Agency Profiles
One buyer's dashboard: spend trend, top vendors, categories, how they buy and recent awards.
Agency Profiles
Click any card in the Buyers Directory to open that buyer's profile. It shows how the buyer spends, who wins its contracts and how it buys. Study it before you decide whether a buyer belongs on your target list.
The header
The header shows the buyer's name, jurisdiction, location (when known), lead category and the 12-month period the main figures cover, such as "12 months to Sep 2026". Buyers at the top left takes you back.
The four main figures
| Figure | Shown with it |
|---|---|
| Annual spend | The change from the year before |
| Active contracts | Contracts awarded in the 12 months, and the average size |
| Vendors engaged | Companies that won contracts, and the sole-source share |
| Open opportunities | How many close this week |
Spend over time
A monthly chart of awarded value. Switch between 12M, 24M and 36M (the default). Look for growth or decline in the buyer's budget. Canadian public-sector spending often jumps near the end of the fiscal year in March.
Top vendors
A ranked table of the buyer's biggest vendors, with location, awarded value and share of the buyer's spend.
- A few vendors hold most of the share: strong incumbents. Plan on teaming, subcontracting or a long effort to break in.
- Share spread across many vendors: the buyer spreads work around. A direct bid has better odds.
- These names are who you will most likely compete against on this buyer's tenders.
Category breakdown
A donut chart of spend by category. Check what share of the buyer's money is in your category. A huge buyer that spends 2% in your area may be worth less to you than a mid-size buyer that spends 40%.
How they buy
The share of awarded value that goes through each buying method:
| Method | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Open competitive | Publicly tendered. Anyone can bid. |
| Selective / invitational | Only invited or pre-qualified suppliers can bid. |
| Standing offer / supply arr. | Orders placed under existing agreements. Getting onto the agreement is the real competition. |
| Sole-source (ACAN) | Awarded directly to one supplier. An ACAN (advance contract award notice) lets other suppliers challenge it. |
Tip
If most money goes through standing offers and supply arrangements, chasing single tenders misses the point. Work on getting onto those agreements instead.
Recent awards
The buyer's latest awards: date, title, winner, category, method and value. Scan it for contract sizes that suit you, competitors winning work you could do, and repeat purchases that will come up again.
Open opportunities
Open notices from this buyer that are being tracked in Cothon, soonest closing first, with reference number, category, value and days left. This list may not include every open tender from the buyer.
To see all of the buyer's current tenders, click View open tenders (top right) or Track this buyer in Tenders. Both open the Tenders page. Then open Filters and pick the buyer under Department. Save it as a preset to check it again later.
A simple targeting routine
- Size the wallet: annual spend, the trend and your category's share.
- Find the way in: the buying-method mix tells you whether to chase tenders, get onto agreements or team up.
- Know the competition: top vendors and recent winners are your rivals or possible partners.
- Act: filter the Tenders page to the buyer and save the tenders that fit to your Opportunities.
Next steps
- Buyers Directory: compare buyers side by side
- Tenders: follow a buyer's tenders as they are posted
- Analytics: market-wide spend and vendor data
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