How to Find Government Tenders in Canada: A Clear, No-Nonsense Guide

Finding government tenders in Canada is confusing because opportunities are scattered across dozens of portals. This guide breaks down exactly where tenders are posted, the differences between federal, provincial, and municipal systems, and how to stay on top of new opportunities without spending hours each week searching.

Federal Government Tenders (CanadaBuys)

The Government of Canada posts all federal opportunities on CanadaBuys.

Here, businesses can find:

Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
Requests for Standing Offers (RFSOs)
Requests for Supply Arrangements (RFSAs)
Awarded contracts
Amendments and updates

Federal opportunities are usually the largest in value, but also the most document-heavy and competitive.

Provincial Tender Portals

Each province runs its own procurement platform. To find opportunities, you'll need to check all the provinces you want to serve.

Examples include:

Ontario Tenders Portal (OTP)
Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC)
BC Bid
SEAO (Quebec)
Nova Scotia Procurement
SaskTenders
New Brunswick Public Purchasing

Provincial tenders often involve infrastructure, health services, education, professional services, and IT.

Municipal Tenders (Often Overlooked but Very Active)

Municipalities publish a huge number of opportunities, many of which are perfect for small and mid-sized businesses.

Examples:

City of Toronto
Halifax Regional Municipality
Vancouver
Montreal
Calgary
Winnipeg
Ottawa

Municipal procurement is highly fragmented because cities use a mix of:

Local procurement portals
MERX
Bids&Tenders
Bonfire
Ariba
Direct PDF uploads

For many businesses, municipal tenders are the fastest way to break into government contracting.

Industry-Specific Procurement Sites

Some sectors maintain their own tender listings, such as:

Educational institutions
Hospital networks
Utilities
Transportation authorities
Crown corporations

These often publish opportunities separately from government systems, making them harder to track without knowing where to look.

Newsletters and Procurement Bulletins

Certain governments and agencies issue weekly or monthly notifications of:

New tenders
Pre-solicitation notices
Upcoming projects
Awarded contracts

Subscribing to these can help businesses anticipate future opportunities months in advance.

Award Notices (A Hidden Goldmine)

Award notices reveal:

Who won previous contracts
What the government paid
Historical competition levels
Recurring procurement categories

Studying award history helps businesses anticipate future opportunities and understand what the government is willing to pay.

How Often You Should Check for New Tenders

Recommended frequency:

Federal: Daily
Provinces: Daily or weekly
Municipalities: Two or three times per week
Hospitals/Universities: Weekly

Consistency matters more than volume.

Tips for Staying Organized

Because tenders appear across many platforms, businesses should consider:

Creating a spreadsheet of the portals relevant to their industry
Bookmarking the search URLs for each portal
Using keyword filters (e.g., 'construction,' 'consulting,' 'IT services')
Using AI tools where helpful to speed up reading or reviewing documents
Tracking deadlines and mandatory site visits
Reading award notices to predict recurring opportunities
Using AI tools to spot basic patterns in past awards or pricing

Conclusion

Finding tenders in Canada is much easier once you know where to look. Federal, provincial, and municipal portals all operate differently, but with a structured approach and smart use of AI tools, businesses can dramatically reduce the time spent searching and increase the number of opportunities they discover. If you'd prefer a single place to view tenders from across Canada without checking dozens of portals, you can explore platforms designed for that purpose — including Awardly.