CCC’s programs and services are designed to assist Canadian businesses in accessing foreign procurement markets.
Our designated Customer Acquisition Team is always ready to respond to inquiries about our programs and services and help to onboard prospective CCC customers. This page is focused on onboarding for CCC’s International Prime Contractor.
Your business may be the right fit if you have:
Products and services that governments buy
The capacity and financial strength to pursue large deals
More than two years of sales
A track record of selling abroad or plans to expand internationally
Canadian Benefit
As a Crown Corporation within the Government of Canada, our goal is to maximize the benefits to Canada to the greatest extent possible.
Our legal purpose includes to export products/services from Canada. Defined as: products manufactured in Canada or abroad but that are typically available for the domestic market; or, owned by the Government of Canada, deemed ready for sale or disposal.
Factors we consider when measuring the Canadian benefit include:
- Does the CCC customer have facilities in Canada; does the project contribute to Canadian jobs; taxes paid in Canada; does the product or service involve R&D, design work, investments within Canada; does the project include Canadian sub-contracts that contribute to the above.
- For some projects, having local services, products and/or labour can be an important buyer consideration. CCC’s flexible approach takes this into consideration.
- In some instances, CCC works with its financial partners and provide specific requirement to meet the Canadian Benefit.
How to qualify for CCC’s services?
Onboarding for CCC’s International Prime Contractor Service can be done in six steps:
1
Inquire about CCC
If you’re looking to do business with a foreign government — we can help. Tell us about your opportunity. All information will be kept commercial confidential.
Understanding your business, what you’re selling, and the opportunity are our key steps to consider a fit as a CCC customer. Contact us and access our advice through a discovery call.
Reach out to speak with a CCC representative today!
2
Tell us about your business
Forming part of CCC’s Responsible Business Conduct Framework, and in keeping with the CCC Code of Conduct and Business Ethics (Code), prospective customers begin by completing a Due Diligence Questionnaire (DDQ).
CCC’s Integrity Compliance Committee (ICC) will assess the submitted documents to understand your business’s ability to execute an international contract with respect to managerial, technical and financial capacity, as well as adherence to responsible business conduct practices. ICC will either come back with further questions or give the go-ahead to continue.
Action required
Complete and submit DDQ Part A
What does CCC’s due diligence involve?
As part of our review process, we’ll also ask you to provide information about your technical, managerial and financial capabilities. Here’s what we look for:
Technical
- Sufficient technical expertise to meet the requirements of the contract
- Capacity to undertake the contract (which may involve site visits to your locations)
- An alternate source of supply for the product or service
Managerial
- A management team capable of carrying on your business over the life of the contract
- A project team capable of managing the contract
- Experience managing successful export contracts in markets with risk profiles similar to that of the proposed contract
Financial
- An understanding of the risk of insolvency during the contract period
- Adequate capacity to meet the contract’s cash-flow demands
- Ability to handle scope changes and cost overruns commensurate with the risk of the project
3
Define the project
With everything in order, your business passed the first major step to qualify for CCC’s services. Internally, your CCC account manager will bring your proposed project forward for formal CCC approval. To do this, we will need more information on your product or service, whether there’s a buyer lead with a budget, or if we need to look at financing options.
This information will go toward determining CCC’s fee for service that will be applied in the G2G contract.
Recommended action
Provide marketing materials about the product or service
About CCC’s fee for service
CCC’s fees cover the level of effort and costs related to the management and execution of a contract as well as any up-front business development costs. These fees are commensurate with the contract value, risk and nature of the transaction. Our fees are affected by specific factors, including:
- Costs: A cost estimator tool is used to project the costs associated with managing the contract to ensure the proposed fees cover the projected costs.
- Risk: The risk profile of the opportunity (i.e., managerial, technical, financial and political risk) is considered when setting the fee.
- Transaction type: The complexity of the project (e.g., supply and install contracts versus complex construction projects) and subsequent level of effort for our team are also considered when setting the fee.
As a potential CCC customer, information on the fees will be useful to understand as you build these into the proposal for the G2G contract with the buyer.
4
Agree to partner with CCC
It’s now time to sign a Pursuit Agreement (PA), which governs the relationship between CCC and our customers and allows us to jointly pursue foreign sales opportunities using a government-to-government contracting approach. It will define the terms of our engagement (information exchange, duration, legal parts, etc.)
In support of the business development expenses prior to a contract signing, a Travel Authorization Form (TAF) will need to be signed to allow for cost recovery of agreed expenses, such as the number of trips during a designated period in order to advance a specific opportunity or request. With this in place, CCC will submit receipts for travel requiring reimbursement at the end of each month. The effective period of the travel agreement typically ends at a successful pursuit completion or the signing of a contract, or a specific period designated in the agreement.
Recommended action
Sign a Pursuit Agreement & a Travel Authorization Form
5
Government buyer interest
We are now looking to understand more information about the buyer. When this step happens along CCC’s onboarding process can vary; sometimes a buyer is already known to the prospective customer, in which case the onboarding process tends to be quicker.
If a buyer hasn’t been identified, then we’ll have discussions about the target markets to understand where there could be interest in your product or service, combined with where CCC’s G2G contracting approach has the political interest, legal framework and other circumstances needed to succeed.
Tip
CCC can act as a commercially confidential sounding board on target markets of interest. Help us help you.
About government buyers
How do G2G leads become known to CCC?
- Government buyers: CCC often gets approached by governments interested in a specific Canadian capability, often when they’ve already procured with CCC and understand the efficiency, practicality and success of our G2G procurement mechanism. If they’ve identified a specific CCC customer, we will gladly look at repeat business. If it’s an unspecified request, we will look to match the buyer’s request with a Canadian business. It’s important to note that CCC can work with a government at any level.
- Customers: Canadian businesses approach CCC with a known buyer opportunity, or with a list of target markets for us to find a buyer together. The later joint-effort may take time, but CCC will work with partners to find a good match for G2G.
- Partners: CCC works with many partners in various sectors, but our most important partners are Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence and Canada’s diplomatic representation. We refer to and from each other with buyer opportunities or customers looking for assistance.
6
Qualify the pursuit (Getting to know you)
Now that we understand who the buyer is, their interest in your product or service, and their willingness to procure through CCC’s G2G contracting approach, there is a second step to undertake to complete the pursuit due diligence process.
In compliance with CCC’s Transparency and Accountability Policy, CCC will require the exporter’s agreement and consent to disclose information for every export sales transaction regarding the destination of products or services; a description of the products or services; the project value and currency; and whether any third party or agents are involved. Internally, a higher-level approval to continue will be sought to qualify the pursuit.
Action required
Complete and submit DDQ Part B
CCC’s Customer Acquisition Team
Onboarding customers, advising and exploring pursuit opportunities.
Claude Gendron
Director, Customer Acquisition & Outreach
Matthew Lariviere
Senior Export Advisor
Jonathan McAuley
Senior Export Advisor
Need more information?
We help Canadians win more government business abroad.
