Canada7 min readUpdated September 24, 2026

How to sell to the government in Canada: a guide for suppliers

Who buys and where tenders are published

At the federal level, the main buyer is Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). Its minister already held purchasing authority for goods, and since 9 June 2025 also holds exclusive authority over the Government of Canada's services and construction procurement; other departments buy under authority delegated by that minister.

The main portal is CanadaBuys, run by PSPC. It is the official source of tender and award notices for the Government of Canada and the broader public sector, and it shows opportunities from federal, provincial and territorial governments as well as municipalities, academic institutions, schools and hospitals. Provinces and territories also keep their own portals, such as BC Bid, the Ontario Tenders Portal, Alberta Purchasing Connection and Quebec's SEAO; CanadaBuys lists them on its "Other tendering websites" page.

The federal rules come from several instruments: the Government Contracts Regulations (SOR/87-402), the Treasury Board's Directive on the Management of Procurement, and Canada's trade agreements, from the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) to international ones such as CETA, CPTPP and the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement.

How to register as a supplier

You can browse tenders on CanadaBuys without an account. To bid on PSPC opportunities, you register on SAP Business Network (formerly SAP Ariba), the tool behind CanadaBuys. The account is free.

Create your SAP Business Network account. You give your company's legal name, head-office location and a user (name, email, username, password and notification language), pick at least one product or service category, accept the terms of use and confirm by email.
Add the Government of Canada as a customer. In your company profile, open the "Customer requested" tab and select "Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada".
Complete the company profile: company name, number of employees, address, product and service categories and contacts.
Answer the Government of Canada questionnaire. Questions 3 to 8 must be completed before you can submit a bid. They cover privacy consent and the Code of Conduct, industry classification, business type and ownership, and optional self-identification (Indigenous business, under-represented groups, environmental certifications).
Get a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number. Canadian businesses register for one with the CRA; foreign businesses can get a non-resident number. According to CanadaBuys, you do not need it to submit a bid, only before a contract is awarded or a standing offer or supply arrangement is issued. It goes in question 9, together with financial information, to complete your full registration.

Older guides mention a Procurement Business Number (PBN) from the Supplier Registration Information (SRI) system. PSPC's reference page now says SRI is no longer available and points businesses to SAP Business Network. Whatever the portal, follow the submission instructions in each bid solicitation to the letter.

Procurement methods

Under the Government Contracts Regulations (s. 5), a federal contracting authority must solicit bids before entering a contract. Section 6 allows four exceptions: a pressing emergency where delay would harm the public interest; a low estimated value (up to $25,000 for goods; $100,000 for architectural, engineering and related services for construction work or for international development assistance projects; and $40,000 for any other contract); cases where soliciting bids would not be in the public interest; and cases where only one person can do the work.

The solicitation types you will see on CanadaBuys include:

Invitation to Tender (ITT): the lowest-priced responsive bid wins, without negotiation.
Request for Proposal (RFP): suppliers propose a solution; the choice depends on how well it meets the need, not on price alone.
Request for Quotation (RFQ): simplified bidding for requirements estimated at $25,000 or less.
Request for Standing Offer (RFSO): you offer goods or services at pre-arranged prices and terms for repeat needs. It is not a contract until the government issues a call-up, and each call-up is a separate contract.
Request for Supply Arrangement (RFSA): creates a pool of pre-qualified suppliers. Departments then invite bids from that pool, often with ceiling prices that can be negotiated down.
Request for Information (RFI) and Letter of Interest (LOI): market consultation before a formal solicitation.
Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN): notice that the government intends to award a contract to a pre-identified supplier it believes is the only one capable. Other businesses can respond with a statement of capabilities. An ACAN is not a competitive process.

Trade agreement thresholds for 2026–2027 (federal departments, Canadian dollars), from Treasury Board Contracting Policy Notice 2025-8, in effect from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027:

Agreement	Goods	Services	Construction
CFTA (domestic)	$34,700	$139,000	$139,000
CETA, CPTPP, WTO-GPA, Canada–UK, Canada–Ukraine	$239,200	$239,200	$9,200,000
Canada–Peru	$174,800	$174,800	$9,200,000
Canada–Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Panama	$145,900	$145,900	$9,200,000
Canada–Korea	$100,000	$100,000	$9,200,000

Crown corporations have much higher thresholds. Each tender notice states which trade agreements apply. If your company is based in Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Panama or Peru, look at your country's row: it shows the value from which a federal tender is covered by the agreement with your country.

Buy Canadian and reciprocity. Since 14 July 2025, a reciprocity policy limits access to federal procurement to suppliers from Canada and from trading partners that give Canadian suppliers reciprocal access. Since 16 December 2025, the Buy Canadian Policy also favours Canadian suppliers and content in large procurements. If you are bidding from abroad, read the eligibility section of each solicitation carefully.

How to find and follow tenders

CanadaBuys search: filter by publication date, closing date, status, category (goods, services, construction), location and notice type, or search by UNSPSC code.
Alerts: sign up for email notifications, or follow searches with RSS or Atom feeds. New notices and amendments are published daily.
Award notices and contract history: also searchable on CanadaBuys; use them to see who has won similar work.
Partnering: CanadaBuys lets you signal interest in teaming with other businesses on open tenders.
On Carbonode: the Canada page lists Canadian tenders with a link to the original notice. Always confirm details on CanadaBuys or the buyer's portal.

Practical tips

Language: under PSPC's standard instructions, bid documents and supporting information may be submitted in English or French. If your team works in Spanish or Portuguese, budget for translation.
Amendments: watch for amendments, closing-date extensions and cancellations; CanadaBuys can notify you of each. Significant questions and their answers are published, so read them even if you did not ask.
Questions: send enquiries only to the contracting authority named in the solicitation, and within any deadline the solicitation sets.
Closing time and time zone: Canada spans several time zones. Check the exact closing time and zone in the solicitation, not just the date shown in search results. Late bids are returned or deleted unless they qualify as delayed bids.
Standing offers are not guaranteed work: getting on a standing offer or supply arrangement means you can be called up or invited, not that you will be.
Provincial markets: a lot of public buying happens at the provincial, municipal and institutional level. Check the relevant provincial portal as well as CanadaBuys.

Official sources

Questions

Where are Government of Canada tenders published?

On CanadaBuys, run by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the official source of tender and award notices for the Government of Canada and the broader public sector. Provinces and territories also keep their own portals, such as BC Bid, the Ontario Tenders Portal, Alberta Purchasing Connection and Quebec's SEAO.

Is it free to register as a supplier to the Government of Canada?

Yes. To bid on PSPC opportunities you register on SAP Business Network (formerly SAP Ariba), the tool behind CanadaBuys, and the account is free. According to CanadaBuys, a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number is not needed to submit a bid, only before a contract is awarded or a standing offer or supply arrangement is issued.

Can a foreign company bid on Government of Canada tenders?

It depends on where the company is based. Since 14 July 2025, a reciprocity policy limits access to federal procurement to suppliers from Canada and from trading partners that give Canadian suppliers reciprocal access, and since 16 December 2025 the Buy Canadian Policy also favours Canadian suppliers and content in large procurements. Read the eligibility section of each solicitation carefully.

In what language must bids be submitted in Canada?

Under PSPC's standard instructions, bid documents and supporting information may be submitted in English or French. If your team works in Spanish or Portuguese, budget for translation.

What are Canada's trade agreement thresholds for Latin American suppliers?

Under Treasury Board Contracting Policy Notice 2025-8, in effect from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027, federal department tenders are covered by Canada's agreements with Chile, Colombia, Honduras and Panama from $145,900 (Canadian dollars) for goods and services, and by the Canada–Peru agreement from $174,800. For construction, the threshold is $9,200,000 under all of those agreements. Each tender notice states which trade agreements apply.