Public opening

A public opening, also called a public opening of bids or public bid opening, is the scheduled event in a competitive procurement at which every bid received by the closing time is opened in a forum accessible to bidders or the public. Key information, such as the names of the bidders and in many cases their bid prices, is disclosed and recorded under set procedures.

The concept belongs to sealed bidding, also known as the invitation to tender method. Bids stay sealed until the stated time, and no further bids are accepted once the opening begins. The event gives every participant a shared record of who bid and, where prices are read out, at what price.

How sealed bidding uses the public opening

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation toolkit for invitations for bid defines "Public Bid Opening" as the date and time after solicitation when all bids received before the stated deadline are publicly opened. It states that late bids are not opened or considered. The official who opens the bids reads them aloud if practical and has them recorded. The toolkit is available at wisconsindot.gov.

The California Department of Transportation describes the opening as a public forum for announcing all bids. Bids are held securely until the designated time and place, then opened and announced. Its guidance is in Chapter 15 of the Local Assistance Procedures Manual.

Newfoundland and Labrador rules for public openings

Newfoundland and Labrador sets out the clearest Canadian rules. Its regulations require an open call for bids to state the date, time and location of the public opening. The Public Procurement Policy adds the procedure in Section 5.5:

• All bids received before the closing time are opened publicly at the stated time and location.
• At least two representatives of the public body must be present.
• Submissions are time and date stamped and initialled by those representatives.
• A report records the date, time and location, the people in attendance, the suppliers that bid and the call reference. It is placed in the procurement file.

At an invitation to tender, the bidder's name and bid price are revealed. At other public openings, only the name is disclosed. The policy states that prices read out are for reference only, because a full evaluation still determines the preferred supplier.

Nova Scotia's public tender notices page tells suppliers that tender documents state when and where the tenders will be publicly opened.

Federal guidance on when to open bids publicly

The Government of Canada does not make a public opening mandatory for every federal tender. Its buyer guide on the invitation to tender method advises buyers to use an ITT when selection is based on lowest price. It says an ITT can be opened publicly and recommends public openings for requirements estimated to exceed $25,000. It also suggests buyers consider a public opening for any bid whose award will have significant public visibility.

When Canadian buyers hold no public opening

Some competitions state that no public opening will take place. Federal invitation to tender 26-0246 says there will be no public opening at bid deposit time. Its Indigenous Participation Plan submission is opened privately and evaluated on a point score. Invitation to tender 5P468-25-0166A uses the same wording and the same private opening of its first submission.

SaskTenders treats the opening as a declared field. Its competition listings show "Public Opening: No" for some competitions. The City of Regina's request for proposals for a climate action plan states that there will not be a public opening, but that the names of the firms that responded will be posted on the SaskTenders website.

What a public opening means for your bid

Check every tender notice for the opening details before you plan your submission. Confirm whether a public opening will occur, and if so, its date, time and location. Treat the closing time as final, because bids received after it are not opened.

If the opening is public and the method is an invitation to tender, expect your name and price to be read out to competitors. If the notice states there will be no public opening, plan for private evaluation. Look for how the buyer will share results, such as a posted list of respondents.