Contracting Policy Notice (CPN)

A CPN is a numbered Treasury Board Secretariat notice that announces, amends or clarifies Government of Canada contracting policy - the vehicle for changes between formal directive amendments.

What it is

A Contracting Policy Notice (CPN) is a numbered notice issued by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) to announce, amend or clarify federal contracting policy. CPNs carry direction that departments and agencies must apply, and they operate alongside (and amend) the Treasury Board policy instruments that govern federal contracting - today the Directive on the Management of Procurement, which superseded the old TB Contracting Policy framework.

What CPNs do in practice

Real examples from canada.ca: CPN 2025-4 (May 28, 2025, updated January 16, 2026) amended the Directive on the Management of Procurement to add a risk-based exceptional limit under which Public Services and Procurement Canada can contract for National Defence without Treasury Board approval in defined low/medium-risk cases; CPN 2026-3 (April 30, 2026) streamlined reporting and information-collection requirements - rescinding the appendix C.4 measures and the 60-day post-emergency-contract report while keeping proactive publication of contracts over $10,000 on the Open Government Portal; CPN 2008-2 (June 24, 2008) addressed low-dollar-value software purchases by acquisition card.

Where you will see them

CPNs are cited in departmental procurement guides, PSPC Supply Manual references, standard acquisition clauses and conditions materials, and supplier-facing procurement training. Suppliers rarely interact with a CPN directly, but CPN-driven changes surface in how solicitations are structured - thresholds, approvals and mandatory disclosures.

Common questions

Are CPNs law?

No. They are policy instruments issued under Treasury Board authority, layered on top of statutory requirements (the Financial Administration Act and the Government Contracts Regulations). Where a CPN and a statute differ, the statute governs.

Do CPNs apply to suppliers' obligations?

Indirectly. CPNs shape buyer behaviour - approval routing, reporting, emergency-contracting controls - which in turn sets what suppliers must be ready to document in a bid or contract.

Related definitions

Government Contracts Regulations - FAA section 32 - FAA section 34 - SACC manual - Contract splitting