Back-to-School Tendering Opportunities for Your Business

As we’re nearing the end of summer it’s about that time when students, parents, and teachers are preparing for the back-to-school season. As they get ready for the new school year, school districts and higher education institutions are also preparing by issuing open tenders for supplies and various services. Whether it be for classroom furniture, textbooks, art supplies, computer equipment, and software, HVAC and janitorial services, or athletic uniforms and equipment you will find a lot of new tenders that could very well be a perfect match for your business over the next several months.

With the help of merx, the process of finding these opportunities is easier and less time-consuming for you. This article will guide you through some tips on how to find these types of opportunities and how to set up your notifications of matching solicitations from school districts and higher education institutions.

Which School Districts and Higher Education Institutions are on merx?

As a registered supplier on merx, you can access tenders from over 150 participating school districts and higher education institutions that post their tenders directly on our platform. We also continue to monitor thousands of other schools daily for new opportunities, so you don’t have to spend time finding them on your own. When we find tenders that match with the products or services your business sells, you’ll automatically be notified so you won’t miss out on an opportunity.

Here are a few of our participating school districts and universities that you can find on merx:

• Cresent School in Toronto
• McGill University in Quebec
• Algonquin College in Ontario
• Alberta School Boards Association in Alberta
• Newfoundland & Labrador English School District - Newfoundland and Labrador
• How to Find School-Related Tenders

There are many different approaches you can take to finding these types of tenders. As a supplier you may have been monitoring various school and university sites daily to see what new opportunities are being issued, but this can take up a lot of your time that could be better spent focusing on more important tasks, like writing your winning proposal.

A better solution is to use a smart bidding platform like merx, where we monitor thousands of sites for you and notify you of all the opportunities that match with your business. You can also take advantage of our Advanced Search Filters which allows you to filter tenders by certain parameters such as keywords, solicitation status, location, category codes, closing date, and more so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. Simply type in keywords such as “school”, “education”, “athletic equipment”, and “HVAC” to make your search more relevant to what you provide.

To make sure you start receiving daily email notifications with matching opportunities you’ll need to set up your GSIN and UNSPSC category codes which are standardized codes that buyers use to classify goods and services.

How Closed School-Related Tenders Can Help You Bid

In addition to looking through the open tenders you’re interested in bidding on, looking through closed tenders is a great way to prepare for future opportunities as you can analyze the tender documents along with the awardee information. This can help you learn more about the school districts and universities that you may want to do business with and allow you to better prepare and come up with a proposal that will award you the contract.

Here is a sample of some recently closed tenders to get a feel for what you’d typically see on our platform:

• Lenovo Servers - Newfoundland and Labrador
• Paint and Paint Supplies - Ontario
• Ladysmith Secondary HVAC Upgrades – British Columbia
• Security – Dances, Football, Track – Ontario
• Cafeteria Equipment and Supplies – New Brunswick

Best Practices to Keep in Mind

As you’re getting ready for the influx of tender opportunities this back-to-school season, it’s important to remember some best practices whether you’re new to government bidding or are an experienced supplier:

• Read all bid documents and specs in their entirety to make sure you can complete what’s being asked
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially during the Q&A period
• Do your research. Learn about the government entity you may be working for along with your competitors that are bidding on that opportunity
• Submit your tenders early to avoid any technical issues and the risk of being disqualified

School districts and universities are issuing thousands of opportunities across Canada for school-related products and services. Now is the time to start preparing your business and looking for opportunities you’d like to bid on. By utilizing merx you can find these opportunities all in one location and can be instantly notified of anything new we find daily. Register your business today and get a jump on winning more contracts!