Limited Tendering Exceptions - Procurement Services

The university engages in competitive bidding of all procurement where practical, advantageous, and required under legislative requirements – regardless of dollar value. However, in certain circumstances, and as governed by the applicable trade obligations, approval for limited tendering exceptions may be sought. Limited tendering is a non-competitive procurement process, where only one vendor exists or is engaged by the procuring entity (e.g., single sourcing, sole sourcing). The process cannot be used for the purpose of avoiding competition and/or discriminates against other parties.

A Limited Tendering Exception does not guarantee your procurement satisfies the requirements of the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act (BOBIA). When seeking a Limited Tendering Exception, ensure you understand the available exceptions to giving preference to an Ontario Business , which is an additional requirement.

Requesting a Limited Tendering Exception

Complete these steps before committing to a vendor or seeking Vice-President approval. If the limited tender is related to a contract, please consult Procurement Services.

Review the Limited Tendering Exception Codes to verify that limited tendering may be used. These are the only circumstances where limited tendering may be used.
Complete the Limited Tendering Justification Form, Steps 1-4. All fields are mandatory, including signature(s) from the Financial Approval Authority, and (if different) the Department Head or Dean.
Submit the completed form for Procurement Services’ review by attaching to a Purchase Requisition in eShop. If necessary, we will follow up with you.

Need Help? For help with limited tendering, please contact procurementservices@carleton.ca.

Key Definitions

Sole Source: A sole source is a non-competitive process used to acquire goods or services from a specific vendor because there are no other vendors available or capable of providing the required goods or services. Valid exceptions for using a limited tender sole source process are found in Section 3.1 of the Limited Tendering Exception Codes.

Single Source: A single source is a non-competitive process used to acquire goods or services from a specific vendor, even though there may be more than one vendor capable of delivering the same goods or services. Valid exceptions for using a limited tender single source process are found in Section 3.1 of the Limited Tendering Exception Codes.

Non-application Provision: Non-application Provisions are provisions that exempt a given procurement from the application of the government procurement chapter obligations of the applicable trade agreement (CFTA, CETA or OQCTA). Valid reasons for non-application of the procurement process are found in Section 3.2 of the Limited Tendering Exception Codes.

Public Award Notices

As per Article 516(2) of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, procuring entities covered by the Agreement shall post a notice of award within 72 days after the award of contract, including any limited tendering. Carleton University posts a monthly report containing the contracts awarded during that month, and for a period of 30 days.

Public Reporting March 2024

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