How to respond to a CanadaBuys tender
Nine steps from finding a federal tender to the debriefing, for firms that bid without a proposal department. Every tender sets its own rules, so treat this as a map and the solicitation as the law.
- 01
Find the tender
Federal tenders are published on CanadaBuys, the Government of Canadaâs procurement service. Search by keyword, category or department, and set up notifications for the work you do.
Where ProposalForge helps: ProposalForge lists open Canadian RFPs and shows who has won similar work with each buyer.
- 02
Decide whether to bid
Before writing anything, check that you can meet every mandatory requirement, hold any security clearance the work needs, and deliver by the dates in the solicitation. Look at who the buyer has awarded similar contracts to before.
Where ProposalForge helps: The go or no-go step and the Bid Intelligence Report put the buyerâs history and the deal-breakers in front of you.
- 03
Read the whole solicitation
Federal solicitations follow a standard structure: instructions to bidders, how to prepare the bid, how it will be evaluated and the basis of selection, the certifications required, security and other requirements, and the clauses of the resulting contract. The evaluation section tells you what wins.
Where ProposalForge helps: Upload the documents and ProposalForge extracts the requirements, evaluation criteria and deadlines.
- 04
Separate mandatory from rated criteria
A bid that fails a mandatory criterion is non-compliant and is not scored. Point-rated criteria are scored, and the basis of selection (for example, lowest-priced compliant bid, or highest combined score for technical merit and price) decides how scores and price combine.
Where ProposalForge helps: A compliance matrix maps each requirement to where your response answers it, and exports for review.
- 05
Ask questions in time, and watch for amendments
Questions go to the contracting authority named in the solicitation, before the enquiry deadline it sets. Answers and changes are issued as amendments to all bidders, and they can change requirements or dates.
Where ProposalForge helps: ProposalForge compares amendments with the original documents so changed requirements are not missed.
- 06
Sort out security and registration early
If the solicitation includes security requirements, the organization and its personnel may need clearances through the Contract Security Program, which can take a long time. You will also need a Procurement Business Number (PBN) before contract award; register well ahead.
- 07
Write to the evaluation criteria
Answer each criterion where the evaluator expects to find it, with the evidence it asks for: named projects, dates, values, and CVs that match the stated experience. Evaluators score what is written, not what they know about you.
Where ProposalForge helps: ProposalForge drafts sections from your own CVs, project sheets and past answers, grounded in the requirements.
- 08
Complete the certifications and submit on time
Include every certification and form the solicitation requires, submit by the method it specifies, and leave margin before the closing date and time: late bids are not accepted.
Where ProposalForge helps: Deadlines extracted from the solicitation sit on the bid calendar, and the checklist tracks required forms.
- 09
Ask for a debriefing
Win or lose, you can request a debriefing on how your bid was evaluated. It is the best free input into the next bid.
Tenders, notices and supplier registration are on CanadaBuys. Where this guide and a solicitation differ, the solicitation governs.
Questions
- How do I respond to a tender on CanadaBuys?
- Find the tender on CanadaBuys, decide whether you can meet every mandatory requirement, read the whole solicitation, answer each evaluation criterion with evidence, ask questions before the enquiry deadline, watch for amendments, complete the required certifications, and submit by the specified method before the closing time. The solicitation itself sets the rules for each tender.
- What happens if my bid misses a mandatory requirement?
- The bid is non-compliant and is not evaluated further, however strong the rest of it is. Check every mandatory criterion before writing the rated sections.
- Do I need a security clearance to bid on federal contracts?
- Only when the solicitation includes security requirements. When it does, the organization and the people doing the work may need clearances through the Contract Security Program, and these can take a long time to obtain, so start early.
- Can I ask the government questions about a tender?
- Yes, through the contracting authority named in the solicitation and before the enquiry deadline it sets. Answers are usually shared with all bidders as amendments.
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