Standing offer: Office supplies

United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC): 44120000 - Office supplies

Multiple Regional Master Standing Offer (RMSO)

What do we buy

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is to establish a RMSO for government departments, agencies, Crown corporations, and organizations participating in the Canadian Collaborative Procurement Initiative (CCPI).

This procurement tool is used for the purchase of office and desk supplies including but not limited to:

• writing instruments
• ink and lead refills
• binders, folders, stationery, organizers, binding and cutting tools, etc. 

This standing offer (SO) does not include:

• office paper
• office equipment
• toner
• imaging consumables

How do we buy

• Solicitations are posted to CanadaBuys for this requirement
• Suppliers are typically office supplies and stationery retailers
• PSPC has analyzed 3 years of usage data and is in the process of developing a core list of approximately 3,000 items for the upcoming renewal of the SO
• The core list represents a selection of high usage items which meet qualifying criteria, including environmental sustainability requirements
• Suppliers will compete by offering prices for all 3,000 items in the core list
  • Prices will be evaluated on an item by item basis and every supplier is given a score based on the result of the evaluation methodology
• Suppliers must obtain an average score above the minimum pass mark of 75% to be qualified
• SOs will be issued to qualified suppliers on a region by region (11 regions) basis. There can be more than one qualified supplier by region
• Users may then place their order with the supplier that best meets their immediate requirement

Socio-economic aspects

The SOs for office supplies are solicited nationally yet issued (awarded) on a regional and multiple award basis. This ensures that the Government of Canada, the single largest buyer of office supplies in the country, meets its socio-economic objectives with respect to the reduction of barriers to small and medium enterprise and Aboriginal owned businesses.  

There is an Aboriginal set aside for office supply companies as part of the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Businesses. 

A majority of office supplies are green.

Value / Savings / Considerations

By leveraging the consolidated business volume through the use of SOs, CCPI participants benefit from having quick access to a wide selection of suppliers for the purchase of office supplies while also achieving economies of scale and cost-efficiency.