Types of Calls for Tenders in Québec: Public, Invitation-Only, Mutual Agreement, Qualification

Caroline bids regularly for her services firm. One day she gets a direct invitation from a public body to submit a price; the next day she spots a public notice open to everyone on SEAO; the following week someone talks to her about getting "qualified" for a recurring contract. Three situations, three different logics. Confusing the types of calls for tenders means putting the wrong effort in at the wrong moment.

The main ways public contracts are awarded in Québec each follow precise rules, and each one calls for a different positioning.

What determines the type: the amount, first

Before looking at the types one by one, remember the rule that drives almost everything: the value of the contract decides. Above a certain threshold, the body must launch a public call for tenders open to all, visible to everyone on SEAO, with a few strict exceptions set out in law. Below it, the body has some room to manoeuvre, wider at the provincial level, more tightly framed at the municipal level, where a range of contracts must go through a written invitation.

The thresholds come from trade agreements: the most common is $139,000 (services and construction), lower for goods purchased by the government. We break down every tier in our article on public tender thresholds.

1. The public call for tenders (open)

This is the most visible and most tightly framed type. The body publishes a notice on SEAO, and any business that meets the eligibility criteria can bid. It's the mandatory method above the threshold.

For you, the public call for tenders means the widest opening (any eligible and compliant business can enter) and the most competition. Careful: "open" doesn't mean "no conditions". Eligibility, the territory covered by the trade agreements, licences, or a required qualification can rule you out. Your job: be rigorously compliant, and calibrate your bid according to the award method chosen.

2. The invitation-only call for tenders

Here, the body doesn't publish a notice open to all: it directly invites a limited number of suppliers to submit a bid. This procedure is used mainly below the threshold of the public call for tenders, in the middle zone where the body wants competition without the administrative weight of a full public call.

On the municipal side, for example, contracts in a certain range under $139,000 must in principle go through a written invitation to at least two suppliers. The practical consequence is clear: if you're not on the body's list, you're not invited. Hence the importance of making yourself known ahead of time (Supplier Directory, direct contacts) so you're among those invited.

3. The contract by mutual agreement

The contract by mutual agreement is a direct award: the body negotiates with a business of its choice, without a formal competition. It's allowed below certain thresholds, or in exceptional cases set out in law (emergency, sole supplier). By number of contracts, it's a huge share of public procurement, and often the best way in for an SME just starting out.

As with invitation, everything is decided before the need exists: the body calls a supplier it already knows. We explain in detail how this mechanism works, and how to get chosen, in our dedicated article on contracts by mutual agreement.

4. The qualification call (and the price request to qualified enterprises)

This is the least well-known type, and it's growing in importance. Rather than evaluating price and quality on every contract, the body proceeds in two stages: it first publishes a qualification call to draw up a list of suppliers judged capable, then it approaches only those qualified suppliers when a specific need arises.

That's the logic of the qualified markets run by large public purchasers like Hydro-Québec, and it's also a new feature of the municipal reform: the LCOM (Act respecting contracting by municipal bodies) now lets municipalities launch a "request for a quotation to qualified enterprises".

How to recognize the type in a notice

When you open a notice on SEAO, the notice type is stated explicitly. The labels to look for (the interface can be in English, but the notices are written in French):

• "Call for tenders notice" (« Avis d'appel d'offres »): public procedure; you can bid if your business meets the eligibility, territory and file-compliance conditions (there are also "regionalized" or "reserved for small enterprises" variants).
• "Invitation-only call for tenders notice" (« Avis d'appel d'offres sur invitation »): reserved for invited suppliers.
• "Notice of intention" (« Avis d'intention »): the body announces that it intends to conclude a contract (often by mutual agreement); you don't "bid" on it, you express your interest and demonstrate your capability.
• "Qualification notice" (« Avis de qualification »): the pre-selection stage. The price request that follows then goes only to enterprises that are already qualified.

Careful: a SEAO notice isn't always a chance to bid. It can be a qualification stage, an intention to conclude a contract by mutual agreement, or simply the publication of a contract already concluded (transparency). Reading this field first saves you from investing hours in the wrong place.

What to remember

The type of call for tenders isn't an administrative detail: it determines who can bid, how much effort to invest, and when to act. The public call for tenders is won on rigour and price on the day; invitation and mutual agreement are won beforehand, by already being on the buyer's radar; qualification is won by getting started months ahead. An SME that responds intelligently doesn't treat these four situations the same way.

Sources

• Act respecting contracting by public bodies (CQLR, c. C-65.1) and Act respecting contracting by municipal bodies (Loi sur les contrats des organismes municipaux, CQLR, c. C-65.01), and their regulations on solicitation and award methods.
• Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor and ministère des Affaires municipales: award thresholds and procedures, 2026.
• SEAO (seao.gouv.qc.ca): notice types and the fields of a call for tenders notice.