MASH Sector - Municipalities, School Boards, Health Regions and Publicly-Funded Post-Secondary Institutions
The procurement rules of the NWPTA apply to the MASH sector where the anticipated costs are at or above the following thresholds:
- $75,000 or greater for goods
- $75,000 or greater for services
- $200,000 or greater for construction
Procurement Exceptions
There are certain exceptions to procurement under the NWPTA, including:
- Procurement of health and social services, and services provided by lawyers and notaries
- Purchases from philanthropic institutions, prison labour or persons with disabilities
- Purchases from a public body or non-profit organization
- Goods required to respond to an unforeseeable situation of urgency
- Goods intended for resale to the public
For the complete list, refer to Part V (Exceptions) of the NWPTA.
Bid Protest Mechanism
A bid protest mechanism (BPM) is available for procurements covered by several trade agreements, including the NWPTA. A BPM is an administrative review process which provides suppliers with an independent arbitral process to resolve complaints that a specific procurement by a government entity was not conducted in compliance with the rules of one or more agreements.
Land Use
Land-use measures (e.g., zoning decisions) are excluded from the NWPTA, provided they treat persons/businesses from the NWPTA provinces the same.
Business Licensing
Under the NWPTA, the reconciliation of local government business licensing processes between municipalities is currently voluntary.
Frequently Asked Questions
