CanadaBuys and SAP Business Network, step by step.

The path at a glance

Step 1: Find opportunities on CanadaBuys

• Searching and reading cost nothing. Notices, documents and attachments are free to view and download, with no account.
• Suppliers don’t have a CanadaBuys account. The site’s business logins are SAP Business Network (for bids) and SAP Fieldglass (for temporary help).
• Follow a notice: find it, click “Follow this notice” (the bell icon), enter your name and email, choose your settings and click “Create an email notification”.
• Follow a search: run the search and click “Follow this search”.
• RSS and Atom feeds are also available.
• Use UNSPSC codes to make searches precise; CanadaBuys has a support article on finding them.

CanadaBuys has warned of intermittent email notification outages in 2026, so check important notices directly too. A chatbot, Procura, launched in beta on 14 April 2026.

Step 2: Register on SAP Business Network

1. Open the registration page through the CanadaBuys link.
2. Enter your legal name, country and head office address. Canadian businesses can check details against the GST/HST registry.
3. Add the primary user: name, email, username (in email format), password, notification language and the email address for receiving orders.
4. Choose at least one product or service category.
5. Accept the terms and privacy statement, then click the activation link in your email.
6. Complete your company profile: About Us, products and services, locations and contacts. The completeness meter doesn’t need to reach 100%.

Rules:

• One account per CRA business number. Duplicates are flagged.
• Log in through CanadaBuys: Account access → “Log into SAP Business Network”.
• Sessions time out after 30 minutes of inactivity.

Step 3: The Government of Canada questionnaire

Questions 3 to 8 must be answered before you can bid:

• Q3: privacy consent and Code of Conduct acknowledgement;
• Q4: industry classification;
• Q5: integrity information: business type and the names of owners and directors;
• Q6: Indigenous self-identification;
• Q7: under-represented groups (voluntary);
• Q8: environmental measures, such as ISO 14064 or 14025.

For full registration (to be awarded a contract):

• Q9: contract readiness, CRA business number, ownership, Canadian or non-Canadian supplier, and payment details. Canadian suppliers use direct deposit; non-Canadian suppliers use wire transfer with SWIFT/BIC and IBAN.
• Q12: for Department of National Defence suppliers, cyber security certification (Canada’s CPCSC or the US CMMC), with levels and expiry dates.

You can edit and resubmit your answers at any time. The guide is explicit: you don’t need a business number to submit a bid.

The old system is gone: the Supplier Registration Information (SRI) system was decommissioned on 6 July 2026. Suppliers now register on SAP Business Network and must hold a valid CRA business number. Some older canada.ca pages still mention SRI.

Step 4: A CRA business number for non-residents

You need a business number to complete registration and win. Non-residents (businesses incorporated or located outside Canada) can get one:

• Online: the Non-Resident Business Registration form. It’s available 21 hours a day (down 3–6 am Eastern), times out after 30 minutes and can’t be saved part-way.
• On paper: Form RC1, mailed to the Atlantic Tax Centre (Non-resident Registration and Security, 275 Pope Rd, Summerside PE C1N 6A2) or faxed to 1-519-971-2011.

The CRA doesn’t publish a processing time, so apply as soon as you decide to bid. Some third-party sites say non-residents can’t register online; the official page says they can.

Step 5: Respond to a solicitation

1. On the CanadaBuys notice, open “Bidding details” and click “Login to SAP Business Network to view this opportunity”.
2. Click “Respond”, then review the event details and prerequisites.
3. Accept the Government of Canada agreement. It’s required for every tender.
4. In “Submit Response”, upload your documents and complete the sections (technical offer, financial offer, certifications).
5. Click “Submit Entire Response”.

Then:

• You can revise your response up to the deadline, even after submitting.
• Questions go to the buyer through “Compose Message” (event messages), by the deadline in the solicitation.
• Some departments use Canada Post’s epost Connect instead of SAP Ariba, and the solicitation says so. Use only the delivery methods it lists; some refuse bids by email or fax.
• Language: bids can be in English or French.
• Evaluation: failing any mandatory criterion makes your bid non-responsive. Rated criteria are scored and usually combined with price.
• Check each solicitation for its enquiry deadline, bid validity period and debrief process; they vary.

Step 6: Integrity forms

The Ineligibility and Suspension Policy (in force since 31 May 2024) applies to federal contracts.

• With your bid, provide the names of all directors, and for private corporations anyone owning 5% or more.
• The forms:
  • List of Names for Integrity Verification, submitted with the bid;
  • Integrity Declaration, used if you can’t certify compliance;
  • forms for first-tier subcontractors.
• Penalties: ineligibility for up to 10 years (reducible through an administrative agreement after 36 months), and suspension for up to 18 months.

The Federal Contractors Program

Applies if you have a combined Canadian workforce of 100 or more permanent full- or part-time employees and bid on a contract of C$1 million or more, including taxes:

• sign the Agreement to Implement Employment Equity (form LAB1215);
• it doesn’t apply to federally regulated private-sector employers.

Buy Canadian and reciprocal procurement

Two policies now shape who can win:

• Interim Policy on Reciprocal Procurement (since 14 July 2025):
  • applies to procurements over C$10,000;
  • generally limits them to Canadian suppliers and suppliers from countries with trade agreements with Canada;
  • “Canadian supplier” means a place of business in Canada where activities are carried out permanently, or a joint venture where every member meets that test.
• Buy Canadian Policy (since 16 December 2025):
  • prioritises Canadian suppliers and content;
  • for strategic procurements (from C$5 million since 15 June 2026, down from C$25 million), suppliers sign a Supplier Eligibility Attestation before award and a Canadian Content Attestation for each item;
  • qualifying bids get a 10% price reduction, for evaluation only;
  • buyers can ask for evidence such as leases, incorporation certificates or proof of where operations happen;
  • false attestations can lead to disqualification, termination or ineligibility.
• Canadian Materials Policy: defence goods and construction of C$25 million or more using C$250,000 or more of steel, wood or aluminium.

The FAQ defines a Canadian supplier as one that operates in Canada with a real physical location, is registered with the CRA, files Canadian taxes and contributes to the Canadian economy. For a foreign company, a real Canadian operation is increasingly the way to stay eligible.

Professional services: TBIPS, TSPS and ProServices

Most federal professional services are bought through supply arrangements.

1. Enrol in the Centralized Professional Services System (CPSS). You need a CRA business number and an SAP Business Network ID linked to CanadaBuys. Fill in the supplier enrolment form, confirm by email and receive your login.
2. Enrolment isn’t qualification. You qualify by bidding in an open refresh solicitation and being awarded a supply arrangement.

TBIPS details:

• Tier 1 goes up to C$3.75 million, with at least 15 suppliers invited.
• Tier 2 goes above that, with all qualified suppliers invited, and requires C$2 million of commercial general liability insurance.
• The current arrangement is valid until 4 July 2028.
• Bidding is moving from CPSS to SAP Ariba.

The government published a “What We Heard” report on reforming professional services procurement on 18 June 2026, without naming a replacement system or dates.

Indigenous business

• Set-asides under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business are open to businesses listed on the Indigenous Business Directory or a modern treaty business list. Register at services.sac-isc.gc.ca/REA-IBD.
• Eligibility:
  • at least 51% Indigenous ownership and control;
  • joint ventures qualify if Indigenous partners hold at least 51%;
  • where work is subcontracted, at least 33% of the contract value must be done by an Indigenous business.
• Target: at least 5% of federal contract value goes to Indigenous businesses.

Vendor performance

Vendor performance management expanded to goods and services in September 2025 and is rolling out across departments. Ratings cover cost, quality, schedule and management. Scores aren’t yet used in decisions, and suppliers will get 90 days’ notice before they are.

What changed in 2025–2026

• 14 July 2025: the Interim Policy on Reciprocal Procurement (over C$10,000).
• 1 September 2025: vendor performance management extended to goods and services.
• 16 December 2025: the Buy Canadian Policy took effect.
• 14 April 2026: the Procura chatbot launched.
• 1 June 2026: the Buy Canadian compliance framework took effect.
• 15 June 2026: the strategic procurement threshold fell to C$5 million.
• 6 July 2026:
  • SRI decommissioned;
  • Small Business Procurement Program launched: for requirements over C$10,000 and under C$5 million, buyers must design opportunities with small businesses in mind and use standard documents.
• 28 August 2026: the National Capital Region bid receiving unit moved to 7:30 am–3:30 pm, Monday to Friday.
• The Supply Manual is archived, replaced by the Buyer’s Portal.

For the wider rules, see how to bid for government contracts in Canada.

Live Canadian tenders

Questions

Sources

• CanadaBuys: registering on SAP Business Network (guide for businesses)
• CanadaBuys: following a saved search or tender notice
• CanadaBuys: responding to tender opportunities
• Canada Revenue Agency: business number for non-residents
• CanadaBuys: Buy Canadian Policy questions and answers for suppliers
• CanadaBuys: Interim Policy on Reciprocal Procurement
• ESDC: Federal Contractors Program

This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.