Procuring vaccines for COVID-19
Explore how the Government of Canada is working to provide Canadians with access to an approved vaccine as early as possible.
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Potential vaccines and supplies
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Health Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to identify and procure potential vaccine candidates and supplies.
On behalf of PHAC, and based on advice from the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, PSPC is leading negotiations and finalizing agreements with suppliers of COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
Some vaccine candidates are currently in clinical trials, and will require Health Canada authorization prior to being used to vaccinate Canadians.
Authorized vaccines
Vaccine agreements
To date, the Government of Canada has invested over $1 billion to secure access to promising vaccine candidates.
This includes up-front payments that companies require to support vaccine development, testing, and at-risk manufacturing. Subsequent payments are contingent on vaccines passing clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approval.
These investments guarantee Canada’s earliest possible access to the production of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.
Agreements have been signed with the following suppliers:
- AstraZeneca: 20 million doses
- Johnson & Johnson: Up to 38 million doses
- Medicago: Up to 76 million doses
- Moderna: 40 million doses
- Novavax: Up to 76 million doses
- Pfizer: Up to 76 million doses
- Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline: Up to 72 million doses
All of the vaccine candidates for which Canada has agreements are a 2-dose vaccine, with the exception of the Johnson & Johnson candidate, which is a 1-dose vaccine.
More information on vaccine agreements
COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility
The Government of Canada is also participating in the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, a global procurement mechanism that will help develop and deliver safe, equitable and accessible COVID-19 vaccines. Participation in the COVAX facility also gives Canada access to 6 additional vaccine candidates.
The Government of Canada is committing approximately $220 million to the facility to procure up to 15 million vaccine doses for Canadians. An additional $220 million will be channeled through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment to purchase doses for low and middle-income countries, increasing their access to a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccine-related procurements
The Government of Canada also continues to purchase the necessary supplies for the administration of different vaccines. Contracts are in place for personal protective equipment and ancillary supplies such as:
- needles
- syringes
- swabs
- gauze
End-to-end logistics
The Government of Canada has awarded a contract to FedEx Express Canada and Innomar Strategies Inc., for an end-to-end COVID-19 logistics solution for COVID-19 vaccines.
Government of Canada awards contract to distribute COVID-19 vaccine from coast to coast to coast
The contract will support the distribution of vaccines across Canada. Specifically, working under the direction of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Operations Centre led by Major-General Dany Fortin, FedEx Express Canada and Innomar Strategies Inc. will provide a variety of services that will assist in warehousing and transportation to provincial and territorial authorities and Indigenous partners to support timely and efficient vaccine administration across the country.
Freezers and dry ice
Given the complexity of vaccine distribution, including the need to transport and store vaccines at specific temperatures, PSPC is also procuring other goods and services required to support the eventual distribution of a vaccine to Canadians.
Freezers
The Government of Canada has now purchased 422 freezers.
- PSPC, on behalf of PHAC, has awarded contracts for the purchase of:
- 322 freezers at -80 degrees Celsius
- 100 freezers at -20 degrees Celsius
Dry ice
The Government of Canada has awarded standing offers for the national delivery of tens of thousands of kilograms of dry ice weekly, on an as-needed basis to 6 Canadian companies:
- ATES Medical, located in Quebec
- Biogivre Inc., located in Quebec
- Co2blast Ltd., located in Alberta
- Fraser Valley Dry Ice Inc., located in British Columbia
- Praxair Canada Inc., located in Ontario
- VitalAire Canada Inc., located in Ontario
The provinces and territories are able to issue call-ups against these offers directly, to meet immediate needs without delay.
National vaccine management information technology platform
On behalf of PHAC, PSPC is contracting a service provider to build further functionality into PHAC’s current operational and well-developed surveillance and coverage information technology (IT) systems. This enhanced national vaccine management IT platform (NVMIP) will help manage vaccine rollout, administration and reporting on a go forward basis, as the volume of deliveries increases.
- Requests for Proposals for the NVMIP were issued directly to qualified suppliers on December 12, 2020
- On January 7, 2021, a contract was awarded for the NVMIP to Deloitte Inc. with a value of $16,138,945.90, taxes included
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