Have you wondered how to be one of those Canadian businesses with a federal government contract, and decided you have to have political connections to do it? Well, that's not necessarily so.
The process is complicated, however, and requires patience and research. Given that the Canadian federal government contracts for about $14 billion in goods and services each year, it may be worth your while.
The most important thing to remember is that "government" in Canada is not a single entity. Besides the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government, each level of government in Canada has many different departments which often purchase goods and services independently.
Market ResearchSelling to the Canadian federal government is like selling to hundreds of different, and often competing, companies. Government departments and agencies have the same general requirements, and the purchasing procedures are similar, but they all have distinct "corporate" personalities which can be quite different. It is important to find out the specific requirements of the individual government department or agency.
Public Works Goods and Services Canada (PWGSC) is the central purchasing agency responsible for major federal government contracts and some centralized services, such as architectural and engineering consulting and construction and maintenance.
There are more than 100 federal government departments and agencies which also purchase goods and services. Generally, departments can purchase up to $5000 per contract of goods without going through PWGSC. They contract most services directly. Agencies and Crown corporations usually have more flexible procedures.
There are also differing limits on federal government contracts that must be put out for competition.
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