Canada Revenue Agency
www.cra.gc.ca
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I have to have an e-commerce/e-procurement site to do business with the CRA?
- What data do I need in the catalogue?
- What assurance do I have that CRA employees would not buy similar goods from another vendor?
- What is WBRO?
- How is the catalogue uploaded into the CRA system?
- How are catalogue change requests communicated?
- Does the CRA follow UNSPSC standards/naming conventions for the catalogue?
- Would the CRA be amenable to using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) instead of Extensible Markup Language (XML)?
- What are CRA's expectations for the catalogue? What are the general timelines to get the catalogue up and running?
- Does everyone in CRA require access to invoices (or is it centrally managed)?
- What is CRA's designated method of payment?
- Why does the CRA require order status for supplies shipped overnight?
- Can you please explain your definition of “single point e-mail ordering” and “confirmation of orders”?
- Could you provide an example of the e-mail and the information it contains?
- Could the CRA provide more information related to the e-procurement system that employees use across the Agency and its functionality, application description, use, operating base, network, etc.?
1. Do I have to have an e-commerce/e-procurement site to do business with the CRA?
No. The CRA hosts the e-procurement site and provides access to the technology for its end-users. However, you must have an electronic web site describing your company and its services.
2. What data do I need in the catalogue?
The Contractor must provide the CRA with an electronic catalogue file. The electronic catalogue must be in the form of an electronic spreadsheet file and/or an XML tagged file. The picture file (item number 18 in the table below) must be 191 x 200 and 72 pixels per inch.
| Item # | Field Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Supplier Part ID |
| 2 | Item short Description - maximum of 255 characters (English) |
| 3 | Item long Description - maximum of 2000 characters (English) |
| 4 | Item short Description - maximum of 255 characters (French) |
| 5 | Item long Description - maximum of 2000 characters (French) |
| 6 | Unit of Measure in the following format:
|
| 7 | CRA price as per discount and Contract (net) |
| 8 | List Price |
| 9 | WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Sheet) |
| 10 | Manufacturer's Name |
| 11 | Manufacturer's Part # |
| 12 | Qty per unit of measure |
| 13 | Delivery Time (in days) |
| 14 | Area of Delivery (if limited) |
| 15 | URL of Supplier in the format: http:// |
| 16 | URL of Manufacturer in the format: http:// |
| 17 | Indication of green or environmentally preferred products (these should be identified with a label or Ecologo certification) |
| 18 | Picture file (jpeg) |
3. What assurance do I have that CRA employees would not buy similar goods from another vendor?
The CRA will make it mandatory for employees to purchase goods from the vendor(s) the contract(s) has been established with.
4. What is WBRO?
WBRO (pronounced Web-Ro) is the e-procurement tool for the CRA. It is an easy-to-use bilingual and internal web-based application that was developed in-house and is available to the CRA employees for the procurement of frequently purchased goods and services. WBRO automates the ordering process, allowing the CRA to foster strategic relationships, capitalize on its buying power and realize significant savings.
5. How is the catalogue uploaded into the CRA system?
An internal Java program is used to upload the content from the MS Excel file provided by the supplier.
6. How are catalogue change requests communicated?
All catalogue change requests are communicated via email to the contracting officer.
7. Does the CRA follow UNSPSC standards/naming conventions for the catalogue?
No.
8. Would the CRA be amenable to using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) instead of Extensible Markup Language (XML)?
No.
9. What are CRA's expectations for the catalogue? What are the general timelines to get the catalogue up and running?
Companies must have the level of technical ability that will provide catalogue information in an electronic format, accept electronic orders, send electronic confirmations, electronic status updates, electronic account statements and allow electronic payment.
The general timelines are: the electronic requirements must be available prior to Contract award and within 30 calendar days of written notification by the CRA. Immediately following the 30 calendar day period, the CRA will test and verify the Bidder's electronic infrastructure for a period of 14 calendar days. At the end of this testing and verification period, the CRA will provide written feedback to the Bidder concerning any deficiencies. The Bidder will have an additional 30 calendar days from the submission of the written feedback on deficiencies by the CRA to demonstrate a fully functional infrastructure at the end of the prescribed period. The Bidder will work collaboratively with the CRA to ensure the infrastructure will be approved by the CRA at the end of the 30 calendar day period. Any extensions to this period will be at the sole discretion of the CRA.
10. Does everyone in CRA require access to invoices (or is it centrally managed)?
Vendors are required to send packing slips with each order, which act as the invoice, and the bank sends the monthly credit card statement to the end user.
11. What is CRA's designated method of payment?
The designated method of order payment for the e-procurement system is by government-approved acquisition cards. The use of acquisition cards provides immediate savings to the Agency through reduced inventory investment and administrative costs as well as direct fast payment to the vendors. The acquisition card providers (banks) bill the CRA on a monthly basis.
12. Why does the CRA require order status for supplies shipped overnight?
The CRA requires order status to automatically update the order status in the system for all orders placed.
13. Can you please explain your definition of “single point e-mail ordering” and “confirmation of orders”?
The CRA requires that the vendor provide a single email address that will be used by all buyers when sending orders.
14. Could you provide an example of the e-mail and the information it contains?
----- Original Message -----
From: WBRO.IT/TI-@ccra-adrc.gc.ca
Date: Friday, July 18, 2003 7:00 pm
Subject: Supplies R' Us: WBRO Order #: 27989
Date of Submission: 2003-07-18 19:01
Key: 2099-482
WBRO User Name: Harley102
User Name: Mark Harley
Phone Number: 905-913-1122
Cost Centre: 120006500
Ship to: 1166 West Pender Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada, V6E 3H8
Shipping Note: Attn: Mark Harley WP14 Tel: (205) 916-3456 Sec: 471-30
| Product Code | Unit Price | Quantity | Unit | Description |
| ======================================================== | ||||
| 513935 | 1.00 | 1 | EA | FELLOWES DESKTOP COPYHOLDER |
| 516651 | 1.00 | 1 | BOX | BX100 HILROY STRAIGHT CUT FOLDERS |
Tax: .30
Shipping: 0.00
Other Charges: 0.00
Total: 2.30
15. Could the CRA provide more information related to the e-procurement system that employees use across the Agency and its functionality, application description, use, operating base, network, etc.?
The CRA e-procurement application is a web-based application designed for the intranet that allows CRA buyers to browse, place orders, manage orders and run reports for various commodity acquisitions. Approximately 2000 users from across Canada access the application using a standard web browser. The application uses CRA's email infrastructure to communicate with vendors.