Suppliers

Our Suppliers

Every year, National Bank of Canada (the “Bank”) purchases more than $1.5 billion worth of goods and services from its suppliers. The Bank views its suppliers as strategic partners and in return, demands that they adhere to the highest standards of quality, service, social and environmental responsibility and ethics.

Easy Steps

If you are a supplier wishing to offer your products and/or services, we invite you to complete the online registration form. This will allow you to:

  • Register as a supplier according to the categories of products and/or services you offer

  • Be selected when requests for proposals are made and submit bids directly online. 

This new easily accessible and user-friendly approach will enable you to bid online safely.

National Bank only contacts those suppliers it considers best able to meet its needs when new procurement activities (requests for proposal, information requests) are being studied.

Selection criteria

For procurement activities, each bid is assessed using a weighting scheme based on the needs expressed by the Bank business unit involved.

The weighting assigned to each selection criterion varies according to the nature of the products and/or services required. The most common selection criteria are listed below.

  • Quality of products/services;
  • Competitive prices;
  • Environmental and social impact of products or services;
  • Experience and competence;
  • Financial soundness;
  • Flexibility and capacity to meet the Bank's requirements, in particularly for proposed timetables;
  • Compliance with legal requirements (e.g., insurance, security and confidentiality);
  • Professional reputation and references;
  • Online procurement;
  • Policies, commitments and actions towards Sustainable Development, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles, and the Values to which the Bank adheres.

Suppliers must also undertake to comply with the principles set out in the National Bank's Supplier Code of Conduct.

The Bank business unit makes its decision by taking all relevant factors into account.

For each procurement activity carried out by National Bank, only those suppliers that National Bank deems best able to meet its needs will be contacted. The presentation of a proposal by a supplier therefore does not oblige National Bank to acquire the product or service from that supplier.

At times, National Bank may decide to send information requests to eligible suppliers with the aim of obtaining more detailed information on their products and/or services or about a particular market. National Bank sometimes may also decide to send requests for proposal by inviting all or some of the suppliers offering the desired products and/or services to submit a bid. In either case, National Bank shall be free to contact and/or negotiate with the suppliers of its choice. The information request, and request for proposal processes shall not, in themselves, create any rights for the suppliers or obligation on National Bank.

For a request for proposal, National Bank may accept or reject, in whole or in part, a proposal, National Bank will not have to provide a reason or explanation to support its decision. Furthermore, National Bank shall not be required to enter into an agreement with the chosen supplier National Bank's sole obligation in such a situation shall be to negotiate in good faith with the chosen supplier with the aim of arriving, insofar as possible, at the conclusion of an agreement.

Finally, National Bank shall not be required to repay or in any way assume the expenses that a supplier may be required to incur during the steps contemplated herein, such as preparing a bid or presenting additional information on its bid, proposal and/or products and services to National Bank. The supplier is and shall remain solely and completely responsible for all such fees and out-of-pocket expenses.