User guide

This guide provides information for those interested in applying for micro-acquisition coding opportunities. On this page, applicants can find information on eligibility, how to apply, receiving payment and contact information.

Are you eligible?

You are eligible for opportunities on this site if:

• you have reached the age of majority and are contractually competent

AND

• you are Canadian, First Nations, Métis, Inuit, or a permanent resident of Canada

OR

• you are a foreign worker/student and have the appropriate work permit(s) to work in Canada.

To do the work and get paid you need:

1. An account on a public source code repository. You can work on a repository of your choice. Some repository options include GitLab (bilingual), GitHub, Bitbucket.
2. Familiarity with Git version control system. If you have not used Git before or need a refresher, this Git cheat sheet includes all the basic commands.
3. The ability to accept payment from a credit card using a payment system or via PayPal. If you choose to use a payment system, it must accept payment via Visa card. If you would like to accept payment via PayPal, visit how to get set up to accept PayPal payment.

Note: simply having a credit card does not mean you are able to accept payment by credit card.

You will need all three of these things to work on a micro-acquisition contract.

Looking for more information?

If you need clarification on the details of an open opportunity before applying, please email your question(s) to microacquisition@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.

If you have a question about an open opportunity, please send it to us as fast as possible. Answers to these questions are posted on the website for everyone. Questions may be submitted up until two business days before an opportunity closes.

If you have questions about the micro-acquisition pilot in general, you can also send these questions by email to microacquisition@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.

If you are new to doing business with the Government of Canada and you need help understanding the federal procurement process, or if you are interested in learning how to find opportunities to bid on, you can contact the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises. They have a network of offices across Canada.

Are you ready to apply?

To apply to an opportunity:

1. open and fill out an application form (PDF 61 kB, opens a new window)
2. send it to microacquisition@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.

Your application will be evaluated based on criteria that are marked as a pass or fail (there is no scoring).

A pass is required for each evaluation criteria in order for you to be considered for an opportunity.

Example evaluation criteria

Please provide a short, written statement (250 words or less, half a page) demonstrating how you have the required skills in Python or a similar language. In your written statement, describe when you gained these skills, what you did and how you did it. Examples could include: previous work experience, school work, Civic Tech projects etc.

Example answers that would get a passing mark

I did a project for my Data Concepts class in 2019 where I had to use Python and Jupyter notebooks to clean a dataset with over 25000 rows of data. I used Pandas and DataFrames to drop unnecessary columns, I used Numpy to change the index and I combined Pandas str methods with NumPy’s np.where function to get the equivalent of an if statement. This allowed me to find and fix data that was the same but not exactly the same (e.g., in the province field were some entries had “ON”, some had “on” and some had “Ontario”.

Or

While I haven’t used Python and Jupyter notebooks, I have done similar data cleaning using R. In 2020 I worked on a short contract for a local non-profit where I had to clean a data set of member information. I removed duplicate entries with duplicate(), I used the gsub() function to match and replace data that was the same but not exactly the same (e.g., in the province field some entries had “ON”, some had “on” and some had “Ontario”, I looked for invalid values by reviewing the data of birth and ensuring no member was under 10 yo or over 100 yo. Lastly, I used RMarkdown to clearly document all my changes. Given my experience in R, I’m confident I would be able to quickly learn Python and complete this contract.

After you apply

Once the closing date has passed, applications are evaluated. If multiple suppliers pass the evaluation criteria, we assign a number to those suppliers. Then, we use a random number generator (PowerShell Get-Random) to select the winning supplier from this group. You will be advised by email whether you have or have not been selected.

If you are not selected, you may contact us at microacquisition@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca to request a debrief.

Work and payment

If you are selected, you will be asked to sign a terms and conditions document  before the work is started. This is the template terms and conditions document that will be used for all micro-acquisition opportunities. Once this document is signed, you are put in contact with the client. Once the work is complete, it is assessed against the Work Acceptance Criteria.

If the work does not meet the Work Acceptance Criteria in the opportunity statement, you will have the opportunity to revise your work. With that in mind, we recommend that you deliver your work in advance of the deadline to allow time for revisions.

If the work does meet the Work Acceptance Criteria in the opportunity statement, you send an invoice for the fixed price of the opportunity, plus any applicable taxes to NA-FPS-SFA-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.

You may use your own invoice template if you have one, or use this invoice template (ODT 25.8 kB). It includes all the fields required for payment.