Introduction

The Procurement Allocation Directory (PAD) is a list of key purchasing contacts in Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) offices. It includes links from these contacts to the products and services they buy. It answers the question: "Who buys what at PWGSC".

What PAD Contains

The Directory lists the names, addresses and telephone numbers of managers for PWGSC purchasing organizations. It matches these managers with the goods and services their divisions buy. The goods and services are identified by commodity codes and the organizations by divisional two-letter codes or regional three-letter codes that frequently form part of the tender and contract numbers used by the department. The regional codes can be used by departments when they send their requisitions to PWGSC and wish to direct their requirement to a particular regional office (Note: requirements directed to PWGSC's headquarters purchasing organizations must be sent to the Central Allocation Unit). The Directory also includes the complete list of the goods and services that PWGSC buys.

How to Use the Directory

Commodities in PAD are identified under three categories: goods, services and construction. You have a number of ways to find the contact for a commodity.

1. Select one of the categories and do a keyword search. A list of the commodities relating to the keyword will be presented. From this list you can select the item which best describes what you are looking for. Click on the item description to bring up the list of contacts that purchase the item. Note that more than one office may be responsible for the same commodity.
2. Select one of the categories and click on the "List All" button to retrieve the complete list of the commodities in that category. You can sort the list by description, Federal Supply Code (FSC) or responsible office (OPI) letter code. Click on the description which best describes what you are looking for. This will bring up the list of contacts that purchase the item you have selected.
3. Click on the "Supply Organization" button at the top of the screen to bring up a hierarchical list of the organizations down to the individual purchasing division. You can then select the appropriate division and click on it to bring up the address and the commodities it buys.

Source Lists

PWGSC's regional offices use source lists for most of the commodities that are listed in the Directory when the requirement is not subject to any of the international trade agreements. However, headquarters purchasing organizations use source lists much less frequently. Instead they use the electronic tendering service, MERX™, to advertise opportunities as is done for requirements subject to the trade agreements.

Glossary

Federal Supply Class Code: This is a four-digit number based on the Federal Supply Classification system used by NATO countries to identify categories of commodities.

OPI (Office of Primary Interest): This refers to the organization responsible for the purchase of the product or service. Each OPI has a two-letter (headquarters) or three-letter (regional) codes (one exception: the code "RH" means that all regional offices purchase the commodity).

Central Allocations Unit (CAU)
0A1, Portage III
11 Laurier Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0S5
Telephone: (819) 956-5156
Facsimile: (819) 956-5175