Treasury Board Submission (TBS) Procurement Approval

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 for approval or authority to carry out an initiative that the organization could not otherwise undertake, or that falls outside its delegated authorities. The Treasury Board's own policy documentation sets out this definition.

In procurement, "TBS procurement approval" is a descriptive way of naming this step. It is not a separate approval instrument. When a proposed contract or contract amendment exceeds a department's delegated contracting authority or other predetermined limits, the department needs Treasury Board approval, and the TB submission is how it asks for it. CanadaBuys describes it in these terms in its buyer's guide.

What a Treasury Board submission can request

TB submissions are prepared by federal departments and organizations and reviewed through the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). Under the guidance for drafters, a submission can ask for authority to undertake an initiative, to obtain funding, to enter into or amend a contract, or to exercise other authorities that have not been delegated to the organization.

Government guidance also describes these submissions as commonly authorizing the implementation of a program or project, or the execution of a major procurement that supports government operations. A procurement approval is therefore one use of a broader tool.

When a federal procurement needs Treasury Board approval

Departments hold delegated contracting authority up to set limits. CanadaBuys states that Treasury Board approval is required for a contract or contract amendment that exceeds predetermined limits. Once a proposed contract goes beyond what the department can approve on its own, it moves to the Treasury Board through a submission from the minister.

The guidance for drafters directs departments to link the procurement activities in a submission to the contracting approval authorities and limits set under the Directive on the Management of Procurement. The submission has to show how the proposed procurement fits within that policy framework.

Who prepares and reviews the submission inside government

The work is done inside government. At Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), procurement files are assessed to determine the level of approval required, including whether a Treasury Board submission is needed. The Procurement Branch has a Treasury Board Submissions Unit that supports the Acquisitions Program. According to a PSPC internal audit report, the unit prepares submissions and acts as a contact and coordinator between TBS and the program.

Individual departments add their own review steps. Correctional Service Canada's contracting directive requires contracting-related requests for Treasury Board submissions to go to the applicable Contract Review Board. Regional submissions are then forwarded to the National Contract Review Board for review and approval.

Contract submission types in the former Contracting Policy

The former federal Contracting Policy identified three types of contract submissions: entering into a contract, amending a contract, and ratifying a contract or contract amendment. That policy has been rescinded, so these categories show the historical terminology and are not a current policy requirement. They still help explain why approval can attach to an amendment as well as to an original award.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

A Treasury Board submission is an internal government approval process. It is not a supplier application or a certification, and suppliers do not prepare it. The department or contracting authority is responsible for obtaining the required Treasury Board authority.

A supplier may still meet a solicitation or contract whose award, amendment, or implementation depends on that approval. In that case, follow the solicitation's stated conditions, approvals, deliverables, and notice-to-proceed requirements, and confirm timing questions with the contracting authority named in the document.