How Canadian Businesses Can Win More Government Contracts: The Ultimate Province-by-Province Guide

If you're a Canadian business and not bidding on government contracts, you're leaving money on the table.

From local municipalities to federal ministries, Canada's public sector spends over $200 billion annually on goods, services, and construction. Whether you're a small construction company in Saskatoon, a tech startup in Vancouver, or a cleaning business in Montreal—there’s a government buyer for what you sell.

In this guide, we break down:

Why Canadian businesses should care about public procurement

Key steps to win contracts

Province-by-province directories to find RFPs and tenders

Tips to stand out in the bidding process

Tools to track and automate tender alerts

Let’s dig in

Why Government Contracts Matter

• Stable clients with predictable budgets

• Repeat business and long-term contracts

• Prestige and credibility to help you win private sector work

• Diversity programs to support SMEs, Indigenous, Women-led, and Minority-owned businesses

6 Key Steps to Win More Government Contracts

1. Register your business in supplier systems like SAP Ariba, MERX, and Biddingo

2. Search for RFPs, RFQs, EOIs, and tenders regularly

3. Prepare a winning proposal: clear, compliant, and competitively priced

4. Get relevant certifications (WCB, insurance, COR, Indigenous ownership, etc.)

5. Network with government buyers at supplier info sessions

6. Track and follow up on submissions and feedback

Where to Find Government Contracts (Nationwide + Province-by-Province)

Here’s a complete list of websites by jurisdiction where you can find live public sector contracts in Canada:

Federal Government (National)

• Buyandsell.gc.ca https://buyandsell.gc.ca/ Official site for federal contracts Free, open access to RFPs, RFIs, and contract awards

• CanadaBuys (SAP Ariba platform) https://canadabuys.canada.ca Mandatory for federal procurement You must register with SAP Ariba to bid

Pan-Canadian Procurement Platforms

• MERX (Used by Federal + Provincial + Municipal clients) https://www.merx.com One of the largest platforms Free to browse, subscription for full access

• Biddingo https://www.biddingo.com Used by Ontario, Quebec, and municipalities Paid plans with bid matching features

• Bonfire Hub https://www.gobonfire.com RFP submission portal used by school boards, municipalities, etc.

Province-by-Province Tender Websites

Alberta

• Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC) https://www.purchasingconnection.ca Government of Alberta and MASH (municipalities, academic institutions, schools, hospitals)

• City of Calgary https://www.calgary.ca/bids

• City of Edmonton https://bids.edmonton.ca

British Columbia

• BC Bid https://www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca Main platform for provincial procurement

• City of Vancouver https://vancouver.bonfirehub.ca

• City of Surrey https://surrey.bonfirehub.ca

Manitoba

• MERX & Manitoba Tenders https://www.merx.com/mbgov

• City of Winnipeg https://www.winnipeg.ca/matmgt/bidopp.asp

New Brunswick

• NBON (New Brunswick Opportunities Network) https://nbon-rpanb.gnb.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Buy and Sell NL https://www.merx.com/govnl Also uses MERX

Nova Scotia

• Nova Scotia Procurement https://procurement.novascotia.ca

Ontario

• Ontario Tenders Portal (BravoSolution) https://ontariotenders.app.jaggaer.com Used by the province and some municipalities

• City of Toronto https://www.toronto.ca/business-economy/doing-business-with-the-city/

• City of Mississauga https://www.mississauga.ca/business/tenders-and-bids/

Prince Edward Island

• PEI Tenders https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/tenders

Quebec

• SEAO (Système électronique d’appel d’offres) https://www.seao.ca

• Mandatory for public contracts in Quebec French language platform

Saskatchewan

• SaskTenders https://sasktenders.ca

• City of Regina https://regina.bidsandtenders.ca

• City of Saskatoon https://saskatoon.bidsandtenders.ca

Nunavut, NWT, Yukon

• Nunavut Tenders https://www.nunavuttenders.ca

• NWT Tenders https://contracts.gov.nt.ca

• Yukon Tenders https://yukon.ca/en/tenders

Insider Tips to Win More Contracts

Nail Your Capability StatementA 1-pager that clearly shows your experience, certifications, NAICS codes, and past clients.

Bid on Small Contracts FirstBuild a track record before chasing $10M deals.

Build Relationships with Procurement OfficersAttend webinars, supplier briefings, and outreach events.

Track Your NAICS and CPV CodesThese are identifiers used in RFPs. Know yours.

Leverage Supplier Diversity ProgramsWomen-led, Indigenous, veteran-owned, minority-owned? Many governments have set-asides or points for you.

Use Bid-Matching ToolsSet up alerts on MERX, Biddingo, and Bonfire so you never miss a relevant opportunity.

Tools That Help

Tool	What It Does	Website
MERX	Central hub for federal/provincial RFPs	merx.com
Biddingo	RFPs from Ontario/Quebec cities	biddingo.com
Bonfire	RFP submission platform	gobonfire.com
BidCentral	BC construction tenders	bidcentral.ca
APC Alberta	Alberta government tenders	purchasingconnection.ca

Final Thoughts

Government contracts aren’t just for big companies. With the right preparation, local tradespeople, consultants, caterers, janitorial firms, event planners, construction crews, and tech companies can all thrive in public procurement.