Glossary

Government spending has its own words. These are the ones on this site, in plain language. On other pages, a word with a dotted line below it shows its definition when you point at it.

Advance contract award notice: The government says publicly which company it plans to give a contract to. Other companies have a short time to say that they can do the work. If none does, the company gets the contract without a competition.
Agreement period: The start date and the end date of the deal. The money can be paid at different times in this period.
Amendment: A change to a contract or agreement after it is signed. An amendment often changes the price or the end date.
Bid: An offer from a company to do the work for a given price.
Competitive contract: The government asks companies for offers and selects one of them. In open bidding, any company can make an offer.
Contract: A deal in which the government pays a company or a person for goods or services.
Contribution: Money that the government gives with conditions. The recipient must do specified things and report on them, and the government can check the results.
Estimates: The spending plan that the government gives to Parliament each year. Parliament must approve most of it. "Planned" is the amount in this plan. "Actual" is the amount that was spent, from the Public Accounts.
Fiscal year: The government's budget year. It starts on April 1 and ends on March 31. For example, 2023-2024 is from April 2023 to March 2024.
Grant: Money that the government gives to a person or an organization for a purpose. The recipient does not pay it back and has few conditions to meet.
Hospitality: Food, drinks and events that officials pay for with public money, for example a meal at a meeting.
International assistance: Money that Canada spends to help people in other countries. It is also called foreign aid. IATI is the international format in which Canada publishes these projects.
Lapsed money: Budget money that a department did not spend before the end of the fiscal year. The money goes back to the government. A department can usually keep only a small part of it for the next year.
Non-competitive contract: A contract that the government gives to one company without a competition. It is also called a sole-source contract.
Proactive disclosure: Information that the government must publish without a request from anyone. Contracts of more than $10,000, grants, and the travel costs of senior officials are examples.
Program: The named fund or plan that the money comes from.
Public Accounts: The government's yearly financial report. It shows the money that the government got and spent, and what it owns and owes. The Auditor General checks it.
Recipient: The person, company or organization that gets the money.
Selective tendering: A competition in which only the companies that the government invites can make an offer.
Standing offer: An offer from a company to supply goods or services at set prices for a set time. It is not a contract. Departments can order from it when they need to, without a new competition. Each order, named a call-up, is a separate contract.