Beginning on April 1 and continuing until July 31, 2021, the threshold for requiring a formal tender process in the Northwest Territories will be reduced from $25,000 to $10,000 for general goods and services.

This temporary change, being implemented by the Departments of Finance and Industry, Tourism, and Investment, is an effort to allow more territorial businesses have a “fair and equal opportunity to compete for [government] contracts by increasing transparency, and awareness of government procurement opportunities,” according to a press release by the Government of Northwest Territories.

Starting on April 1, all government purchasing above $10,000 will be processed through the public procurement process. Departments seeking goods and services estimated to be $10,000 and over will use requests for proposals or tenders.

This change was made in response to a procurement review held earlier this year with input from the government’s business development staff and the Northwest Territories’ business community.