How do I find Quebec public tenders on SEAO?

What is SEAO and who has to use it?

SEAO describes itself as the official tendering publication system for the Government of Quebec. The Quebec government describes it as an application that brings together notices from most public bodies, which can come from ministries and public bodies, Santé Québec and its institutions, bodies in the education network, and Quebec municipalities, which distribute their tender documents through SEAO.

Using it is not optional for those buyers. Quebec says public bodies covered by the Act respecting contracts by public bodies (LCOP) are required to announce any public call for tenders through a notice published on SEAO, and to use it to distribute their tender documents and publish information about their contracts. The same applies to municipalities and municipal bodies.

That last part is worth using. Because public bodies publish their contract information on SEAO, it is also a research tool: you can see which organizations buy what you sell before the next notice appears.

What is free on SEAO and what costs money?

SEAO's fee schedule separates free Basic Services from paid Subscription Services, which are billed monthly for each Specialist or Reader user in your organization. SEAO advertises free access to all public notices, and its service comparison lists viewing notices and previewing documents as free.

Previews are not the official file. SEAO notes that documents available for viewing are not the original files received from the public body, may contain differences and are provided for information only.

Ordering the official tender documents is a paid transaction. The fee schedule lists order preparation fees, charges based on the number of pages or the size of each document, and an additional occasional order fee for organizations on Basic Services. Submitting a bid electronically through SEAO also carries a fee for each submission, which is lower for subscribers.

Addenda work in your favour once you have ordered. The fee schedule says addenda already published when you place your order are charged with the order, while addenda issued afterwards are distributed automatically to suppliers who bought the tender documents, at the public body's expense.

How do I find and order tender documents on SEAO?

1. Go to seao.gouv.qc.ca and open the notices of the day, or search the published notices for your field.
2. Read the public notice first: the public body, the description, the closing date and the eligibility conditions.
3. Create your SEAO account and choose Basic Services or Subscription Services. The choice applies to all Specialist and Reader users in your organization.
4. Register your business in the SEAO supplier directory and keep the profile up to date.
5. Use the free document preview, where offered, to decide whether the contract fits you.
6. Order the official tender documents through SEAO, which is the only channel for obtaining the documents of a public call for tenders.
7. Set up a personalized watch so matching notices reach you automatically, and watch your orders for addenda.
8. Submit your bid by the method the tender documents specify. Where the public body allows it, that can be electronic transmission through SEAO.

Are SEAO tender documents and bids in French?

As a general rule, yes. Quebec's Ministère de la Langue française explains in its guide on contracts, updated June 1, 2026, that under the Charter of the French language, contracts entered into by the public administration and the writings related to them are drafted exclusively in French, including subcontracts. Writings sent to the administration in order to conclude a contract with it are also drafted exclusively in French. The Charter and its regulations provide exceptions, so read the language clause in each tender.

Under the Charter, the administration includes the government and its ministries, government bodies, municipal bodies, school bodies and health and social services bodies.

There is a second language rule that catches companies off guard. The same guide says a public body cannot award a contract or a grant to a business employing 25 or more people in Quebec that cannot show it has started or completed the francization process with the Office québécois de la langue française, or that appears on the Office's list of businesses whose attestation or certificate was refused, suspended or cancelled.

If French is not your working language, plan the translation time into your bid schedule from the day you order the documents.

Do I need AMP authorization to bid in Quebec?

For larger contracts, yes. The Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) says a business must hold an authorization to contract for public contracts and subcontracts at or above thresholds set by the government:

• $5 million for any contract or subcontract for construction work or a public-private partnership.
• $1 million for any contract or subcontract for services, whether awarded through a bidding process or negotiated directly.
• The amount includes what would be spent if all renewal options were exercised.

These thresholds apply to contracts with ministries, public bodies, state-owned enterprises and municipalities in Quebec. For a public tender, the business must hold the authorization on the date of bid submission; for a contract negotiated directly, on the signing date. Since April 2, 2026, the AMP says an authorization is valid for an indefinite period as long as the business meets its obligations, including the annual update. You can check a company's status in the AMP's register of authorized enterprises (REA).

The AMP describes the application as a step to start well before you bid, because it takes preparation. If you wait until you find the tender you want, you may not hold the authorization by its closing date.

Where do suppliers most often miss Quebec opportunities?

In my experience, Quebec opportunities are lost less often in the search and more often in the preparation that has to happen before you can bid:

• Contracts below the tender thresholds. Public bodies can award these by mutual agreement (gré à gré) or by invitation, and Quebec says the SEAO supplier directory helps them find suppliers for that work. A business that never registers in the directory is harder to find.
• Relying only on an automatic watch. Alerts match notices to the field of activity you set up, and a notice described in different terms can slip past it.
• Applying for AMP authorization too late. For contracts at or above the thresholds, you must already hold it on the bid submission date.
• Previewing instead of ordering. SEAO distributes later addenda to suppliers who bought the tender documents, so if you only previewed, you have to check the notice yourself.
• Underestimating the French requirements, both for the bid itself and for francization compliance if you employ 25 or more people in Quebec.
• Forgetting federal work. Federal government tenders, including work in Quebec, are published on CanadaBuys.