ARCHIVED - Contracting Policy Notice 2004-1

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DATE:  March 16, 2004

SUBJECT:  Contracting Policy Notice 2004-1 - Purchasing Activity Report for CY 2003 (to be reported in 2004)

Summary

For the calendar year 2003, departments/agencies are requested to submit their procurement data to Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) as soon as possible and no later than April 30, 2004.  This will enable PWGSC to produce the 2003 procurement reports for the Treasury Board Secretariat on a timely basis.

All reporting requirements remain the same as for the calendar year 2002.

It is also noted that, as discussed at the March 3, 2004 Treasury Board Advisory Committee on Contracts, there is a possibility that this request will be amended in recognition of the fact that there will be further significant information requests in support of a number of vertical and horizontal reviews currently being undertaken on behalf of the Government's Expenditure Review Committee and Parliamentary Secretaries.

The specific nature of the requests will be set out for departments by the teams responsible for the reviews.

Introduction

1. Each year the Government publishes, on the Internet, statistics on purchases and contracts conducted in departments and agencies.  The annual Purchasing Activity Report is used to provide statistical analysis of the processes and tools through which government purchasing is conducted based on the Government's policy framework.

Reporting Entities

2. Entities that must report are the contracting authorities, as defined in the Government Contracts Regulations and the Financial Administration Act (FAA):

1. The appropriate Minister, as defined in paragraph (a), (a.1) or (b) in section 2 of the FAA, as follows:
   1. with respect to a department named in Schedule I, the Minister presiding over the department,
      • (a.1) with respect to a division or branch of the public service of Canada set out in column I of Schedule I.1, the Minister set out in column II of that Schedule,
   2. with respect to a commission under the Inquiries Act, the Minister designated by order of the Governor in Council as the appropriate Minister.
2. A departmental corporation named in Schedule II to the FAA, and
3. The National Capital Commission (listed in Schedule III).

Authorization and Deadline

3. In sending procurement data to Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), the electronic transmittal document must indicate the name and position of the individual at the Director level who has reviewed and approved the data for release.  Otherwise, the data will be returned to the originator.  The deadline for providing the procurement data of your department/agency for calendar year 2003 to PWGSC is April 30, 2004.  However, data available prior to that date should be forwarded to PWGSC immediately.  This will enable PWGSC to produce the 2003 procurement reports for Treasury Board Secretariat on a timely basis.

Reporting for 2003

4. All reporting requirements remain the same as for calendar year 2002.  As requested last year, please do not report acquisition card transactions to PWGSC.  This information will be obtained from within the Treasury Board Secretariat.  On standing offers, please continue to report the estimated total call-up value (for the period of the standing offer) against each standing offer established by your department, but not standing offers established by other departments such as PWGSC.  Count each standing offer agreement as one data item.  Please estimate the total call-up value against each standing offer.

Acquisition Card Transactions

5. Departments/agencies are encouraged to use the acquisition card not just as a payment device but also as a cost-effective procurement tool.  As the use of acquisition card gains wider acceptance, we need to ensure that the Purchasing Activity Report includes data on all purchases made by acquisition cards.  Departments should ensure that they are monitoring and making use of the reporting information that is available from the Bank of Montreal and CIBC.  This will be the information used by TBS for the monitoring and review of departments' management of these purchases.

Data on Standing Offers

6. In the past, some departments indicated that they did not have a centralized capability to capture data on individual call-ups against standing offers, as these are managed directly in individual responsibility centres.  Departments are making significant progress to establish cost effective methods to capture this information.  Consequently, in calendar year 2005, departments/agencies may anticipate that data on all call-ups against standing offers, including those established by your department and those established by other departments such as PWGSC, will be part of the information that will be included in future reports.

Reporting Process

7. Please access PWGSC's GENet web site at http://publiservice.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/acquisitions/text/otlstls/hm-e.html.  On this web site you will find the Datacap menu with instructions on how to either (a) download this data entry software to your personal computer, or (b) create your own electronic ASCII text files in the required formats.  Once these electronic files are created, using one of the two methods described above, please send these files by e-mail to ncr.gwprs@pwgsc.gc.ca.  Alternatively, you can mail your electronic files on diskette to: PWGSC, 11 Laurier Street, Phase III Floor 14A2, Gatineau, Québec K1A 0S5, attention: S. Rowe-Hanna.  Once received, these data files will be transferred to the Government-Wide Procurement Reporting System to compile the annual reports for the Treasury Board Secretariat and the trade agreements.

8. One of the main purposes of this web site is to provide you with access to the current version of the Datacap software.  The web site also provides access to useful, on-line documentation, such as an updated Datacap User Manual, General Procurement Reporting Guide and the ASCII text file layout requirements.

Contracting Policy Web Site

9. This notice will be incorporated into the electronic version of the Contracting Policy in the near future.

10. Online access: All TBS publications are now available online via the TBS home page on GENet. To access this site, type the following in the address section of your World Wide Web browser: http://publiservice.tbs-sct.gc.ca/

11. The Government Telecommunications and Informatics Services (GTIS) manages GENet. For help in accessing it, please contact your Informatics Division or your departmental library.  The same publications are also available via the TBS home page on the Internet. The address is: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/

12. You will be able to access this Contracting Policy Notice on the home page via A-Z Index.  In this page, go to Contracting.  Here, you will find a list of all Contracting Policy Notices and TB circulars still in effect.

Enquiries

13. Enquiries concerning this Contracting Policy Notice may be addressed to the Procurement and Project Management Policy Directorate, Comptrollership Branch, Treasury

Board of Canada Secretariat at (613) 957‑2432, by fax at (613) 952‑1381 or by e-mail at: mo.enoch@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Jane Cochran
Executive Director
Procurement and Project Management Policy Directorate
Comptrollership Branch

Distribution:  TB06, TB07, TB10, T022, T023, T024, T161.