Bid opportunities
In general, The City of Calgary issues bid opportunities in three main categories: commodities, service and construction. The City also issues opportunities for its equipment rental list.
Bid opportunities are subject to legislated requirements such as the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) and the New West Partnership Agreement (NWPTA), formerly the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA). Excluding the exceptions NWPTA specifies, the agreement requires open, competitive procurements of:
- Goods and services of $75,000 or more; and,
- Construction contracts of $200,000 or more.
Bid opportunities are advertised through The City of Calgary's Ariba Discovery Page and Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC).
- Commodities – information on supplying The City with commodities such as computers and chemicals.
- Construction – information on City construction projects such as roadworks and buildings.
- Services – information on City opportunities for a variety of services.
- Equipment Rental List – for the purpose of short-term equipment use, The City establishes its Equipment Rental List for a period of two years. The City goes out for tender to establish a new Equipment Rental List every two years.
The City strives to post all award notices within 48 hours of each decision. Visit The City of Calgary's Ariba Discovery Page and Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC) for more information.
Bid opening and results
Responses to Request for Tenders are opened on closing date after 14:01:00 MDT/MST (2:01:00 Calgary time). Responses to other opportunities (e.g., RFP, RFQ, EOI, pre-qualification, etc.) are opened after closing date and time. Responses received after closing will be returned unopened to the sender. See Responding to Bid Opportunities for more information.
The City strives to post all award notices on The City's web site within two business days following each decision. Bid results for non-construction opportunities are also available on The City of Calgary's Ariba Discovery Page and Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC).
Criteria for awarding contract
The City of Calgary awards contracts based on bids that provide the best value for each dollar spent. Evaluation criteria and methods may differ based on the type of bid document and project requirements, they are identified in each bid document.
In general, award criteria for a Request for Tender document are heavily weighted to price. As such, contracts are usually awarded to the vendor with the lowest compliant bid, in accordance with Canadian tender law. Contracts that result from other bid opportunities may rely more on satisfying other requirements than price alone.
More bid and vendor information
Supply Management Terms and Conditions