Frequently Asked Questions - Procurement Services

Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act (BOBIA)
eShop
Corporate Cards

Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act (BOBIA)

Find additional BOBIA resources on the dedicated web page.

Vendor Representations: Who qualifies as an “Authorized Agent”?: Both the Ontario Business Representation Form and the Invitation to Quote Cover Sheet include a Vendor Acknowledgement that must be signed by an Authorized Agent. For the purpose of these forms, the Authorized Agent is anyone in the Vendor’s organization who has signing authority on documents of this nature. This will vary based on each Vendor’s internal policies.

Invitation to Quote (ITQ): I did not receive the required number of Quotes by the Respond By date.: The Total Procurement Value of your purchase dictates the minimum number of Quotes required for your procurement process. If you did not receive a reply from enough Vendors by your Reply By date (Invitation to Quote Cover Sheet, Section 4.1), contact us at ProcurementServices@carleton.ca for support and direction.

Invitation to Quote (ITQ): I completed my ITQ process and none of the Quotes I received are from an Ontario Business.

The Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act requires that you give preference to Ontario Businesses for purchases under the Open Competitive procurement threshold.

Unless your purchase falls into an exemption (for example, the goods are services are not available from an Ontario Business), you must invite at least one Ontario Business to quote. It’s possible that you will need to invite more than the minimum number of Vendors to quote as required by the Procurement Policy in order to satisfy BOBIA.

If you know at least one Vendor that was invited to quote is an Ontario Business based on a previous representation but they do not return a Quote by the Respond By date, contact us at ProcurementServices@carleton.ca for support and direction.

HINT: Vendors which have previously represented their status as an Ontario Business will be indicated with in eShop.

I previously completed an Open Competitive procurement, and am receiving goods or services through the resulting Agreement. How do I demonstrate compliance?

The Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act requires that you give preference to Ontario Businesses for purchases under the Open Competitive procurement threshold.

If you worked with Procurement Services to complete an Open Competitive procurement process and your resulting Agreement is still valid, you will be able to provide that information as part of your eShop Purchase Requisition. Need help? Email us at ProcurementServices@carleton.ca.

I am seeking a Limited Tendering Exception – how do I demonstrate compliance with BOBIA?: The Competitive Procurement requirements and applicable Limited Tendering Exceptions are separate from the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act’s requirements and exemptions. If you are seeking a Limited Tendering Exception for purchases under the Open Competitive procurement threshold, you must also comply with BOBIA by either purchasing from an Ontario Business or demonstrating a BOBIA exemption.

eShop

Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions about eShop, Carleton’s eProcurement tool. Still in doubt? Please email eshop@carleton.ca.

How do I request access to eShop?: Anyone who has access to a least one funding source, whether that is for a FAST application, or for Travel & Expense, most likely already has access to eShop. Use FAAM in Carleton Central to request access to eShop if you don’t already have it (FAAM FAQs). Email Financial Information Systems if you have questions.

Who is the eShop Requisitioner?: In most instances the “Requisitioner” will be anyone who needs to purchase an item, whether it’s office supplies for the department, or lab supplies for a research project. This could be a Departmental Administrator or a Researcher or anyone who needs to fill out a form in eShop or shop any of the catalogues. To be a requisitioner, the user must have financial access to at least one funding source, otherwise, their role will be restricted to shopper status. Shopper status will allow a user to shop and create a cart, but instead of checking out, the shopper will assign his or her cart to a valid requisitioner.

Who is the eShop Approver?: The signing authority “Approver” is based on the funding source(s) used in the check out process. Additionally, the cart will go through a series of approvals which could include Procurement Services, Research Accounting and/or Accounts Payable depending on the dollar value and/or the commodity of the purchase.

Corporate Cards

Until regular operations resume on campus, all Pcards and Amex cards will be delivered to your home address. Procurement Services will contact you to obtain your delivery information when we receive your application.

Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions about Carleton’s corporate cards. Still in doubt? Please email procurementservices@carleton.ca.