Contract vehicles
Standing Offer
A pre-arranged offer to supply goods or services at set prices over a period, drawn against by call-ups as needs arise.
A standing offer is not itself a contract. It is an offer, already competed and priced, that a buyer may accept repeatedly during its term. Each acceptance — a call-up — forms a separate contract. This lets departments buy recurring items quickly without running a fresh competition each time.
Getting onto a standing offer is therefore a different objective from winning a single contract. The competition happens once, up front, and the reward is eligibility for work that may flow for years. Being absent from a relevant standing offer can quietly exclude a supplier from a large share of a department's routine spending.
Standing offers do not guarantee volume. Holding one means you may receive call-ups, not that you will. Suppliers should treat the expected value accordingly.
In practice
Several firms hold a standing offer for temporary administrative staffing. When a department needs a clerk for three months, it issues a call-up against one of them rather than running a new competition.
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This definition describes general Canadian federal practice and is not legal advice. Always confirm requirements against the official solicitation.