Where are Ontario construction tenders posted?
Ontario public tenders are spread across several portals, so most contractors check more than one:
- MERX: federal, provincial, and many broader public sector tenders.
- Bids&Tenders: used by a large share of Ontario municipalities and regions.
- Biddingo: school boards, hospitals, and other public agencies.
- Ontario Tenders Portal: Government of Ontario ministries and agencies.
- Individual owner websites: some hospitals, universities, and utilities post directly.
- Private work is rarely posted publicly and moves through GC invitations. DataBid reports these hard-to-find private projects, often at design stage, before invitations go out.
What types of construction tenders exist in Ontario?
Ontario uses several tender formats depending on who the owner is and what they are buying:
- Open public tender: anyone qualified can bid. Most common for public sector work.
- Invitational tender: only pre-qualified or invited bidders. Common in private work. DataBid tracks these private projects so you can reach the GC early.
- Request for Proposal (RFP): evaluated on price plus qualifications, methodology, experience.
- Request for Qualifications (RFQ): first stage to shortlist bidders before a tender.
- Design-Build: a single bid covers both design and construction.
- CCDC standard contracts (2, 5A, 5B, 14) are used for most Ontario projects.
What are Contract A and Contract B?
This is the legal foundation of Ontario tendering, set by the Supreme Court of Canada in Ron Engineering. When you submit a compliant bid, you automatically form Contract A with the owner. Contract A binds the owner to evaluate your bid fairly and binds you to your bid price for the time stated in the documents. Contract B is the actual construction contract, formed when the owner accepts a bid. The practical takeaway: a compliant submitted bid is legally binding. You cannot casually withdraw without losing your bid bond.
What documents come with a tender?
A standard Ontario tender package includes: instructions to bidders, the bid form, drawings, specifications, supplementary conditions, the proposed contract (usually a CCDC document), and any geotechnical or environmental reports. Addenda are issued during the bid period to clarify questions or change scope. Every bidder must acknowledge every addendum on the bid form or risk being declared non-compliant.
When do I need bid, performance, and payment bonds?
Public Ontario projects above roughly $500,000 typically require a 10% bid bond at submission. On award, the contractor provides a 50% performance bond and a 50% labor & material payment bond. Bonds are issued by a licensed surety based on your financial strength and track record. Subcontractors generally do not provide bonds to the owner but may be asked for them by the GC on larger work.
What happens at bid closing?
At the exact closing time, the tender closes. Most Ontario public bids are now electronic via portals like Bids&Tenders or MERX, which timestamp submission to the second. Late bids are rejected automatically. After closing, bids are usually opened and pricing is read aloud (or published online). The owner then reviews compliance, checks references and qualifications, and awards to the lowest compliant bidder, typically within 30 to 60 days.
What does a typical Ontario bid timeline look like?
A sample timeline for a mid-size Ontario public tender:
- Day 0: tender posted on the owner's portal.
- Days 3 to 10: site meeting (sometimes mandatory) and document review.
- Days 5 to 20: questions period. Addenda issued with answers and scope changes.
- About 5 to 7 days before closing: last day for questions. Sub and supplier quotes finalized.
- Days 21 to 35: bid closing. GCs collect sub prices in the final hours.
- 30 to 60 days after closing: compliance review, award, then bonds, insurance, and CCDC contract signing.
Which CCDC contracts are used in Ontario?
Most Ontario projects use Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) standard forms, often with owner supplementary conditions. CCDC 2 is the stipulated price contract used on most tendered work. CCDC 5A and 5B cover construction management. CCDC 14 and 15 are design-build. CCDC 17 is the stipulated price contract between a contractor and subcontractor. Read the supplementary conditions closely: they often change payment, holdback, insurance, and warranty terms that affect your price.
How does the Ontario Construction Act affect bidding?
The Construction Act (formerly the Construction Lien Act) governs payment timing and dispute resolution on Ontario projects. Key items every bidder should know: prompt payment requires owners to pay within 28 days of a proper invoice, contractors must then pay subs within 7 days, and adjudication is the mandatory fast-track dispute process. Build these timelines into your cash flow assumptions when pricing a bid.
How do subcontractors actually win more bids?
Three things separate subs that win consistently from subs that grind:
1. Bid the right work. Saying no to mismatched projects raises your hit rate.
2. Get on bid lists earlier. Knowing about a project at design stage means you can call the GC before invitations go out, instead of being one of 12 quotes on bid day.
3. Quote faster and more completely. GCs reward subs who respond same-day with a clear scope letter, exclusions, and unit pricing.
DataBid helps with the first two by surfacing Ontario projects at pre-design and showing which GCs are bidding.
How to do it, step by step
- 1
Find the tender
Locate it on MERX, Biddingo, a municipal portal, or via a paid intel platform.
- 2
Download the bid documents
Drawings, specifications, instructions to bidders, and bid form.
- 3
Review addenda
Addenda are binding clarifications. Missing one can disqualify your bid.
- 4
Take off and price the work
Quantify materials and labor, get supplier and sub quotes, add markup.
- 5
Secure bonding if required
Bid bond at submission, performance and labor & material payment bonds at award.
- 6
Submit before the closing deadline
Late bids are rejected without exception. Submit early.