canadian goods and/or services by submitting the completed certification. The CanadaBuys guidance on evaluating offers sets out what happens next:

• Where the procurement is solely limited to Canadian goods and/or services and certification was required with the offer, only offers with valid certifications are evaluated.
• Evaluation proceeds when at least one offer carries a valid certification.
• If no offer has a valid certification, the solicitation must be reissued.
• If an offeror does not submit the completed certification within the prescribed timeframe, the offer is declared non-responsive.

What solely limited means for your bid

Read the solicitation for the Canadian-content certification clause and treat it as a mandatory submission. Complete it accurately and send it within the timeframe the solicitation prescribes. A missing or late certification makes your offer non-responsive, and it is then not evaluated, however strong the technical and financial proposal.

Before you bid, confirm that your goods and/or services meet the Canadian-content definition, because you carry the burden of demonstrating it. If you are a Canadian supplier in a market with at least three qualifying competitors, expect this designation and keep your certification evidence ready for each bid or standing offer response.