Frequently Asked Questions

All HealthPRO contract opportunities are publicly posted on www.biddingo.com/healthpro, a public procurement website open to all suppliers.

To help anticipate upcoming opportunities, HealthPRO maintains contract schedules which are updated on a regular basis.

HealthPRO’s contract strategies and business practices support local economic development: 

  • 80-100% Compliance to HealthPRO Contracts
    When participating in a HealthPRO contract, regardless of whether the award is to a single or to multiple suppliers, members are expected to commit 80-100% of their spend in the category to one supplier. As the minimum is set at 80%, members have the opportunity to purchase up to 20% of their requirements from local market entrants or suppliers of unique or innovative products.

  • Choosing a Multi-Supplier Award Strategy
    HealthPRO’s Multi-Supplier Award strategy enables those companies who can only supply within a particular province the opportunity to be awarded contracts.

    Although HealthPRO cannot give preference to local suppliers, as per the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a Multi-Supplier Award strategy enables contracts to be awarded to companies who can supply on a provincial basis, even though those local companies may not be able to serve the entire country.

  • Engaging with Suppliers Early On 
    HealthPRO engages suppliers 18-24 months prior to issuing a Request for Qualification (RFQ). This early engagement provides local suppliers with time necessary to implement strategies and consider options that would make them competitive within a national contract. For example, a supplier in Western Canada may choose to partner with a distribution company in the east, thereby establishing a network that services our member hospitals from coast to coast. Suppliers can begin planning for future opportunities by consulting our Contract Schedules:


As Canada’s group contracting provider for healthcare, HealthPRO strictly adheres to all procurement regulations governing our members including the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive, amongst others.

HealthPRO also commits itself to the highest standards of professional practice, supporting both the Supply Chain Management Association Code of Ethics and the Ontario Broader Public Sector Supply Chain Code of Ethics. All HealthPRO employees uphold their principles and conduct themselves according to these codes. 

These regulations and codes of conduct call for an open, fair and competitive process.

Yes, as Canada’s group contracting provider for healthcare serving the public sector, HealthPRO’s procurement process must be in compliance with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), as well as all applicable provincial and regional regulations governing our members, including the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive. These regulations call for an open, fair and competitive process.

Supplier submissions are scored according to rigorous criteria established by HealthPRO’s team of professionals as well as practicing clinicians, business professionals and subject matter experts from across the country. To learn more about HealthPRO’s contracting process, please consult HealthPRO’s Contract Approach documents:

Pharmacy Contract Approach 
Clinical Contract Approach
Support Services Contract Approach 
Nutrition and Food Services Contract Approach

Suppliers include rebates in their competitive proposals for many reasons:

Efficiencies
Suppliers derive value from the efficiencies of doing business with HealthPRO as we consolidate purchasing volumes across the entire country. Without a national group purchasing organization, suppliers would have to significantly increase resources required to manage hundreds of RFPs issued by individual hospitals, provincial health authorities and SSOs and the resulting contracts.

Contract commitment and compliance
HealthPRO’s high levels of contract commitment and compliance ensure that suppliers receive the business they were awarded.

Layer of price confidentiality
Rebates allow suppliers to reward the large national purchasing volumes and the commitment HealthPRO delivers without compromising higher margins on lower volume clients. They also see value in keeping their net price confidential from their competition.

Adherence to procurement regulations
Suppliers are confident in our adherence to all procurement regulations, including the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), and the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive, amongst others, regulations that ensure an open, fair and competitive process.

Rebates are used by HealthPRO to fund the operations of running national contracts on behalf of member hospitals across the country. After covering operating expenses, all remaining rebate revenue (more than 80%) is returned to our members as dividends based on their participation in our contracts. These dividends enable healthcare facilities to fund important initiatives within their sites.

The operating dollars of healthcare facilities across the country are scarce and are becoming more limited over time. Hospitals count on rebate dollars returned to them as dividends based on their participation in our national contracts to help fund important initiatives within their sites.

1. The Supplier shall communicate its concerns or complaints in writing to the Designated Contact with a view to resolving them. All communications must be received in accordance with the timelines set out in the RFx. The Designated Contact shall acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing within five (5) business days and provide a response within ten (10) business days.


2. Where the Supplier is not satisfied with the response under paragraph 1, it may, within five (5) business days of receiving the response, make a written request to the responsible Vice President to seek resolution of the complaint.


3. The responsible Vice President shall, within 20 business days of receiving the request by the Supplier under paragraph 2, provide the Supplier with a written decision, including reasons for the decision.


4. Where the Supplier is not satisfied with the decision under paragraph 3, it may, within five (5) business days of receiving the decision, make a written request to the responsible Vice President for a review by the President and CEO.


5. The responsible Vice President shall, within 20 business days of receiving the request by the Supplier under paragraph 4, provide the Supplier with a written decision arising from the review, including reasons for the decision.


6. The reviewing authority (Vice President and/or President and CEO) may:

(a) delay awarding a proposed contract pending the resolution of the complaint;
(b) direct the Designated Contact to re-evaluate offers or terminate or re-compete the contract in question;
(c) take any other action as deemed appropriate.

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Awarded suppliers can use HealthPRO’s designated “Now on Contract” logo to promote products and services that have been awarded HealthPRO contracts.

HealthPRO’s “Now on Contract” logo can be used in advertising materials, on your website, at tradeshows and on other collateral to generate awareness, boost credibility and increase sales.

All promotional materials containing the "Now on Contract" logo must be submitted to HealthPRO for approval.

To request a copy of the logo and its usage guidelines, please email marketing@healthprocanada.com.

Yes, HealthPRO's clinical and business reference template can be found below and is available for download:

HealthPRO Clinical and Business Reference Template