Registered buyers

Registered buyers in the Ontario Public Sector and broader public sector can access Ontario’s Enterprise Vendor of Record (VOR) arrangements and Volume Licensing Agreements (VLAs), saving your organization valuable time and money.

There are interim measures in place that:

  • support opportunities for collaborative purchasing where possible, while protecting continuity of business and services
  • support the collection of data necessary for building the centralized system
  • do not impact current contracts already in place

Measures apply to new procurements of good and services (consulting and non-consulting) valued at $30,300 or higher, or $121,200 or above if a member of the broader public service, that are not utilizing a collaborative contract.

The interim measures and corresponding business procedures for procurement reporting and procurement rationale reviews took effect March 18, 2019.

Broader Public Sector Procurement Directive

The Broader Public Sector Procurement (BPS) Directive:

  • sets out requirements to ensure that designated BPS organizations acquire publicly funded goods and services through a process that is open, fair and transparent
  • identifies the responsibilities of designated BPS organizations throughout each stage of the procurement process
  • promotes consistent procurement processes throughout the BPS

Procurement rationale report form (PRRF)

For broader public sector organizations, your funding ministry may tell you to complete a Procurement Rationale Report Form for new, in-scope procurements that are:

  • $121,200 and greater
  • not leveraging a bulk buying agreement or
  • two years or more in length including extensions

More information about the Procurement Rationale Report Form is available in the FAQs about Supply Chain Centralization.

Response to U.S. Government Tariffs

In response to U.S. government tariffs on Canadian goods, Ontario public sector organizations are restricted from buying from U.S. businesses. Read the full policy, and Procurement Restriction Policy (U.S.) – FAQ for more details.

Public sector entities may use the Procurement Rationale Report Form to request advice from Supply Ontario when looking to seek an exception from the Procurement Restriction Policy (PRP). For more information on exceptions to the PRP, refer to section 3.2.1 of the Procurement Restriction Policy: A Guide for Public Sector Buyers.

Important links