Business Access Canada

Business Access Canada is an interdepartmental initiative to improve supplier and buyer awareness and simplify access to federal government purchasing information. Currently there are 31 participating departments and agencies. 

Summary

Internet
The Business Access Canada Web site provides online information on how to do business with the Government of Canada and how businesses can keep track of opportunities to bid on federal government purchases.

Seminars
Seminars are held regularly on a variety of topics to assist companies and suppliers who want to do business with the federal government. These seminars are held across Canada. Topics include:

• Selling to the Government of Canada - The Basics: provides information that is fundamental to selling to the federal government;
• Writing an Effective Proposal: provides advice and guidance in preparing a winning proposal.

For a schedule of upcoming seminars, visit the Business Access Canada Web site.

Publications
Business Access Canada produces a number of fact sheets about federal government procurement policies and practices.

• Fact Sheets: Business Access Canada has developed a series of fact sheets to provide information to suppliers and federal departments on topics relating to government purchasing.
• Customer Manual: a guide for government buyers using Public Works and Government Services Canada's (PWGSC) procurement and related services.
• List of Departmental Materiel Managers: an Internet-based directory of contacts in the federal government. Materiel managers are usually responsible for overseeing the tendering and contracting services for their departments.

Supplier Registration
Suppliers wanting to do business with the federal government should register on Business Access Canada's Web site. The SRI database is accessible to all federal government buyers who may use it to identify potential suppliers for purchases not subject to any of the trade agreements.  

An important feature of SRI is the Procurement Business Number (PBN) created using a company's Canada Revenue Agency Business Number (BN) to uniquely identify a branch, division, or office of the company. PWGSC has adopted the PBN for its purchasing and payment systems as a supplier identifier code. Other federal government departments will gradually be adopting the PBN as part of their purchasing activities.

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Contact(s):
See National Contact.

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National Contact(s):
Business Access Canada
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Room 6C1, Phase III, Place du Portage
11 Laurier Street
Gatineau, Quebec  K1A 0S5
Fax: 819-956-6123
Toll-free (information): 1-800-811-1148
E-mail: ncr.contractscanada@pwgsc.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/text/index-e.html