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Bidding On Government Contracts
For Small Businesses
Employer Businesses
Canadians Employed
Federal Contract Spending/yr
Prov Contract Spending/yr
Despite SMB's being the backbone of the Canadian economy, 90-100% cite never bidding on government contracts while big business lands billions in contracts.
Top Reasons Cited For Not Bidding
Unaware of contract opportunities
Application process too complicated
Bidding On Government Contracts
For Small - Medium Businesses
Making Sense Of The Procurement Process
Procurement processes
Identify relevant opportunities
What evaluators are look for
Structure responses to score & win
When to bid, partner, or pass
Creating repeatable internal processes
Templates
Checklists
Where to find help
Timely Opportunities
Federal
Buy Canadian Policy
'Keeping Canadian Tax Dollars in Canada'
Federal Budget 2025 required all contracts $5 Million+ to be procured by a Canadian company with strict exceptions.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada launching SMB Procurement Stream spring '26.
Provincial
Budget season. Fresh Ministry coffers.
Knowing your provincial and municipal budget cycles and where investments are anticipated provide insight to the most lucrative opportunities and inform proposal positioning.
Types of Federal Procurement
Guidance and requirements provided to procurement officials:
Notice of Proposed Procurement (NPP)
Use when: Opportunity is being publicly posted to signal an upcoming or active procurement
- Public notice of opportunity
- Includes scope, timeline, and submission details
➡️ Signals suppliers to review, prepare, & decide
Request for Information (RFI) / Letter of Interest (LOI)
Use when: You need market insight before formal procurement
- Requirement is unclear or evolving
- You want to shortlist qualified suppliers
➡️ Pre-procurement discovery tool
Request for Proposal (RFP)
Use when: Requirement is complex or not fully defined
- Suppliers need to propose solutions
- Evaluation based on quality + approach + price
- Negotiation may be required
➡️ Buying a solution, not just a price
Invitation to Tender (ITT)
Use when: Clear, well-defined requirement
- Multiple capable suppliers
- Same pricing structure across bids
- Decision = lowest compliant price
➡️ Straight price competition, no negotiation
Request for Supply Arrangement (SA)
Use when: Ongoing need, but requirements vary
- Cannot fully define work upfront
- Need a pool of pre-qualified suppliers
- Further negotiation happens per contract
➡️ Flexible supplier pool, mini-competitions later
Request for Standing Offer (SO)
Use when: Ongoing, repeat purchases
- Demand is uncertain
- Pricing and terms can be pre-set
➡️ Pre-approved pricing → call-ups as needed (Not a contract until used)
Request for Quotation (RFQ)
Use when: Low complexity, under $25K
- Requirement is clear and standardized
➡️ Quick pricing check for simple purchases
Telephone-Buy
Use when: Up to $5K (competitive) / Up to $10K (non-competitive)
- Speed is critical
➡️ Fastest option, informal but documented
Phase 1: Plan a Procurement Strategy
Method of supply
· Total estimated cost including all options, maintenance and storage costs
· Contract period
· Delivery requirements
· Procurement schedule
Evaluation procedures & method of selection
· Environmental factors
· Commercial products versus customized solutions
· Risk factors
· Limitation of liability or indemnification
Possible use of a fairness monitor
· Participation of small and medium enterprises
· Indigenous considerations
· Accessibility requirements
· Other national objectives
Compatibility with existing solutions
· Opportunity to consolidate requirements
· Disposal of the product, if applicable
· Renewal (procurement of a replacement good or service and all transfer costs)
Preparing Documentation
Define the Requirement
Some questions to ask when defining the requirement:
- What is needed?
- What should it do?
- What is the delivery date?
- Where will it be used?
Develop a Statement of Work
- A brief introduction
- Purpose of the project
- Project scope
- A work breakdown structure to identify the project tasks, milestones and deliverables
- A project schedule for the tasks, milestones and deliverables
- Project requirements and acceptance criteria
- Payment terms and conditions
Questions to consider when reviewing:
- Is the requisition properly authorized?
- Does the estimated funding seem adequate?
- Are the financial codes identified?
- Are invoicing and shipping instructions provided?
- Have green procurement considerations been addressed?
- Is the requisition subject to the Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements?
- Has the SRCL been included, if applicable?
- Are the dates and timetables proposed realistic?
- Are the goods or services adequately defined in the requisition or attached technical documentation?
Phase 2: Bidding and Contract Award
Solicit Bids
Advertise procurement on the CanadaBuys Tender Opportunities
Solicit From Qualified Suppliers
Publishing Solicitation Documents
All bids must be published with solicitation documents for each publicly advertised competitive solicitation.
Finding a Supplier
Supplier Information (SI) service to find suppliers, which provides a list of more than 110,000 companies registered to do business with the federal government.
Bid Evaluation Methods
Three methods of evaluation may be used:
- Minimum mandatory criteria requirements, where a proposal must meet all the mandatory criteria specified in the solicitation document
- Point-rated criteria requirements, where a bid must obtain the required minimum score on the point-rated criteria
- Combination of minimum mandatory and point-rated requirements
Lowest Price
Proposals must meet the minimum mandatory before price is considered. The lowest price will then determine who is selected.
Best Overall Value
The requirements usually include mandatory and point-rated criteria where a point-rating scale is developed.
Equation: bid price / total points achieved in the technical evaluation = Best Overall Value
Phase 3: Contract Management and Closeout
Contract Completion — A contract IS fully completed when:
- Firm price purchase orders or contracts are clearly set out and priced
- All of the required deliverable items have been received as laid out in the contract
- The customer has received and accepted the goods and/or services
- The customer has been invoiced and paid the agreed upon price
- There are no outstanding work deficiencies, changes, payments, or claims requiring further action
A contract is NOT fully completed if:
- There are outstanding deliverables
- Intellectual property issues are present
- It is audited and requires verification for possible adjustment of costs or profits before a final contract amendment can be issued
The contracting officer is responsible for ensuring that all contractual action is done before considering the contract fully completed.
Does the Lowest Price Always Win?
Example 1: Basic RFP Scoring (Most Common)
How it works:
Technical is scored first (often must pass a threshold)
Price is scored using a formula (not subjective)
Highest total score wins
Total: 100 points
Example 2: Mandatory + Rated Criteria
Step 1: Mandatory Criteria (Pass/Fail)
Must meet all to proceed
Example:
- Minimum 3 similar projects ✔️
- Security clearance ✔️
- Certifications ✔️
➡️ Fail one = disqualified
Step 2: Rated Criteria (Point-Based)
➡️ Often require minimum technical score (e.g. 60/80) to unlock price evaluation
Example 3: Technical Gate + Price Formula
Step 1: Technical (80 points total)
Must score ≥ 60/80 to pass
Each section is appointed total points determined by importance to the project.
Step 2: Price (20 points)
Formula example:
➡️ Rewards competitive pricing without making it the only factor
Example 4 & 5: Best Value vs. Lowest Price
Example 4: Best Value (Heavier on Quality)
➡️ Used when:
- Outcomes matter more than cost
- Innovation or impact is important
Example 5: Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA)
- Pass all mandatory + minimum technical threshold
- Winner = lowest price
➡️ Used for:
- Commoditized, low-risk work
- Clearly defined deliverables
Where To Find Government Contracts
CanadaBuys (Ariba)
Start Here to access Ariba - formally known as CanadaBuys
Multi-Province and Broader Public Sector Opportunities (cost associated)
Ontario Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
Quebec Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
BC Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
AB Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
SK Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
NB Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
NS Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
PEI Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
NL&L Ministries and Broader Public Sector
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
Pods
Privately owned one-stop shop for International Government and Private opportunities.
Common RFP Response Sections
Executive Summary
High-level overview of your solution, value, and why you should win
Understanding of Requirements
Demonstrates you clearly understand the problem, goals, and context
Technical / Approach / Methodology
How you will deliver the solution (process, tools, timelines, outputs)
Project Plan / Work Plan
Detailed breakdown of phases, milestones, and deliverables
Team & Roles
Who is delivering the work, their roles, and relevant qualifications
Corporate Experience
Your company's relevant experience and past performance
Case Studies / Past Projects
Specific examples with outcomes, metrics, and relevance
Key Personnel Resumes
Individual qualifications of team members assigned to the project
Pricing / Financial Proposal
Cost structure, pricing model, and total bid price
Each will be submitted as directed. Either in a specific format, a separate file or, a file like this example is provided. If an excel is provided, ensure all sheets are filled out in full.
Value-Add / Innovation
Additional benefits, efficiencies, or unique approaches you bring
ie. Additional projects, price freezes, partnerships, discounted materials.
Risk Management
Identification of risks and how you will mitigate them
Quality Assurance / Performance Measurement
How you ensure quality and measure success
Compliance / Mandatory Requirements
Proof you meet all required certifications, criteria, and conditions
Indigenous / Social / Environmental Considerations
How you support government priorities (if applicable)
Security Requirements
Clearances, data handling, and compliance with security standards
Assumptions & Dependencies
Key assumptions your proposal is based on
What is needed from them to meet the project plan deadlines.
Terms & Conditions Acknowledgement
Acceptance (or exceptions) to contract terms
Appendices / Supporting Documents
Additional materials (certifications, references, etc.)
Bidder Internal Checklist
Secure Necessary Business Credentials
- CRA Registration
- Insurance
- Licenses/Industry Credentials
Register Business with Relevant Procurement Sites to Access Opportunities
- Create account
- Create Search(es) & Bookmark
- Set Notifications for Bookmark(ed) searches
- Pre-qualify for pools
Collect / Develop and Store the Common Sections Required
Use consistent formatting for each section. Integrate to your onboarding process and store in one place.
- Business Documentation: Certification of incorporation · Insurances · Banking
- Create a Branded Template
- Executive Summary
- Corporate Experience
- Case Studies
- Key Personnel CVs
- Team Biographies
- Team Identification
Submit Standing Offers / Expression of Interest to Partner / Join Source Lists
- Being in approved pools increases suitable opportunities. They need to know you exist.
Identify Relevant Opportunities
- Always set notifications for opportunities you're bidding on
Bid, Pass or Partner
Review Scope of work
- Can fulfill? Proceed.
- Can't fulfill? Pass.
Key Dates
- Able to fulfill the contract?
- Have time to respond?
Requirements
- Certifications
- Assets on hand
- Experience (i.e. 3 examples of work)
- Language
- Education
- Clearances
Scoring Criteria
- Which type of schema is being used
Incumbent Vendor
- Is there an existing vendor?
- Could you service the business better? How?
Partner Opportunities
- Who could supplement the team to fulfill the scope and/or any missing credentials?
- Having a historical record of collaborating is ideal and may be required
Responding
Activate Notifications
Identify Key Dates in Opportunities
- Contract Start and End
- Expression of Interest requirements and how it is to be sent (portal/by email)
- Question submission deadline and how it is to be sent (portal/by email)
- Q&A Meeting Dates (if applicable)
- Site Visits (if applicable)
- Submission Deadline and how it is to be sent (portal/by email)
Key Contacts
- Any contacts and their roles as listed
Key Documents
- Primary Documents (RFP/RFQ/RFI etc)
- Pricing Tables
- NDAs
Scoring Criteria
- Type of schema
- Score by section
Formatting Requirements
- Font and Size
- Number of Pages & Page Numbering
- Table of Contents Requirements
- Initials and/or Signature Requirements
- File Naming Requirements
- Section Titles, Requirements and Associated Scoring
Bids That Score
1. Create the Template
Use a cover page (deleted before submitting) to note:
- Key dates
- Key contact details
- Required font and size
- Max number of pages
- Page format requirements (page numbering, signatures or initials, PDF or deck)
- File Naming
- Scoring criteria
- Use exact numbering and titles as listed in the RFP
- Use exact formatting for each section
- Replicate Templated Sections (copy and paste - quick edit)
- Insert internal templated information
2. Create a Workback Plan
Create a workback plan with a to do list and deadlines prioritizing the most time consuming pieces.
- What is needed?
- What will take the longest?
- Who will take the longest?
Assign Responsibilities:
- By section
- First draft
- Collecting documents
- Final Review
3. Action the Plan
4. Submit the Bid
Ready to Bid on Federal Government Contracts?
CanadaBuys (Ariba)
Start Here to access Ariba - formally known as CanadaBuys
Ontario Ministries and Broader Public Sector
Jaggaer Ontario Tenders Portal
https://ontariotenders.app.jaggaer.com → Register to access Ontario ministries & broader public sector opportunities
Ontario Procurement Guidelines
For insight to what bid managers are directed to do:
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