1. How to Do Business with the Ontario Government
Good morning everyone,
I’m very pleased to join you today to present Supply Chain Ontario’s “Doing Business with the Ontario Government” seminar.
My name is Kevin Fox, I am a senior Procurement Consultant with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, Supply Chain Ontario
I understand what vendors are dealing with when contracting to the Government as over 15 years in my past employment was dedicated to selling and marketing to the federal, provincial, and municipal levels of Government across Canada.
This is a great opportunity for us to share introductory information and, I hope, get more of you engaged and involved in procurement opportunities with the Government of Ontario. 
Organizations of all sizes and types can be successful vendors to the Government of Ontario. Our goal is to help you do business with us.
How to Do Business with the Ontario Government

2. Ontario Government Expenditure
89%
of spend is with vendors located in Ontario
vendors
each
year
96%
are small and medium vendors
53K
approx.
$5.99 billion
Approximate F/Y government procurement spend 66
enterprise VOR arrangements
valued at
$538
million
Let’s have a look at the Ontario Government’s expenditure. In fiscal 2013/14, the Government of Ontario purchased a wide range of goods, construction and services from the private sector. We do business with more than 53,000 vendors on average per year, and we spent approximately $5.99 billion on goods, services and construction.
The value of our contracts can range from just hundreds to millions of dollars. We seek out suppliers for a wide range of supplies and services -- for example, road and bridge construction, computer hardware and software, vehicles, uniforms, food, chairs and desks.
Here are some quick facts:
Approximately 66 enterprise Vendor of Record arrangements valued at $538MM.
89% of awards made were to vendors in Ontario.
And 96% were small and medium sized vendors. 2

3. Agenda How to Access Procurement Opportunities
To maximize your chances of being successful in obtaining business with the Ontario government, you should know about:
Ontario Public Service Procurement Process
How to Access Procurement Opportunities
Vendor of Record Arrangements
How to Prepare a Bid Response
How to Market to the Ontario Government
Let’s have a quick review of the information we will cover during today’s presentation.
To maximize your chances of being successful in obtaining business with the Ontario government, you should know about:
The Procurement Process where we will review a couple of recent changes such as electronic tendering, information on The Vendor of Record program, the new Request for Bids procurement document and recently changed Contractor Security Screening process
How to write an effective Request for Bids Response
and in addition, we’re going to review our doingbusiness website and how to market to the Ontario Government.

4. Policy and Key Concepts
Let’s begin by reviewing Policy and Key Concepts
Before we start let’s have our first poll question:
Lorne – Type of Business

5. Procurement Policy Overview
The Ontario government has two key procurement directives: one for the Ontario Public Service (OPS) and one for the Broader Public Sector (BPS)
The Directives are designed to support procurement processes in the OPS and BPS that are open, transparent and fair as well as achieve value for money
The OPS Procurement Directive applies to goods, services, information technology and consulting services and to all ministries, IT clusters and certain agencies
I’d like to give you an overview of the government’s Procurement Policy.
The government of Ontario has two key procurement directives: one for the Ontario Public Service (OPS) and one for the Broader Public Sector (BPS)
The Directives are designed to support procurement processes in the OPS and BPS that are open, transparent and fair as well as achieve value for money
Although similar, today we are going to be focusing on the Procurement Directive that applies to the OPS
The OPS Procurement Directive applies to goods, services, information technology and consulting services and to all ministries, IT clusters and certain agencies

6. Procurement Policy Overview (2)
The OPS Procurement Directive implements the requirements of three trade agreements covering procurement:
The Agreement on Internal Trade
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement Between Ontario and Quebec
The World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement
The OPS Procurement Directive implements the requirements of three trade agreements covering procurement: the Agreement on Internal Trade, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement Between Ontario and Quebec, and Ontario also has procurement commitments under the World Trade Organization.
The historic Canada European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is by far Canada’s most ambitious trade initiative.
Canada and the European Union (EU) reached a breakthrough agreement in principle on October 18, 2013.
Negotiations have concluded and we are waiting ratification.

7. Procurement Policy Overview (3)
Competitive procurement processes must be fair, transparent, open, and advertised publicly using an electronic tendering service to solicit bids for procurement contracts valued at:
$25,000 or more for goods acquisitions; and,
$100,000 or more for services and construction acquisitions
Procurements below these thresholds do not have to be advertised using an electronic tendering service
For consulting services, a competitive procurement must be used for all procurement contracts, regardless of value
The Daily Commercial News and the Ministry of Transportation Registry, Appraisal and Qualification System (RAQS) may be used to advertise construction acquisitions
In keeping with these agreements, Ontario openly advertises procurements for goods when the anticipated contract value is $25,000 or more, and procurements for services and construction when the anticipated dollar value is $100,000 or more.  We advertise these procurements on an electronic tendering service, through BravoSolution.  In addition to our e-Tendering provider, ministries may also advertise in a national newspaper such as the Globe & Mail or, for construction related procurements, the Daily Commercial News, and the Ministry of Transportation uses the Registry, Appraisal and Qualification System, better known as RAQS.
Procurement processes below these thresholds do not have to be advertised using an electronic tendering service.
For consulting services, however, regardless of the anticipated contract value, a competitive procurement process must be used.

8. Electronic Tendering Service
On April 1, 2014, BravoSolution became Ontario’s designated electronic tendering service provider replacing MERX Networks
Services include access to Ontario government open procurement opportunities such as Requests for Bids for goods and services
Electronic bid submission will be available for some procurements opportunities within the next year
Vendors are not required to purchase a BravoSolution subscription to access and review procurement documents. Only vendors who submit an electronic response will be required to submit a fee. Vendor registration will still be required prior to downloading or accessing procurement documents
The electronic tendering service is available at ontario.ca/tenders
Effective April 1, 2014, BravoSolution US Inc. (BravoSolution) is Ontario’s new designated electronic tendering service provider replacing MERX Networks (MERX). These services include access to Ontario government open procurement opportunities such as requests for bids for goods and services.
We heard from the vendor community that a number of changes and enhancements were desirable when Ontario went to the marketplace for these services. Features such as electronic bid submission and easy access to procurement opportunities were important and these were key outcomes of the procurement.
Vendors will no longer be required to purchase a subscription to access and review procurement documents. Vendor registration will still be required prior to downloading or accessing procurement documents.
Supply Chain Ontario will issue regular communications to the vendor community directly, through our website at
The new electronic tendering service is available at ontario.ca/tenders

9. Ontario Tenders Portal
BravoSolution provides the same functionality available with the previous system such as supplier registration, procurement opportunity postings and notices. It also:
• features integrated self-help functions to search and download procurement opportunities by good or service
• allows vendors to download procurement opportunity information with no upfront cost
Make sure you include your United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC) to ensure opportunities will be forwarded to you directly by .
• supports electronic bid submission and fillable forms
 The new VOR arrangement for eTendering with BravoSolution is for a three-year term with options to extend the agreement for two further two-year terms.
 Poll question #2 Have you responded previously to an Ontario government procurement opportunity?
Lorne
Potential Question:
Will there be fees associated with using BravoSolution for vendors?
Vendors will be able to download all procurement documents at no charge. Fees will be charged to vendors submitting bids electronically.
Electronic bidding is currently being implemented, the costs will be $ per one time electronic bid submission or $ per year for unlimited electronic bid submissions (plus applicable HST) for both options.
One Time Bid Submission Fee
o $300 CAD, plus Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)
o Intent is for a single submission for suppliers who typically submit less than 2 bids
annually  
 Annual Unlimited Bid Submission Fee
o $750 CAD, plus HST
o Intent is for multiple submissions for suppliers who typically submit 2 bids or more over an annual period, whether for multiple projects or multiple events within a single project
Vendor
has to register and express interest in order to view ALL documents at no cost
must pay when they start to “build” a submission on line
can receive a refund for a one time subscription from Bravo if they decide not to complete or “submit” a proposal
is not eligible for a refund as an annual subscriber
is also eligible for a refund should the OPS decide to cancel a procurement

10. Procurement Consultation
Potential vendors and/or industry associations may be consulted prior to an actual procurement to provide advice or information relevant to the procurement through:
Request for Information (RFI)
Vendor consultations prior to the release of the Request for Bids (RFB), or
Draft RFB released for comment
There is no procurement award from any of these consultation processes
When the procurement process starts, all discussions with ministries must cease, except through the designated contact
Procurement Consultation.
Prior to procurements, we sometimes consult with potential vendors or industry associations for advice or information on products and services that are relevant to the procurement.
We might, for instance, issue a Request for Information, also known as an RFI. Or we might issue a draft Request for Bids, and then invite vendor comments which would be considered before issuing the actual Request for Bids itself.
There is no procurement award from any of these consultation processes.
And please take note that all discussions with ministries must cease when the actual procurement process starts except through the contact designated in the procurement document itself.

11. Procurement Documents
The most common procurement documents issued by Ontario are:
Request for Bids (RFB)
Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Request for Services (RFS) issued under a Vendor of Record Arrangement (VOR)
The process to bid for government contracts, depends on the nature of the procurement. The most common procurement documents issued by Ontario are:
Request for Bids (RFB) Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Request for Services (RFS) is issued under a
Vendor of Record Arrangements (VOR)
I will now review each of these in the following slides.

12. Request for Bids
Request for Bids (RFB): means a procurement document that requests a response from potential vendors to supply goods or services to meet government business needs. The RFB may include specific requirements, terms and conditions. 
Evaluation criteria may either be focused on price alone, or price and other factors.
Request for Bids is a single, streamlined procurement template that can be used for both tenders and proposals.
“Request for Bids” (RFB) means a procurement document that requests a response from potential vendors to supply goods or services to meet business need(s). The RFB may include specific requirements, terms and conditions.  Evaluation criteria may either be focused on price alone, or price and other factors.

13. Request for Qualifications
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) means a procurement document used to solicit from potential vendors financial stability, technical information and product or service suitability, and measures the products and services against stated evaluation criteria
Successful vendors are then pre-qualified or short listed to bid on specific categories of work or provide specific types of goods or services, or respond to a particular RFB
Request for Qualifications are procurement documents used to solicit information such as financial stability, technical capabilities, or product or service suitability from potential vendors. The products and services would then be measured against stated evaluation criteria.
Successful vendors are then pre-qualified or short-listed to bid on specific categories of work, to provide specific types of goods or services, or to respond to a particular RFB.

14. Request for Services
Request for Services (RFS) means the document used during the second stage selection process to request submissions from a vendor (or vendors) listed on a services Vendor of Record arrangement
Over the next number of slides I will provide you with an overview of the vendor of record program (or commonly referred to as the VOR program) starting with what is a Request for Services or RFS.
Request for Services are procurement documents issued as part of a second stage evaluation process to vendors who have already qualified for a Vendor of Record arrangement. This RFS process is how qualified vendors on a VOR arrangement compete for Ontario Public Service (OPS) business.

15. Vendor of Record (VOR) Arrangements
One or more qualified vendors are authorized to provide goods/services for a defined time period on defined terms and conditions, including pricing, as set out in the VOR agreement
Arrangements are established to reduce procurement costs, administrative redundancy and overhead when there is a regular need for the same goods/services
Arrangements may be used by the entire government, multi-ministries or a single ministry (VOR arrangements typically run 3 to 4 years in duration)
Use of arrangements is mandatory for the OPS and optional for approved Provincially Funded Organizations (PFO)
We said that a ministry might be required to use a VOR to obtain its business need. So what is a VOR arrangement?
Vendor of Record arrangements are established through a Request For Bid – produces a list of one or more qualified vendors authorized to provide a specific set of goods and/or services. Some elements included in a typical VOR Arrangement is whether it is open to one or more ministries , it has a defined period, is on specific terms and conditions, including pricing.
Broadly speaking, we have three types of VOR’s:
Enterprise–wide VOR’s are established by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, Supply Chain Ontario for goods and services that are used widely across ministries.
Multi-ministry VORs are established where there is a need for a particular good or service among one or more ministries but where there is insufficient demand for an enterprise-wide VOR.
Ministries may establish ministry-specific VORs as well for goods/services that are unique to that ministry.
Enterprise VOR arrangements for the Ontario Government may be established only by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS), are mandatory use for Ontario Government Ministries and may be optional use for Provincially Funded Organizations (PFOs), formerly referred to as the BPS
If you are interested in getting on a VOR, you need to monitor BravoSolution for VOR RFB opportunities, keeping in mind that enterprise-wide VOR arrangements are periodically refreshed and new ones are established where warranted.

16. How to Qualify for a VOR Arrangement
Monitor Ontario Tenders Portal for VOR Request for Bid (RFB) opportunities in your line of business Download RFB document(s) from Ontario Tenders Portal and submit your proposal on-line If successful, you will receive master agreement to sign to become a qualified vendor on the VOR arrangement Note: please carefully review the RFB evaluation criteria requirements as well as the terms & conditions of the master agreement
How does a vendor qualify to become a vendor on a VOR arrangement?
All VOR opportunities are posted on BravoSolution from where you will both download the RFB documents and submit your proposal on-line.
Please carefully review all RFB documents especially the evaluation criteria requirements and the terms and conditions of the master agreement to ensure your company can meet these requirements. Please note it is the expectation of the OPS that vendors will sign up to the terms and conditions of the sample master agreement provided in the RFB documentation.
If your company is successful through the evaluation process and other mandatory requirements such as tax compliance and security clearance (if required), you will be sent a master agreement to sign. Upon execution of the master agreement, your company will be added to the VOR agreement as a qualified vendor for the duration of the VOR arrangement.

17. VOR Arrangements (VOR)
As noted earlier, there are approximately 66 VOR Arrangements, which typically run for 3 to 5 years and are managed/broken down into 4 broad categories:
I&IT Goods Procurements – Hardware and Software – note: the OPS has several Software agreements that are referred to as Volume Licencing Agreements (or VLAs) which are negotiated agreements between the OPS and the vendor. They are not done through the competitive RFB procurement process.
Goods Procurements (non-IT) – Food to Fuel to Office Supplies
Business Services Procurements – Training to Translation Services
Consulting Services Procurement – mainly IT and Mgmt. Consulting Services
Possible Question:
Why are some VLA agreements not competitively procured?
Answer: In most cases, the software was initially procured competitively and through proper approvals was approved as an OPS standard software as the cost to remove and replace with a new software would have been prohibitively expensive.

18. Enterprise VOR/VLA Arrangements
Review a couple of VOR Arrangements within each section.

19. Supply Chain Ontario Website
This screen shot from the Supply Chain Ontario website illustrates how users can do searches for VOR arrangements based on a number of search criteria such as:
Keywords
VOR types – IT or non-IT
Category

20. List of VOR Arrangements
This screen shot shows the type of information available from searches:
- List of VOR Arrangements meeting search criteria
- Expiry dates
- If the enterprise wide VOR arrangement is accessible by the Ontario Public Service (OPS) or both OPS and Provincially Funded Organizations (PFOs)
(See PFO definition below, if required)
In addition to Ontario government ministries, four types of public sector organizations have the option to use the VOR Program upon approval from their funding ministry:
Select classified, non-classified and hydro entities (referred to as Other Included Entities in the OPS Procurement Directive);
Legislative Assembly;
Municipalities, colleges, universities, school boards, hospitals, Community Care Access Centres, Children’s Aid Societies and shared service organizations; and
Other transfer payment recipient organizations.
As this list includes organizations beyond the traditional definition of the broader public sector, the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS) refers to these organizations as “provincially funded organizations.”

21. Vendor of Record Program: Three Year Outlook – 2016 (part 1 of 2)
Supply Chain Ontario on its website posts a three year outlook providing approximate timing for all new & replacement enterprise-wide VOR arrangements for the next 3 years. This outlook is updated quarterly.
This slide provides an illustration of upcoming VOR Arrangements planned for 2016.
- Information is provided by Category, posting date and anticipated live date
- If the enterprise wide VOR arrangement is accessible by the Ontario Public Service (OPS) only or both OPS and PFOs/BPS

22. Contractor Security Screening
Vendors doing business with the Ontario Government may be required to obtain security screening checks and receive security clearance before contracts can be awarded and work undertaken
Vendors will be advised in the procurement document if security screening is a requirement for a specific assignment
Questions about the security screening component of the procurement process can be directed to the designated procurement contact
Let’s briefly look at Contractor Security Screening.
In November 2013 the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS)
revised the security screening process to be more efficient and streamlined.
Where security screening is required, the procuring ministry will provide the contractor with details on obtaining a security screening check.
Contractors can obtain and pay for their own screening check (criminal record check- referred to as CPIC – Canadian Police Information Centre) through the use of a secure online system accessible 24/7.
Any questions you may have about a procurement or security screening can be directed to the ministry contact.
I’d also like to mention that federal government security clearance may be applicable in Ontario if 5 or more years remain valid, Ontario documents must be completed.

23. Conflict of Interest
Conflicts of interest, both actual and potential, must be avoided during the procurement process and the ensuing contract
During the procurement process vendors must:
sign a declaration that they do not have confidential information that would give them an unfair advantage
identify former OPS employees who participated in preparing the bid response
declare if registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act
It is very important that conflicts of interest, both real and perceived, be avoided during the procurement process and the ensuing contract.
Vendors must sign a declaration that they do not have confidential information that would give them an unfair advantage, and identify any former OPS employees who participated in preparing the bid response.
Be sensitive to the perception of conflict of interest. If you have any sort of on-going relationship with someone that may be involved in the procurement (for instance, a bowling teammate who works for the program area), you should disclose that relationship in the forms provided..
You will not be automatically disqualified from the procurement just for declaring that there may be a conflict of interest. But by declaring it, you give the ministry an opportunity to investigate the matter to confirm that no real conflict exists. If a genuine conflict does exist (in the ministry’s opinion), then the ministry will examine its options for dealing with the conflict which may include removing particular ministry personnel from the project or removing the vendor from the competition.
In the case of public and media relations services and polling services you must declare if you are registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act and indicate the parties for whom you have lobbied.
During the procurement process vendors should also conduct themselves with integrity and uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct. And they should not offer to, nor accept from, an Ontario Public Service (OPS) employee, a benefit of any kind.

24. Tax Compliance
To do business with Ontario, a vendor must be in compliance with their provincial tax obligations
The procurement documents will include the Tax Compliance Declaration Form, that gives the ministry the right to confirm your tax status with the Ministry of Finance (MOF)
The Ministry of Finance will advise the procuring ministry whether the tax compliance verification was successful
If the Ministry of Finance indicates that the tax compliance verification was not successful, you will be asked to address the matter
The contract will not be awarded until Ontario tax obligations are met
To do business with Ontario, a vendor must be in compliance with their provincial tax obligations
Taxes in Ontario are administered both by Ontario’s Ministry of Finance and by the Canada Revenue Agency
The procurement documents will include the Tax Compliance Declaration Form, that gives the ministry the right to confirm your tax status with the Ministry of Finance (MOF)
This form also identifies if you are subject to Ontario Corporate Tax, in which case you will be required to obtain proof that you have met your corporate tax filing obligations from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and to provide it to the MOF
The Ministry of Finance will advise the procuring ministry whether the tax compliance verification was successful
If the Ministry of Finance indicates that the tax compliance verification was not successful, depending on the tax, you will be asked to contact them, or the CRA, to address the matter
The contract will not be awarded until Ontario tax obligations are met

25. The Process
Let’s review the Procurement Process

26. Procurement Process Typical procurement process includes: Consultation
Issue Request for Bid
Question and answer period
Bid submission
Bid closing
Bid evaluation
Conditional selection
Award
Debriefing
These are the steps of a typical procurement process

27. Questions & Answers
Review the procurement documents carefully. There are usually one or more opportunities to seek clarification of information presented in the procurement document
There will be a designated person to address questions within a period of time specified in the procurement documents
There may be a vendor meeting where a presentation and question and answer period will also occur. For some procurements, there may be a site tour
All questions and answers are issued as addenda to the procurement documents and are available to all vendors who accessed the original documents
Tip: Do not contact anyone other than the designated procurement contact as this could jeopardize the procurement process
For vendors with questions about the procurement, there is usually one or more opportunities to ask them and receive clarification.
There’s no need to assume things. If you’re not sure, ask your question and get clarification.
There will be a designated person for each procurement document to address any questions you may have within a specified time period for asking questions.
There may also be a vendor meeting or site tour, at which questions might be addressed. Please note that attendance at these meetings and/or tours may be mandatory. The purpose is to provide you with additional information that may be critical for your response.
All questions and answers received are answered through addenda, so when requesting procurement documents, please remember to identify that you want to receive all addenda so that you are kept aware of any updates or responses to vendor questions.

28. Bid Submission
Entering the procurement process can be a binding situation. For many procurements, you are agreeing with the terms and conditions, including the Agreement, at the time you submit your response. In procurement law this is called Contract A
Typically, for these procurements there will be a period of irrevocability. For complex procurements this can be 6 months or more. During this period of irrevocability, you may not change any elements of your response regardless of market changes that may occur over the timeframe.
Tip: For complex procurements, ensure your response can withstand anticipated market changes over the period of irrevocability
Entering the procurement process is often a binding situation, meaning that under procurement law, you are bound by your submission. For the length of the period of irrevocability, which for complex procurements can be six months or longer, you may not change your response regardless of market changes that may occur. For this reason, you should ensure that your response can withstand market changes over the period of irrevocability.
A great example is gas, and the upward and downward fluctuation of the price of gas. The stock market and cost of money may also have an affect on your pricing.
So make sure you feel comfortable with the price you submit.

29. Bid Evaluation
The procurement documents will describe what is required and how your response will be evaluated. Evaluation can include mandatory eligibility requirements, rated requirements and pricing requirements
The vendor with the highest ranked response considering all the evaluation requirements will be successful
Tip: Be clear in your responses. We cannot evaluate what is not submitted in your responses even if you have done business with a ministry in the past
Bid Evaluation.
The procurement documents will identify how your bid response will be evaluated. Evaluation criteria may include mandatory requirements, rated requirements and pricing, with contract award going to the highest scoring vendor or vendors.
It’s very important to be clear in your responses, and provide the information requested.
You are going to be evaluated based on the information submitted. Do not assume that we know your past history. Answer all questions in their entirety based on your service or performance.

30. Award
The successful vendor will be notified following the evaluation and will be asked to satisfy any outstanding requirements of the procurement (e.g. proof of insurance). The ministry will then enter into an agreement with the vendor
Once the agreement is signed by the ministry, all vendors who submitted bids will be notified of the contract award and offered a debriefing
Contract award notifications will also be published in the same manner the procurement was originally posted
Following evaluation, successful vendors will be notified if there’s anything further they need to provide, such as proof of insurance. Successful vendors will be required to enter into an agreement with the ministry. All vendors who submitted responses will be notified of the outcome of the process in the same manner as they originally received the procurement document.
For example, if the procurement document was posted by our e-Tendering provider, the award notice will also be posted in the same manner.

31. Debriefing
Vendors are entitled to know why their bid was not successful. Vendors who participate in procurements valued at $25,000 or more are offered an opportunity for a debriefing
Debriefings are invaluable to vendors because they provide vendors the opportunity to learn the strengths and weaknesses of their bid responses. The objective of a debriefing is to help vendors learn how to submit more effective bids in the future
For procurements valued at $25,000 or more, all vendors who submitted a response are offered a debriefing. I recommend that you take advantage of this opportunity.
This gives you an excellent opportunity to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your proposal, and helps you submit more competitive bids in the future.

32. How to Prepare a Bid Response
Let’s briefly review how to Prepare a Bid response.

33. Timetable
Carefully review the procurement document and take note of all important dates including:
Vendor Meetings or Site Tours
Deadline for Questions
Deadline for Publication of Addenda
Closing Date, Time and Location
You should begin by carefully reviewing the procurement document and noting any important dates, such as those for:
Vendor meetings or site tours;
Deadlines for vendors to ask questions;
Deadlines for the ministry to have addenda to the procurement document posted; and
The closing date, time and location.

34. Tips for Writing Effective Proposals
Review opportunities - decide to bid or not to bid
Conduct preliminary assessment
Is my company capable of offering the goods/services requested?
Does my company meet the evaluation criteria?
Does my company accept all the terms and conditions?
Does my company accept the basis of payment or pricing methods?
Is my company capable of winning the contract against the competition?
When reviewing the procurement documents, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
Is my company capable of offering the service/product requested?
Does my company meet the evaluation criteria?
Does my company accept all the terms and conditions?
Is my company capable of winning the contract against the competition?
Does my company accept the basis of payment or pricing method?

35. Best Practices for Bidding
Review all key details and dates included in Part 1 of the RFB Ensure that your bid is structured as set out in Part 2 – Contents of a Complete Bid. This can also be used as a checklist to assist in bid preparation Review the deliverables in detail to ensure that you understand the ministry’s business requirements Ensure that all mandatory requirements set out in the Bid such as requested certifications or bonding are included with the bid Respond to all rated requirements regardless of points value Review the terms and conditions of the Bid All OPS procurements are covered by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) accessible procurement requirements, regardless of value
When preparing your bid document ensure you complete the following:
Fill out first page
I cannot stress the importance of signing the document. If the document is not signed, it will not be assessed. I have been told that individuals have missed out on excellent opportunities all because they didn’t sign the RFB.
Sign all certifications - Sign at the beginning so you don’t forget
Fill out all required pages
Answer all criteria - This is very important. You need to include all the necessary information that shows you meet the criteria.
Include supporting documentation (spec sheets, resumes, list of references)
Prepare pricing
It is important to follow the requested pricing structure so that the evaluator can easily compare bids.
Ensure your proposal follows format requested in the procurement document
Review bid to make sure all elements required are addressed and completed.
Have someone else review your bid.
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is a requirement with OPS procurements, all vendors to the OPS must be in compliance with AODA requirements.

36. Requirements Pricing The procurement document will tell you:
what costs should be included in your response (e.g. delivery, travel, maintenance)
how to present these costs (e.g. per unit, total cost) in your response
The procurement document will identify what kind of pricing and how it is to be structured for evaluation, and how to present it.

37. Form of Agreement
The Procurement Document will usually include a Form of Agreement (or Contract) that you will be required to sign
The Form of Agreement is a legal agreement that will also be signed by the ministry if you are successful
Unless indicated in the procurement document, the Form of Agreement cannot be amended
Before providing a response, review the Form of Agreement in the procurement document. It includes the information in the contract you will be required to sign, should you be a successful bidder. The Form of Agreement cannot be amended.

38. Marketing to the Ontario Government
I’d now like to provide you with some suggestions about effective ways to market your goods or services to the Ontario Government.

39. Take Advantage of Public Information
Information about the government’s mandate, programs, priorities, and budget cycle are available through documents like the budget, Throne Speech, ministry business plans, and press releases – all of which can be found on the government’s website
The more you learn about our priorities, challenges and needs, the better you will be able to position your organization to do business with the government
This information will also help you to determine who is most likely to be in the market for your goods or services. You can then use use the Ontario government directory:
The more you understand about the government’s mandate, priorities and budget cycle, the better you’ll be able to effectively market the goods and services you provide. On government websites, you will find much of this spelled out in the budget, Throne Speech, ministry business plans and press releases. (I will point out how to obtain a copy of the budget in a few slides).
Based on this information, use INFO-GO, the government’s on-line telephone directory, to identify contacts. The INFO-GO website address is or just google INFOGO.

40. INFO-GO Website
Here is a screenshot of the INFO-GO webpage. You can access Ministry contacts by name, job title and telephone number.
Let’s do our third poll question.
would you prefer to attend events like this through:
An in-person seminar
A webinar (like this one)

41. Doing Business with the Government Website
Here is the home page for Supply Chain Ontario explaining areas of information access how to do business with the Ontario government.
Review some of the links

42. Supply Chain Ontario Internet Website (2)
This is a continuation of the same page showcasing BravoSolution, VOR program, Procurement Policies and information about the Broader Public Sector – Supply Chain Secretariat

43. Information for Vendors
By clicking onto the Information for Vendors page you will gain access to several links
Review …..

44. Information for Vendors (2)
Review the second page

45. Ontario Budget - 2015 www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/
Here is where you can obtain the 2015 Ontario Budget, Budget Speech and economic statements.

46. Additional Information
Resources and Contact Information for:
Ministry of Government and Consumer Services
Ontario Shared Services
Supply Chain Ontario
Website: ontario.ca/supplychain
ONe-Source for Business
Website: ontario.ca/onesource
“© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2015”
I encourage you to take advantage of the numerous resources we have available to help you.
Our website at has extensive information for current and potential vendors. You’ll find helpful background information on how to do business with the Government of Ontario, including our electronic guide.
I’d also like to point you to One-Source for Business, part of Service Ontario, which has helpful information for small businesses, including business registration, taxes, business permits and licenses. The website address is

47. Question & Answer Period
How to do Business with the Ontario Government
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do I access bidding opportunities?
What is BravoSolution?
How do I market and present my company to the Ontario government for their consideration?
What is a Vendor of Record arrangement and how is it established?
What are the different types of Vendor of Record arrangements?
What is the step-by-step process to become a Vendor of Record?
What happens when I become a Vendor of Record?
Can I still conduct business with the Ontario government if I am not a Vendor of Record or if the good or service that I am selling is not covered by a Vendor of Record?
Can I register my company to your vendor database registry?
Who can I contact to answer a question that is not included here?
Ministries must use an open tendering process to post procurement documents valued at over $25,000 for goods and $100,000 for services. Ministries must use BravoSolution as established by the Ministry of Government Services.
In addition to the electronic tendering system, ministries may also advertise in a national newspaper accessible to all Canadian vendors or the Daily Commercial News for construction-related procurements.
BravoSolution is Ontario’s e-tendering system which provides information on bidding opportunities for the government of Ontario.
Review ministry websites to gain an understanding of their individual mandates and programs. This will help you identify program areas that may have a need for your goods or services to better position your company’s proposal. You can also use the Ontario government directory to identify key contacts in each program area.
Please be reminded that the government is specifically interested in learning about goods and services geared to individual ministry mandates and programs. Ministries may not be in a position to immediately consider requests that fall outside these parameters.
What is a Vendor of Record (VOR) arrangement and how is it established?
A VOR arrangement is a procurement arrangement resulting from a fair, open and transparent procurement process that authorizes one or more vendors to offer specific goods or services to ministries for a defined time period; with terms, conditions and pricing as set out in the particular VOR arrangement. It is established through a Request for Proposal (RFP) distributed through an electronic tendering service (BravoSolution).
What are the different types of Vendor of Record (VOR) arrangements?
There are 3 types of VOR arrangements: ministry, multi-ministry and enterprise-wide.
Ministry specific VOR arrangements are for the exclusive use of a single ministry.
Multi-ministry VOR arrangements are established where there is an identified need for a particular good/service among one or more ministries, but where there is insufficient demand for an enterprise-wide VOR arrangement.
Enterprise-wide VOR arrangements are established to reduce procurement costs by providing ministries with access to one or more contracted vendors of goods and services common to more than one ministry. Where enterprise-wide VOR arrangements exist, use by ministries is mandatory.
What is the step-by-step process to become a Vendor of Record (VOR)?
To become a VOR for a particular good or service, you will need to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) and be successful in the evaluation process. The evaluation process will vary from situation to situation, as appropriate, and will be described in the RFP. Typically, RFPs related to becoming a VOR are posted on BravoSolution to ensure that vendors are aware when these opportunities are available to them. For further details, see How to Do Business with the Ontario Government .
What happens when I become a Vendor of Record (VOR)?
Once you become a vendor of record you are authorized to provide goods or services to one or more ministries (depending on the type of arrangement) as per the terms and conditions of the VOR arrangement.
A second stage selection process may be required to determine which of the qualified vendors is best able to meet a Ministry’s specific needs.
Can I still conduct business with the Ontario government if I am not a Vendor of Record or if the good or service that I am selling is not covered by a Vendor of Record (VOR)?
It is possible that ministries may have requirements which are not met by a vendor of record arrangement, thus allowing non-vendors of record to be considered for an assignment. If the value of the requirement is above $25,000 for goods or $100,000 for services, then the opportunity will be posted on BravoSolution. Therefore you should maintain an awareness of the new opportunities that are posted through BravoSolution.
Among the kind of documents the Ontario government uses to procure goods and services from the open market are:
Requests for Proposal (RFP) – procurement documents that request vendors to supply solutions for the delivery of complex products or services or to provide alternative options or solutions;
Requests for Tender (RFT) – procurement documents that request a vendor response to supply goods or services based on delivery requirements, performance specifications, and terms and conditions; and
Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) - procurement documents used to solicit, from potential vendors, financial stability, technical information and product or service suitability, and which measure the products and services against stated evaluation criteria.
If the value of the requirement is below $25,000 for goods or $100,000 for services, then the ministry may choose to invite vendors to a competition. In this instance, your company’s marketing efforts will be important as they will impact ministry staff’s awareness of your organization which may result in your being invited to bid.
The Ontario government does not maintain a central vendor registry database.
For answers to other questions or concerns, or simply for more information on how to do business with the Ontario government, you can contact Supply Chain Ontario via at