Open Competitive Procurement
The purchase of goods and services at or greater than $100,000 must be available to all qualified suppliers in the market, and issued via open tender calls by Procurement Services on behalf of Faculties, Divisions, and Departments at the St. George campus (UTM and UTSC may have differing thresholds).
Commencing the competitive purchase of goods or services at or greater than $100,000 requires the submission of the Competitive Bid Request form.
A Procurement Officer will then reach out to the requestor to begin the open competitive process. The preliminary discussion will identify the best procurement method to utilize depending on the particular nature and requirements of the project.
RFx Methods
- Request for Proposal (RFP): for complex products or services, or to provide alternative options or solutions, it is a process that uses predefined evaluation criteria in which price is not the only factor.
- Request for Quotation (RFQ): to request a response to defined requirements where price is the main criterion for award.
- Request for Supplier Qualifications (RFSQ): to gather information on supplier capabilities and qualifications, with the intention of creating a list of qualified suppliers.
- Requests for Tender (RFT): to request a response to supply goods or services based on delivery requirements, performance specifications and terms and conditions.
- Request for Information (RFI): to gather information on supplier interest in an opportunity, or information on supplier capabilities/qualifications.
Procurement Services staff have the expertise to lead the entire open competitive bid process:
- Issuing open tender calls
- Evaluation of proponent submissions
- Contract negotiation and award
- Supplier debriefing and/or bid disputes
In addition, procurement officers and staff can identify existing collaborative procurement arrangements via Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery (MPBSD), Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace (OECM), and other entities that may be leveraged as an alternative to the open competitive bid processes. See Other Collaborative Entities for more information.
The following is a typical open competitive bid process map and timeline:
