Finally, some good news for staffing companies:

The Federal Government has announced it will be awarding a variety of procurement contracts for Professional Services across Canada in 2021.

The process for making these awards will be in the form of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Request for Quotations (RFQs).

The value of each contract ranges between $40K and $108K, however the RFP, RFQ process also enables you to:

– get on the government radar screen for recruiting and coaching services

– differentiate yourself from other suppliers

– win valuable contracts now and in the future

Is your staffing firm ready to respond? By being proactive and organizing some basic RFP processes your staffing firm can become a valid competitor.

The RFP Process

The formal RFP process is a competition. Contrary to what you may hear, the process is not rigged. Outcomes are not pre-determined – the Government takes this very seriously. However, you must commit to participate in the formal process in order to win. As with any business competition, you must be as prepared as possible – and then submit the best proposal possible.

Six Steps for Participating in the Canadian Government RFP Process

Step 1 – Procurement Business Number

If you have an active HST number and registered with CRA, we recommend starting with obtaining the obligatory Procurement Business Number (PBN) on the Canadian Federal Government website. 

Step 2 – Government of Canada Supply Arrangements

Most Federal Government Agencies require that staffing firms be listed on at least one of the key Government of Canada Supply Arrangements. Here are the details on three of the options:

1) ProServices (PS)

2) Task-based Informatics Services (TBIPS)

3) Temporary Help Service Arrangement (THSA)

Determining which Supply Arrangements to register on is based on how many years you have been in business and your annual revenue.

For the ProServices key arrangement you must be in business one year.

For the TBIPS, you must have been in business for 3 years and have revenue in the past 12 months of $250,000. There are 2 Tiers to the TBIPS arrangement, evaluated separately:

-For Tier 1, you must have a total cumulative value billed of $1.5 million (within the last 3 years). This will allow the supplier to win contracts up to a maximum value of $2 million.

-For Tier 2, you must have a total cumulative value billed of $12 million (within the last 3 years). This will allow the supplier to win contracts valued at greater than $2million.

Temporary Help Services Arrangement (THSA). This is only posted twice a year on the Federal Government website and this is for the National Capital Region. You need to have an office in the region that you are bidding. The current deadline to apply is December 31, 2020 for 2021 opportunities. 

Step 3 – Register for ProServices; Streams and Categories

For any company that has been in business for at least one year, there are 14 streams or options available with the Feds. Once registered, only invited companies can participate in the Supply Arrangement RFPs.

Here is the list of Streams and Categories for ProServices, separated into two Categories for Information Technology and Non-Information Technology:

Information Technology

Stream 1: Application services

Stream 2: Geomatics services

Stream 3: Information management/Information technology services

Stream 4: Business services

Stream 5: Project management services

Stream 6: Cyber protection services

Stream 7: Telecommunications services

Non-information Technology

Stream 8: Human resources services

Stream 9: Business consulting/Change management

Stream 10: Project management services

Stream 11: Real property project management services

Stream 12: Technical, engineering and maintenance services

Stream 13: Alternative dispute resolution services

Stream 14: Health Services

To register as a supplier, follow this link. 

Step 4 – Security Clearance

Obtain Security Clearance. Security clearances are required for the majority of Federal level government contracts, link to apply.

Step 5 – Register to receive Government RFP’s and RFQ’s

It is possible to register on a quarterly basis for the next quarter’s federal government proposals. For Q1 of 2021, the current deadline is: December 31, 2020. If you miss this deadline, then perhaps it will spur you to action to be ready for Q2, 2021.

Step 6 – Preparing Your Proposal

Responding to federal requests require a strong corporate description. In particular, for staffing services you will need to clearly define each of your processes for:

-Recruiting

-Screening

-Reference and Background checks

-Accreditation verification

-Communication process

-Quality Control procedures

-Security Protocols

There are many blogs on this website to help you develop a professional corporate description and winning RFP proposal. Boardroom Metrics experts can help at any point in the Canadian Government RFP response process if you require assistance.

Summary

Working remotely with you and your team, we’d be happy to guide you through the arduous proposal process and train your company in developing the strongest RFP response possible.

Getting your corporate profile ready and registering on the Federal Government website is a great way to launch into the Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

Our 24/7 RFP Response Team is based in Ottawa with additional RFP specialists located within the GTA and available across Canada. Our team members are government proposal experts; having worked on both sides of the procurement table as RFP Issuers and as RFP Responders.

Are you ready to win a Federal Government of Canada contract? With just a little preparation, you could really help your company grow!