Technology requirements document.

Technology requirements document key parameters

Objectives you can fund

• Have a neutral third party identify the technology projects that will actually improve productivity.
• Prioritize those projects instead of running them all at once.
• Confirm that the technology pinch point targeted on the production line really is the right priority.
• De-risk an automation, robotics or artificial intelligence project before committing the costs.
• Obtain neutral estimates that can be used as they stand with a financing partner.
• Build a reusable reference method for the innovations that follow.

Program overview

The technology requirements document is the PROMPT stream that supports Quebec companies in identifying data technology project opportunities. It was called SIPEM until recently; the content and the mechanics have not changed, only the name.

The exercise covers the identification and prioritization of research and development projects applied to digital, physical or software data technologies that improve the company's productivity. Along the way it settles something shop-floor projects often miss: that the technology pinch point targeted on the production line really is the right priority. A robot installed at the wrong station only moves the bottleneck.

• Non-repayable
• Non-cumulative
• One per company
• Independent expert required
• Application in French

Eligibility criteria

Two readings coexist on the official page and you need to know both. The key information table targets manufacturing companies and companies providing services to manufacturers; the "Eligibility" section, for its part, is open to all sectors of activity. In practice, an application from outside the manufacturing world is worth validating with a PROMPT advisor before it is built.

Eligible territory

• The company must be legally constituted under the laws of Quebec or Canada.
• It must have an operating establishment in Quebec devoted to the production of goods and services or to in-house research and development activities.

Application steps

The order matters more than the speed. The service offer must be pre-approved BEFORE the fees are incurred: it is what sets the basis for reimbursement.

1. 01. Framing the need and choosing the expert

   We formulate the technology question the document will have to answer, then we choose the expert from PROMPT's list of pre-qualified independent experts. An expert who is not on the list makes the fees non-reimbursable.

   FRAMING

2. 02. Service offer and pre-approval

   The expert produces a service offer, which PROMPT pre-approves. It is the pivotal document of the file: reimbursement covers 50% of the fees set out in it, and nothing else.

   PRE-APPROVAL

3. 03. Producing the requirements document

   The expert works with your teams, identifies and prioritizes the technology projects, and confirms that the pinch point targeted on the production line is the right priority. Completion cannot exceed 90 days.

   EXECUTION · 90 DAYS MAX

4. 04. Delivery, claim and payment

   Delivery of the complete document, recommendations included, then a claim accompanied by proof of payment. The claim must be submitted before January 31, 2027. No advance of funds is paid: the company pays first.

   CLAIM · BEFORE JANUARY 31, 2027

Activities funded by the program

The program funds an analysis exercise, not the purchase of the technology that follows from it.

• Identification of data technology project opportunities within the company.
• Prioritization of research and development projects applied to digital, physical or software data technologies.
• Confirmation that the technology pinch point targeted on the production line is the right priority.
• Neutral estimate of the costs and of the expected productivity gains.
• Formal recommendations, delivered with the complete document.

Documents to provide

• Service offer from the independent expert, pre-approved by PROMPT.
• Complete technology requirements document, recommendations included.
• Proof of payment of the fees, required before any payment is made.
• Claim, submitted before January 31, 2027.

Expenses covered by the program

• Fees of the independent expert set out in the pre-approved service offer, reimbursed at 50%, up to a maximum PROMPT contribution of $5,000.

Excluded costs

• The share of fees above the maximum amount, when the service offer is higher.
• Applicable taxes, which are extra.
• Purchase of the equipment, software or technology recommended by the document — those fall under other programs.
• Fees incurred before the service offer is pre-approved.

Application review and agreement

• The commitment to pay the amounts granted is conditional on funding being secured by the partners and on the project proceeding properly, in accordance with the funding agreement and the annual budget established.
• No advance of funds is made: the company pays the fees, then is reimbursed on proof of payment.
• Applicable taxes are extra, on top of the announced amounts.
• A management fee is payable to PROMPT; its basis is stated in two different ways on the official page (see section 10).

Points to check before filing

• Two official wordings coexist for the management fee: "5% of the value of the project, up to a maximum of $500" in the key information table, and "5% of Prompt's contribution" in the terms and conditions — which would instead cap it at $250. Ask the advisor before signing the service offer.
• The program used to be called SIPEM. Older documents, including the list of pre-qualified experts, still carry that name.
• The contribution is non-cumulative: it does not stack with other assistance on the same fees. The programs that fund WHAT COMES NEXT — buying the equipment, the R&D project, the integration — are separate levers, with their own rules.
• One requirements document per company. The choice of the question put to the expert is therefore final, and that is the real preparation work.
• Applications close on January 31, 2027 or when funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. A closed envelope gives no warning.
• According to companies that have been through the exercise, the document then serves as a neutral, reliable reference with financing partners, and produces estimates that help identify the funding tools available.