If you are a vendor or contractor selling to governments, the NWPTA establishes lower thresholds above which government entities are obligated to have open and non-discriminatory procurement.
This provides additional bid opportunities to vendors looking to supply governments in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The NWPTA applies to provincial government procurement. It requires open and non-discriminatory procurement where the anticipated costs are at or above the following thresholds:
- $10,000 or greater for goods
- $75,000 or greater for services
- $100,000 or greater for construction
The NWPTA applies to procurement by municipalities, school boards, health regions and publicly-funded post-secondary institutions (the MASH sector). It requires open and non-discriminatory procurement 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
The NWPTA applies to the procurement of provincial Crown corporations. It requires open and non-discriminatory procedures where the anticipated costs are at or above the following thresholds:
- $25,000 or greater for goods
- $100,000 or greater for services
- $100,000 or greater for construction
The procurement rules of the NWPTA apply to all British Columbia and Alberta government entities, including departments, ministries, agencies, boards, councils, committees and commissions, as well as municipalities, school divisions, health regions and publicly-funded post-secondary institutions as of July 1, 2010.
The procurement rules of the NWPTA apply to all Saskatchewan government ministries and most agencies and boards as of July 1, 2010. Saskatchewan Crown corporations, the remaining agencies and boards, as well as municipalities, school divisions, health regions and publicly-funded post-secondary institutions will be covered by the procurement rules as of July 1, 2012.
There are certain exceptions to procurement under the NWPTA, including the following:
- 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 purchased for representational or promotional purposes
- Goods required to respond to an unforeseeable situation of urgency
- Goods intended for resale to the public
How to Access Procurement Opportunities
Vendors can access these procurement opportunities through the procurement websites of each Party:
British Columbia
Registration, Identification, Selection and Performance (RISP)
- for engineering, technical and environmental consulting services
Alberta
Vendor Registry for Architectural and Engineering Services (VRAES)
