Office of the Procurement Ombudsman
Ombud Backs Boost in NRFP Use
As part of his commitment to provide solutions to longstanding procurement issues, the Procurement Ombud released a new Knowledge Deepening and Sharing study on the benefits of Negotiated Requests for Proposals (NRFPs) for government contracts.
Unlike traditional tendering formats which follow a rigid process with very limited flexibility, NRFPs allow suppliers to negotiate some aspects of the contract (i.e., proposed solution or approach to the work and the associated bid price) after proposals have been submitted and evaluated.
Widely used by many Canadian provinces and municipalities and other countries, the NRFP format has proven to be a promising alternative to traditional procurement processes. Due to its flexibility, it has contributed to improved competition, better solutions and the achievement of Best Value procurements.
As the traditional tendering format used in federal procurement continues to create significant challenges for both government entities and bidders, the report calls for senior procurement officials to consider using NRFPs in certain contexts (e.g., more complex procurements) as a way to simplify procurement processes, make them more cost-effective for taxpayers and increase competition.
https://www.canada.ca/en/procurement-ombudsman/news/2025/05/procurement-ombud-supports-increased-use-of-negotiated-requests-for-proposals-nrfps.html