Procurement Services is here to support Carleton faculty, staff, and researchers throughout the entire procurement process. Our team is happy to assist you with any legal and regulatory requirements, policies and procedures, risk management, tendering and contracting.
Faculty and staff should familiarize themselves with the Procurement Policy.
Questions? Email us at procurementservices@carleton.ca
Competitive Procurement
As a Broader Public Sector institution, the University is legally required to engage in competitive procurement. This requirement is outlined in the University’s Procurement policy, Ontario’s Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive, and other relevant trade agreements.
Planning your Procurement
There are several key things you need to know to determine how to conduct your Procurement.
- Determine the anticipated Total Procurement Value. This will determine the available options for your method of Procurement under the Competitive Procurement rules.
- Understand the Provincial Policies (BOBIA and U.S. Procurement Restriction Policy). This is in addition to the Non-competitive and Invitational Competitive Procurement requirements.
- Confirm whether there any related policies or processes you need to follow. For example, are you procuring software or Consulting Services? Are you planning to hire an Independent Contractor? Read below for some important considerations.
- Decide whether you need support from other stakeholders to define all of your requirements for the goods or services.
Procurement Services is here to help you navigate these questions – contact us early to ensure your timelines can be met.
Evaluating Risk
The Procurement Policy includes a requirement for departments to identify medium- or high-risk procurements. As part of that requirement, the eShop Purchase Requisition form includes questions that help Procurement Services assess the level of risk associated with your purchase.
If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you may be required to complete additional processes before committing to your Vendor. You should contact Procurement Services through the appropriate Means of Procurement as soon as possible to ensure adequate planning time.
Questions about evaluating risk or general insurance requirements related to a procurement? Contact Risk@carleton.ca. Also see the Signing Authorities policy.
| Topic | Risk Assessment Question | Resource |
| Terms and Conditions | Has your Vendor included their own Terms and Conditions (ex: Customer Agreement, Service Agreement) as part of their quote? | See the University’s Standard Terms and Conditions.
These legal terms are included all eShop Purchase Orders where the Total Procurement Value is <$100,000, unless approved negotiations take place or they are insufficient for the level of risk involved in your purchase. When the Total Procurement Value is $100,000+, more robust contracting may be required. |
| Damages | Would failure of your purchase cause reputational or financial damage, injury, or loss of life? | See Signing Authorities policy, Schedule A (Risk Matrix). |
| Vendor Performing Work on Campus | Will the Vendor send staff to campus to do any work (e.g. installation, maintenance, calibration)? This does not apply to simply attending meetings on campus. | – |
| IT Infrastructure Access | Will your Vendor(s) or other third-party services require access to the University’s technological infrastructure or environment, either directly or indirectly? | See our Software Purchases and Software Licensing page. |
| IT Integration | Will your Vendor(s) or other third-party services require integration with University systems (e.g. Banner, Brightspace). | See our Software Purchases and Software Licensing page. |
| University Data | Will your procurement result in sharing or transmitting University data, including research and student data, through third-party service providers or cloud services? | See our Software Purchases and Software Licensing page. |
| Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance | Will credit cards be accepted as a form of payment through the good or service? | Any purchase that will facilitate acceptance of credit card payments must adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Carleton University has one vendor of choice for processing credit/debit card transactions. All payment solutions must use this vendor for financial transaction processing.
Contact PCICompliance@cunet.carleton.ca early to ensure you are incorporating all PCI requirements in your procurement process. |
| Environmental Health & Safety | Does your procurement present a potential Environmental Health & Safety concern?
For example, your purchase: is or includes procurement of a controlled good or laser; is a biological concern including live animals; may produce hazardous waste; requires certain electrical standards to be met; is or contains radioactive materials; is or contains controlled drugs or narcotics (including for research purposes); or is or contains high hazard chemicals. |
See our Protocols and Considerations information. |
| Construction and Renovation | Does the good or service involve the engagement of a professional Architect or Engineer, construction, renovation or modification of university property, including office interiors? | Follow the Project Request Process through Planning, Design and Construction (FMP). |
Understanding Insurance
These three concepts go hand-in-hand when it comes to protecting the university from risk as part of a purchase agreement.
- Insurance ensures financial protection, risk mitigation, and compliance with legal requirements.
- Limitation of Liability will put a cap on the the amount a Vendor is required to pay in damages, should a claim arise. This should match the University’s standard insurance requirement(s) to ensure the Vendor’s full insurance is available to respond to claims.
- Indemnification protects or keeps free from loss, allocating risk in advance. Mutual indemnification provides that each party will protect (or indemnify) the other against any losses it is at fault for. However, indemnity is only as strong as the party’s capacity to fulfill its obligations – bringing us back to insurance!
Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG) Procurement Considerations
Carleton University recognizes the importance of both Accessible Procurement and Sustainable Procurement for purchases of all sizes. For more information, please see the Procurement policy.
Independent Contractors
Any time you engage an Independent Contractor as a result of your procurement process, you must complete the Independent Contractor Questionnaire in eShop in addition to adhering to the Procurement Policy.
Procurement Requirements and Approvals
Understand and apply the Provincial Policies to your procurement! This is in addition to the requirements for Non-competitive and Invitational Competitive procurements.
Important: Did you know that every Purchase Order created in eShop (the result of an approved Purchase Requisition) references the university’s Standard Terms & Conditions? This is a form of Contract that contains the legal terms that govern all parties’ obligations, rights, and responsibilities. Understanding the Terms of your purchase is an important part of managing the relationship with your vendor(s).
| Procurement Type | Total Procurement Value (Before taxes) | Means of Procurement | Approval Required |
| Non-Competitive | $0.00 – $25,000.00
(excludes Consulting Services) |
|
|
| Invitational Competitive | $25,000.01 – $75,000.00
($0.00 to $75,000.00 for Consulting Services) |
|
Above, plus:
|
| $75,000.01 – $121,199.99 |
|
As above.
The Signing Authorities Policy governs proper signatories on Purchase Contracts at $100,00.00+ in addition to the requirements set out by the Procurement Policy. |
|
| Open Competitive | $121,200.00+ |
|
Above, plus:
|
| $500,000.00+ |
|
Above, plus:
|
*If you think your purchase is a special circumstance where competitive procurement (as defined by the above threshold requirements) is not possible, please refer to the Limited Tendering Exceptions process.
Travel and Expense System
Purchases of goods and services under $10,000, which are in accordance with this Policy and any related policies and for which the means of procurement outlined above are not practical, may be reimbursed through the Travel and Expense system, with the appropriate supporting documentation and one-up approvals.
Vendors of Record
Multiple quotations are not required for purchases valued less than the CETA competitive threshold (Goods and Services) from a Vendor with an approved Vendor of Record contract with the University, unless stipulated otherwise in the administrative directions of the competitive procurement.