How to Start Offering Professional Services to the Government of Canada Through the ePortal in Canada

The Centralized Professional Services System (CPSS) ePortal is Public Services and Procurement Canada's (PSPC) system for suppliers offering professional services to the Government of Canada. It is not the general supplier registration. General registration puts a business profile in front of buyers on CanadaBuys through the SAP Business Network. The ePortal is where a supplier bids to pre-qualify under a professional services method of supply, such as ProServices, during an open solicitation. This guide covers the ePortal route only: enrolment, the Supplier Module, and responding to a solicitation through the Data Collection Component. It gives no steps for general supplier registration, for finding or bidding on a goods solicitation, or for security clearance applications.

Read the enrolment warning first, because it decides whether the rest of this guide applies. Enrolment in CPSS provides a company with a Supplier Main Contact login account and creates an initial company profile, and enrolment does not pre-qualify a company under a method of supply, according to the supplier enrolment page for the Centralized Professional Services System. Pre-qualification involves using the supplier account to bid during an open solicitation and having that bid result in the award of a supply arrangement. An enrolled account with no successful bid is an account, not a pre-qualification, and it wins no work on its own.

1. Confirm the route and the method of supply before enrolling

The enrolment page lists the methods of supply whose solicitations an enrolled account can bid for: ProServices, the Informatics method of supply, Task and Solutions Professional Services, Temporary Help Services in the National Capital Region, and Professional Audit Support Services. Each method of supply publishes its own Request for Supply Arrangement (RFSA) tender documents on CanadaBuys, and the step-by-step instructions for entering a bid for each method are found in its RFSA, as the enrolment page states. Read the RFSA for the method that matches the services offered before enrolling, because the RFSA sets the streams, categories, regions, mandatory criteria, and certifications for that solicitation. A company that offers services across more than one method may need to respond under more than one solicitation; enrolment is the shared entry point, not a single pre-qualification covering every method.

One identifier conflict must be settled before any other step. Older PSPC and CanadaBuys guidance describes getting a Procurement Business Number (PBN) by registering in the Supplier Registration Information (SRI) system, and then using that number to access professional services sourcing tools. The live Supplier Registration Information page now states the opposite current position: the SRI system has been decommissioned and will no longer accept new registrations or updates, and suppliers seeking to do business with PSPC are now required to register for an account and complete a company profile in the SAP Business Network as well as hold a valid Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Business Number. The current CPSS enrolment page lists no SRI step. This guide follows the current enrolment page and the decommission notice, and it does not reproduce SRI registration steps. Older field lists for a CPSS enrolment form that were published on the same CanadaBuys page that now carries the decommission notice were also left out, because that page no longer publishes them. If any page still in circulation tells you to register in SRI, follow the decommission notice and the CPSS enrolment page instead, and confirm the current identifier requirement on the enrolment page at the time you start.

2. Get the Business Number and Ariba Network ID ready

The enrolment page lists two mandatory fields, and both must be in place before enrolment can succeed:

• A Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Business Number.
• An Ariba Network ID (ANID) successfully associated with CanadaBuys, with a link on the enrolment page to guidance on registering a business in SAP Ariba and obtaining an ANID.

Get the ANID through the SAP Business Network registration on CanadaBuys. Use the CanadaBuys SAP Business Network registration link, because it adds PSPC to the customer list and gives access to all the fields needed for the Government of Canada profile, as the checklist to prepare to register on SAP Business Network states. Gather the checklist information before starting: the business legal name and head office address, verified against the CRA record through the GST/HST Registry Search when unsure; the main user details, since that person's name, email address, and phone number will be visible to Government of Canada buyers on the company profile; general business questions, including the industry for the main business activity, type of business, and names and positions of current owners, directors, trustees, or partners; financial information, including the CRA Business Number, ownership type, supplier type, and method of payment; and the company profile, including product and service categories, ship-to address and service locations, and number of employees.

Only one SAP Business Network account is allowed per CRA Business Number. If more than one account has been created under the same number, contact the CanadaBuys Service Desk, tell them which account will be used to do business with the Government of Canada, and they will deactivate the others, as the same checklist states. Deactivated accounts are removed from the CanadaBuys system but remain on the SAP Business Network. Sort out duplicate accounts before enrolling in CPSS, because the ANID presented at enrolment must be the one successfully associated with CanadaBuys.

3. Enrol: the Supplier Main Contact account and the initial profile

Enrol through the supplier registration process on the CPSS enrolment page, supplying the CRA Business Number and the ANID. Enrolment creates the Supplier Main Contact login account and the initial company profile. Once enrolled, the Supplier Main Contact account gives access to a Solicitation Dashboard where open solicitations can be bid for. Keep the Main Contact details current from the start: many Supplier Module functions are available only to the Main Contact account holder, and the Main Contact is the account that designates other contacts for a solicitation response, as the Data Collection Component guidance describes.

Do not expect enrolment to list the company as pre-qualified anywhere. The enrolment page is explicit that pre-qualification requires a bid during an open solicitation that results in a supply arrangement award. After enrolment, the next step is to watch the Solicitation Dashboard for the relevant method of supply solicitation, read its RFSA, and respond inside the Data Collection Component. No fee, timeline, or approval period for enrolment is stated on the enrolment page, and none is claimed here.

4. Sign in and use the Supplier Module

After successful enrolment and receipt of credentials, sign in through the Supplier Module as follows, per the At a glance: Supplier Module page: go to the Centralized Professional Services System, select Sign in as a supplier under the For Businesses heading, and enter the credentials. On a first login, a temporary password will have been provided, and the system prompts a password change after it is entered.

The left-hand navigation then offers these functions:

• Add Regional Contact. Create a profile for another individual in the company, usually to set that individual as a Regional Contact for questions from clients.
• Update Regional Contact. Update the contact information of any Regional Contact profile.
• Edit Supplier Profile. Change the company supplier profile. A supplier address change could affect the supplier overall security level, and it remains the supplier responsibility to contact the Contract Security Program and advise them of any changes.
• Edit My Profile. Change the profile of the individual user who logged in, as distinct from the company profile.
• Solicitation Dashboard. View the status of solicitation response templates for each Request for Standing Offer or Supply Arrangement, under Open, Anticipated, Closed, and Awarded headings.
• Change Password and Logout. Change the password, and log out properly when finished.

The dashboard headings carry distinct meanings. Open solicitations have a corresponding solicitation on the Government Electronic Tendering Service, and their response templates are open for suppliers to access and enter data. Anticipated solicitations give advance notice of upcoming solicitations and expected posting dates; when a solicitation is posted on the tendering service, it appears under Open Solicitations at the same time. Closed solicitations have closed and are under evaluation. Awarded solicitations have been evaluated and the Standing Offers or Supply Arrangements awarded. New bidders who want to use the Data Collection Component to respond to an open solicitation should use the Supplier Easy Steps guidance for that component, not the Supplier Module instructions, which exist to modify existing supplier information.

Fix profile errors before opening a response template. Company information inside a Data Collection Component response is a snapshot of the Supplier Profile in the ePortal, and a correction cannot be performed inside the Data Collection Component during a bid response. The Edit Supplier Profile link is available when first logging in, before entering the solicitation dashboard, as the Supplier Easy Steps: Data Collection Component page states. Check the legal nature, address, and contact details against the current records before starting a response, and update the profile first when anything differs.

5. Respond to a solicitation through the Data Collection Component

The Data Collection Component is where a pre-qualification bid is entered. The Supplier Easy Steps page gives the login sequence: access the Supplier Credential Verification page, select the language, enter the User ID and password provided in separate emails, and select Submit. Then select Solicitation Dashboard in the left-hand navigation, and under Open Solicitations select the solicitation number to respond to. The Supplier Response Home Page may or may not show each section below, depending on how the method of supply set up the template, so follow the template for the solicitation in front of you, not a fixed checklist from another solicitation.

Work through the template sections in the order the response home page presents them:

• Designated contacts. As Supplier Main Contact, designate up to two other individuals as contacts who can enter and modify data for the response. Select from the dropdown menu or select Add Designated Contact to create a new contact. Only two contacts per solicitation response template can be assigned, and newly created designated contacts receive their credentials automatically.
• Tiers. Where a solicitation includes tiers, select the checkboxes for what is being applied for, save, and return to the response home page.
• Company information. Indicate the legal nature of the company from the dropdown list, and indicate which province or territory laws will govern the solicitation and any contracts awarded. For a joint venture, enter each joint venture member when prompted, then save.
• Regional information. Select the regions and metropolitan areas where services will be offered, then select Update. Assign a regional contact for each region or metropolitan area offered, add local offices for metropolitan areas where applicable, and set the language preference for each region. Regional contacts receive their credentials only after Standing Offers or Supply Arrangements are issued or awarded. A regional contact name selected for a region determines the contact information shown in search results for federal department clients: if no regional contact is selected for a region, search returns for that region will not display contact information, and it remains the supplier responsibility to select regional contacts for all regions across Canada where services are offered.
• Mandatory criteria. Depending on the template, this may cover stream information, number of months in business, financial certification, and insurance requirements. For stream information, select the streams offered, view the categories for each stream, set the status of each category, and add category summaries or substantiate references where a category is marked Newly Substantiated. For number of months in business, enter the date of establishment and the page number of the hard copies provided. For financial certification, agree to the method of supply statement and provide the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer contact information. For the insurance requirement, read the statement and indicate agreement by checkbox. Mandatory criteria groups allow different project summaries or references for different components or tiers where a solicitation includes them.
• Certifications. Depending on the solicitation, this may cover security, the Federal Contractors Program for Employment Equity, former public servant status, holder responsibility, Aboriginal supplier declaration, grandfather certification, Work Force Reduction Program, code of conduct, security sponsorship, and financial certification or insurance where not already covered under mandatory criteria. For security, indicate the highest security clearance level currently held, contacting the Contract Security Program when unsure; for a joint venture, the highest level that can be indicated is the lowest level of any joint venture member.
• Financial rates for a standing offer, and services offering for a supply arrangement. Complete these sections where the template includes them, following the RFSA instructions for the method of supply. Copying rates from one region or metropolitan area to another is covered in the Supplier Easy Steps guidance where the template provides it.

Submit the solicitation response template as the RFSA instructs, and keep the credentials and confirmation for the response. The Supplier Easy Steps page ends its submission section with contact information for data collection questions; use the contact route the RFSA and the template name for that solicitation, not a general inbox found elsewhere.

6. ProServices pre-qualification, evaluation, and keeping the offering current

ProServices is the worked example PSPC publishes for this route, and its four steps show the shape every method follows. On the ProServices becoming pre-qualified page: step 1, download the Request for Supply Arrangement document from CanadaBuys, with all amendments and attachments, and read the solicitation document carefully, since the RFSA contains all the information and instructions necessary to bid; step 2, if the company does not yet have a CPSS ePortal account, learn how to enrol at supplier registration, then sign in as a supplier; step 3, complete and submit the online response template through the Data Collection Component as instructed in the RFSA, referring to Supplier Easy Steps for the Data Collection Component, with paper elements of supplier bids requested by ProServices during the bid evaluation period; step 4, PSPC performs evaluations on the submitted online responses, and supply arrangements are awarded after evaluation is complete.

After award, the offering stays live only while the profile stays current. Use Edit Supplier Profile for company changes, Update Regional Contact for contact changes, and the dashboard to track anticipated solicitations for the next period, including the ongoing opportunity to qualify to add streams, categories, or regions to an existing supply arrangement, which has its own Supplier Easy Steps carry-over guidance. Tell the Contract Security Program about an address change, since it can affect the security level. Re-check the RFSA for each new solicitation period rather than reusing a previous response unchanged: streams, categories, criteria, and certifications are set per template, and a response built for one solicitation does not automatically satisfy the next.

Figures and steps not stated in this guide

Some figures and steps are deliberately not stated in this guide, because they could not be verified on a current official PSPC, CanadaBuys, or CPSS page, or because the page that stated them no longer publishes them. Do not rely on any item below unless you confirm it on the current official page first. SRI registration steps and any Procurement Business Number obtained through SRI were not stated as a current route, because the SRI page now states the system is decommissioned; the older SRI steps still appear on a PSPC reference sheet, and the conflict is stated in section 1 rather than resolved silently. The field list for a CPSS enrolment form published in older CanadaBuys sourcing-tools guidance, including legal name, operating name, address, and contact fields with an email confirmation sequence, was not stated, because the page that published it now shows the SRI decommission notice instead. SELECT registration steps were not stated, because no current SELECT registration steps could be verified on an official page. Any dollar threshold for a method of supply, including a trade agreement threshold for ProServices, is not stated, because no current figure could be verified on an official page. Any enrolment fee, processing timeline, or credential delivery timeline is not stated, because none could be verified on an official CPSS page. Security clearance levels, application steps, and timelines were not stated beyond the Data Collection Component certification field, because they could not be verified on an official Contract Security Program page. If any of these items is needed, verify it on the current CPSS, CanadaBuys, or Contract Security Program page before publishing it.

Related guides:

• How to Start Registering as a Supplier on Buy and Sell in Canada — general supplier registration through CanadaBuys and the SAP Business Network; this guide covers the separate professional services ePortal route, which that guide names but gives no steps for.
• How to Get a Business Number in Canada — getting the CRA Business Number that CPSS enrolment lists as a mandatory field.
• How to Start Using CRA My Business Account in Canada — managing CRA business accounts online; this guide covers the separate PSPC ePortal that checks the CRA Business Number at enrolment.
• How to Buy Government Surplus in Canada — buying surplus goods the government is selling; this guide covers offering professional services to the government.
• Business Grants and Funding Programs in Canada — grants and funding programs for businesses; this guide covers a procurement pre-qualification route, not a funding application.

Sources

• Public Services and Procurement Canada, Supplier enrolment (obtaining a supplier account): Centralized professional services system — enrolment creates the Supplier Main Contact account and initial profile, enrolment does not pre-qualify, dashboard access after enrolment, the methods of supply list, RFSA documents on CanadaBuys, and the CRA Business Number and Ariba Network ID mandatory fields.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada, Supplier Registration Information — the SRI system decommissioned with no new registrations or updates, and suppliers now required to register in the SAP Business Network and hold a valid CRA Business Number.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada, Use this checklist to prepare to register on SAP Business Network — one SAP Business Network account per CRA Business Number, the CanadaBuys registration link, the legal name and head office information to gather, the main user details, financial information, and the company profile fields.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada, Becoming pre-qualified — the four ProServices pre-qualification steps, including downloading the RFSA from CanadaBuys, enrolling in the CPSS ePortal, submitting the Data Collection Component response template, paper elements during evaluation, and PSPC evaluation and award.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada, Supplier easy steps: Data collection component — login through Supplier Credential Verification, opening a solicitation response template from the dashboard, designated contacts, tiers, company and regional information, mandatory criteria, certifications, and the rule that profile corrections cannot be made inside a bid response.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada, At a glance: The Supplier Module — signing in as a supplier, temporary password change on first login, the left-hand navigation functions, the dashboard headings for open, anticipated, closed, and awarded solicitations, and the address change and Contract Security Program notice.