Ways to work.
Three ways to engage the studio, and the routes available for placing creative and communications work with a Northern Indigenous supplier.
Defined scope + deliverables.
Firm price against a Statement of Work. Typically 2–8 weeks.
Retainers + recurring work.
Monthly retainer, embedded contractor or fractional creative direction. Typically 3–6 months.
Supplier rosters + subcontracting.
Standing offers and supplier rosters, or subcontract and joint venture on your prime contract. Northern Indigenous delivery.
Federal routes by value
Thresholds change annually. Confirm current figures against your procurement authority.
- Under $10,000
- Low-dollar-value purchase or acquisition card. Send the deliverable list, get a quote.
- $10,000 – $40,000
- Directed contract or invitational tender. Under a supply arrangement, departments may direct a contract below $40,000.
- $40,000 – $100,000
- Invitational tender, or a call-up against a standing offer. The densest band for creative services awards.
- $100,000 +
- Open tender on CanadaBuys, or a task authorization under a professional services supply arrangement.
- Set-asides
- Under PSIB, competition is restricted to certified Indigenous businesses. Mandatory where recipients are Indigenous and value exceeds $5,000.
The 5% Indigenous procurement target is mandatory. Communications and design work in the $10K–$100K band is one of the easiest places to meet it.
Where subcontracting or a joint venture is used under a set-aside, at least 33% of contract value must be performed by Indigenous businesses. On a single-studio contract that question does not arise. We can provide an Indigenous Participation Plan on request.
Yukon and the North
- Bid value reduction
- Yukon applies evaluation-stage price adjustments for Yukon First Nations Businesses, scaled to ownership level, community location and employment commitments.
- Invitational tendering
- Where the Yukon First Nations Business Registry lists qualified suppliers, at least one is to be invited.
- Land claim agreements
- Yukon is a settled-claims territory. CLCA contracting obligations apply in settlement areas and take precedence over PSIB there.
To get a firm price
Send what you have. We will tell you what is missing rather than padding the estimate.
- A Statement of Work, or a list of deliverables
- Quantities, formats and languages
- The date you need it
- Whether accessibility conformance is required
- Budget band or ceiling
- Whether it is set aside, and under which strategy
- Any security requirement and level
- The commodity code you are coded to, if known