BPS Procurement Directive

The Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive is an Ontario directive issued by Management Board of Cabinet under the authority of the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act, 2010. It governs how designated BPS organizations — hospitals, universities, colleges, school boards and other designated broader public sector organizations — procure goods and services.

What it requires

The Directive sets out 21+ mandatory requirements across the procurement cycle: segregation of duties and approval authority; competitive procurement thresholds (an open competitive process is required where the estimated value is $121,200 or more, with exemptions per the applicable trade agreements); posting competitive procurement documents on an electronic tendering system; disclosure of the evaluation methodology; evaluation teams for rating compliant bids; and rules against dividing a procurement to circumvent thresholds or approval requirements. Section B of the Directive adds Building Ontario Businesses measures that favour Ontario businesses in BPS buying.

Who it applies to

Designated broader public sector organizations under section 1(1) and section 12 of the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act, 2010 — including every hospital, university, college and school board, and corporations controlled by designated BPS organizations that exist primarily to purchase for them.

Common questions

Does the Directive apply to municipalities?

No. Ontario municipalities follow the Municipal Act, 2001 procurement rules and their own bylaws; the BPS Procurement Directive covers the designated broader public sector organizations named in the BPS Accountability Act, 2010.

What is the $121,200 threshold tied to?

It is the Directive's own competitive threshold for goods and services, aligned with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement procurement chapter threshold; exemptions above it must accord with the applicable trade agreements.

Can BPS buyers sole-source?

Only within the non-competitive procurement requirements — the Directive requires documentation and justification for any non-competitive procurement and prohibits splitting a purchase to avoid the competitive threshold.

Official source

Management Board of Cabinet, Broader Public Sector Procurement Directive (issued under the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act, 2010, s. 12), s. 7.2.3 Mandatory Requirement #3 (competitive procurement thresholds — open competitive process at $121,200 or more), ss. 7.2.1–7.2.11 (approval authority, posting, evaluation disclosure and evaluation team), and Section B (Building Ontario Businesses).

Related definitions

Vendor of record (Ontario) · CFTA thresholds · Evaluation matrix · Sole-source justification