What is PSIB (Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business)?

PSIB is a federal procurement program requiring a minimum 5% of eligible Government of Canada contracts go to Indigenous-owned businesses. To qualify, your company must be at least 51% Indigenous-owned and registered in the Indigenous Business Directory. Set-asides include mandatory, voluntary, and conditional categories.

How do Indigenous-owned companies qualify for federal set-aside contracts?

Your business must be at least 51% owned and managed by Indigenous people (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) and registered with Canada's Indigenous Business Directory (IBD). Once registered, your company is eligible for PSIB set-aside procurements on CanadaBuys.canada.ca.

What ISC funding programs are available for Indigenous construction companies?

Indigenous Services Canada offers several funding streams including the First Nations Infrastructure Fund, business capacity funding ($150K–$1.5M sequentially), and access to business opportunity grants. Scale AI also offers up to 40% reimbursement for AI adoption costs, which Indigenous companies can stack with ISC funding.

Does ScaleTechnics work with Indigenous-owned traffic control companies in BC?

Yes. ScaleTechnics partners with Shewalh, a BC Indigenous-led traffic control company. Our AI systems are proven in live traffic control and civil contracting operations — covering PSIB tender monitoring, WorkSafe compliance, and funding application management.

How does AI help Indigenous civil contractors win more government contracts?

ScaleTechnics installs AI agents that monitor PSIB-eligible tenders on Buyandsell.gc.ca, BC Bid, and Central Tenders 24/7 — alerting you within minutes of a matching posting. The agent also pre-fills bid documents, tracks ISC and Scale AI funding deadlines, manages compliance certificates, and generates tailored capability statements per agency — so Indigenous firms can bid faster, win more, and stay compliant without extra admin overhead.

Indigenous Construction Consulting | PSIB Federal Procurement BC

The Challenge

Indigenous civil contractors in BC are leaving government contracts on the table.

Federal PSIB set-aside contracts exist specifically for Indigenous businesses — but most companies don't have the bandwidth to monitor, respond to, and win them consistently.
ISC, Scale AI, and PSIB funding programs offer millions in non-dilutive capital — but the application process is document-heavy, time-consuming, and constantly changing.
WorkSafe BC, traffic control licensing, bonding requirements, and Indigenous procurement certifications all require ongoing compliance management most small teams can't sustain.
General contractors and government agencies want Indigenous-led partners — but they need companies that show up with documentation, capability statements, and fast response times that match their process.
There's no system tracking which tenders qualify for Indigenous set-asides, which funding programs are open, and which compliance deadlines are coming up — all at once.

The Transformation

Here's what an AI-powered Indigenous contracting firm looks like.

Area

Without ScaleTechnics

With Indigenous AI Agent

PSIB Tender Monitoring

Manually checking Buyandsell.gc.ca once a week

Missing set-aside windows entirely

Real-time alerts on every PSIB-eligible tender within 15 minutes

Filtered to your trade, region, and Indigenous set-aside status

Funding Applications

Weeks spent manually assembling ISC + Scale AI applications

Wrong format, missed deadlines, resubmissions

AI pre-fills application packages from your business profile

ISC, Scale AI, PSIB, and BCIB tracked and prepared automatically

Compliance Management

WorkSafe, licensing, and bonding tracked manually per job

Lapses discovered at the worst possible moment

Every certificate, license, and deadline tracked with 30-day alerts

Always audit-ready — federal and provincial

Capability Statements

One static PDF, rarely updated, not tailored per bid

GCs and agencies don't see your full capability

Dynamic capability documents generated per opportunity

Tailored to each federal or provincial agency's language

Subcontractor & Partner Tracking

Insurance, WCB letters, and Indigenous certification scattered across email

Scrambling to verify before submitting bids

Centralized database with auto-renewal alerts per partner

Everything verified before bid day — not during

By the Numbers

$2.15M

ISC Funding Available (Sequential)

40%

Scale AI Reimbursement on AI Adoption

PSIB

Federal Set-Asides — Exclusively for Indigenous Firms

Zero

Missed Compliance Deadlines

Funding Programs We Navigate

Non-dilutive capital built for Indigenous-owned businesses.

Program	Amount	What It Covers	Eligibility
ISC — Indigenous Services Canada	$150K → $500K → $1.5M	Business capacity, technology adoption, workforce training, operations	Indigenous-owned businesses in Canada
PSIB — Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business	Federal contracts set-aside	Exclusive access to federal procurement contracts ≥$10K when majority Indigenous-owned	51%+ Indigenous-owned, registered in Indigenous Business Directory
Scale AI	Up to 40% reimbursement	AI system implementation, integration costs, staff training	Canadian companies adopting AI in supply chain / operations
NRC-IRAP	$500K+	Technology R&D, AI development, technical staffing costs	Canadian SMEs with technical innovation projects
BC Indigenous Business Fund	Varies	Business expansion, equipment, technology for BC Indigenous companies	BC-based Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses

Capabilities

The Indigenous Contracting Agent runs your ops and procurement layer end to end.

01
Monitors Buyandsell.gc.ca, BC Bid, Merx, and Central Tenders 24/7 — flags every tender eligible for Indigenous set-aside procurement filtered to your trade category, region, and certification status.
02
Tracks all open ISC, Scale AI, PSIB, and provincial Indigenous funding deadlines — pre-fills application documents from your business profile, past project history, and capability data.
03
Maintains your Indigenous Business Directory registration, bonding documents, WorkSafe clearance, and all certification renewals — 30-day alerts before anything expires.
04
Generates tailored capability statements per bid — written in the language each federal or provincial agency expects, pulling from your past projects and team qualifications automatically.
05
Manages subcontractor and partner records: insurance certificates, WCB letters, Indigenous partnership certifications — everything verified and on file before bid day.
06
Produces weekly ops summaries: open tenders, funding deadlines, compliance status, and active project milestones — delivered every Monday morning so your leadership team starts the week with full situational awareness.

Strategic Partnership

Built with Shewalh — Indigenous-Led Traffic Control

ScaleTechnics's Indigenous consulting practice is built in active partnership with Shewalh, a BC Indigenous-led traffic control company. The systems we've developed are proven in real operations — tender monitoring, compliance automation, and funding navigation tested on live contracts across BC. When we install this for your firm, we're bringing tools that already work.

Traffic Control

Civil Contracting

BC Operations

Federal Procurement

PSIB Eligible

"

Indigenous businesses have always been capable. Now we have the systems to show it — and the AI to make sure no opportunity gets missed.

Indigenous Civil Contracting Partner — British Columbia

* Illustrative based on partner outcomes using AI-powered procurement and compliance systems.

Common Questions

PSIB, ISC funding, and how this works.

Q

What is PSIB and how do we qualify? PSIB (Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business) requires the federal government to award a minimum 5% of eligible contracts to Indigenous-owned businesses. To qualify, your company must be at least 51% Indigenous-owned and registered in Canada's Indigenous Business Directory. Once registered, you can bid on mandatory set-asides worth billions annually.
Q

What ISC funding is available for Indigenous construction companies? ISC offers sequential business capacity funding from $150K up to $1.5M, plus the First Nations Infrastructure Fund for larger infrastructure projects. Scale AI also provides up to 40% reimbursement on AI adoption costs — these can be stacked. ScaleTechnics tracks all open deadlines and pre-fills your applications.
Q

Does ScaleTechnics work with traffic control companies in BC? Yes — our Indigenous consulting practice is built in active partnership with Shewalh, a BC Indigenous-led traffic control company. The AI systems we've developed are proven in live operations, not theoretical. When we install for your firm, we bring tools already tested on real BC contracts.
Q

How does the AI find PSIB-eligible tenders? The agent monitors Buyandsell.gc.ca, BC Bid, Merx, and Central Tenders continuously — filtering every posting by PSIB set-aside status, trade category, and your region. You get an alert within minutes of a matching opportunity. No more checking portals manually or missing windows.
Q

What does the engagement look like? We start with a 20-minute discovery call to map your current operations, certifications, and target contract types. From there, we install the agent system, integrate your business profile, and have you monitoring live tenders within days — not months.

Your company already qualifies.
Let's make sure you win.

Book a 20-minute discovery call. We'll map your current operations against available PSIB contracts and funding programs — and show you exactly what AI can unlock for your firm.

Book a Discovery Call →

Indigenous-led civil contracting,powered by AI that works for you.