CPCSC Level 2 Control

Last updated June 25, 2026

03.17.02Supply chain risk management

CPCSC Level 2 03.17.02: Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods

Apply acquisition strategies, tools, and methods to manage supplier, acquisition, and supply chain risks that affect the in-scope environment for CPCSC Level 2 readiness. This guide separates the official ITSP.10.171 control language from practical implementation, evidence, auditor questions, and related controls.

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Formal Control Language

Official ITSP.10.171 wording for 03.17.02. Use the Cyber Centre publication and contract requirements as the source of truth for certification, assessment, or procurement submissions.

  • Develop and implement acquisition strategies, contract tools, and procurement methods to identify, protect against, and mitigate supply chain risks.

Contains information sourced from Government of Canada material used under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

What This Means In Plain English

Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods is part of the CPCSC Level 2 Supply chain risk management family. This is about managing supplier and acquisition risk where vendors, subcontractors, tools, or services affect specified information.

For a founder, CISO, engineer, or compliance owner, the practical question is whether acquisition strategies, tools, and methods is visible in real operating evidence: a setting, workflow, ticket, log, approval, review, or exception record that can survive an external assessment.

Level 2 is different from Level 1 because the evidence has to survive an external assessment. A policy statement helps, but the stronger answer is a record that shows who did the work, when it ran, what system setting or workflow enforced it, and how exceptions were handled.

How To Implement It

1

Define the in-scope systems, owners, users, vendors, and data flows affected by acquisition strategies, tools, and methods.

2

Create a supply chain risk plan, add security requirements to acquisition processes, assess suppliers, and track supply chain exceptions and remediation.

3

Translate the formal requirement into one or two operating procedures: who performs it, how often, where it is recorded, and who approves exceptions.

4

Configure the relevant systems so the control is enforced by identity, endpoint, cloud, network, ticketing, monitoring, vendor, or documentation workflows rather than memory.

5

Keep evidence in a consistent folder, GRC system, ticket queue, or audit workspace so an assessor can trace the control from requirement to implementation to review.

Evidence Normally Gathered

Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods: SCRM plan.

Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods: supplier risk reviews.

Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods: contract security clauses.

Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods: procurement checklists.

Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods: vendor remediation records.

Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods: owner assignment and review cadence.

Acquisition Strategies, Tools, and Methods: exception, remediation, or POA&M records when the control is not fully implemented.

Common Auditor Questions

Where is acquisition strategies, tools, and methods implemented in the in-scope environment?

Who owns acquisition strategies, tools, and methods, and how do they know it is operating?

Show the evidence that proves acquisition strategies, tools, and methods ran during the assessment period.

What happens when acquisition strategies, tools, and methods fails, is bypassed, or has an exception?

How does this control connect to the system security plan, risk register, POA&M, and related CPCSC controls?

Sources

Source and attribution.

Formal control language is sourced from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security ITSP.10.171 publication. CPCSC Level 2 assessment context references the Government of Canada CPCSC program overview and ITSP.10.171-01 assessment guidance.

CPCSC Program OverviewITSP.10.171ITSP.10.171-01Open Government Licence - Canada