APC and Government tenders
Most cities and many towns use the Alberta Purchasing Connection to post tenders. http://www.purchasingconnection.ca/ You have to create a login, but that is free. Tenders are usually listed for only 2-3 weeks. It is however worth your while to pick up the info even for tenders that you don't plant to bid on, as they give information about what is hot this year.
Smaller tenders (under $10,000) are not required to go through APC. We have been doing occasional $1-2 thousand dollar supply contracts for NAIT and City of St. Albert for several years. This kind of contract depends on who you know, and catching the ad (if there is one) in the local paper.
Fortunately most tenders by cities can be awarded in chunks. In 2016 some fast action (I saw the tender only about a week before closing) got us a $9 thousand dollar contract with City of Edmonton.
Tenders can be a trap. Recently Edmonton put out a request for trees for reclaiming the site disturbances of the new LRT plan. They wanted a bid on the trees, and also on keeping them up to an extra 6 months.
Well in addition to having some absurd requests the quantities were overwhelming. I would have needed to put in a new well to provide for the 7000 trees wanted.
In addition, there was no guarantee that the contract would come in on time. Generally they don’t. But the trees won’t wait. Net result was possibly having unsellable stock.
I gave it a pass.
Lodgepole Pine in our front yard.
Got something to say? Email me: sfinfo@sherwoods-forests.com
Interesting? Share this page.
Share
Want to talk right now? Talk to me: (8 am to 8 pm only, please) 1-780-848-2548
Back to Top
Copyright © 2008 - 2018 S. G. Botsford
Sherwood's Forests is located about 75 km southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. Please refer to the map on our Contact page for directions.