Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions (SACC)
A Public Services and Procurement Canada manual of standardized clauses and conditions that federal solicitations and contracts incorporate by reference, so each tender does not have to restate common legal terms.
Definition
The Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions, abbreviated SACC, is a manual maintained by Public Services and Procurement Canada that contains standardized clauses, general conditions, and supplemental general conditions used in federal procurement. Each clause carries a numeric identifier, and the clauses are grouped into general conditions (the baseline terms for a contract type), supplemental general conditions (added for specific situations), and standard procurement clauses. Rather than writing every legal term into each solicitation, a federal buyer incorporates the relevant SACC clauses by reference using those identifiers. This keeps solicitations consistent, reduces drafting errors, and gives suppliers a stable, published set of terms they can study once and recognize across many tenders.
How it works in Canadian procurement
A federal RFP, RFSO, or RFSA typically lists the SACC clause numbers that apply, covering matters such as general conditions for services, insurance requirements, intellectual property, invoicing and payment, and dispute resolution. Suppliers are expected to read the referenced clauses and price and plan accordingly, because the clauses form part of the resulting contract. The SACC manual is published and searchable, so vendors can look up any referenced clause in full. For cleaning vendors, the most relevant SACC content tends to be the general conditions for service contracts, insurance and liability clauses, and any security-related conditions tied to working in federal facilities.
Common confusions
Because SACC clauses are incorporated by reference, inexperienced bidders sometimes overlook them and price only against the bespoke statement of work, missing obligations buried in the standard conditions. A second confusion: SACC is a federal manual, so provincial and municipal contracts use their own standard terms rather than SACC clauses. Finally, SACC clauses are periodically updated, so a clause number cited in an older template may differ from the current version; always read the version referenced in the live solicitation.
Frequently asked questions
A Public Services and Procurement Canada manual of standardized clauses and conditions that federal solicitations and contracts incorporate by reference instead of restating common terms each time.
Yes, if they are incorporated by reference in the solicitation. The cited SACC clause numbers form part of the contract even though the full text is in the published manual rather than the tender document.
No. SACC is federal. Provincial and municipal buyers use their own standard terms and conditions.
Related terms
- Request for Proposal (RFP): A formal procurement notice used by Canadian government buyers to solicit competitive bids for goods or services of every kind, from professional services and construction to IT, facilities, and cleaning contracts.
- CanadaBuys: The Government of Canada's central electronic tendering service for federal goods and services procurement across all categories, from IT and consulting to construction, facilities, and cleaning.
- Security Requirements Check List (SRCL): The federal form (TBS/SCT 350-103) that defines the security requirements of a contract, including the personnel and organization screening levels and any safeguarding obligations a supplier must meet.
- Bid Bond: A surety instrument that guarantees the bidder will enter into the contract at the bid price if awarded, and pays the buyer if the bidder backs out.
See Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions (SACC) terms in real Canadian government contracts
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