Treasury Board submission

A Treasury Board submission (TB submission) is an official document submitted by a sponsoring minister on behalf of a federal organization. It asks the Treasury Board of Canada for specific authorities or approvals, particularly for initiatives the organization cannot carry out under its existing delegated authorities. The Treasury Board Secretariat glossary defines the term this way.

Federal departments and organizations use TB submissions to obtain authority for funding, staffing, projects, regulations, program changes and contracting. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat supports the process, and the sponsoring minister is accountable for the content of each submission, as the TBS submissions overview explains.

How a Treasury Board submission differs from a Memorandum to Cabinet

The two documents serve different purposes. A Memorandum to Cabinet generally seeks policy approval. A TB submission focuses on putting an approved policy or initiative into effect, including its design, costs, delivery, and the expenditure or contracting authorities needed to carry it out. Both distinctions are described in the Treasury Board Secretariat evaluation material and in the Library and Archives Canada valuation tool.

When contracting requires Treasury Board approval

A TB submission can be required when a department wants authority to enter into a contract above or outside its delegated contracting authority. The CanadaBuys Buyer's Guide states that Treasury Board approval is required for contracts and contract amendments that exceed predetermined limits. That approval must be obtained before the proposed contract or amendment is entered into and before the related work begins.

A submission can also be used earlier. It can seek advance approval while a procurement strategy is still being developed, or it can document the strategy that was used and how the procurement complied with Treasury Board policy requirements.

What a procurement submission must describe

Treasury Board Secretariat guidance for drafters says a procurement-related submission should describe the contractor's deliverables and how they relate to the program or project and to associated contracts. Where a previously approved contract is being amended, the submission should also state the deliverables received and the amounts paid to date.

Treasury Board policy material identifies three types of contract submissions: entering into a contract, amending a contract, and ratifying a contract or contract amendment. The Treasury Board policy text sets out these categories.

Internal review and Crown corporations

• Departmental review: Correctional Service Canada requires contracting-related requests for TB submissions to be reviewed by the applicable Contract Review Board. Regional submissions go to the National Contract Review Board for review and approval, according to its Commissioner's Directive 350-3.
• Crown corporations: They use TB submissions for corporate plans, budgets and amendments where legislation requires it. Approval provides the operational mandate for planned activities and spending, which can include procurement-related activities. See the guide for Crown corporation submissions.

What a Treasury Board submission means for suppliers

A TB submission is an internal government approval document. It is not a form that suppliers complete or file. Suppliers meet its effects indirectly, through a delayed or conditional solicitation, contract award, contract amendment or start of work while the buyer obtains Treasury Board approval.

Suppliers should meet the requirements of the solicitation and the contract. They should not begin work under a proposed contract or amendment until the required approvals and the contract authorization are in place.