The City of Edmonton uses a variety of competitive bidding processes to acquire a wide range of goods, services and construction needed to support the effective operation of the municipality. The City’s procurement processes follow best practices for public sector procurement - and are in accordance with the applicable trade agreements.
Tendering Opportunities
The City posts procurement opportunities, known as sourcing events in SAP Business Network Discovery. Suppliers interested in bidding on a City sourcing event must submit their bid online using SAP Ariba. The City no longer accepts paper bid submissions.
Due to the vast number of suppliers who are able and interested in providing goods and services to the City, a list of preferred suppliers is not maintained.
Tendering/Procurement Process
It's important to read all documents thoroughly and comply with all requirements. If you are unsure about anything, contact the person noted on the document to seek clarification.
Successful bidders will be notified by telephone, fax, purchase order, Letter of Intent, or a combination of these as appropriate. No commitment will exist until a vendor receives official notification from the City.
Following the award, the City will provide feedback to any bidder upon request in order to assist them in understanding areas of strength or weakness in their bid or proposal.
Common Procurement Processes and Timelines
Prequalification
In a pre-qualification process (also known as a Request for Qualifications) the City publicly requests submissions from businesses. Those businesses which meet the pre-qualifications are invited to participate in a subsequent tender or request for proposals process.
Pre-qualification reduces the effort and expense incurred by businesses in preparing bids or proposals. It also allows for an efficient evaluation process, while maintaining competition to ensure quality, performance and value in the City’s procurement process. Pre-qualification is often used when the City is seeking engineering, architectural and other consultants, general contractors for large scale or complex construction projects and for the procurement of specialized equipment and technology solutions.
Typical Pre-qualification Process Timelines
| Process Stage | Duration | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Open period (from public release/notification to closing date) | 2-4 weeks | Duration of the period depends on complexity of requirements and level of effort needed for suppliers to prepare submissions |
| Evaluation Review of submissions and notification of results |
2-6 weeks | Length of evaluation process depends on complexity of requirements to be evaluated, # of submissions received and reference checks |
Tender
In the Tender process (also known as a Request for Tender) businesses are publicly invited to bid on the opportunity to provide specific goods and services. Bids must meet certain mandatory requirements and then are evaluated either completely or largely based on price (the lowest price bid is awarded the contract). In addition to price, other evaluation criteria such as past performance or references may be used if the tender is not preceded by a prequalification process.
Typical Tender Process Timelines
| Process Stage | Duration (up to) | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Open period (from public release to closing date) | 2-4 weeks | Duration of the period depends on complexity of requirements and level of effort needed for suppliers to prepare submissions |
| Evaluation of submissions and notification of award/results | 1-3 weeks | Length of evaluation process depends on complexity of requirements to be evaluated, # of submissions received and reference checks |
| Prepare and forward letter of intent or Purchase Order to successful bidder | 1 week |
Request for Proposals
In the Request for Proposals (RFP) process businesses are publicly invited to submit a proposal for a product, service or business solution they feel will best meet the City’s needs as outlined in the request for proposal.
This process is used when it is not possible for the City to have exact specifications or where a variety of products, approaches or technical solutions could achieve the desired results. Generally, RFPs focus on performance requirements or outcomes, and allow bidders (known as Proponents) more freedom to propose alternative approaches or solutions for consideration. RFP evaluations tend to be more complex since they consider multiple criteria. In addition to price this may include factors such as corporate suitability, technical capability, approach to the work, qualifications and experience of key resources or other criteria depending on the nature of the procurement.
Typical Request for Proposals (RFP) Process Timelines
| Process Stage | Duration | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Open period (from public release to closing date) | 2-4 weeks | Duration of the period depends on complexity of requirements and level of effort needed for suppliers to prepare submissions |
| Evaluation of submissions and notification of award/results | 3-6 weeks | Length of evaluation process depends on complexity of requirements to be evaluated, # of submissions received and reference checks |
| Contract prepared and signed by all parties | 1-5 weeks | Length of this period depends on level of effort in finalizing agreement and having it signed by successful bidder and the City |