Glossary

A formal amendment issued after a bid solicitation is posted, changing scope, dates, or terms. Addenda are binding: bidders must acknowledge each one, and a bid that ignores an addendum is usually declared non-compliant.

A municipality's long-range plan for maintaining and replacing its infrastructure (roads, bridges, water, facilities) at defined levels of service. In Ontario, O. Reg. 588/17 phased in mandatory AMPs; many federal and provincial grants now require one.

The formal decision to accept a bid or proposal and enter a contract. Depending on the procurement bylaw, award authority may rest with staff (below a dollar threshold) or require a council resolution.

A guarantee, usually from a surety company, that a bidder will honour its bid and execute the contract if awarded. Common on construction tenders, typically set at 10 percent of the bid price. Backing out forfeits the bond.

A defect in a submitted bid, such as a missing signature, late delivery, or an unacknowledged addendum. Procurement bylaws usually classify irregularities as minor (curable) or major (automatic rejection), and the classification table matters more than instinct when a low bid arrives flawed.

A law passed by a municipal council under authority delegated by the province. Everything from zoning to procurement rules to fence heights lives in bylaws. Spelling varies (by-law, bylaw); the legal effect does not.

The senior appointed official of a municipality, responsible for administration and for implementing council direction. Council sets policy; the CAO runs the organization. In some municipalities the title is City Manager or Town Manager.

The interprovincial trade agreement that, above dollar thresholds, requires municipalities to post competitive procurements openly rather than invite a short list. Paired with CETA (the Canada-EU agreement), it is the reason larger tenders appear on public bid portals.

A documented change to a contract's scope, price, or schedule after award. Procurement policies cap the value of change orders staff can approve before the file must return to council; consultants should expect that cap to shape mid-project conversations.

A portion of a council meeting held without the public, permitted only for defined subjects such as litigation, labour relations, land acquisition, or identifiable individuals. Procurement award debates generally do not qualify; the legal advice about a bid protest might.

A standing list of consultants prequalified for a category of work, refreshed on a cycle (often two to five years). Municipalities draw from the roster for assignments below a threshold instead of running a full competition each time. Missing the refresh window can mean years of ineligibility.

A post-award meeting where an unsuccessful bidder learns how its submission scored. Trade agreements and most procurement bylaws give bidders the right to request one. A good debrief is the cheapest business development a proposal team can get.

A bylaw or policy transferring specified council powers to staff, such as awarding contracts under a dollar limit or approving routine agreements. It is why some purchases close in days while others wait for a council date.

Fees collected from new development to pay for the growth-related share of infrastructure. Governed provincially (in Ontario, the Development Charges Act), supported by a background study, and updated on a fixed cycle. A frequent consulting assignment in growing municipalities.

The scoring grid for proposals: criteria, weights, and sometimes a minimum technical score before price is opened. Published in the RFP. Proposals that mirror the matrix structure are easier to score, and easier to score is easier to win.

A statutory percentage (10 percent in most provinces) withheld from construction payments under lien legislation until the lien period expires. Distinct from contract security; it exists to protect subcontractors, not the owner.

The window after bid closing during which a bid cannot be withdrawn, typically 60 or 90 days. It protects the municipality while evaluation and award approvals run their course.

The measurable standards a municipality commits to for its services and assets, such as road condition ratings or winter maintenance response times. Asset management plans price the gap between current and target LOS.

The Ontario structure of municipal government. Lower-tier municipalities (towns, townships) sit within an upper-tier county or region that delivers shared services; single-tier municipalities do both jobs. Which tier owns a service determines who buys it.

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Ontario). It governs what municipal records the public can request, including much of a procurement file after award, and how personal information must be protected. Other provinces have equivalents.

A bid that fails a mandatory requirement of the solicitation and must be set aside regardless of price. The mandatory list is read literally; "substantially compliant" is an argument, not a category, unless the bylaw creates one.

A municipality's master land use policy document, setting where growth goes and what gets protected. Zoning bylaws implement it parcel by parcel. Comprehensive reviews on a provincial cycle are major consulting projects.

Surety security guaranteeing a contractor will complete the work; if the contractor defaults, the surety finishes or pays. Commonly 50 percent of the contract price on municipal construction, often paired with a labour and material payment bond.

The local law that sets how a municipality buys: dollar thresholds for quotes versus open competition, award authority, exemptions, and dispute handling. Reading it before responding to a solicitation tells you the rules of the game as that municipality actually plays it.

Money set aside by council for a defined future purpose, such as asset replacement or growth projects. Some are obligatory (development charge reserves), some discretionary. The health of the reserves says more about a capital plan than the current year's budget does.

A market sounding: the municipality asks who is interested and capable before deciding how, or whether, to procure. Responding costs little and puts your name in the file when the real solicitation follows.

A pre-procurement request for input on solutions, market capacity, or realistic requirements. No contract results and answers are non-binding, but RFI responses often shape the eventual RFP's scope and evaluation criteria.

A solicitation used when the municipality is buying an approach, not just a price. Proposals are scored against published criteria (methodology, team, experience, cost), and the highest-scoring proposal wins even if it is not the cheapest.

A price competition for well-defined goods or services, generally below the open-tender thresholds. Lowest compliant quote wins. The same initials sometimes mean Request for Qualifications, which shortlists firms by capability; read the document, not the acronym.

Buying without competition. Sole source means only one supplier can provide the good or service; single source means the municipality chooses one supplier despite alternatives, for reasons the bylaw permits (compatibility, urgency, continuity). Both require documented justification.

An arrangement where a supplier agrees to provide goods or services at set prices on demand, with no guarantee of volume. The municipality draws down as needs arise; each call-up is a contract, the standing offer itself is not.

The lien-legislation milestone at which a construction project is essentially usable for its intended purpose and the holdback clock starts. Certified by the payment certifier, published formally, and consequential for everyone's cash flow.

Council's formal decision that land or equipment is no longer needed for municipal purposes, a required step before sale or disposal. Most municipalities pair it with a public notice policy.

A sealed-bid competition for defined work at the best price, the classic instrument for construction. In Canadian law a compliant tender creates "Contract A" obligations on both sides the moment it is submitted, which is why tender rules are enforced so literally.

An RFP format where technical proposals and prices are submitted separately. Technical envelopes are scored first; price envelopes are opened only for proposals passing the technical bar, so a low price cannot rescue a weak methodology.

A prequalified supplier arrangement, provincial or municipal, that lets buyers run quick second-stage selections among listed vendors instead of full open competitions. Getting on the list is the competition.