Browsing & Filtering Tenders

Navigate thousands of government procurement notices efficiently with Cothon's comprehensive filtering system. Find exactly what you're looking for across multiple Canadian sources.

The Tenders Interface

Layout Overview

The Tenders page uses a three-panel layout optimized for efficient browsing:

Left Panel - Filters:

• Source selection
• Status filters
• Category selection
• Department/agency search
• Date range pickers
• Value filters
• Location selection
• Solicitation type
• Advanced options

Center Panel - Tender List:

• Tender cards with key information
• Sort controls
• View mode toggle (list/grid)
• Bulk selection checkboxes
• Pagination controls
• Result count

Right Panel - Tender Detail:

• Full tender information
• Document links
• Contact details
• Amendment history
• Action buttons
• Related tenders

Tender Card Information

Each tender card in the list displays essential information at a glance:

Header Section:

• Source Badge - CanadaBuys, SEAO, BC Bid, etc.
• Status Badge - Active, Closing Soon, Closed, Awarded
• Amendment Indicator - Red dot for recent amendments

Main Content:

• Tender Title - Official solicitation title
• Reference Number - Government tracking number
• Department/Agency - Issuing organization
• Closing Date - Submission deadline with countdown
• Value - Estimated contract value (when available)
• Location - Delivery/work location

Footer Section:

• Solicitation Type - RFP, RFQ, RFI, etc.
• Posted Date - Publication date
• Quick Actions - Save, Share, Open buttons

Visual Indicators:

• 🔴 Red indicator - Closing within 3 days
• 🟡 Orange indicator - Closing within 7 days
• 🟢 Green indicator - More than 7 days remaining
• 📎 Attachment icon - Documents available
• 🔄 Amendment icon - Recent updates

Data Sources

Source Selection

Filter by specific government procurement systems:

Federal Sources:

• ☑ CanadaBuys - Federal procurement portal (all departments)
• ☑ PWGSC/TPSGC - Public Works and Government Services
• ☑ Open Canada - Open data portal feeds

Provincial Sources:

• ☑ SEAO - Quebec provincial and municipal
• ☑ BC Bid - British Columbia
• ☑ Ontario Tenders - Ontario government
• ☑ Alberta Purchasing - Coming soon
• ☑ Manitoba Tenders - Coming soon

Multi-Source Search:

• Select all sources for comprehensive results
• Select specific sources for focused searching
• Source badges on cards show origin
• Export includes source metadata

CanadaBuys Tenders

Canada's largest federal procurement source with 20,000+ annual opportunities.

Data Collection Method:

• Primary: JSON:API real-time endpoint (2-hour refresh)
• Secondary: CSV open data feeds (daily updates)
• Coverage: All federal departments and agencies

Unique Fields Available:

• GSIN codes (Goods and Services Identification Number)
• UNSPSC codes (UN Standard Products and Services)
• Trade agreement applicability (CFTA, CPTPP, CETA, WTO-AGP)
• Procurement method codes (PM-01 through PM-11)
• Selection criteria types
• Contracting officer information
• End-user entity details
• Competitive procurement indicator

Solicitation Types:

• RFP - Request for Proposal
• RFI - Request for Information
• RFQ - Request for Quotation
• RFSO - Request for Standing Offer
• ACAN - Advance Contract Award Notice
• ITB - Invitation to Bid
• ITQ - Invitation to Qualify

Department Coverage: All federal departments including:

• National Defence (DND)
• Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED)
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
• Health Canada
• Transport Canada
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
• And 100+ more departments and agencies

SEAO Tenders

Quebec's electronic tendering system covering provincial, municipal, and parapublic sectors.

Data Collection Method:

• Provincial: Weekly scraping
• Municipal: Monthly updates
• Coverage: Quebec government and opt-in municipalities

Organization Types:

• Provincial Ministries - Quebec government departments
• Municipalities - Cities and regional governments
• Parapublic - Health, education, public utilities
• Crown Corporations - Hydro-Québec, SAQ, etc.

Language Handling:

• Primary language: French
• English translations available (quality varies)
• Search works in both languages
• Bilingual tender detection
• Language requirement indicators

Unique Features:

• Quebec-specific procurement categories
• Regional development preferences
• Local supplier indicators
• Municipal grouping structures
• Parapublic organization codes

Solicitation Types (Quebec-specific):

• Appel d'offres public (Public tender)
• Appel d'offres sur invitation (Invitation to tender)
• Demande de prix (Price quotation)
• Demande de renseignements (Request for information)
• Demande de qualification (Qualification request)

BC Bid Tenders

British Columbia's procurement portal for provincial and broader public sector opportunities.

Data Collection Method:

• On-demand web scraping
• Batch updates weekly
• Coverage: BC government, health authorities, education

Organization Types:

• Provincial ministries
• Health authorities (5 regional authorities)
• Post-secondary institutions
• Crown agencies
• Select municipalities

Unique Features:

• Indigenous business set-asides marked
• Regional economic development tags
• Social procurement indicators
• Community benefits indicators
• Apprenticeship requirements

Categories: BC-specific procurement categories aligned with:

• Professional services
• Construction trades
• IT and telecommunications
• Medical and healthcare supplies
• Environmental services

Ontario Tenders Portal

Ontario government procurement opportunities and broader public sector.

Data Collection Method:

• On-demand scraping
• Weekly batch updates
• Coverage: Ontario ministries and BPS

Organization Types:

• Provincial ministries
• Broader Public Sector (BPS)
• Educational institutions
• Opt-in municipalities
• Crown agencies

Unique Features:

• BPS procurement rules compliance
• Ontario-specific categories
• Green procurement tags
• Accessibility requirements

Filter Categories

Status Filters

Filter by procurement lifecycle stage:

Active:

• Currently accepting submissions
• Deadline has not passed
• RFP documents available
• Contact information current
• Use case: Finding opportunities to bid on now

Closing Soon:

• Less than 7 days to submission deadline
• High urgency
• Limited time for preparation
• May still accept late registrations
• Use case: Last-minute opportunities, quick wins

Closed:

• Submission deadline has passed
• No longer accepting bids
• Evaluation in progress
• Award pending
• Use case: Researching past requirements, planning for re-competes

Awarded:

• Contract awarded to vendor
• Winner announced
• Award value published
• Challenge period may apply
• Use case: Competitive intelligence, pricing research, market analysis

Cancelled:

• Opportunity cancelled by government
• No contract awarded
• Reasons may be stated
• May be re-issued later
• Use case: Understanding cancellation patterns, re-issue tracking

Amended:

• Recently updated with amendments
• Changes to requirements, deadlines, or budget
• May require re-submission
• Q&A published
• Use case: Tracking active pursuit changes

Multi-Select: Check multiple statuses simultaneously:

• Active + Closing Soon = All current opportunities
• Closed + Awarded = Historical research
• Active + Amended = Current with recent changes

Department/Agency Filters

Find tenders from specific government organizations:

Search Interface:

• Type-ahead search by department name
• Fuzzy matching for acronyms
• Bilingual search (English and French names)
• Displays result count per department

Popular Departments (Quick Select):

Federal:

• National Defence (DND) - 3,500+ annual tenders
• Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) - 2,800+ tenders
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED)
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
• Transport Canada
• Health Canada
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
• Parks Canada
• Canadian Heritage
• Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

Provincial (SEAO):

• Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable
• Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux
• Ministère de l'Éducation
• Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI)
• Hydro-Québec

British Columbia:

• BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
• BC Ministry of Health
• BC Ministry of Education
• Provincial Health Services Authority

Organization Hierarchy: Some sources provide organizational structure:

• Parent department
• Sub-agencies
• Branch/directorate level
• Contracting authority

Multi-Department Selection:

• Select multiple departments
• Results include any selected department
• Export shows department breakdown
• Saved searches remember selections

Category Filters

Filter by type of goods or services being procured:

GSIN Categories (Federal - CanadaBuys):

Services:

• Professional, Administrative, and Management Services
• Special Trade and Construction Services
• Information Technology and Telecommunications
• Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Services
• Research and Development
• Medical Services
• Environmental Services
• Transportation and Storage Services
• Leasing of Real Property
• Leasing of Equipment and Vehicles

Goods:

• Office Equipment, Supplies, and Devices
• Medical Equipment and Supplies
• IT Hardware and Software
• Building Materials and Supplies
• Vehicles and Transportation Equipment
• Defense and Security Equipment
• Laboratory and Scientific Equipment
• Telecommunications Equipment
• Industrial Equipment and Supplies

UNSPSC Categories (International Standard):

Higher-level categories:

• Segment level (2-digit codes)
• Family level (4-digit codes)
• Class level (6-digit codes)
• Commodity level (8-digit codes)

Example hierarchy:

• 81 - Engineering and Research and Technology Based Services
  • 8111 - Engineering services
    • 811115 - Civil and structural engineering services
      • 81111501 - Geotechnical engineering services

Quebec Categories (SEAO-specific):

Categories aligned with Quebec procurement:

• Travaux de construction (Construction works)
• Services professionnels (Professional services)
• Technologies de l'information (IT)
• Services de santé (Health services)
• Services environnementaux (Environmental services)
• Fournitures et équipements (Supplies and equipment)

Category Search:

• Text search within categories
• Browse category tree
• Multi-select categories
• View tender count per category

Filtering Behavior:

• Selecting parent category includes all subcategories
• Can mix-and-match across category systems
• Tenders may be tagged with multiple categories
• Search shows primary and secondary categories

Location Filters

Filter by geographic requirements and work location:

Province/Territory Selection:

• All 10 provinces
• 3 territories
• National scope indicator
• Multi-province selection

Location Types:

Delivery Location: Where goods/services will be delivered or performed

• Specified by tender
• May be multiple locations
• National delivery indicated

Vendor Location: Where bidding company must be located (less common)

• Regional preferences
• Provincial set-asides
• Indigenous business locations

Work Location: Where work will be performed

• On-site requirements
• Remote work allowed indicator
• Hybrid arrangements

City/Region Filters:

Major Cities:

• Toronto, ON
• Montreal, QC
• Vancouver, BC
• Calgary, AB
• Ottawa, ON
• Edmonton, AB
• Quebec City, QC
• Winnipeg, MB
• Hamilton, ON

Regions:

• National Capital Region (NCR)
• Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
• Lower Mainland, BC
• Montreal Metropolitan Region
• And more...

Location Matching Logic:

When you select "Quebec" province:

• All Quebec cities match
• SEAO source tenders match automatically
• Quebec-based departments prioritized
• Regional Quebec locations included

Special Location Indicators:

• 🌍 National scope - Canada-wide delivery
• 🏠 Remote work - Can be performed anywhere
• 📍 On-site required - Must work at specific location
• 🌐 International - May include work outside Canada

Value Range Filters

Filter by estimated contract value:

Value Input:

• Minimum value (CAD)
• Maximum value (CAD)
• Currency: Canadian dollars (CAD)
• Include/exclude no stated value

Preset Ranges: Quick-select common ranges:

• Under $25K - Simple contracts
• $25K - $100K - Small contracts
• $100K - $500K - Medium contracts
• $500K - $1M - Large contracts
• $1M - $5M - Very large contracts
• Over $5M - Major procurements

Value Considerations:

Estimated vs. Actual:

• Tender stage: Often estimated or range
• Award stage: Actual contract value
• May include options/renewals
• Multi-year values may be stated as total or annual

When Value Not Stated: Government not always required to disclose estimates:

• May state "TBD" or "To be determined"
• Sometimes only value range given
• Value often disclosed only at award
• Option: Include/exclude unstated values

Value Filters + Status: Powerful combinations:

• Awarded + Value range = Pricing research
• Active + Over $1M = Major opportunities
• Closed + Your target range = Historical analysis

Date Range Filters

Filter by key dates in procurement lifecycle:

Posted Date: When tender was first published

• Last 24 hours
• Last 7 days
• Last 30 days
• Custom range

Closing Date: Submission deadline

• Closing today
• Closing this week
• Closing this month
• Closing within 14 days
• Closing within 30 days
• Custom range

Amendment Date: When last amendment was issued

• Amended in last 7 days
• Amended this month
• Custom range

Award Date: When contract was awarded (for awarded tenders)

• Awarded this week
• Awarded this month
• Awarded this quarter
• Custom range

Contract Start Date: When work is expected to begin

• Starting this month
• Starting this quarter
• Custom range

Custom Date Pickers:

• Calendar interface
• From/To date selection
• Relative date entry ("7 days ago")
• Date validation

Date Filter Strategies:

For Active Pursuit:

• Posted: Last 7 days (fresh opportunities)
• Closing: 30-60 days out (adequate prep time)

For Pipeline Building:

• Posted: Last 30 days
• Closing: 60-90 days out (long-range planning)

For Competitive Intelligence:

• Award Date: Last 90 days
• Combine with category and value filters

For Market Research:

• Posted: Last 12 months
• Status: All
• Analyze patterns and volumes

Solicitation Type Filters

Filter by type of government solicitation:

RFP - Request for Proposal:

• Most common for services
• Technical + price evaluation
• Detailed proposals required
• 30-60 day response time typical
• Best value selection

RFQ - Request for Quotation:

• Simple price competition
• Well-defined specifications
• Lowest compliant bidder wins
• 7-14 day response time
• Common for goods/commodities

RFI - Request for Information:

• Market research tool
• No immediate contract
• Information gathering
• May lead to RFP/RFQ
• Helps shape future requirements

RFSO - Request for Standing Offer:

• Pre-qualified supplier list
• Call-ups against agreement
• No guaranteed volume
• Multi-year arrangements
• Common for recurring needs

ACAN - Advance Contract Award Notice:

• Sole-source notification
• 15-day challenge period
• Government justifies unique source
• Can be challenged
• Converts to contract if no challenges

ITB - Invitation to Bid:

• Formal competitive bid
• Sealed bid process
• Lowest compliant price wins
• Common in construction

ITQ - Invitation to Qualify:

• Qualification stage
• Shortlist creation
• May lead to RFP among qualified
• Two-stage procurement

Multi-Type Selection: Common combinations:

• RFP + RFQ = All competitive opportunities
• RFI only = Planning for future
• ACAN only = Sole-source tracking

Advanced Filters

Additional filtering options for power users:

Trade Agreements: Filter by applicable trade agreements (CanadaBuys):

• CFTA - Canadian Free Trade Agreement
• CPTPP - Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership
• CETA - Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
• WTO-AGP - World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement

Procurement Method: How government is conducting procurement (CanadaBuys codes):

• PM-01 - Open bidding
• PM-02 - Selective tendering
• PM-03 - Sole source
• PM-04 - Limited tendering
• PM-10 - Standing offer/supply arrangement
• And more...

Selection Criteria: How bids will be evaluated (CanadaBuys):

• Lowest price
• Best value (price + technical)
• Technical merit only
• Rated criteria (point-based)

Indigenous Business:

• Set-asides for Indigenous businesses
• Mandatory Indigenous participation
• Indigenous business preference
• Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB)

Certifications Required:

• Security clearance levels
• Professional certifications
• Quality standards (ISO, etc.)
• Environmental certifications

Contract Duration:

• Short-term (< 1 year)
• Medium-term (1-3 years)
• Long-term (3+ years)
• Options for renewal

Amendments:

• Has amendments
• No amendments
• Amendment count > X

Documents Available:

• Has downloadable RFP
• Has attachments
• Has Q&A published
• Has bid forms

Sorting Options

Control the order of tender results:

Relevance (Default):

• AI-powered relevance scoring
• Based on your profile and search
• Most relevant first
• Best for discovery

Closing Date:

• Soonest deadline first
• Critical for time management
• See urgent opportunities
• Best for active pursuit

Posted Date:

• Newest first
• Latest opportunities
• Fresh procurements
• Best for staying current

Value:

• Highest value first
• Or lowest value first
• Target size range
• Best for pipeline qualification

Department:

• Alphabetical by department
• Group by issuing agency
• Best for department-focused search

Solicitation Type:

• Group by RFP, RFQ, etc.
• Best for type-focused review

Reverse Sort: Click sort header again to reverse order

View Modes

Choose how tenders are displayed:

List View

Detailed cards with comprehensive information:

Advantages:

• More information visible
• Full descriptions shown
• All metadata displayed
• Better for detailed review

Card Components:

• Full title (no truncation)
• Extended description preview
• All key dates
• Complete contact info
• Multiple action buttons
• Document list
• Status details

Best For:

• Detailed evaluation
• Reading descriptions
• Comparing requirements
• Fewer results (< 50)

Grid View

Compact cards for scanning many tenders:

Advantages:

• More tenders visible at once
• Quick scanning
• Pattern recognition
• Faster browsing

Card Components:

• Title (truncated if long)
• Department
• Key dates
• Value
• Status badge
• Quick actions

Best For:

• Large result sets (100+)
• Quick scanning
• Pattern identification
• High-level overview

Table View

Spreadsheet-style layout (available via Export):

Advantages:

• Sortable columns
• Easy comparison
• Export-friendly
• Familiar interface

Columns:

• Reference number
• Title
• Department
• Status
• Closing date
• Value
• Source
• Actions

Best For:

• Systematic review
• Data export
• Spreadsheet users
• Comparison across many fields

Bulk Operations

Work with multiple tenders at once:

Bulk Selection

Select tenders for batch operations:

Selection Methods:

• Individual checkboxes
• "Select all on page"
• "Select all matching filters" (up to 500)
• Deselect all

Selection Toolbar: Appears when tenders selected:

• Number selected indicator
• Bulk action buttons
• Clear selection

Bulk Actions

Save to Opportunities:

• Add multiple tenders to Opportunities module
• Triggers AI enrichment for each
• Maintains tender links
• Batch progress indicator

Export:

• CSV export with all metadata
• Excel workbook (multiple sheets)
• JSON for API integration
• PDF summary report

Tag/Label:

• Apply custom tags
• Color labels
• Organization categories
• Bulk tag management

Hide:

• Remove from view
• Doesn't delete
• Can be unhidden
• Maintains in database

Share:

• Email to team members
• Generate shared link
• Include notes
• Set expiration

Track Status:

• Watch for amendments
• Monitor closing dates
• Alert on status changes

Search Box

Full-text search across all tender content:

Basic Search

Enter keywords to search:

Searched Fields:

• Tender title
• Description
• Reference number
• Department name
• Contact names
• Document names

Search Behavior:

• Case-insensitive
• Stemming (run finds running, runs)
• Partial word matching
• Bilingual (searches English and French)

Examples:

• "cloud computing" - Phrase search
• software - Single keyword
• EP123-456789 - Reference number
• National Defence - Department name

Advanced Search Operators

Power search with operators:

Exact Phrase:

"artificial intelligence"

Finds exact phrase, not separate words

Boolean AND:

software AND security

Both terms must be present

Boolean OR:

consultant OR contractor

Either term can be present

Boolean NOT:

IT NOT hardware

Exclude terms from results

Parentheses:

(software OR hardware) AND security

Group expressions

Wildcard:

analy*

Matches analyze, analyse, analysis, analytics

Field-Specific Search:

title:infrastructure

Search only in title field

dept:DND

Search only department

value:>500000

Value over $500,000

Proximity:

"cloud computing"~5

Words within 5 words of each other

Range Search:

value:[100000 TO 500000]

Value between $100K and $500K

posted:[2026-01-01 TO 2026-03-31]

Posted in Q1 2026

Search Tips

Effective Keywords:

• Use industry-standard terms
• Include acronyms and spelled-out forms
• Try both singular and plural
• Search English and French terms

Quotation Marks: Use for exact phrases:

• "request for proposal"
• "information security"
• "project management"

Combining Search and Filters: Most powerful approach:

1. Set category and department filters
2. Enter keyword search
3. Refine with status and dates
4. Save as search preset

Search Refinement:

• Start broad, narrow gradually
• Review first page of results
• Adjust keywords based on what you find
• Add/remove filters as needed

Pagination & Performance

Navigate large result sets efficiently:

Results Per Page:

• 20 (Default)
• 50
• 100
• 200

Page Controls:

• First page
• Previous page
• Page number selector (shows 5 pages)
• Next page
• Last page

Result Count: Total matching tenders displayed:

• "Showing 1-20 of 1,247 tenders"
• Updates as filters change

Infinite Scroll Option: Enable in Settings > Preferences:

• Automatically loads next page on scroll
• No pagination clicks needed
• Better for browsing
• Can slow on very large result sets

Performance Tips:

• Use filters to narrow results
• Avoid "Select All" on 1,000+ results
• Export for offline analysis of large sets
• Saved searches load faster than re-filtering

Refresh & Updates

Keep tender data current:

Auto-Refresh:

• Every 5 minutes (when page active)
• New tender indicator badge
• Status updates reflected
• Amendment notifications

Manual Refresh:

• Click refresh button
• Keyboard: Cmd/Ctrl + R
• Pull-to-refresh on mobile
• Forces immediate data check

Last Updated Indicator: Shows when data was last refreshed:

• "Updated 2 minutes ago"
• "Updated just now"
• Click for exact timestamp

New Tender Notifications: When new tenders match current filters:

• Banner at top of list
• "3 new tenders. Click to refresh"
• Click to reload list
• Maintains scroll position after reload

Mobile Browsing

Optimized tender browsing on mobile devices:

Responsive Layout:

• Filters collapse to drawer
• Cards stack vertically
• Touch-friendly targets
• Swipe gestures

Filter Drawer:

• Swipe from left to open filters
• Apply filters
• Close drawer to see results
• Active filters shown as chips

Card Interactions:

• Tap card to open detail
• Swipe left for quick actions
• Long-press for selection mode
• Pull down to refresh

Mobile-Specific Features:

• Simplified view mode
• Larger touch targets
• Optimized font sizes
• Reduced data usage option

Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigate tenders efficiently:

Next Steps

Master tender filtering and saved searches:

• Tender Detail View - Understand tender information
• Saved Filters - Create reusable search presets
• Semantic Profile - AI tender interpretation
• Historical Awards - Research past contracts
• Opportunities - Enhanced tenders with AI intelligence