The starting point
Qualify a public contract by checking mandatory requirements first, then delivery capacity, commercial fit, and the response calendar. Save a clear reason to bid, investigate, or pass before you start writing a proposal.
Start with the conditions that can rule you out
A familiar service category is a reason to investigate, not evidence that your business can bid. Open the official notice and its attachments. Find the mandatory criteria, supplier conditions, submission instructions, and amendments before judging the creative brief.
Create a short requirement list with three states: evidenced, needs clarification, and not met. Keep the document name and section beside each item. A missing fact belongs in needs clarification; it should never become an automatic yes.
- Check required registrations and any restricted competition or supplier category.
- Identify experience, reference, insurance, security, and certification requirements.
- Separate conditions required at bid submission from those required before contract award or delivery.
- Record the official question deadline and the buyer’s permitted clarification channel.
Make the decision visible
Use a simple decision record rather than an unexplained score. The following is a working framework for your team, not the buyer’s evaluation method.
| Check | Evidence to collect | Reason to pause |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Relevant clause and evidence your business satisfies it | A mandatory condition is unmet or unclear |
| Delivery | Available people, schedule, dependencies, and location | You cannot meet the required delivery model |
| Commercial fit | Published budget, pricing format, and your cost estimate | Costs or contractual exposure cannot be assessed |
| Response effort | Owner, review time, required attachments, and deadline | There is too little time for a compliant response |
Treat an unpublished budget as unknown
An absent budget is not a zero-dollar budget and is not permission to invent a likely contract value. Build your own delivery estimate separately, with its assumptions, currency, and exclusions. Check whether the buyer asks for hourly rates, fixed fees, options, expenses, or taxes.
For a range, keep both ends visible. Do not compare a Canadian-dollar ceiling with a US-dollar estimate as though they were the same amount. If you use an exchange rate for planning, note its date and keep the source currency alongside it.
Finish with one next action
Write a short note: pursue, clarify, or pass; why; who owns the next step; and when it is due. Revisit the decision if an amendment changes the scope or deadline.
In Leeds, save the opportunity and keep this reasoning in your private notes. Imported source notices are starting points for review. They do not establish eligibility or replace the official procurement documents.
Common questions
Should I bid if the budget is not published?
It may still be worth investigating. Assess the stated scope and pricing instructions, estimate your delivery costs separately, and use the buyer’s allowed clarification process. Keep the budget marked unknown until the source supplies it.
Does a matching service category mean I qualify?
No. Category relevance describes the work. Eligibility depends on the solicitation’s mandatory conditions and your evidence that you meet them.
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)
- SAM.gov: entity registration and Unique Entity ID (opens in a new tab)
Put your checklist to work.
Explore current source notices and take the next step with the official documents open.