Under the Approved Procurement Exemption category of legitimate objectives, a sole source is where AHS contracts with a vendor without having conducted a competitive process and none of the other Approved Procurement Exemption circumstances and criteria apply. AHS has developed guidelines for when contracts can be sole-sourced. Below are some of the considerations taken into account when assessing whether a contract should be sole-sourced.

• For a clinical or corporate need that if not supplied, could impact or disrupt delivery of care
• Where there would be disruption to day-to-day operations without the availability of a product or service
• Where there would be negative financial impact by going through an extensive change of vendors
• Where there is a standardization of clinical services through use of a product where a change could result in disruption of clinical service delivery
• Where there have been legislative or policy changes that impact direct patient care delivery
• Where there is an inability to start or complete a competitive process in a timely manner due to resource availability for engagement, aligning to contract cycles of a group purchasing organization or the potential opportunity to collaborate with other provinces

All sole-sourced contracts are subject to an approval process to ensure that such contracts are adequately justified. Meeting one or more of these considerations does not guarantee the contract will be sole-sourced.

The contracts included in this listing are contracts managed through AHS’ Contracting, Procurement and Supply Management department.

The 2023/24 sole source contracts reflect an overall decrease of 5.23 percent, or approximately $20 million, compared to those awarded in 2022/23. This reduction is due to the transition of community lab services, hospital referral transfers, and related clinical and facility equipment contracts, which were specific purchases required for 2022/23.

Sole-sourced contracts for medical-surgical commodities and pharmaceuticals have increased in 2023/24 due to challenges in global and local supply chains. This proactive approach to securing critically required items has enabled AHS to avoid significant delays.

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Last Updated: April 21, 2025