How to find tender opportunities
How businesses can access tender opportunities is changing. Learn more about how to search for opportunities on CanadaBuys.
Search for opportunities
You can search for tender notices on CanadaBuys. Sort the list by title, category, closing date and more. You can also use the filters or keyword search to find opportunities that match to your industry. For tips on finding the right tender opportunity for your business, read step-by-step instructions on how to refine a search for tender opportunities.
What you will find on CanadaBuys
Tender opportunities are published on CanadaBuys if they are subject to one of Canada’s trade agreements and their estimated value is equal to or above the agreement’s dollar thresholds. The tender notice will indicate which trade agreements apply to a tender opportunity.
Find out more about what procurements are covered under trade agreements.
Opportunities from the broader Canadian public sector
CanadaBuys will eventually become the single point of access for all tender opportunities from across the Canadian public sector. In the meantime, businesses can also search for tender opportunities on other Canadian public sector tender sites.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Support and Procurement Agency
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency buys goods and services on behalf of NATO nations. Since Canada is a NATO member, Canadian businesses can bid on many of these opportunities. To increase the visibility of and access to new markets for Canadian businesses, we’re showcasing NATO tender notices on CanadaBuys.
Learn how you can search and find tenders from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.
Match opportunities to your business profile
Sign up to receive relevant information for your business, including tender opportunities matched to your profile. Subscribe for alerts from CanadaBuys by email, bookmark a search or notice in your browser, or get updates in your RSS or ATOM readers.
Learn more about how to follow searches and tender notices.
When are notices published?
Tender notices, award notices and amendments are published daily.
Partner with another business
With CanadaBuys, you can let other businesses know if you are interested in partnering on active tender opportunities. Adding your company name and contact to a publicly available list of parties interested in partnering will help you:
- increase your visibility among other companies, prime contractors, or small and medium enterprises
- network with other businesses, contacting them directly
- identify potential partners in new or niche markets
You can also receive updates when a business adds their name to a list. Consult the guide on how to signal your interest in partnering for an active tender for more information.
Open access to information
Our commitment to open data advances the Government of Canada's multi-year action plans on open government.
The following datasets are available:
- Awards data
- Contract history data
- Goods and Services Identification Number data
- Standing offers and supply arrangements data
- Tenders data
How goods and services are classified
The Government of Canada is using the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC), an open and global standard for identifying goods and services. This is in line with the Data Standard on Classification of Procurement Items.
You can use the UNSPSC codes to search and subscribe to tenders, awards and contract history that fall under a specific commodity classification.
The UNSPSC is replacing the Goods and Services Identification Number (GSIN) codes. All of these codes will eventually be mapped to UNSPSC. During this transition, some federal departments will still use GSIN. In addition, historical data will not be converted to UNSPSC and will keep the GSIN codes.
Some helpful information
