Ministry Vendor Complaint Review Process (VCRP)

This is the process for registering a Vendor Complaint relating to the application of government procurement policies and procedures by staff of the Ministry of Community Development.  Please also see the government policy on the Vendor Complaint Review Process available at the following website: http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/ocg/pgo/VCRP.htm

Definitions:

Procurement Contact – means the government/ministry contact person listed on the competition posting; or if the services were not competed, the branch/program manager.

Ministry VCRP Administrator – means Ministry staff responsible for receiving, acknowledging, forwarding to applicable program area or responding to complaints.  E-Mail: VCRP@gov.bc.ca

Vendor Complaint Form – means the form that must be used to register all complaints under the Vendor Complaint Review Process.  The form can be accessed here:  VCRP form

Government Procurement Policy and Procedures – means Province of British Columbia procurement policies applicable to Service Contracts and Transfers Under Agreement.  These policies do not apply to statutory and formula-driven contributions, such as government child care subsidies (“Entitlements”) or Grants.  Refer to the Core Policy Manual, Procurement, Chapter 6 for detailed information:

http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/ocg/fmb/manuals/CPM/06_Procurement.htm

Scope:

The scope of the VCRP is limited to issues of Government Procurement Policy and Procedures. 

The VCRP scope does not include issues related to:

• Established evaluation criteria, weighting or scoring of proposals by an evaluation committee;

• Vendor or ministry performance or conduct during a contract (these are to be dealt with through the dispute resolution process identified in the contract document). 

If a vendor submits an FOI request related to the procurement, the timeframes for the VCRP may be extended, due to resource limitations, until after the FOI request is completed.

The VCRP is not intended to detract from a vendor's access to legal recourse or to the Ombudsman's Office. However, VCRP complaints will not generally be considered concurrently with one of these other processes.

Process:

1. Contact the ministry Procurement Contact on an informal basis to discuss the disputed procurement activity.
    
2. If the complaint is not resolved through informal discussions, the vendor may complete a Vendor Complaint Form.
    
3. Submit the Vendor Complaint Form to the Ministry VCRP Administrator by either:

a. email:  VCRP@gov.bc.ca or

b. facsimile:  (250) 387-8772; or

c. mail to the following address:

Ministry Vendor Complaint Review Process   Administrator

Finance and Administrative Services Branch
Ministry of Community Development
PO Box 9843 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9T2

Vendor Complaint Form

4. The VCRP Administrator will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 3 to 5 business days of receiving the complaint.
    
5. The Ministry has thirty calendar (30) days to provide a written response (mail, e-mail or fax) to the complaint.
    
6. The written response may include:

a.   if the complaint is out of scope for the VCRP, why it is out of scope

b.   if disallowed - the reason why.  Reasons may include:

i. complaint is not substantiated;

ii. the complainant has initiated legal action;

iii. the complainant has submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman’s Office;

iv. the complainant does not have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the complaint.

c.   if the complaint has merit – the planned resolution and rationale.