Updated January 2026

Canadian Procurement Transparency

A comprehensive analysis of CFTA compliance across all 13 Canadian jurisdictions. Seven years in, transparency remains uneven.

13
Jurisdictions Analyzed
2
Critical Compliance Gaps
4
Leading Provinces

CFTA Article 516

The Canadian Free Trade Agreement mandates procurement transparency. Here's what every jurisdiction must publish.

⏱️
72-Day Window
Contract awards must be published within 72 days
📋
Description
Clear description of goods or services procured
🏛️
Procuring Entity
Name and address of the government body
🏢
Supplier Details
Name and address of the winning supplier
💰
Contract Value
The value of the successful tender
📅
Award Date
Date the contract was officially awarded

Jurisdiction Scorecard

Click any card to see detailed analysis, portal information, and recommendations.

Critical Compliance Gaps

These issues represent significant failures to meet CFTA transparency requirements.

⚠️
Ontario
Vendor of Record Blackout
Ontario fails to disclose individual contracts awarded under Vendor of Record (VOR) arrangements. Each VOR call-up meeting CFTA thresholds is a covered procurement requiring disclosure. This represents a fundamental failure to meet transparency obligations.
🔒
Manitoba
Merx Data Gatekeeping
Manitoba's Merx portal claims 16,000+ awards but artificially limits pagination to page 40, making 93% of contract data inaccessible. A private company is gatekeeping public procurement information.
📊
Multiple Provinces
No Bulk Export
Many provinces provide portal access but no way to download data in machine-readable formats. This prevents meaningful analysis and limits public oversight capabilities.

Transparency Comparison

How jurisdictions stack up across the five key dimensions.