GETS (Government Electronic Tendering Service)

GETS stands for the Government Electronic Tendering Service. Treasury Board policy identifies it as the approved national electronic bidding and information service of the Government of Canada, and says it gives supplier subscribers access to government procurement opportunities. See the Treasury Board policy text.

In practice, GETS is the official place where federal departments and agencies advertise their requirements and publish bid solicitations. It is now available through CanadaBuys, which provides access to federal tender opportunities, procurement information and related datasets, as described on the CanadaBuys procurement assistance page.

GETS and CanadaBuys: how the two names fit together

CanadaBuys is the current online access point for GETS. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) states that its solicitations are published on GETS, commonly known as CanadaBuys, for the applicable bidding periods, as shown in this PSPC publication. Suppliers will therefore see both names in federal documents, and they refer to the same tendering service.

What federal buyers publish through GETS

Federal departments and agencies use GETS to advertise requirements, according to PSPC seminar notes on how the government buys. CanadaBuys lets suppliers search GETS for several kinds of records:

• Tenders
• Contract history
• Standing offers
• Supply arrangements

These search options are described on the federal searching opportunities page.

The tender notice thresholds that put a requirement on GETS

PSPC guidance states that the government will issue a tender notice on GETS for purchases of goods over $25,000, and for services and construction over $40,000. The figures appear in PSPC's procurement mythbusting guidance. A supplier who watches GETS will see the requirements that fall above these levels.

Defence, NATO and supply arrangement notices

Suppliers interested in defence and security work are directed to monitor GETS for opportunities from the federal departments and agencies involved in that procurement. The defence and security opportunities page sets this out.

CanadaBuys also includes procurement opportunities from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). Notices on GETS can serve ongoing qualification as well. One CanadaBuys aviation-parts tender notice states that an annual notice may be posted on GETS so that additional suppliers can become qualified for a supply arrangement.

What GETS means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

GETS is the starting point for finding federal opportunities, so a bid team should make searching it a routine task. Suppliers should do the following:

• Search CanadaBuys and GETS for opportunities that match their goods or services.
• Follow the notices they care about so they receive amendments and updates.
• Use the Government of Canada's electronic procurement solution where a particular opportunity requires electronic bidding.

PSPC's getting started guidance covers the first steps for businesses new to selling to the government. Suppliers with a defence focus should also check the defence and security page for the departments to watch.