Contract identification number (CIN)

The contract identification number is the unique reference Canada assigns to each federal contract — the number that lets anyone find that exact contract again across award notices, contract history and dispute filings. On CanadaBuys it appears labelled as the contract number (and on tender documents, the file number).

What it is

Every award notice published on CanadaBuys carries a contract number field alongside the solicitation number — for example, a real PSPC/DND award notice shows "Contract number W8484-15-P2PF", where the same value also serves as the requirement's file number on the RFP. The format you will see most often is a department or company code, a serial, and (on call-ups and amended contracts) a suffix set — e.g., 21120-219814/001/HN: the base file 21120-219814, contract /001, and an identifier for the contracting office or instrument. The Supply Manual's contract administration rules (section 8.5) require these contract files to be properly maintained, and the number is the thread that ties the solicitation, the contract, every amendment and the payment record together.

Where it appears

Per CanadaBuys, award notice details list the contract and solicitation numbers, publication date, award date, contract value, supplier, description, applicable trade agreements and any limited-tendering reason. The contract history datasets (PSPC contracts awarded since January 2009) carry the same contract number per record, including amendment rows. When you search the tender opportunities page you can enter a contract number directly, and a CITT procurement complaint must identify the solicitation or file number and the contract number, if known. One caveat CanadaBuys flags: don't reuse contract numbers pulled from the old Buyandsell contract history when searching CanadaBuys — pre-2023 records don't line up and the search will misfire.

What it means for vendors

Quote the contract number — not just the solicitation number — in every post-award communication: amendments, invoices, payment inquiries, late-payment interest claims and CITT complaints all key off it. The solicitation number identifies the competition; the contract number identifies your specific awarded contract (and its amendments in contract history). If you bid but lost, you will reference the solicitation number in a debrief request or bid challenge; once you win, the contract number takes over.

Common questions

Is the contract number the same as the solicitation number?

Often they are identical — many federal awards reuse the file number as both — but they are distinct concepts. The solicitation number identifies the bid solicitation; the contract number identifies the contract awarded under it, and on call-ups against standing offers each call-up gets its own contract number even though the standing offer has a single number.

Where do I find the contract number for a federal contract?

On the award notice in CanadaBuys, in your contract document (usually on the cover page and referenced in the general conditions), and in the contract history dataset where each amendment row repeats it. Amendments appear as additional records sharing the same base number with an incremented suffix.

Does the number change when the contract is amended?

The base contract number stays; each amendment is recorded in contract history as a new version referencing the same contract number. That is why a supplier quoting "the contract as amended" should still use the original number — the amendment trail hangs off it.

Related definitions

Contract administration · Contract award notice · Contract amendment vs. change order · Task authorization