Municipal Service and Financing Agreement Application

Initial application

Submit your preliminary application to the City. To do so, fill out the Municipal Service and Financing Agreement application form and pay the initial application fee. You can email your application to the City’s Finance Department at [email protected].

Detailed application

In this step, you will submit detailed plans, cost estimates, and timelines. Please update the information in your Municipal Service Financing Agreement application form based on feedback from the initial application and pay the detailed application fee. You can send your updated application form to the City’s Finance Department by email at [email protected].

Once this is complete, you will create the Work Plan. The costs that are eligible and ineligible to recover through credits and reimbursements are listed below.

Legal and procurement

Procurement for developer-led projects:

For developer-led projects, a full public procurement process is not required. However, you must follow the Guiding Principles of the City’s Procurement Bylaw, including openness, fairness, and transparency.

When a competitive process is needed

If the total project cost exceeds $334,400 (not just the City’s share), you are expected to follow an open competitive procurement process. The contractor cannot subcontract 50 per cent or more of the work to a single subcontractor without the prior written approval of the City. Subcontracting does not relieve the Contractor of any obligations under an MSFA.

What developers need to submit

To ensure a competitive process was followed for projects costing more than $334,400, you must provide:

• A copy of the tender or request for quotes (including scope of work, evaluation criteria and deadlines);
• Proof that the process was open (for example, public posting, two arms’ length quotes, and/or disclosure of any non-arms’ length bidders);
• A clear reason for selecting the winning bid (lowest bid is not required);
• Reference checks and proof that the contractor can complete the work.

Conflict of interest rules

The contractor selected:

• cannot have a conflict of interest (for example, goods or services provided by a Council member, City staff, or their family/associate)
• cannot be an opposing party as defined in the City’s Procurement Bylaw.

City oversight and risk

The City has the right to review and approve:

• Insurance coverage (City must be named as an additional insured)
• Deductible limits
• Procurement strategy and tender materials

You, as the developer, are responsible for any cost overruns. In some cases, the City may agree to changes through an addendum to the project agreement (MSFA).

Design and accessibility

All project designs must meet:

• City engineering standards
• Accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
• Environmental sustainability goals, where feasible.

Important notes

• The MSFA must include a reservation provision in the agreement to allow the City to pause or cancel the procurement in the event of unforeseen circumstances or material changes.

The City’s internal review committee will confirm whether you, as the developer, followed a fair and open procurement process. For more details, visit the Bids and Tenders page on guelph.ca.

Repayment and project close-out

Once the project is complete, you will be repaid based on the repayments terms set in the MSFA.