Definitions

Aboriginal Business: A business that is at least 51% Aboriginal owned and controlled; and, if the business has 6 or more full-time staff, at least one-third of them are Aboriginal people.

Aboriginal Business Certificate:  A form used to self-declare Aboriginal ownership and control of a business.

Aboriginal Business Certification:  A process to verify Aboriginal ownership and control of a business. Certification will be required to register in the Aboriginal Business Directory, and when submitting a bid for a particular tender, and on as required during the contract. Contracts with Aboriginal business stipulate that the Aboriginal businesses maintain its Aboriginal business status throughout the duration of a contract.

Aboriginal Business Directory: A business directory of Aboriginal businesses that meet Manitoba’s definition of an Aboriginal business.

Aboriginal Business Involvement: the level of Aboriginal business participation in any tender.

Aboriginal Business Participation: Terms and conditions of a tender that indicate Aboriginal business participation is desirable and points are assigned in the evaluation of the tender document for participation offered by the bidder.

Aboriginal Business Standard: A condition of a tender that indicates that Aboriginal business participation is desirable and no points are assigned in the evaluation of the tender document for participation offered by the bidder.

Aboriginal Person: A First Nations, Non-status Indian, Metis or Inuit person who is a Canadian citizen and resident in Canada.

Administrator: The individual who on behalf of Manitoba is generally responsible for the preparation and administration for the tendering process but may also execute the Agreement and monitor contract performance. The Administrator can be a Buyer, a Purchasing Agent, or staff assigned by the specific department or end user.

Advance Notice: The process of notifying potential businesses with the capacity to provide the good or service that a tender opportunity has been posted to Manitoba’s electronic tendering service.

Capacity: The ability of a business to meet a requirement in whole or in part.

Certification: Requires an Aboriginal business to verify Aboriginal ownership and control of a business. Certification will be required initially to register in the Aboriginal Business Directory, and may subsequently be required when submitting a bid for a particular contract.  Contracts with Aboriginal Businesses require the Aboriginal Businesses to maintain their Aboriginal Business status throughout the duration of a contract.

Competitive Bid: A competitive environment is deemed to exist when: A) at least two Bids have been received, or B) when, in the absence of multiple Bids, the Administrator’s knowledge of the good or service and business community, considers that the price for the good or service is reasonable, taking into account such factors as the additional cost to providing goods and services in remote locations. Justification must be in writing, on file and verifiable by audit.

Insufficient Competition:  During the assessment, fewer that two vendors are in the Aboriginal Business Directory or known to the Administrator, or less than two bids are received, or the bids that are received are considered uncompetitive.

Joint Venture: An enterprise consisting of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal businesses, or two or more Aboriginal businesses, may qualify as Aboriginal suppliers under the Aboriginal Procurement Initiative providing that the Aboriginal business or businesses have at least 51% percent ownership and control of the joint venture.

Mandatory Aboriginal Business Participation: A portion of a tender that must be provided by an Aboriginal business, as a prime contractor or a subcontractor. The portion of involvement is determined by the bidder.

MERX: The electronic tendering system operated by Mediagrif Interactive Technologies, currently used by the Manitoba Government, the Government of Canada and several provincial jurisdictions.

Partnership:  The legal entity that is two or more individuals or businesses joining together to conduct business with Manitoba.

Points:  The value attached to each criterion to be evaluated by the Administrator, ex: a minimum of five points out of 100 would be assigned to Aboriginal Business content.

Prime Contractor:  The legal entity that is awarded the contract. Government of Manitoba pays the Primary contractor. The Primary Contractor is responsible for paying sub-contractors used to perform obligations of the contract. 

Procurement: The acquisition of goods and services, including construction, awarded through contracting arrangements.

Rating: Comparison of scores of multiple bids/proposals.

Request for Proposal (RFP):  Solicits competitive proposals. It contains the terms and conditions and is used when a business is invited to propose a solution to a problem, requirement, or objective.

Request for Quotation (RFQ):  Solicits competitive Bids. It contains the terms and conditions and describes the specifications of the goods or services required.

Scoping: Within the assessment process, consideration will be given to splitting a requirement into smaller components or specialized work packages for tendering to better suit the capacity of businesses that meet specified criteria.

Score:  Identifies the individual points awarded to each criteria. Bids are evaluated out total points available or an equivalent percentage. Normally a total of 100 points are used.

Set Aside: A Set-Aside is a procurement for goods or services that has been reserved for competition among Aboriginal vendors.

Subcontractors:  Companies that have a contract with a Prime Contractor(s).  Subcontractors do not have a direct contractual relationship with Manitoba.

Tender: An offer or proposal made for acceptance as in:
a) a public expression of a willingness to buy.
b) an offer of a bid for a contract.
c) A response to a call for tenders.

Weighting:  Part of the evaluation process whereby the individual tender is scored against assigned points