PSPC has modernized its contractual documents

Led by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the Contract Modernization Initiative (CMI) was developed as part of the department’s commitment to modernize procurement. The CMI simplifies the Government of Canada’s contractual documents, changing both the structure and contents for greater consistency and transparency. 

The changes are as follows: 

  • Contractual documents with the same format for a common look and feel, making it easier to locate information more rapidly
  • Contractual document content will follow the logical flow of the procurement process (for example, key business terms most relevant to suppliers, such as contract period and delivery date, will be located at the start of the solicitation document)
  • Contracts will now include clauses in their entirety, instead of reference codes from the Standard Acquisitions Clauses and Conditions (SACC) manual
  • Clauses have been simplified using white space as well as plain language to ensure a greater understanding of each party’s roles and responsibilities, without changing the legal intent of the clauses
  • Related contract terms will be grouped by topic, with added definitions now located in the contract annexes

Archiving of the SACC Manual 

Given that clauses will be fully incorporated into the contract documents, suppliers will no longer need to refer to external sources such as the SACC Manual to access clause content going forward. That said, because some contracts issued with SACC Manual clauses remain valid, an archived version of the Manual has been made available on CanadaBuys.  

Note: The archived SACC Manual will be temporarily available on Buyandsell.gc.ca until June 1st 2024. However, the archived Manual will remain available on CanadaBuys indefinitely.

Next steps

This new modernized contract model will be PSPC’s default approach to building contractual documents as of June 2024. We anticipate that other departments and agencies will also gradually begin using it in the future.

Questions?

For more information about the CMI and the modernization of PSPC’s contractual documents, contact the Acquisition Program’s Client Engagement team at: SPAC.PAEngagementdesclients-APClientEngagement.PSPC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca