TSPS (Task and Solutions Professional Services)

TSPS is the pair of supply arrangement methods Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) maintains for non-information-technology professional services. When a federal department needs consultants in areas like human resources, change management or project management — work that is not IT — it buys through TSPS rather than running a standalone competition, because TSPS is a mandatory method of supply for those requirements.

What it is

Per Canada.ca, TSPS consists of two mandatory methods of supply, task-based and solution-based, that let client departments solicit competitive bids from a pool of pre-qualified supply arrangement (SA) holders. The task-based method covers non-IT requirements valued at or above the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA) threshold; everything below that threshold must go through the ProServices method instead. The solution-based method can be used for non-IT requirements at any dollar value, because it is aimed at problems where the department cannot define the work itself and needs a supplier to propose and deliver an end-to-end answer.

Streams and dollar tiers

The task-based method covers seven streams — human resources services, business consulting/change management, project management, real property project management, technical engineering and maintenance services (TEMS), plus health services and learning services, which are the two non-mandatory streams. Task-based requirements fall into two tiers: tier 1 runs from the CKFTA threshold up to $4.5 million, and tier 2 covers requirements above $4.5 million. Under the strengthened procurement measures that took effect July 1, 2025, task-based requirements are capped at $20 million — anything above that must be contracted through a solution-based vehicle such as TSPS-Solutions or SBIPS. The solution-based method covers five streams for non-IT professional services.

What it means for vendors

You do not bid on individual TSPS work directly at first. Suppliers pre-qualify through the periodically refreshed Requests for Supply Arrangement — the task-based notice E60ZT-18TSPS/D and the solution-based notice E60ZT-16TSSB/E, both refreshed quarterly — and PSPC evaluates against a flexible grid that awards points for education, professional certification and relevant experience. Each supplier's SA lists only the streams and categories it qualified in. Once you hold an SA, departments issue bid solicitations for specific requirements to the qualified SA holders, and winning those competitions produces individual contracts. Holding an SA is not revenue: it is an invitation to compete.

Common questions

How is TSPS different from ProServices?

Both are pre-qualified pools for professional services, but ProServices handles non-IT requirements below the CKFTA threshold, while TSPS covers requirements at or above it. A department cannot use TSPS for a low-dollar task-based requirement — it must use ProServices.

Does holding a TSPS SA guarantee work?

No. The SA only makes you eligible to receive bid invitations in your qualified categories. Contracts are awarded per requirement through competitions among the SA holders, and PSPC may consolidate requirements to get better pricing.

Related definitions

Supply arrangement vs. standing offer · Task authorization · Pre-qualified supplier list