Mandatory Site Visit

A mandatory site visit is a scheduled visit to the work location that every prospective bidder must attend. Its purpose is to let bidders inspect or assess aspects of the requirement that cannot be fully described in the solicitation documents, such as physical conditions, access constraints, existing infrastructure or security arrangements.

Attendance is a condition of bidding, not a courtesy. In Canadian federal procurement, failure to attend a mandatory visit results in the bid being declared non-responsive, which means it is not evaluated further. NATO procurement guidance treats attendance the same way: where the visit is mandatory, the bidder must include an attendance certificate in its offer for the offer to be considered eligible (NATO Procurement Manual).

Mandatory versus optional site visits on CanadaBuys

The CanadaBuys buyer's guide describes site visits as organized gatherings at a work location where offerors can assess aspects of the work that the documentation cannot fully convey. It distinguishes two types: optional and mandatory (CanadaBuys, Engage with businesses).

Attendance at an optional visit is not required to submit an offer. Non-attendance at a mandatory visit can make an offer non-responsive. A mandatory visit applies to all offerors, including those who already know the site well.

What the solicitation must tell you

CanadaBuys instructs federal contracting officials to state four things in the notice of proposed procurement and in the solicitation:

• the location, date and time of the visit;
• whether the visit is optional or mandatory;
• that failure to attend a mandatory visit will result in the offer being declared non-responsive;
• any security-clearance level required to attend.

The same guidance tells officials to allow enough time for offerors to review the solicitation, obtain any required security clearance, complete a Security Requirements Check List where applicable, and receive amendments or clarifications that come out of the visit (CanadaBuys buyer's guide).

How mandatory visits appear in federal and provincial tenders

Mandatory visits are common in construction, maintenance, repair, upgrade, architectural and specialized defence requirements. The attendance rules vary by solicitation:

• A Public Services and Procurement Canada invitation to tender for refrigerator and freezer repair at Grand Valley Institution requires the bidder or its representative to visit the work site (tender document).
• A roof-replacement tender requires at least one representative of an intending proponent to attend and remain for the duration of the visit (tender package).
• A Canadian Coast Guard solicitation requires the bidder's representative to sign an attendance sheet and take part in the entire visit for the bid to be considered valid (Coast Guard RFP).
• A National Capital Commission RFP for architectural services states that failure to attend the mandatory site visit makes the bid non-responsive (NCC RFP).

Provincial buyers use the same mechanism. A Government of Alberta template treats attendance at the specified site-tour time and place as a mandatory prequalification requirement and requires a signed confirmation of attendance (Alberta procurement template).

Security clearance for defence and secure sites

At defence or secure locations, attendance can depend on security clearance. CanadaBuys requires the solicitation to identify the clearance level when access to the site requires one. A federal maintenance, repair and upgrade RFP, for example, required a SECRET security clearance to attend its mandatory visit (tender notice). A Canadian Forces Station Alert support-services procurement also included a mandatory site visit, monitored through a fairness-monitoring engagement (PSPC fairness monitoring).

What a mandatory site visit means for your bid

Treat the visit date as a bid and no-bid deadline. Read the solicitation for the exact attendance rules: who must attend, whether you must stay for the full visit, and whether you must sign an attendance sheet or obtain a certificate. Send a representative who can meet those rules, since a missed visit cannot be recovered later. Familiarity with the site does not exempt you.

If the site requires clearance, start the security process as early as possible, because clearance must be in place before you can attend. After the visit, watch for amendments and clarifications issued as a result, and reflect them in your submission.