Business Rules for Consulting

  • Only firms authorized or otherwise permitted under provincial law to provide services to the public within claimed disciplines are eligible for registration in the system.
  • Firms must have one or more Qualifying Individuals, permanently located (i.e. Working at least 75% of normal daytime working hours) at the office submitting the application.
  • Qualifying Individuals must be:

    1. Duly authorized or otherwise permitted, under provincial law, to engage in professional practice in the claimed discipline(s) in one or more provinces or territories in Canada, and
    2. The owner of the firm, employees of the firm, partners in the firm, or employees of partners in the firm.
  • At least one Qualifying Individual needs to have a minimum of five years experience in the claimed discipline(s) following receipt of a license, certificate or other required authorization to practice.
  • An additional Qualifying Individual may be registered to broaden the firm's experience base if the firm has more than one Qualifying Individual than necessary to meet the requirements.
  • Supplementary Qualifying Individuals with a minimum of three years post-licensing experience in the claimed discipline(s) may register project experience in ANY discipline.
  • Individuals with less than three years of such experience may register only in discipline(s) claimed by another Qualifying Individual in the firm who has a minimum of three years experience.
  • Former public servants in receipt of a pension or a lump sum payment:
    As per the Treasury Board Contracting Policy, contracts for the services of a former public servant in receipt of a pension or of a lump-sum payment are to bear the closest public scrutiny and reflect fairness in spending public funds. Procurement contracts do not require retirement waiting periods except where the provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act or the Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders apply, or unless special retirement conditions apply to the individual. There must be no suggestion of special favoritism or privilege. The contract amount or daily rate paid to a former public servant may be limited, and Treasury Board approval may be required in certain situations. Refer to article 16.8 in Treasury Board Contracting Policy for more information. If needed, please copy/paste this link into a new window of your browser. (http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=14494&section=text)

The following text describes the impact of not responding or declining an invitation to bid.

If a firm is repeatedly non-responsive or declines to bid, a system generated response is triggered after the requisition has been awarded to one of the bidders. The responses are tracked over a 24 months period as described below.

No Response

Number of "No Responses" within previous 24 months SELECT Generated Action (occurs after a requisition has been awarded)
One The first time, there is no penalty
Two The second time, the firm will be issued a warning letter
Three The third time, the firm will be suspended for three (3) months after which they will automatically be reactivated
Four The fourth time, the firm will receive a one (1) year suspension, after which they will have to apply to be reinstated.

Declined To Bid

Number of "Declined to Bid" within previous 24 months SELECT Generated Action (occurs after a requisition has been awarded)
One The first time, there is no penalty
Two The second time, there is no penalty
Three The third time, the firm will be issued a warning letter
Four The fourth time, there is no penalty
Five The fifth time, the firm will be suspended for three (3) months after which they will automatically be reinstated
Six The sixth time, the firm will receive a one (1) year suspension, after which they will have to apply to be reinstated.