Task-Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS)

Task-Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS) is PSPC's mandatory supply arrangement for procuring IT consultants and contractors once your requirement hits or exceeds the Canada Korea Free Trade Agreement threshold. It's essentially a pre-qualified pool of suppliers organized into streams and categories. Need specific IT expertise? You issue a call-up against existing standing offers rather than running a full competitive process from scratch.

How It Works

TBIPS operates on a two-tier system. Tier 1 covers requirements up to $2 million and can be managed by your department directly—provided you've completed the necessary training and signed the user agreement. Tier 2 applies to anything over $2 million and must be managed by PSPC's Acquisitions Branch, specifically the Complex Professional Services Methods Division. According to the official TBIPS page, this arrangement is part of the broader Informatics Method of Supply (IMOS) framework.

The structure is built around seven core areas of expertise, broken down into specific streams and categories. When you're ready to procure, you use the Complex Professional Services System (CPSS) to search for pre-qualified suppliers. You can filter by tier, category, geographic region, expertise level, and even Indigenous business status. Only suppliers holding active TBIPS standing offers can compete for your task authorization—they've already met minimum qualifications, insurance requirements (including $2 million coverage for Tier 2), and contractual terms outlined in the Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions Manual.

In practice, the call-up process works like this: you issue a Statement of Work to eligible suppliers within your chosen category, they respond with proposals, you evaluate against pre-established criteria, and award a task authorization to the successful bidder. The standing offer itself isn't a contract—it's the task authorization that creates the actual commitment. This distinction matters for reporting and tracking purposes.

Key Considerations

• Mandatory use applies: Once your informatics professional services requirement meets the CKFTA threshold, you must use TBIPS or its solutions-based counterpart, SBIPS. The informatics method of supply page makes clear this isn't optional—it's the required procurement vehicle.

• Training before access: Your department needs to complete PSPC's TBIPS training and execute a user agreement before you can manage Tier 1 requirements independently. Skip this step? You'll need PSPC to run the entire process for you, even for smaller contracts.

• Category selection matters: Choosing the wrong stream or category can limit your supplier pool or attract proposals that don't match your actual needs. Review the detailed breakdown on the streams and categories page before drafting your Statement of Work.

• Standing offers expire: Suppliers must maintain active standing offers to remain eligible. A company that held a TBIPS standing offer last year might not be qualified today—always verify current status in CPSS before inviting proposals.

Related Terms

Solutions-Based Informatics Professional Services (SBIPS), Supply Arrangement, Standing Offer, Method of Supply, Task Authorization

Sources

• Task-based services supply arrangement - Public Services and Procurement Canada

• Professional services Informatics method of supply - Public Services and Procurement Canada

• Task-based services: Streams and categories - Public Services and Procurement Canada

If you're procuring IT professional services regularly, bookmark the CPSS portal and keep your TBIPS training current. The system works efficiently once you understand which tier applies and how to navigate the category structure.