Bidding Process

Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) primarily uses its own databases with information extracted from the Supplier Registration Information (SRI) or the Electronic Tendering Service (MERX^TM) to buy on behalf of federal departments and agencies.

Eligibility Criteria

All suppliers who wish to do business with the Government of Canada.

Summary

Federal government departments and agencies have a number of ways to find sources of supply for requirements they handle directly. They can:

• access the Supplier Registration Information (SRI);
• refer to publications such as telephone books and trade directories;
• maintain their own Source Lists of companies (see the document Registering as a Supplier);
• publicly advertise their requirements using the MERX - Electronic Tendering Service.

PWGSC Bid Methods
PWGSC uses several methods to solicit bids, including:

Telephone Buy (T-buy)
The department uses these for small competitive purchases valued at under $25 000 when it gets a requisition for something that can be easily identified over the telephone and must be delivered quickly. The PWGSC officer calls at least three companies who give their bids over the telephone. The one that offers the lowest price and fulfills all of the terms of the requirement wins the contract.

Request for Quotation (RFQ)
PWGSC normally sends out RFQs when a requisition is received for goods and services valued at less than $25 000. The bid documents are kept simple so that the contract can be awarded quickly.

Invitation to Tender (ITT)
PWGSC sends out ITTs to bidders when the opportunity is worth $25 000 or more and has fairly straightforward requirements, such as a request for off-the-shelf goods. The lowest-priced responsive bid (the lowest bid that complies with all the mandatory requirements specified in the ITT document) will be awarded the contract.

Request for Proposal (RFP)
A Request for Proposal, while generally used for requirements of $25 000 or more, is often employed for purchases where the selection of a supplier cannot be made solely on the basis of the lowest price. An RFP is used to procure the most cost-effective solution based upon evaluation criteria identified in the RFP (see the document Request for Proposal - RFP).

Request for Standing Offer (RFSO)
This bid method is very different from the others. When PWGSC sets up a standing offer with your company, you're offering to provide a given product or service at a specified price during a certain time period. Standing offers are not contracts.

If and when the government issues a call-up against your standing offer, then you have a contract (see the document Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements).

Request for Supply Arrangement (RFSA)
An RFSA is a method of solicitation where clients, under the framework of the resulting arrangement, may solicit bids from a pool of pre-screened vendors. A Supply Arrangement is used when a commodity is procured on a regular basis and when clients can negotiate price reductions from the ceiling price quoted by the supplier.

PWGSC's Bidding Process
In PWGSC, bid opportunities for most requirements worth $25 000 or more are advertised on MERX, including requirements subject to international trade agreements. You can contact the MERX Call Centre to order bid packages for opportunities you're interested in. For more information, please see MERX - Electronic Tendering Service.

PWGSC uses databases to find bidders for certain types of opportunities, including:

• regional and some headquarters opportunities valued at less than $25 000;
• specialized opportunities requiring pre-qualified bidders; and
• architectural and engineering consulting and construction services, and services related to real property opportunities requiring pre-qualified bidders.

For more information, see Registering as a Supplier to the federal government or contact your PWGSC regional office.

New Brunswick Contact(s):
New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Division
Ms. Danielle Babineau
Client/Supplier Relations
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Unit 108, Lobby C, 1st Floor
1045 Main Street
Moncton, New Brunswick  E1C 1H1
Telephone: 506-851-3467
Fax: 506-851-6759
E-mail: danielle.babineau@pwgsc.gc.ca
Web site: http://contractscanada.gc.ca/en/index.html

---

National Contact(s):
Business Access Canada
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Room 6C1, Phase III, Place du Portage
11 Laurier Street
Gatineau, Quebec  K1A 0S5
Fax: 819-956-6123
Toll-free (information): 1-800-811-1148
E-mail: ncr.contractscanada@pwgsc.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/text/index-e.html