BC procurement changes this fall: what bidders should act on

Five BC procurement changes took effect or were announced between mid-September and late October. Two are provincial and three are federal. None of them changes how public work is won. Each one, though, affects a fee proposal, a delivery record, or a closing time that may already be in your pipeline.

This post covers what changed, who it affects, and what to do this week. It does not forecast spending, and it does not repeat the bid or no-bid decision.

All five sit alongside the federal Buy Canadian Policy. Under it, Canadian suppliers receive additional points during bid evaluation. Since June 15, 2026, the policy has applied to strategic procurements of $5 million and above, down from $25 million.

BC procurement changes start with the PST pause

On September 18, the Province said it would delay the provincial sales tax (PST) expansion to professional services that was due to start on October 1. It pointed to new and ongoing international trade disruptions. The Province estimates the pause will save people, local governments and businesses about $260 million in 2026-27.

The pause covers six services: accounting, architectural, engineering, geoscience, non-residential real estate, and security. Under the original design, PST on architectural, engineering and geoscience services would have applied to 30% of the purchase price. On September 29, the Province amended Procedure M (Sales Taxes) in its Core Policy and Procedures Manual (CPPM). The amendment removes all six categories as PST-taxable services.

What to do. Pull every open fee proposal and every bid that has been submitted but not yet awarded. Look for a PST line, or a price built on tax applied to 30% of the fee. If the solicitation is still open, correct the price before closing. If it has closed, ask the contracting authority how it wants the change handled.

If you registered for a PST account, the Province’s notice says you should cancel it using eTaxBC or by calling 1-877-388-4440. The Province has described this as a delay and a pause, not a repeal. Keep a note of how your pricing would change if the expansion returns. Where tax has already been invoiced or collected, involve your accountant.

Federal delivery performance is now on the record

Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) Vendor Performance Management (VPM) Policy took effect on September 18. It is published in the CanadaBuys Buyer’s Portal. Vendors are assessed in four categories, cost, quality, schedule and management, using a standard scorecard.

According to PSPC’s rollout update, VPM clauses go into new PSPC requests for proposals and non-competitive contracts for goods and services above $100,000. This applies where PSPC is also the technical authority. VPM clauses and scorecards are included in solicitation documents, and buyers publish vendor scorecards in SAP Business Network for the vendor to review.

During the launch phase, scores are not used in future bid evaluations. PSPC has committed to notify vendors at least 90 calendar days before that changes. It has also told a parliamentary committee that VPM by itself will not lead to contract termination or vendor ineligibility, and that vendors have a process to object.

What to do. Read the scorecard in any PSPC solicitation before you set your price and schedule. Treat it the way you would read an evaluation grid: it tells you in advance what will be measured. Name one person to review each scorecard when it appears in SAP Business Network. Keep your own delivery records, so you can use the objection process with evidence if a score looks wrong.

The delivery record you build this year may be the one an evaluator reads later.

Bill C-40 and the Defence Investment Agency

On October 6, the federal government tabled Bill C-40. It proposes to establish the Defence Investment Agency (DIA) as a Crown corporation focused on defence procurement, production, and investment. The government says that status would let the DIA negotiate and manage contracts using commercial practices more familiar to industry. It would remain accountable to Parliament through an Associate Minister of National Defence for Procurement.

This is a bill, not law. For BC firms in the defence and marine supply chain, it signals that contract terms may come to look different from standard federal forms.

What to do. Follow the bill through Parliament. Note which of your current or planned pursuits run through the DIA. Do not change your terms or pricing until the legislation passes and the agency publishes how it will contract.

A free federal channel for complaints and disputes

On October 7, the Office of the Procurement Ombud (OPO) released its 2025-26 annual report. It recorded a record 851 procurement-related cases and 16 requests for alternative dispute resolution (ADR). During the year, OPO launched six reviews of complaints about the award and administration of federal contracts and completed four others.

OPO describes its ADR services as a free way to help settle contractual disputes between suppliers and federal departments. Many smaller firms never use the office because they do not know it exists, or they assume a dispute means lawyers from the start.

What to do. Read OPO’s site now, before you have a problem, so you know which service fits which situation. Keep correspondence with federal buyers organized by contract. Where your contract rights or significant money are at stake, involve your lawyer alongside any approach to OPO.

Check closing times after November 1

BC stops changing its clocks this weekend. On November 1, 2026, no change will be made where clocks would previously have gone back an hour. Pacific time is set at UTC-7, and the abbreviation PCT replaces PST and PDT.

A missed closing time cannot be fixed with good writing. Solicitations drafted before the change may still say “PST” or “Pacific Standard Time”. The gap between BC and any time zone that still changes its clocks will also shift.

What to do. List every solicitation in your pipeline that closes after November 1. Check the time zone each one states. If it is ambiguous, ask the buyer through the formal questions process before the deadline for questions. Check that your calendars and bid-tracking tools show the correct local time. Then plan to submit well before the stated closing.

What to do this week

• Review open and pending fee proposals for PST, and cancel any PST registration you opened for these services.
• Find the VPM clauses and scorecard in each live PSPC solicitation, and assign someone to review scorecards as they are posted.
• Flag any pursuit that may move to the DIA, and track Bill C-40.
• Bookmark OPO’s services page and organize federal contract correspondence.
• Confirm the time zone for every closing date after November 1.

Each item takes less than an hour for a typical pipeline. If you would like a second reader on pricing or scorecards for a live bid, our Public Sector & Bids practice does this work.

Sources

1. “Buy Canadian - Backgrounder”, Public Services and Procurement Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/news/2025/12/buy-canadian.html
2. “Question Period Notes: Buy Canadian Policy”, Public Services and Procurement Canada. https://search.open.canada.ca/qpnotes/record/pwgsc-tpsgc,PSPC-2026-QP-00031
3. “B.C. pauses PST expansion to professional services amid ongoing trade uncertainty”, Office of the Premier, Province of British Columbia. https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2026PREM0034-001089
4. “Notice 2026-001: Notice to providers of professional services”, Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/taxes/sales-taxes/pst/publications/notice-professional-services
5. “Core Policy & Procedures Manual Amendments”, Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/policies-for-government/core-policy/amendments
6. “What’s new in the Buyer’s Portal”, CanadaBuys, Government of Canada. https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/buyer-s-portal/whats-new-portal
7. “Rollout of the Vendor Performance Management Program - Update”, CanadaBuys, Government of Canada. https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/news-and-events/vpm-rollout-update
8. “Frequently asked questions on vendor performance”, CanadaBuys, Government of Canada. https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/frequently-asked-questions-vendor-performance-management
9. “Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates: May 5, 2026”, Public Services and Procurement Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/corporate/transparency/briefing-materials/standing-committee-government-operations-estimates/2026-05-05.html
10. “Introduction of legislation to strengthen Canada’s Defence Sector”, Defence Investment Agency, Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/defence-investment-agency/news/2026/10/introduction-of-legislation-to-strengthen-canadas-defence-sector.html
11. “Procurement Ombud Releases 2025-26 Annual Report, Highlighting the Need for Accountability and Results in Federal Procurement”, Office of the Procurement Ombud, Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/procurement-ombudsman/news/2026/10/procurement-ombud-releases-2025-26-annual-report-highlighting-the-need-for-accountability-and-results-in-federal-procurement.html
12. “The Office of the Procurement Ombud”, Office of the Procurement Ombud, Government of Canada. https://opo-boa.gc.ca/index-eng.html
13. “B.C.’s new time zone (Pacific time)”, Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/celebrating-british-columbia/daylight-saving-time