Getting Work with the Federal Government

Chapter 5 Getting Started The Supplier Registration Information service and the all-important Procurement Business Number The very first thing that all potential suppliers to the Government of Canada should do is register in the Supplier Registration Information (SRI) service (tinyurl.com/Supplier-Registration). All you need is your Canada Revenue Agency Business Number and about an hour of time. This will add your company profile to a database of more than 110,000 businesses. The SRI service, launched in September 1999, was created to become the federal government central registration system for companies wanting to do business with the government. Prior to the introduction of the SRI service, suppliers had to register in assorted databases maintained by different federal departments or organizations. But databases are becoming consolidated these days in the government’s attempt to buy goods and services more efficiently, and the SRI service is the definitive database. In fact, PWGSC won’t buy from you unless you’re registered with the SRI service. And increasingly, other federal government departments are doing the same. Unlike other existing departmental vendor databases, your information in SRI is available to all federal government buyers, administrators and employees through the Supplier Information service section of the Contracts Canada Web site (www.contractscanada.gc.ca). This information is used for purchasing and invoicing purposes only. Suppliers can only access their own information. The key benefit that you immediately obtain from the SRI service is the all-important Procurement Business Number (PBN), which identifies a branch, division or office of your company. PWGSC and other federal departments use the PBN for their purchasing and payment systems as a supplier identifier code. You’ll need the PBN to register in vendor databases such as Professional Services Online. The PBN is created using your Canada Revenue Agency Business Number. The Canada Revenue Agency Business Number could be your Goods and Services Tax (GST) or Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) number. Or not. You can have a Canada Revenue Agency Business Number without having a GST/HST. If you don’t have a Canada Revenue Agency Business Number, contact the Canada Revenue Agency at 1-800-959-5525 or register online at www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bn. If you have a GST/HST number, then the PBN consists of the first nine digits of your GST/HST number, plus two letters and four numbers identifying your procurement account. ********* Tip Always check for new SRI commodities categories that reflect your services. Most government buyers search the Supplier Information database by commodities. ********* A word about your company name, if you’re in the process of getting your GST/HST number and are still picking a name. If you plan to register your GST/HST number under your company name, take a moment to consider whether that name sounds clear and competent. Sometimes the only information a contracting authority ends up with on you (despite the 60-page bid you slaved over and submitted for evaluation) is your name and contact info. Canada Business (www.canadabusiness.ca), a joint initiative between federal, provincial/territorial and private sector organizations to help businesses access a wider range of information on government services, programs and regulations, offers sage advice when considering how to choose a name. Registering in the SRI service is a two-step process. Once you provide your GST/HST number, Contracts Canada verifies your number with the Canada Revenue Agency and then furnishes you with a PBN, along with a user name and password to create an account. Then you set up an online account that includes: • your name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address • PBN • type of ownership (whether a sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership or other entity) • country of ownership • your business’s operating name • the number of employees in your business • your business sector (this identifies who your services are geared to—who most of your clients are) • the official language you operate in • whether or not you are an Aboriginal supplier • commodity information (these are the types of goods or services you provide, chosen from a PWGSC database of hundreds of commodities), and • comments about your company (here you can briefly list your experience, areas of expertise, types of projects you’ve worked on, your main clients, your level of security clearance, etc., and link to your Web site). Keep your PBN, user name and password in a safe place. You’ll need these to update your account. You should do this on a regular basis, at least once every quarter. Add new information about your business, and check to see if any new SRI commodities categories have been introduced to the master list. If they reflect services that you offer, add them to your company profile. While it is possible for government buyers to search records by a supplier’s legal or operating name, address, PBN or telephone number, they usually conduct a search by commodities. This is another important reason to keep your SRI profile up-to-date with the latest commodities categories. Registering in SRI and other databases is just the first step on the way to getting work with the federal government. Being listed doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically get a contract. You’ll need to promote your company and services to contacts in government departments, like the materiel managers, departmental managers and procurement officers mentioned earlier. They may suggest you as a supplier, possibly giving you a chance to bid. You should also register in other supplier databases, described next in this chapter. Should you need help registering in SRI, contact the regional SRI agent closest to you: tinyurl.com/SRI-contacts.