Contract vehicles
Supply Arrangement
A pre-qualified pool of suppliers who may be invited to bid on individual requirements as they arise.
A supply arrangement establishes a list of suppliers judged capable of meeting a category of need, along with agreed terms. Unlike a standing offer, prices are not fixed in advance — when a requirement comes up, the buyer runs a further competition among some or all arrangement holders.
This two-stage structure is common for professional services, where the work varies too much to price up front but the buyer still wants to avoid re-qualifying suppliers each time. In practice it means suppliers compete twice: once to join the arrangement, then again for each requirement.
The important implication is that being on a supply arrangement is necessary but not sufficient. Suppliers who join one and then treat it as passive lead generation are usually disappointed.
In practice
A department maintains a supply arrangement for IT consulting. When a project arises, it invites the qualified holders in the relevant category to bid on that specific requirement.
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This definition describes general Canadian federal practice and is not legal advice. Always confirm requirements against the official solicitation.