Ontario's Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS) is the primary portal for Ontario provincial government procurement — the largest provincial procurement market in Canada. It covers MTO (Ministry of Transportation), Infrastructure Ontario, OPS (Ontario Public Service), and 30+ ministries and agencies spending CAD $30B+ annually. Ontario GETS is where the majority of Canada's largest provincial infrastructure and IT contracts are posted.
Register on Ontario GETS at ontariotenders.ca — registration is free and required to receive notifications and submit bids to Ontario provincial agencies
Select your commodity codes during registration — Ontario GETS uses a custom Ontario commodity code system. Register broadly across all applicable categories
Obtain an Ontario Vendor of Record (VOR) status for professional services categories — VOR lists are pre-qualified vendor pools used by Ontario ministries for direct assignment without full competitive solicitation. Contact the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services for VOR application in your category
Register separately with Infrastructure Ontario at infrastructureontario.ca/procurement for major capital projects — IO manages P3s and alternative financing projects above $100M separately from standard GETS procurement
For US vendors: Ontario procurement is open to foreign suppliers under the CUSMA and Canada-EU CETA trade agreements — no Canadian entity required for most Ontario solicitations above threshold values
Infrastructure Ontario (IO) is Ontario's largest capital buyer — managing the province's $150B+ 10-year infrastructure plan through P3, Design-Build, and traditional delivery models. IO posts major projects (hospitals, transit, schools, courthouses) separately from GETS at infrastructureontario.ca. Construction and engineering firms cannot miss IO if they're serious about Ontario.
MTO (Ministry of Transportation) spends CAD $4B+ annually on highway construction and rehabilitation — the largest highway program in Canada. MTO's Highway 401 (the busiest highway in North America), 400-series highway expansion, and Eglinton Crosstown transit connections create a massive sustained construction pipeline across the Greater Toronto Area.
Ontario's SAMS (Supplier Accountability Management System) tracks vendor performance across ministries — a strong performance record in SAMS creates preferential treatment on future solicitations. Poor performance in SAMS can effectively bar you from Ontario government work across multiple ministries. Treat every Ontario contract as a long-term relationship investment.
Ontario's VOR (Vendor of Record) lists are the highest-leverage procurement position for professional services firms — ministries can directly assign work to VOR vendors without competitive solicitation, up to defined annual limits. VOR placement in high-demand categories (IT consulting, legal, management consulting, engineering) generates consistent revenue without repeated competition.
The City of Toronto, the TDSB (Toronto District School Board), Metrolinx (transit), and Toronto Hydro each have independent procurement separate from Ontario GETS — but all are massive buyers. A comprehensive Ontario market strategy requires Ontario GETS plus the Toronto metro's major independent procurement entities.
Ontario GETS and Infrastructure Ontario are two separate procurement systems that cover different procurement tiers — GETS for most ministry and agency procurement, IO for major capital projects above $100M using alternative delivery models. Firms that only monitor GETS miss Ontario's largest individual contracts; firms that only monitor IO miss hundreds of mid-size ministry contracts. Both are required for complete Ontario coverage.
Ontario's "Supply Chain Ontario" modernization initiative is reshaping how the province procures professional services — creating new VOR list structures, category management approaches, and supplier diversity requirements. Firms that engage with Supply Chain Ontario's consultation process build relationships with the procurement policy team that shapes future VOR categories.
Ontario's French Language Services Act requires French language service delivery for contracts serving Franco-Ontarian communities — particularly in Eastern and Northern Ontario. For professional services and IT contracts with public-facing components, demonstrating French language capability is not optional in designated areas. Bilingual service delivery should be a standard component of Ontario professional services proposals.
Metrolinx (the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area transit authority) is executing one of the largest transit capital programs in North America — the Ontario Line, Eglinton Crosstown, Finch West LRT, and GO Rail Expansion collectively represent CAD $30B+ in active projects. Metrolinx posts procurement at metrolinx.com/en/aboutus/procurement — entirely separate from Ontario GETS but one of the highest-value procurement targets in Canada.
Ontario's Indigenous Procurement Policy requires ministries to make efforts to include Indigenous-owned businesses in applicable procurement. Ontario does not have a general small business set-aside equivalent to US SBA programs but has supplier diversity goals for Indigenous, women-owned, and diverse businesses. The province's Social Procurement Framework encourages social value considerations in evaluation criteria for applicable contracts.
Ontario's Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS) is the primary portal for Ontario provincial government procurement — the largest provincial procurement market in Canada. It covers MTO (Ministry of Transportation), Infrastructure Ontario, OPS (Ontario Public Service), and 30+ ministries and agencies spending CAD $30B+ annually. Ontario GETS is where the majority of Canada's largest provincial infrastructure and IT contracts are posted. With 1,100+ tenders published per month and an average contract value of $2.4M, Ontario GETS is one of the most active procurement portals in Canada.
Ontario GETS is free to access, but requires vendor registration to receive notifications or submit bids.
BidEdgeHQ monitors Ontario GETS automatically — ingesting every new tender, scoring it 0–100 against your ICP profile, and sending a WhatsApp alert within minutes of publication for high-match opportunities.
Ontario GETS is the province's primary procurement portal. All Ontario ministries and most provincial agencies post here. Major buyers include MTO (CAD $4B+), MCCSS, MOH, and 30+ ministries. Infrastructure Ontario, Metrolinx, and Toronto city use separate systems. Ontario GETS covers the largest provincial procurement market in Canada.
Infrastructure Ontario (IO) manages major capital projects above $100M using P3, Design-Build, and AFP (Alternative Financing and Procurement) models — hospitals, transit, schools, courthouses. IO posts separately at infrastructureontario.ca. GETS covers standard ministry procurement; IO covers major capital. Both are required for complete Ontario construction and engineering market coverage.
Ontario VOR lists are pre-qualified vendor pools that ministries use for direct work assignments without competitive solicitation. VOR placement is the highest-leverage position for professional services firms — enabling recurring revenue without re-competing each opportunity. VOR lists are established through open RFP processes; contact Supply Chain Ontario at ontario.ca/page/vendors-government for current VOR categories.
Yes. Under CUSMA and the Canada-EU CETA, US and other trade agreement partner firms have access to most Ontario provincial procurement above threshold values. Ontario procurement is generally open to qualified foreign suppliers. Many US firms compete directly on Ontario contracts without a Canadian entity, though a Canadian presence can be advantageous for relationship-building.