Where are Manitoba government tenders posted?

Where does the Government of Manitoba post its tenders?

The province's tenders page says government tenders that exceed trade agreement thresholds are advertised and distributed by MERX, a nationwide electronic tendering service. The province's Public Procurement Conference page lists merx.com/mbgov as the Government of Manitoba's MERX link, and that MERX page, headed Province of Manitoba, carries the province's open solicitations, closed solicitations, bid results and awards. I checked for a newer provincial portal for 2026 and found none on the province's procurement pages: MERX is still where Manitoba posts.

Procurement and Supply Chain sets procurement policy across the Manitoba government and buys a wide range of goods for departments. Not everything runs through it. The province's How Government Buys page explains the split:

• Goods: bought by Procurement and Supply Chain and by individual departments. Manitoba says it electronically tenders goods valued at more than $2,500.
• Services: most service contracts are handled directly by departments.
• Construction: handled by selected departments, and advertised on MERX when the value is greater than $100,000.
• Computer hardware and software: bought by individual departments and ICT Services Manitoba.
• Anything above trade agreement thresholds: advertised through MERX.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure publishes an annual advertising schedule with a spring update. The 2026 edition says all tenders on the schedule can be found on MERX, that construction and materials supply tenders on it are competitive open tenders, and that submission details are in each bid opportunity.

How do I register and get notified of Manitoba tenders?

Register on MERX through its user registration page, where you choose a package: a basic one with limited access to solicitations from participating member agencies, or wider access covering a province, a region or all of Canada. MERX support is at 1-800-964-6379. What registration gives you, and what it costs, depends on the buyer, so read each buyer's own notes. The City of Winnipeg, for example, says:

• There is no charge to view City of Winnipeg documents on MERX, but you need to register an account.
• Registration requires a credit card, and you are only billed if and when you submit a bid.
• There may be a charge to access bid documents from other organizations.
• You can pre-select categories of interest and, if you activate notifications, you are emailed when an opportunity in that category is posted.
• You should fill in your organization profile, including your business type, such as Indigenous owned or women owned.

Manitoba Hydro describes MERX registration the same way: it gives you notifications of available tenders and lets you order tender documents. Category alerts tell you a tender exists. For changes to a tender you are bidding on, follow what the document says about addenda, and check the posting before you submit.

How you submit depends on the notice. A 2026 Government of Manitoba request for proposals stated that all bids must be uploaded through MERX and that no other form of submission would be accepted, with questions going only to bids@gov.mb.ca. The City of Winnipeg and Manitoba Hydro also require electronic submission through MERX. The province says award results for MERX tenders are posted on MERX once the order or contract is issued.

Where do Winnipeg, Manitoba Hydro, health and school buyers post?

Most large Manitoba public buyers use MERX too, but not all of them, and some send you on to another system. Here is what each one's own pages say:

• City of Winnipeg: since March 1, 2025, open bid opportunities are posted only on MERX and no longer on the City's website, and bids must be submitted electronically through MERX. Closed opportunities stay on the City's bid results site.
• Manitoba Hydro: tenders above trade agreement thresholds are advertised, distributed and received on MERX, at merx.com/mbgov/manitobahydro. Hydro lists goods over $25,000 and services or construction over $100,000 as tendered electronically, and it may issue requests for information or prequalification on MERX before a formal tender.
• Shared Health: posts tenders on MERX, such as a 2026 Critical Care Renovation (ICMS Expansion) request for proposals that used MERX electronic bid submission. Shared Health also has its own supply chain management page.
• School divisions: the Winnipeg School Division's tendering policy says goods and services of $75,000 and construction of $200,000 (exclusive of taxes) are advertised electronically through MERX. Each division sets its own policy, so check the division's site.
• University of Manitoba: accepts bids electronically only through its UM Public Purchasing Portal, hosted by EUNA Procurement (formerly Bonfire). It also lists opportunities on MERX, which redirect you to that portal.
• Other provincial bodies: the province's list of procurement links points to MERX pages for Manitoba Public Insurance and the Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation, and to their own sites for Efficiency Manitoba, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and RRC Polytechnic.

Where is federal government work in Manitoba posted?

Federal tenders are on CanadaBuys, which publishes tender notices that fall under Canada's trade agreements and meet their dollar thresholds. New notices and amendments are published daily, and you can subscribe to email alerts, follow a search by RSS, or subscribe by UNSPSC code.

There is one more federal link. Under the Canadian Collaborative Procurement Initiative, Manitoba can use certain federal procurements, and the province lists the opportunities and awards Manitoba public sector organizations can buy from as optional users. Awards on that list include tires, hand tools, safety and rescue equipment and marine motors.

Where do suppliers most often miss Manitoba opportunities?

What I see most often in Manitoba is a supplier watching one buyer, or one portal, when the work is spread across several. The official pages point to these gaps:

• Waiting to be added to a list. Manitoba says it does not maintain supplier source lists and tenders openly on MERX instead. Nobody adds you to anything, so you have to set up your own MERX search.
• Small purchases. Goods below the province's $2,500 tendering level are usually bought directly by the end user, and the province encourages suppliers to contact department buyers and end users. Being known to the buyer matters below the posting thresholds.
• Prequalified supplier lists. Manitoba Hydro uses Requests for Qualified Suppliers for some goods and services, and only qualified suppliers then bid. Lists valid for more than three years may accept new suppliers at any time, but you have to apply.
• Bids that live outside MERX. The University of Manitoba takes bids only through its EUNA Procurement portal, and some Manitoba bodies post on their own websites. If a notice points elsewhere, register there too.
• Checking the City of Winnipeg website. Since March 1, 2025, open City bids are no longer posted there, only on MERX.
• Missing the schedule. Transportation and Infrastructure publishes its advertising schedule in advance, so you can see tentative ad months for highway construction and materials supply tenders before they post.