Bidding Period

The bidding period is the window of time suppliers have to prepare and submit their proposals in response to a government solicitation. When a tender hits the system, the clock starts. It stops at the closing date and time—not a minute later. According to the Supply Manual Chapter 4.10, every solicitation document must clearly indicate when this window closes, and missing that deadline means your bid doesn't get considered. Full stop.

How It Works

When PSPC or any federal department issues a solicitation, they're required to give suppliers enough time to put together a compliant response. The closing date and time aren't arbitrary—they need to reflect the complexity of what's being asked. The Canadian Free Trade Agreement Article 511 requires that time periods be reasonable based on factors like the nature of the procurement and the extent of subcontracting involved.

Here's where it gets specific: For certain procurements, minimum periods are actually mandated. Take the Task-based Informatics Professional Services Supply Arrangement, for example—Tier 1 bid solicitations must give suppliers at least fifteen calendar days to submit proposals. That's the floor, not a suggestion. More complex procurements might give you 30, 45, or even 60 days depending on what's involved.

Once the closing time hits, that's it. Your bid becomes irrevocable for a defined period after submission, which means you can't just pull it back or fiddle with the numbers because you had second thoughts. The department will evaluate what came in before the deadline. Late submissions get rejected—no exceptions, even if you're five minutes past closing.

Key Considerations

• Time zones matter: Federal solicitations typically use Ottawa's time zone (Eastern) for closing deadlines. If you're submitting from Vancouver at 2:00 PM Pacific and the closing is 2:00 PM Eastern, you're already three hours too late.

• Holiday calculations can trip you up: When minimum periods are specified in calendar days, you need to count weekends and holidays. Fifteen calendar days isn't the same as fifteen business days—it's often less working time than you think.

• Amendment deadlines shift the timeline: If the department issues an amendment to the solicitation, they may extend the closing date to give everyone time to adjust their bids accordingly. Always monitor for amendments throughout the period.

• Electronic submission systems have hard cutoffs: Platforms like CanadaBuys don't care if your internet went down at 1:58 PM. The system locks at the specified time, and there's no manual override for late entries.

Related Terms

Closing Date, Solicitation, Request for Proposal (RFP), Irrevocable Bid, Amendment

Sources

• Supply Manual - Chapter 4.10 Solicitation Processes and Contracting

• CanadaBuys - Procurement Process

• Task-based Informatics Professional Services Supply Arrangement

In practice, treat the bidding period as a hard constraint, not a target. Build in buffer time for technical glitches, internal approvals, and the inevitable last-minute questions that come up before you hit submit.