The starting point
A useful bid pipeline gives each opportunity a decision, an owner, a next action, and a date. Track your own progress separately from the buyer’s procurement status, and keep submission evidence outside assumptions or reminders.
Give each stage a clear meaning
Use the same stage definitions each time so a shortlist shows actual work. These are your internal stages; moving a record does not change the official notice or send anything to the buyer.
| Stage | Meaning | Useful evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Saved | Worth a closer look; no bid commitment yet | Fit reason and open questions |
| Bidding | You have decided to prepare a response | Owner, task list, and internal review date |
| Submitted | You completed the buyer’s submission process | Receipt, submission timestamp, and final version |
| Won | The award outcome is confirmed for your business | Buyer confirmation or official award record |
| Lost | Your unsuccessful outcome is known | Notification, debrief notes, or other confirmation |
Write notes that make the next review easier
A useful note should let you resume the work without rereading every document. Keep facts, questions, and your judgment distinguishable.
- Fit: the specific service or experience that makes this worth considering.
- Conditions: mandatory requirements with the document and section to check.
- Open question: what you still need to learn and the permitted contact route.
- Next action: one concrete task, its owner, and its due date.
- Decision: pursue, pause, or pass, with a short reason.
Plan around more than the closing date
Track your own draft and review deadlines before the buyer’s deadline. Keep the official closing timezone visible. Questions, mandatory briefings, and site visits can each need an earlier decision.
Check the original source again before submission. An amendment may affect the work even if your saved notes have not changed. Leeds alert preferences are not a substitute for monitoring the buyer’s official notice, and saving an alert rule does not prove emails are being delivered.
Close the loop without inventing a result
Do not move a bid to Lost just because the submission deadline passed. If the award is unknown, keep that uncertainty in your notes. When an outcome is confirmed, record what you learned about response effort, pricing assumptions, and evidence quality.
Leeds lets signed-in users save records, edit private notes, and update bid stages. Submit proposals through the channel specified by the buyer. Leeds does not submit a bid or confirm a receipt for you.
Common questions
Does marking a bid Submitted send it to the buyer?
No. It only changes your internal tracking stage. Complete the official submission process yourself and retain its receipt or confirmation.
What should I do when a saved notice closes?
Use the saved record as history, check the official source for changes or the outcome, and update your notes. A closed deadline does not reveal whether your bid won or lost.
Official sources
These sources support the platform and procurement references in this guide. The checklists are Leeds editorial suggestions. The current solicitation and its amendments govern an actual bid.
- Government of Canada: preparing and submitting a bid (opens in a new tab)
- Government of Canada: electronic procurement and submission methods (opens in a new tab)
Put your checklist to work.
Explore current source notices and take the next step with the official documents open.