Tenders & Public Work
CanadaBuys, provincial procurement, prequalification, bonding capacity and what a compliant public tender actually needs.
9 guides in this section
Bidding for Public Work: the Basics
How public tendering works for a small Canadian contractor: low-bid vs best-value, bid irrevocability, the tender process, and the disqualifiers that sink a bid.
Where to Find Tenders
CanadaBuys for federal work (it replaced Buyandsell.gc.ca in 2022), MERX as a private aggregator, plus BC Bid, Alberta Purchasing Connection, SaskTenders, SEAO and more.
Prequalification and Clearances
What a small Canadian contractor needs to qualify for public work: WCB/WSIB clearance, insurance certificates, COR safety certification, references and CRA standing.
Bonding and Surety
Bid, performance and labour and material bonds explained: building bonding capacity, the three Cs underwriters assess, indicative premiums, and Ontario's $500k rule.
Indigenous and Set-Aside Procurement
The federal minimum 5% Indigenous procurement target, the Indigenous Business Directory, mandatory vs conditional set-asides, the 33% floor, and Buy Canadian.
How to Bid on Public Work
How to read an RFP or ITT and submit a compliant public bid in Canada: document types, mandatory criteria, addenda, irrevocability and the disqualifiers.
Prequalification and Vendor Registration
Get on supplier lists and pass prequalification in Canada: SRI, the PBN, GSIN commodity codes, provincial portals and the qualification kit you need to bid.
Subcontracting on Larger Projects
How small Canadian contractors use subcontracting to enter public work: sub vs prime risk, getting on a prime's list, safety duties and payment rights.
Working on Indigenous and Remote Projects
The rules of remote and northern work: local-hire and Inuit Firm Priority preferences, IBAs, registering with the territorial WCB first, and pricing the fly-in.