GENERAL

What is MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

MERX Canadian Public Tenders, Canada’s leading e-tendering service, is the window through which Canadian businesses of all sizes can access billions of dollars in contracting opportunities with the Government of Canada (GC) and billions more from participating provincial and municipal governments. Using MERX Canadian Public Tenders can expand your business by giving you access to government departments and agencies that you may not have considered as potential clients.

In addition to having the ability to search for open tender opportunities from more than 1,500 opportunities available at any given time, the MERX service has a comprehensive document delivery service and maintains high service levels for delivering tender documents.

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Who uses MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

Government of Canada (GC) departments and agencies as well as other public sector entities, such as provinces and municipalities, use MERX Canadian Public Tenders to post their procurement requirements subject to any of the trade agreements. Buyers may decide to also use MERX Canadian Public Tenders for requirements below the trade thresholds should they determine it is cost effective and appropriate.

Canadian businesses of all sizes use MERX Canadian Public Tenders to access billions of dollars in contracting opportunities with GC departments and agencies as well as other public sector entities.

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Is MERX privately owned or is it part of the government?

MERX is not a government service. MERX is the trademark under which MERX, a subsidiary of Mediagrif Interactive Technologies, is operating the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS).

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Is MERX Canadian Public Tenders a solution only for large businesses?

A majority of businesses that use MERX Canadian Public Tenders belong to the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) classification. Statistics show that over 80% of our customers belong to organizations with a workforce of fewer than 50 employees.

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Who does business with the Canadian public sector and is it for me?

Thousands of companies across Canada have realized the unlimited potential of doing business with the Canadian public sector. MERX Canadian Public Tenders has the largest and most complete listing of public sector opportunities at your fingertips.

Did you know...

• The Government of Canada (GC) estimates that they procure $12-15 billion per year in goods, services and construction.

• Most provincial and federal government agencies and departments across Canada are required to advertise opportunities over $25,000 on MERX, with many others choosing to post contracts under that dollar value.

• The purpose for posting opportunities on MERX is to ensure open and fair competition.

Register today and start taking advantage of all the opportunities waiting for you on MERX Canadian Public Tenders.

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How many opportunities are open on MERX Canadian Public Tenders at any given time?

MERX Canadian Public Tenders usually has about 1,500 open tender opportunities each day from federal, provincial and municipal government agencies and departments across the country as well as universities, school boards and hospitals.

Currently, Government of Canada (GC) departments and agencies as well as other participating public sector entities advertise their tender opportunities on MERX.

MERX Canadian Public Tenders posts about 1,000 new Canadian opportunities each week.

MERX Canadian Public Tenders delivers more than 1,500 document orders and amendments each business day.

Many countries all over the world, including the United States, Mexico, Japan, Australia and the Philippines, look to MERX as an example of how the public and private sector can work together to provide a centralized, transparent and affordable electronic tendering service to businesses; making MERX a world class service.

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How many MERX Canadian Public Tenders users win contracts?

Based on results of our customer survey, more than 49% of MERX users have won contracts in the last two years using MERX Canadian Public Tenders.

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What are the peak hours of usage on MERX?

MERX experiences higher volumes of traffic on business days between 09:00a.m. and 12:00p.m. (Eastern Time).

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Why are opportunity notices sometimes available only in English or French?

Purchasing organizations are responsible for selecting the language in which they publish their opportunity notices on MERX Canadian Public Tenders. In addition, they choose the language in which their tender documents will be sold. Some jurisdictions will publish their opportunities in both languages while others will publish in either English or French.

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Why are some opportunity notices missing important selection criteria?

The purchasing organization is responsible for the content of the notice. MERX Canadian Public Tenders provides the tools to purchasing organizations to publish their opportunity notices on the MERX Canadian Public Tenders service. You can use the free preview feature to view all documentation posted by the Contracting Authority. Should you have any further questions about the opportunity notice please contact the Contracting Authority.

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SERVICES

What services are offered?

As a MERX Canadian Public Tenders subscriber, your business can benefit tremendously by accessing Canadian public sector tender opportunities. Click here to access a detailed list of our services.

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What is Opportunity Matching and is it for me?

Included in your monthly subscription is one free profile for the MERX Opportunity Matching service. Opportunity Matching is designed to look for opportunities of interest to your business and send them to you each weekday by fax or email at no additional charge. You create the search criteria profile and we'll do the rest. As a MERX Canadian Public Tenders subscriber you can create up to nine (9) profiles for this valuable service by selecting the Setup Profile link under the Opportunity Matching heading on the Opportunities page. Don't forget to test your new profile before saving it to make sure that you are receiving the opportunities that are relevant to your business.

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What is the Document Request List and how can I use it?

The Document Request List provides a list of all the businesses that have ordered the documents for a particular tendered opportunity. You can take advantage of this feature to identify partnering opportunities for bidding on government contracts and gain valuable competitor information. This feature is accessible by clicking the Document Request List link from within an opportunity notice abstract. You can also click the Document Request List link located on the Opportunities page under the Canadian Opportunities title and search for a specific tender opportunity by entering the Reference Number. Non-Subscribers have access to this service only after they order the document.

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What are closed opportunities?

Closed (or Former) Opportunities are notices that have passed their closing date but are still accessible on MERX Canadian Public Tenders. That is to say, when the closing date for an opportunity notice has passed, the then closed notice is stored separately from active notices. Subscribers may browse through the Former Opportunities database to research and track buying patterns of the public sector.

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How do I find out which company has been awarded a contract?

Subscribers can use the MERX Award search feature to find contract award notices. You can find out which organizations won what contracts and in some cases for what dollar value. This can be useful information when preparing bids. MERX Canadian Public Tenders does not receive award notices for every opportunity as some buyers choose not to publish this information.

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Are there International opportunities posted on MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

Yes. In addition to the thousands of tender opportunities available from all levels of government you can also search MERX Canadian Public Tenders for open International Opportunities. The Canadian Commercial Corporation (a Government of Canada agency) provides MERX Canadian Public Tenders with filtered international opportunity notices that Canadian companies can bid on.

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How do I make sure that I receive amendments?

An amendment (also known as an update or addenda) is a piece of documentation that is issued after an opportunity has become active on the MERX Canadian Public Tenders site.

It is strongly recommended that you always choose Receive Notification for each of the opportunity notices that you intend to bid on. By choosing not to receive notifications of amendments and updates, you run the risk of not being able to obtain details of changes to the requirements, closing date, or any general information that may put your bid at a disadvantage or to possibly cause it to be non-responsive or non-compliant. The selection box can be found under the column Order Setting on the Order Basket page. Once notified of the amendment, you simply log into MERX Canadian Public Tenders and download the amendment.

MERX Canadian Public Tenders also offers a Value Added Service that ensures that any amendments or updates are automatically delivered to you. If you subscribe to this service you will be able to select Receive Amendments. By choosing to receive amendments, you automatically receive amendments, updates and questions & answers by fax, email, or mail. This ensures that any amendments for opportunity documents you purchased are sent to you. If you do not want to receive amendments but simply the notification that one has been issued, simply select Receive Notifications.

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REGISTRATION

How do I subscribe to MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

You begin by clicking on the Register Now button located on the MERX home page. You will then be prompted to read and accept the MERX Terms and Conditions and then to complete an online registration wizard. The last page of the registration process will present you with a Supplier Confirmation Letter which will include your User Id and password. We recommend that you print and store this page in a secure location.

You will be brought to the MERX Login page. Once you log in, you may immediately use MERX Canadian Public Tenders and benefit from all of its services.

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Can I subscribe to MERX Canadian Public Tenders without having to provide a credit card number?

Yes, if you only need to access free Government of Canada tender information, you can register without having to provide a credit card number by using a Procurement Business Number (PBN). To obtain a PBN, click here.

If you already have a PBN, please pay special attention to Step 2 of the online MERX registration process. In Step 2, you will see a message near the top of the screen that refers to registration using a PBN. Within that message, click the "here" link. You will be directed to a screen in which you must enter your PBN and company legal name. Enter the required information and click the "Query SRI" button. The MERX system will validate the PBN against Business Access Canada's Supplier Registration Information (SRI). If the validation is successful, you must accept your PBN information, transfer it from the SRI system and continue the MERX registration.

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What services will I receive if I subscribe to MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

As a subscriber, you have access to several valuable services uniquely available from MERX Canadian Public Tenders. To find out the benefits of becoming a subscriber to MERX, click here.

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What is the SRI Service?

The Supplier Registration Information (SRI) service is a database of registered suppliers interested in doing business with the Government of Canada (GC). The information provided by suppliers is used by GC departments and agencies to identify sources of supply for the goods and services they buy. By registering in the SRI, you make your company's name and supply capabilities widely available to GC buyers. For purchasing requirements subject to any of the trade agreements, departments use the electronic tendering service MERX Canadian Public Tenders to post their notices of proposed procurement.

Suppliers are able to interface with the SRI directly from MERX Canadian Public Tenders without having to go to the Business Access Canada web site.

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What is the importance of the SRI Service?

An important feature of SRI is the Procurement Business Number (PBN), which is created using your Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Business Number to uniquely identify a branch, division, or office of your company. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is using the PBN for its purchasing and payment systems as a supplier identifier code. Other Government of Canada (GC) departments and agencies are gradually adopting the PBN as part of their purchasing activities.

By registering with the Supplier Registration Information (SRI) service as a potential supplier to GC, you make your company known to GC buyers. The database is used by GC buyers to identify potential suppliers for purchases not subject to any of the trade agreements (for which they use MERX Canadian Public Tenders).

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SEARCHING

How do I search for opportunities on MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

From the MERX Canadian Public Tenders home page you can easily find the opportunities relevant to your business through our list of opportunities sorted by industry type. This list displays the number of open tender opportunities by industry category and the number of new opportunities published that day.

Again, from the MERX Canadian Public Tenders home page, you can enter a keyword to conduct a simple search for open tender opportunities or, if you wish, access the advanced search tool for refined searches.

If you are a subscriber to MERX Canadian Public Tenders, you can also access these search engines after you have logged on.

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How can I use the free document previewing feature?

If there are electronic documents associated to the opportunity that you are interested in, the Preview Associated Components link in the abstract of the opportunity will be displayed. By clicking on the Preview Associated Components link you will be brought down to the bottom of the page where the associated components are listed. Only components that are in electronic format (PDF files) have a Preview link. This allows Subscribers to decide if they meet all the eligibility criteria prior to ordering the opportunity.

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ORDERING

How do I order a document?

Once you have registered, you can order a document right on the website by clicking on the Order link next to the opportunity you're interested in and following the instructions. MERX Canadian Public Tenders offers different delivery options that include download, email, fax, mail, courier, and pick-up. The prices vary according to the size of the document and the delivery option selected.

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How do I obtain my document once I have chosen download as my delivery method?

Once you have submitted your order, you will be presented with the Order Confirmation page. Any items that you have ordered via download will appear as a button under the column entitled Delivery Details. Click on the 'Download link' to view your document. Most files are in PDF. To read them you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your workstation. Some files, at the buyer's request, are in their native format (such as Microsoft Word). If you wish to download the file to your local hard drive, you can right click the 'Download' button and depending on your browser select 'Save Link As' or 'Save Target As'.

You cannot download files until your order has been successfully processed. Please note that at peak times a minimal delay may occur while your order is being processed.

PDF files on MERX are best viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6.0 or higher.

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In what format will I receive my downloaded tender documents?

Portable Document Format (PDF) by Adobe is the standard format used on MERX Canadian Public Tenders. We have selected PDF due to its security features and because it is an industry standard used by most businesses and public sector organizations. You may download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. PDF files on MERX are best viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6.0 or higher.

At a buyer's request, MERX will distribute electronic documents for download, email, and CD/DVD delivery in their native file format (such as Microsoft Excel). Should you experience difficulties using an electronic document that is not in PDF, please contact the buyer.

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How do I view an ordered document not yet received?

First, access your Opportunity Ordered List located under Account Activity from the Supplier Home page. The information on this list will include the date you submitted your order, the opportunity Reference and Solicitation Number, and the order Confirmation Number. You will also be able to see the status of your order. There are three statuses:

• Processing: The order has not been processed.
• Approved: The order has been processed and sent via the delivery method selected by the user.
• On-Hold: An order may be put “On-Hold” if there are fees and the credit card number is invalid.

If your document is available electronically you will be able to download your document at any time from the Opportunity Order Confirmation page by clicking on the Confirmation Number.

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How do I verify my order history?

Access your Opportunity Ordered List located under Account Activity from the Supplier Home page.

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If I order an opportunity on MERX Canadian Public Tenders, are details of my order sent to applicable government?

By ordering on MERX Canadian Public Tenders, elements of your company’s information (name, address, contact information as well as the solicitation number) are automatically made available to the applicable Contracting Authority.

In the case of the Government of Canada (GC), all information will be available to its Bid Receiving Unit (BRU). This assists GC in the preparation of its bid receiving lists. The only way that MERX Canadian Public Tenders can capture and send that information to the BRU is if the opportunity has been ordered.

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PROFILE

How do I update my contact or organization profile?

It is important that both your contact and organization profiles be up to date so that documents you order are delivered to the proper location. Updating your profiles is simple. From the Supplier Home page, click on the Customer Profile link to open the View Organization Information page. From this page select the View Own Contact Information page depending on your role (Supplier or Supplier Coordinator). Click the Update button located at the bottom of the profile pages and then update the profile as required. Click the Submit button to complete the update process.

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BILLING

How do I pay my bill?

Chargeable MERX services are charged automatically each month or in advance annually, as the case may be, to your VISA, MasterCard or American Express card. Your credit card information was provided to MERX when you registered or when you elected to use a chargeable service.

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How do I change my credit card information?

Login to MERX and click the Customer Profile, and then click the Credit Card Information link (Supplier Coordinators only). Update your credit card information as required.

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How do I obtain my statements online?

MERX statements are available online to Supplier Coordinators. To access your statements online, login to MERX and click the Account Activity link located on the Supplier Home page. Under the Online Statements title, click the View link and then select the MERX statement you wish to view. There you will find detailed information from the last 12 months. You may also view your account’s Online Statements through the View link located on the Opportunity Ordered List page.

Statements by mail are also sent if there is a balance on your account.

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SUPPORT

How do I access online help?

For more information on how to use MERX Canadian Public Tenders, access our Contact Us page where you will find links to our Supplier Guide, Glossary, Pricing and Contact Information to reach MERX Customer Support. MERX Canadian Public Tenders also offers an Online Tutorial.

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How do I switch language preference during my session?

Switching from one official language to the other is possible during a session simply by pressing the Français link while on an English page and the English link while on a French page. These links will enable you to switch from one language to another while remaining logged in and on the same page.

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As a subscriber to MERX Canadian Public Tenders, will I receive a newsletter or other information?

MERX Canadian Public Tenders communicates all necessary information to its supplier community on an ongoing basis through various announcements in the Announcements Section.

MERX Canadian Public Tenders will also be distributing a quarterly electronic newsletter with information of interest to government suppliers. The content of the new newsletter will change depending on current concerns and interests of government suppliers. You will need to subscribe to the newsletter, but there will be no extra charge to receive it.

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How do I change my password online?

Log in to MERX and click on Customer Profile, click on View Own Profile and then select the link titled Change Password.

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What do I do if I have received a warning that my account has been locked out?

A MERX Password security feature limits the number of failed login attempts. After 10 consecutive failed attempts your account will be locked out. You will have to contact MERX Customer Support to unlock your account.

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Is there someone I can call for technical support?

MERX Customer Support will answer any technical questions you may have. Some questions may require escalation thus slightly delaying a response.

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What Internet browsers are compatible with MERX?

MERX supports all new browsers. When a new browser version is released, we make every effort to ensure that MERX is upgraded so that it is compatible.

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What does encryption do?

Encryption is a sophisticated scrambling technique used to guard private information while it is transmitted through the Internet. To recognize that your transmission is encrypted, some browsers will display a small icon on your screen that looks like a lock or a key. MERX uses 128-bit encryption, which is currently the highest form of encryption available commercially.

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