How to Register on CanadaBuys in 2026: SAP Business Network Step by Step
The Supplier Registration Information system and the Procurement Business Number were retired in July 2026. This is the process that replaced them.
At a glance
- Cost
- Free
- Time
- Under an hour. The account activates by email the same day.
- What you need
- Legal name and head-office address
- Names of owners and directors
- Industry, business type and number of employees
- Banking details (direct deposit, or wire for non-Canadian suppliers)
- Your CRA business number (required before award, not to bid)
Step by step
Check whether your business already has an account
CanadaBuys allows one SAP Business Network account per CRA business number. Many businesses already have one because they sell to a private company that uses SAP Ariba. Ask around before you create a second one.
If you only want to read tender documents and not bid, you can create a viewer account instead. Its company name starts with “VIEWER”.
Gather what the registration asks for
Work through the official checklist first: legal name and address, main user details, industry and business type, owners and directors, CRA business number and ownership type, banking details, product and service categories, service locations and number of employees. Indigenous Business Directory status and environmental or cyber security certifications are optional.
Start registration from CanadaBuys, not from SAP’s own site
Use the link on the CanadaBuys registration page. Starting there adds Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to your customer list automatically. Enter your company and user details, choose at least one product or service category, accept the terms, then activate the account from the confirmation email.
You sign in to SAP Business Network with an SAP username and password. GCKey and Sign-In Partners are not used for supplier registration.
Complete the Government of Canada questionnaire
You must answer questions 3 to 8 before you can bid:
- 3: privacy consent and the Code of Conduct for Procurement
- 4: industry
- 5: business type and ownership
- 6: Indigenous self-identification (optional)
- 7: under-represented groups (optional)
- 8: environmental certifications (optional)
Then fill in the mandatory fields of your company profile.
Follow searches so tenders come to you
On CanadaBuys, run a search by keyword or UNSPSC code, then choose Follow this search. You can also follow an individual notice to be told about amendments. Alerts arrive by email, RSS or Atom.
Finish full registration when you win
Before a contract is awarded, PSPC needs question 9: your CRA business number and financial information. The business number must show as valid and your approval status as Approved. National Defence suppliers also answer question 12 on cyber security certification.
Doing this early does no harm and removes a delay at award.
How to submit a federal bid
Each notice says how bids are delivered. There are two main routes.
In SAP Business Network. Open the notice’s Bidding details tab, choose “Login to SAP Business Network to view this opportunity”, then Respond. Review the prerequisites, attach your files and click Submit Entire Response. The site does not autosave and logs you out after 30 minutes of inactivity. To change a bid before closing, use Revise Response. Do not submit a second bid.
Through epost Connect. When the notice names a Bid Receiving Unit, email that unit with the solicitation number, your company name and a contact. The unit opens a Connect conversation with you, and you post your bid there. Receipt is confirmed within 24 business hours, and late bids are destroyed. Connect support: 1-877-376-1212.
Read the closing time zone on every solicitation
Federal solicitations set their own time zone. Some close in Eastern time and others in Pacific time, stated in a “Time Zone – Fuseau horaire” field. A bid that is on time in Vancouver can be three hours late in Ottawa.
Standing offers and supply arrangements
A standing offer is not a contract: it becomes one only when a department issues a call-up against it. A supply arrangement pre-qualifies a pool of suppliers who then compete for individual contracts. There is no rolling application for either. You get on by answering a Request for Standing Offers or Request for Supply Arrangements posted on CanadaBuys, and they are generally issued at the start of the fiscal year.
Security clearance: the Contract Security Program
Work involving protected or classified information needs an organization clearance, and you cannot apply on your own. A federal procurement or security officer, or the security officer of a cleared prime contractor, has to sponsor you, usually during a solicitation.
- Designated Organization Screening for protected work: valid 2 years, up to 4 months to process
- Facility Security Clearance for classified work: valid 1 year, 6 months or more to process
The organization must be incorporated, located and registered to do business in Canada. You submit an Application for Registration, appoint a Company Security Officer and sign a security agreement. Missing or late information ends the process.
Indigenous businesses
Businesses that are at least 51% Indigenous-owned and controlled can register in the Indigenous Business Directory to bid on federal set-asides. Indigenous Services Canada says processing is currently slower than usual, so register before you need it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need a Procurement Business Number (PBN)?
No. The Supplier Registration Information system that issued PBNs stopped accepting registrations and updates on July 6, 2026. You now need an SAP Business Network account with a completed profile and a valid CRA business number.
Do I need a CRA business number to bid on CanadaBuys?
Not to submit a bid. PSPC needs a valid business number before it awards a contract or issues a standing offer or supply arrangement.
Is CanadaBuys registration free?
Yes. CanadaBuys lets businesses register for free.
Can I use GCKey to register on CanadaBuys?
No. Suppliers sign in to SAP Business Network with an SAP username and password. The separate CanadaBuys account that uses Microsoft sign-in is meant for public servants.
Can a business outside Canada register?
Yes. Non-Canadian suppliers register the same way and are paid by wire. You will need a non-resident CRA business number before award. Non-defence federal procurements of $10,000 or more now exclude suppliers from countries without a procurement agreement with Canada.
Sources
- CanadaBuys: Changes to the supplier registration process
- CanadaBuys: Registering in SAP Business Network, a guide for businesses
- CanadaBuys: Checklist to prepare to register
- CanadaBuys: Verifying full supplier registration
- CanadaBuys: Responding to tender opportunities in SAP Business Network
- CanadaBuys: Submitting a bid to a Bid Receiving Unit using Connect
- CanadaBuys: Standing offers and supply arrangements
- PSPC: Obtain security screening for an organization
- Indigenous Services Canada: Indigenous Business Directory
Registered? Now find the tenders.
Cothon watches every portal in this guide, and the ones it does not cover, in one feed in English and French, and shows who wins and at what price.