Electronic Bidding (ePost Connect)

Electronic bidding through epost Connect means transmitting a bid, offer, proposal or arrangement electronically to a government bid-receiving unit using Canada Post Corporation's epost Connect service. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) solicitations describe it as a way for suppliers to send submissions to PSPC bid-receiving units without relying on paper delivery.

It is a submission method, not a separate type of procurement. The solicitation's own instructions decide whether epost Connect is encouraged, permitted or mandatory, so suppliers must read the delivery clauses of every tender. The service is written as "epost Connect" in federal documents, and it sits alongside mail, courier, fax and in-person delivery as an option for getting a bid to the Crown.

How epost Connect fits into a federal solicitation

PSPC standard instructions allow bids to be submitted using epost Connect unless the solicitation says otherwise. The same instructions require the bid to go to the specified PWGSC Bid Receiving Unit. Sending a bid directly to the published email address, without following the prescribed process, can result in the bid being rejected as non-compliant. You can read the standard instruction wording in a PSPC solicitation document.

The broader Government of Canada electronic procurement environment is CanadaBuys. As PSPC explains on its electronic procurement transition page, some opportunities can be bid on through the CanadaBuys electronic procurement solution, while others still require submission through a bid-receiving unit or Canada Post Connect. Each opportunity states which delivery method applies.

Where epost Connect shows up in tenders

• Requests for proposals: A Department of National Defence information-professional-services solicitation told bidders they could use epost Connect and pointed them to the bidder-instruction and bid-preparation sections. See the DND tender notice.
• Requests for standing offers: A towing-services request for standing offer strongly encouraged electronic submission through epost Connect and described it as supporting electronic submission of bids, offers and arrangements. The same tender notice said the service supports electronic transfer of large files up to Protected B level.
• Supply arrangements: For software-as-a-service arrangements, PSPC instructs suppliers to send qualification materials to the supply arrangement authority or bid-receiving unit using epost Connect. See the qualifying supply arrangement page.
• Mandatory use: A cafeteria food service solicitation required suppliers to use Canada Post epost Connect and stated that faxed and hard-copy bids would not be accepted. See the tender notice.
• Strongly encouraged use: A CanadaBuys tender for insulated casualty evacuation bags strongly encouraged bidders to use epost Connect instead of the other normally available delivery methods. See the tender notice.

PSPC also ran a pilot that let suppliers submit bids electronically through epost Connect for specific tenders, as described in a Government of Canada speech.

Getting access and avoiding rejection

A bidder can use its own Canada Post epost Connect licence, or it can ask the bid-receiving unit to start an epost Connect conversation. A supplier without its own licensing agreement generally has to make that request, and some clauses require it several business days before closing.

The service requires a Canadian mailing address. A bidder without one may use the bid-receiving-unit address specified in the solicitation to register.

Each solicitation sets the rules for the submission itself. Identify the solicitation number in the epost Connect message, use the specified bid-receiving address or conversation, transmit the complete submission before the closing date and time, and meet any advance-request deadline.

What epost Connect means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Check the delivery clause of each tender before you plan your submission. If epost Connect is mandatory, a fax or hard copy will not be accepted. If it is only encouraged, you still need to follow the solicitation's instructions for any method you choose.

Request an epost Connect conversation early, well before closing, and confirm that every file is in the one transmission. Build the delivery steps into your bid schedule so that a missed setup step does not lead to a non-compliant bid.