Contract A

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In Canadian contract law, Contract A is a concept applied by Canadian courts regarding the fair and equal treatment of bidders in a contract tendering process. Essentially this concept formalizes previously applied precedents and strengthens the protection afforded to those who submit bids in the tendering process. The concept was introduced in 1981 by the Supreme Court of Canada, in R. v. Ron Engineering and Construction (Eastern) Ltd . [1] The court found that a "duty of fairness" was owed to all bidders by an owner in a tendering process.

Supreme Court of Canada building in Ottawa Supreme court of Canada in summer.jpg
Supreme Court of Canada building in Ottawa

A Contract A, a "process contract", [2] is formed between the owner (person, company or organization tendering the project) and each bidder when a "request for proposal" is responded to in the form of a compliant bid, sometimes also known as submission of price. The owner must deal fairly and equally with all bidders, and must not show any favouritism or prejudice towards any bidder(s). In essence, this concept boils down to the right of an individual to have equal opportunity to be successful with their bid for work.

A breach of Contract A may occur if the owner (or an owner's officer or representative, see vicarious liability), provides information, changes specification during the tendering process to unfairly benefit a particular bidder, enters into closed negotiations with an individual bidder in an effort to obtain more desirable contract conditions, etc. The most common situation in which an owner is accused of having breached Contract A occurs when a bidder is selected who is not the lowest bidder. This contravenes established custom and practice, which would normally dictate that the lowest bidder be awarded the subsequent contract to perform the work, Contract B, but is not normally a source of a breach if handled properly. The successful suits for breach typically occur if the lowest bidder has been excluded based on a stipulation not clearly outlined in the tender documents (such as preference for local bidders) or when the Privilege Clause employed by the owner to exclude a principle of custom and practice is judged by the courts to be too broadly worded to have any meaning.

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<i>R v Ron Engineering and Construction (Eastern) Ltd</i> Supreme Court of Canada case

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invitation to treat</span> An expression of willingness to negotiate

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invitation to tender</span> Business process

An invitation to tender is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business activity in works, supply, or service contracts, often from companies who have been previously assessed for suitability by means of a supplier questionnaire (SQ) or pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ).

Insurance in South Africa describes a mechanism in that country for the reduction or minimisation of loss, owing to the constant exposure of people and assets to risks. The kinds of loss which arise if such risks eventuate may be either patrimonial or non-patrimonial.

Tercon Contractors Ltd. v. British Columbia is a British Columbia legal case which was resolved in the Supreme Court of Canada in 2010 on a majority decision, both the majority and the dissenting Justices agreeing that the legal doctrine of fundamental breach should be "laid to rest", or "donner le coup de grâce" in the French report, in respect of the enforceability of exclusion clauses. The judges were divided five:four in regard to the applicability of their ruling to the facts of this particular case.

References

  1. Government Procurement, Fourth Edition, by Paul Emanuelli, p. 125, Published by Lexis Nexis Canada, Year of Publication: 2017, ISBN   978-0-433-47454-8
  2. Court of Appeal for British Columbia, Tercon Contractors Ltd. v. British Columbia (Transportation and Highways), 2007 BCCA 592, footnote 1, published 3 December 2007, accessed 29 July 2021