How to do Business with the GNWT

APracticalGuideon:
HowtodoBusinessWiththe
GovernmentoftheNorthwestTerritories
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Who We Are
2
What We Do
3
What We Follow and What Governs Us
5
Where to Find Out About Opportunities
7
Tips for Submitting Tenders or Proposals
to the GNWT
8
What Happens after you Submit a Bid
13
Standing Offer Agreements
15
Exceptions
16
How to Market Yourself to the GNWT
17
1
2
Who We Are
Located within the department of Public Works and Services, we are the
Procurement Shared Services (PSS) Centre and our goal is to help you do
business with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT).
By encouraging new vendors and improving the relationships we have with our
current ones, residents of the Northwest Territories benefit from having a
competitive territorial marketplace for goods and services, and businesses
benefit from being able to fully take advantage of government procurement
opportunities.
Businesses of all sizes and types can be successful vendors with the GNWT and
are essential to helping departments, boards and agencies achieve needs,
goals and requirements to provide the best services possible to NWT residents.
3
What We Do
The PSS Centre manages all government procurement and those of the NWT
Housing Corporation estimated to be over $5,000 excluding construction
contracts. The PSS Centre is also the central tender desk for construction
projects for the departments of Public Works and Services and Transportation
and the NWT Housing Corporation. In everything we do, we always aim to be
fair, open and transparent.
PSS provides the following services:



Operate consolidated tender
desks in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay
River and Fort Smith where
vendors can pick-up RFP and
Tender packages and drop-off
bids and proposals for all GNWT
Procurements
Respond to inquiries regarding
open tenders and RFPs as well as
general GNWT procurement
questions
Provide procurement training to
GNWT employees so as to inform
on how they can access
procurement tools to help deliver
programs and services

Partner with the business
community to provide workshops
aimed at increasing successful
northern participation in
government procurement
opportunities

Provide strategic advice to client
departments on large scale
procurements

Prepare, post and distribute RFP
and Tender documents

Advise on government
procurement policies
4
Why We Operate the Way We do
Procurement Shared Services delivers services to GNWT clients and the public in
the spirit of the following three guiding principles:
1. Vendor Access is Fair, Open and Transparent
Access for all vendors competing for government business must be open and
the procurement process must be conducted in a fair and transparent
manner, providing equal treatment to all vendors. Conflicts of interest, both
real and perceived, must be avoided.
2. Achieve the Best Value for Money
Goods and services must be
acquired in an effective, efficient,
economical and ethical manner.
Our goal is to achieve the best
value for the money we spend in
accordance with all relevant
policies and legislation.
3. Responsible Procurement Management
The procurement of goods and services must be responsibly and effectively
managed through appropriate organizational structures, systems, policies,
processes and procedures.
5
What We Follow and What Governs Us
The GNWT has made procurement commitments under three free trade
agreements:
 The Agreement on Internal Trade

The World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement of the European Union
In accordance with these agreements, all contracts1valued at $25,000 or more
for goods and $100,000 or more for services and construction are openly
advertised.
PSS, as the procurement arm of the GNWT, adheres to the Contract Regulations
as set out in the NWT Financial Administration Act and the GNWT Procurement
Guidelines2. In addition to the above mentioned free trade agreements and
the guiding principles, the GNWT follows the following procedures:

Vendors must have no conflicts of interest that may give them an unfair
advantage when bidding on government procurement opportunities

Departments are required to incorporate accessibility considerations as part
of their procurement planning, and suppliers are required to comply with all
relevant/applicable legislation, standards and regulations for accessibility

Departments are required to consider official language requirements
consistent with the NWT Official Languages Act and related standards and
guidelines
1
The GNWT has a Sole Source Policy under (insert here) which can be used in limited circumstances to award contacts in
excess of these values without openly advertising them 2
http://www.pws.gov.nt.ca/pdf/publications/ProcurementGuidelines09/0.3a%20Table%20of%20Contents.pdf 6
How does BIP work?
The GNWT’s Business Incentive Policy (BIP) is an economic policy that applies to
procurement contracts entered into directly by the GNWT. The BIP leverages
government procurement dollars to maximize benefits for residents of the NWT
by encouraging businesses that are owned and operated in the NWT to
compete on GNWT procurement opportunities.
For more information on the BIP, including how it is applied to Tenders and
Requests for Proposals, contact the BIP Monitoring Office in the Department of
Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) or visit the website:
www.iti.gov.nt.ca/programs-services/business-incentive-policy
Reporting: Our Commitment to a Fair, Open and
Transparent Process
ITI publishes a report on all GNWT contracts valued
at over $5,000 on an annual basis.
These annual reports are available online on the
Publications page of the ITI website. Search the term
“Contracts Over 5000” for more information.
www.iti.gov.nt.ca/publications
7
Where to Find Out About Opportunities
1. Find Us Online
Bidding information for contract opportunities over $5,000 is always available
online. Ad notices include:

a brief description of the contract opportunity,

the closing date and location, and

an email address and contact information so for all those interested to
request documents.
Check out the Contract Registry and Reporting System (CRRS), the GNWT’s
internet-based electronic advertising services, by visiting
www.contractregistry.nt.ca/ which is updated daily
2. Newspapers
While procurement opportunities over $250,000 are always advertised in local
and /or territorial newspapers in addition to CRRS, departments can also
choose to advertise their procurement opportunities in newspapers to solicit
bids and interest.
3. The NWT & Nunavut Construction Association’s Electronic Plans
Room
For construction tenders or Requests for Proposals, the GNWT sometimes uses
the NWT & Nunavut Construction Association’s electronic plansroom to
advertise construction contract opportunities and host bid packages.
Contractors can register to view documents at no cost, and can download
documents from the NWTCA website: www.nwtca.ca
4. Other
Along with the methods listed above, other advertising methods may be
used including placing/posting copies of CRRS advertisements in various
locations throughout smaller communities.
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Tips for Submitting Tenders or Proposals
to the GNWT
1. Ask Questions!
When submitting a tender or an RFP if you have any questions, or are unclear
about something in the proposal or bid package – ask us! We want to make
sure that every potential bidder has the best understanding and information
possible.
On every contract opportunity posting there is an email and telephone
number depending on what region the contract is based in.
*Be sure to ask your questions as soon as you have them; you can only ask
questions up to a certain day before closing. This is to ensure that all
questions and answers are shared with all potential bidders.
Remember, for general questions you can always ask our Contract
Administrators at the consolidated tender desk, by email or by giving them a
call. If you have general questions about Procurement Shared Services or
contracting in general which are not specific to a contracting opportunity,
you can email procurement_questions@gov.nt.ca
Yellowknife
Hay River
Government of the Northwest Territories
Procurement Shared Services (PSS)
Stuart Hodgson Bldg.
1st Floor, 5009 49th Street
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9
Government of the Northwest Territories
Procurement Shared Services (PSS)
301-76 Capital Drive
3rd Floor, B&R Rowe Bldg.
Hay River, NT X0E 1G2
Fax: 867-920-4112 (Tender Only)
Email: psstenders@gov.nt.ca
Phone: 867-873-7230
Fort Smith
Fax: 867-874-7014
Email: psstendershayriver@gov.nt.ca
Phone: 867-874-7003
Inuvik
Government of the Northwest Territories
Procurement Shared Services (PSS)
199 McDougal Rd.
Fort Smith, NT X0E 0P0
Government of the Northwest Territories
Procurement Shared Services (PSS)
106 Veteran’s Way
Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0
Fax: 867-872-2195
Email: psstendersfortsmith@gov.nt.ca
Phone: 867-872-7411
Fax: 867-777-7109
Email: psstendersinuvik@gov.nt.ca
Phone: 867-777-7146
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2. Read and Follow Instructions and Formats
For Tenders
 The ‘Instructions to Bidders’ section of the tender document must be
followed carefully or you risk being disqualified. The GNWT must also follow
these rules. If a vendor suggests an approach that is contrary to what is
requested, the GNWT cannot consider it unless an addendum is issued to
change the rules.

If additional information is requested, include it in your bid package. We
can only evaluate based on what is submitted and cannot make
assumptions. If it is not in your tender or proposal, we cannot evaluate it.

Respect the stated terms and conditions in the bid package. Any
changes to these could make your bid non-compliant. Alternatives to the
specifications are usually accepted but may need to be approved prior to
submitting your bid.

You may choose to submit one bid based on the specifications requested
and then submit another using your suggested alternative.

If forms are provided, use them! Failure to do so might make your bid noncompliant
For Proposals
 Read The Proponent’s Guide: Responding to a Request for Proposals3.

Address Every Point. Procurement documents will explain exactly what
must be done to submit a compliant proposal in order to be considered
for the contracting opportunity. It is up to you to ensure that your
responses are compliant and competitive. Any use of the words “must” or
“shall” are good indicators of what must be done.

The GNWT is not allowed to make assumptions about your proposal; it can
only evaluate based on the information provided. When preparing your
proposal refer to the requirements and evaluation criteria from the RFP
document as these are what we are looking to achieve. 
Mandatory requirements are evaluated objectively on a simple pass/fail
basis. Respondents must meet ALL mandatory requirements in order to be
compliant.

When proposals are deemed non-compliant, they are not evaluated
further.
3
http://www.pws.gov.nt.ca/pdf/publications/Proponents_Guide_October%202005.pdf 10
3. Submit on Time
The closing date, time and location should all be provided on the bid or
proposal and must be received prior to the closing time or the bid will be
deemed non-compliant and will be disqualified. Hard copy bids should be in
a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder and the name, number and
closing time visible on the outside (time-stamp to be provided at the
procurement desk upon submission).
Faxed bids must be received in their entirety
prior to closing time, and will be time
stamped by PSS staff.
It is the responsibility of the vendor to ensure
that faxed submissions are received in their
entirety before the closing time.
*All vendors are encouraged to submit their
bids as early as possible* 4. Pay Close Attention to Numbers
Bidders
Ensure that your prices are correct. Check the math when it comes to unit
prices and extensions. Where there is an error, the unit price will prevail. The
tender document will tell you when cost items will be considered in the
financial evaluation. NO other costs will be considered.
*Your bid submission should be clear of any changes to the specifications,
terms or conditions. Any changes could be considered as a counter-offer
and would disqualify your bid.
For Proposals
Explain your quoted price. You will usually be asked to provide a detailed
breakdown of the quoted price in terms of its cost elements. The RFP
document will tell you what cost items will be considered in the evaluation
process. No other costs will be considered.
11
5. Additional Tips for Proposals
Organize your proposal
The procurement documents will tell you how to layout your proposal and
how it will be evaluated. Make sure you review the general conditions and
standard instructions, and follow the same format presented in the RFP.
Make sure that you address all the mandatory requirements that are stated in
the document.
Describe how you would do the work
This is your chance to show that you understand and can meet the
requirements. Provide detailed responses to the specific evaluation
requirements and describe how you would do the work if you were awarded
the contract.
*You may be asked to describe your understanding of the current state and
need of the project, the objectives of the proposed work, the reason(s) for
carrying it out as proposed, and the benefits that will be achieved. If this is
requested, you would also identify any problems you anticipate during the
project along with contingency plans. Do not include any pricing information
in this section.
Remember, if something isn’t clear ASK QUESTIONS!
PSS is here to help, so send us an email,
give us a call or stop in for a visit.
Introduce your team
You will usually have an opportunity to introduce your team and explain why
they are the best people to do the work. Describe each team member and
the part of the contract they will be working on/responsible for. Include a
description of the education and experience of each team member.
The same information should be provided for any subcontractor or subconsultant involved in the project proposal.
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Key points to remember
 Organize your proposal so that it matched the sequence of the
procurement document.
 Make your offer complete, concise and precise.
 Once you have drafted the project goals and objectives, check them
against the priorities and requirements spelled out in the procurement
document.
 Make sure the Mandatory Requirements are clearly identified and met.
 If your company has a track record of successful projects, or if it has won
awards, mention them. Sell yourself and your company.
 Note the sections that carry the most evaluation points and provide
responses accordingly.
 Put your logo or company name on each page so we can identify if it we
take the proposal apart to compare similar sections in different proposals.
 Provide the number of copies we ask for in the RFP document.
 Sign the proposal document and attach it to make your proposal a
legally binding offer.
 Be sure to adhere to the timelines provided, including the timeline for
posing questions and the deadline for submitting the completed
proposal.
 Follow all directions. If there is a page limit, adhere to it. If certain
information is requested, provide it.
 Be sure to review addenda when you receive an addendum notification
by email, and that any new information or requirements are included in
your proposal.
 Have the response reviewed by others within your organization to ensure
accuracy and completeness of the information provided.
 Deliver your tender to the location identified in the tender document
before the closing date and time.
 Ask questions! We are here to help.
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What Happens After You Submit a Bid
Evaluation
Tenders are evaluated by PSS specialists and are confirmed with the clients or
contract authority.
RFPs are evaluated by an evaluation committee made up of clients and users of
the services, with a procurement specialist acting as an advisor to oversee the
process to ensure all proposals are evaluated fairly.
Finding Results
The successful bidder is notified when a contract is awarded. Contract results
are posted on the Contract Registry and Reporting System website which
displays the names of all bidders, prices bid (only in the case of tenders), and
the name and contract value of the successful bid or proposal.
De-briefings are available for proposals upon request and are designed to
explain where a specific proposal fell short.
Payment
Vendors working with the GNWT are typically
paid in accordance with the terms of the
contract, or after an invoice is received,
whichever is later. Businesses that accept a
GNWT purchasing card from a GNWT employee,
either in person or over the phone, can expect to
receive payment from the government promptly
via the credit card bank.
Vendors are also paid by cheque, or can register with the GNWT to receive
electronic bank transfers. Vendors that are registered with the BIP office are
paid within 20 days of receiving the invoice; vendors that are not BIP registered
are paid within 30 days.
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Entering Into a Contract
Once a successful vendor is selected, a contract is required for all
procurements. Typically the contract sets out responsibilities of the vendor and
the purchaser. Contracts describe how the vendor’s performance will be
evaluated and include a termination clause.
Vendor Complaint Process
The GNWT has a Vendor Complaint Process (VCP). The VCP is
intended to provide access to a consistent, fair and timely
process to deal with vendor complaints about the GNWT’s
procurement process.
The goal of the VCP is to identify how Procurement Shared
Services and the GNWT can further improve how it manages
its procurement processes. No compensation will be awarded
to a complainant under the VCP.
You can obtain a copy of the VCP by visiting the Public Works
and Services website:
www.pws.gov.nt.ca/publications/index.htm
15
Standing Offer Agreement (SOA)
What is it?
 An SOA is a pricing arrangement, usually established through a Request for
Proposals (RFP) or tender process advertised through the Contracts
Opportunities section of the CRRS website.

The goal of SOAs is to have a fair, open, transparent and competitive process
that allows one or more vendors to offer specific goods or services to
departments for a defined time period, with specific terms and conditions
and pricing arrangements.

These agreements allow departments to obtain commonly procured goods
and services in a shorter timeframe than if they had to initiate the
procurement process from scratch.

A business who successfully bids on a SOA also benefits by increasing the
odds that GNWT departments will access their services more often and
eliminate the need to submit bids on a routine basis for work.
SOAs are not contracts. They are pricing agreements that the government
makes with suppliers or contractors to cover anticipated requirements over a
defined period of time. They may be used in contracting for goods or services.
There is no legal obligation incurred by the GNWT and the GNWT reserves the
right to procure goods and services by any other means it deems appropriate
including the use of other contracts, SOAs or any other contracting method.
What are the Different Types?

Exclusive SOAs are pricing agreements with specific terms and conditions
that are established with one contractor to provide specific goods and/or
services on an “As and When” and required basis under predetermined
pricing.

Non-Exclusive SOAs are pricing agreements with specific terms and
conditions that may be established with multiple contractors to provide the
same goods and/or services on an "As and When” and required basis under
predetermined pricing.
Generally the GNWT enters into non-exclusive SOAs. Under a non-exclusive SOA,
work or provision of services is offered to the proponent with the highest rated
proposal submission (RFP) or the lowest priced bid (tender) before being offered
to other contractors in a ranked order. This is First Right of Refusal.
16
Exceptions
Under the NWT Financial Management Act and Government Contract
Regulations there are specific policies and instances where the general
procurement rules outlined in this document do not need to be required.
1. Sole Source Contracting
Sole source contracting with the GNWT, or contracting for goods or services
outside of a competitive process (RFP or tender), is permitted when any of
the following criteria exists:

The goods and services are urgently required and delay would be injurious
to the public interest;

Only one party is available and capable of performing the contract; or

The contract is valued at less than $5,000 or is for professional consulting
services (i.e. Architectural or Engineering) valued at less than $25,000.
2. Northern Manufactured Products
The GNWT has a Northern Manufactured Products policy which aims to
promote the use of certified goods which are manufactured within the
territory. In these instances, GNWT employees may approach a designated
northern manufacturer and enter into a contract directly with them for goods
and services.
For more information on the Northern Manufactured Goods policy, visit the
department Industry, Tourism and Investment’s website:
www.iti.gov.nt.ca/programs-services/nwt-manufactured-products-policy
3. Conditions
Certain procurements may require successful bidders and employees to
undergo criminal records checks, or to provide bid or contract securities. All
tender or RFP documents should be reviewed carefully for these special
conditions.
17
What is the Best Way to Market Yourself
to the GNWT?
For procurements under $5,000 or professional (i.e. architectural and
engineering) consulting services under $25,000, it is not necessary for
departments to access goods and services through a public formal competitive
process. In these cases departments can use an information invitational process
to solicit bids.
Create Awareness
Be proactive in letting the public, greater business community and the GNWT
know about the goods and services that you offer. This will improve your
chances of being part of invitational procurement processes.
Build Your Knowledge & Do Your Research
Attend GNWT events and seminars where you can meet department and
procurement staff and learn about their buying needs. Attending large project
meetings is also a great way to learn about potential opportunities for your
business to part of projects in your region. These events are a way to research,
make contacts and market your services to others.
Use Government Web Resources
Go online and search GNWT websites to learn more about BIP, the Northern
Manufactured Goods policy, or to look up contacts on the government’s
telephone directory so as to speak to employees in departments whom you
think might be able to benefit from what your business has to offer.
You can also visit the department of Finance’s website to learn more about
contracting regulations, policies and guidelines and access budget reports and
main estimate reports to better understand what the needs of departments
have been historically and might be in the coming year.
Contact Us!
If you have general questions about how
you can make sure to qualify and
improve your ability to bid on
government contracting opportunities,
contact Procurement Shared Services at
procurement_questions@gov.nt.ca.
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