61.2% of competitive federal contracts drew a single bid

What the bid counts show

Departments report how many bids each contract received, but that field is missing for many rows. The figures here cover only contracts where a positive bid count was reported on a competitive procedure (open bidding, traditional competitive, or selective tendering). That leaves 61,148 contracts to work with out of 205,572 rows that carry a procurement method.

On those 61,148 competitive contracts, the average was 2.3 bids. The distribution is heavily weighted to the low end: 61.2% drew one bid, 11.9% drew two, 21.6% drew three to five, and 5.4% drew six or more. For a supplier, that means the typical competitive contract with a reported count is not a crowded field. It is a single-bid award.

Open bidding, the method where a notice is posted publicly, shows a slightly higher average of 2.5 bids across 11,351 contracts, with a 60.2% single-bid share. Posting a notice publicly does not by itself guarantee multiple responses.

Competitive and non-competitive awards

Across the 205,572 contracts with a recorded procedure, non-competitive awards were 67,353 contracts, or 32.8% of the count, worth $12.1 billion, or 14.4% of value. Competitive methods made up the rest of the count.

The largest competitive group by count was traditional competitive procurement with invited suppliers: 93,532 contracts, 45.5% of contracts, worth $33.7 billion, 40.1% of value. Open bidding followed at 31,560 contracts, 15.4% of the count, but $32.1 billion, 38.2% of value. Selective tendering added 11,488 contracts, 5.6% of the count, worth $3.0 billion, 3.6% of value. Advance Contract Award Notices accounted for 1,639 contracts, 0.8% of the count, worth $3.1 billion, 3.7% of value.

The gap between count and value matters when you decide where to spend bidding effort. Open bidding is a smaller share of contracts than non-competitive awards, but a larger share of dollars. Traditional competitive procurement is the largest by both measures.

Where competition is thinnest

Among the 30 departments with at least 200 competitive contracts carrying a reported positive bid count, National Defence had the lowest average at 1.2 bids across 1,087 contracts, with an 89.3% single-bid share. Indigenous Services Canada followed at 1.3 bids across 1,419 contracts and a 92.5% single-bid share, the highest single-bid share in this group.

The Department of Justice Canada averaged 1.3 bids across 483 contracts with an 87.2% single-bid share. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada averaged 1.3 bids across 425 contracts with a 92.0% single-bid share. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada averaged 1.4 bids across 1,415 contracts with a 90.8% single-bid share.

Environment and Climate Change Canada averaged 1.5 bids across 2,441 contracts with a 69.5% single-bid share. Fisheries and Oceans Canada averaged 1.5 bids across 13,170 contracts, the largest contract base in this group, with an 82.7% single-bid share. The National Film Board averaged 1.6 bids across 323 contracts with a 70.9% single-bid share.

A low average does not mean a contract is easy to win. It means few suppliers submitted a bid. Where the single-bid share is near the top of this group, most of the reported competitive outcomes came down to one bidder. That is a signal about who shows up, not about who is qualified.

Where more suppliers bid

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada had the highest average among ranked departments at 5.2 bids across 203 contracts, with a 31.5% single-bid share. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada averaged 4.7 bids across 1,531 contracts with a 17.8% single-bid share, the lowest single-bid share in this group.

Public Services and Procurement Canada averaged 3.6 bids across 7,599 contracts with a 56.0% single-bid share. The Canadian Space Agency averaged 3.1 bids across 378 contracts with a 64.8% single-bid share. Elections Canada averaged 3.0 bids across 244 contracts with a 35.7% single-bid share.

Global Affairs Canada averaged 2.9 bids across 4,227 contracts with a 34.5% single-bid share. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada averaged 2.8 bids across 1,786 contracts with a 36.1% single-bid share. Transport Canada averaged 2.7 bids across 2,322 contracts with a 56.6% single-bid share.

These departments see more bidders per contract, so a submission competes against more offers. That is not automatically worse for a supplier. A department with a high average and a low single-bid share is one where multiple suppliers already treat the work as winnable.

How to read the missing bid counts

The bid count is reported by departments and is missing for many rows. The 61,148 contracts used here are the subset where it was reported and positive on a competitive procedure. The 205,572 rows with a recorded procedure include contracts where the bid count is absent or zero, and those are not part of the bid statistics.

That limit cuts both ways. Departments that report bid counts more consistently are better represented in the averages. A department with a low average here may genuinely receive few bids, or it may report the field only on certain files. The data does not say which.

Department rankings also require at least 200 competitive contracts with a reported positive bid count. Thirty departments met that threshold. Departments below it are not ranked, so the tables do not cover every federal buyer.

What this means for your bid decisions

Start with the method, not the department. Non-competitive awards were 32.8% of contracts but 14.4% of value, so most of the money in that group is concentrated in fewer, larger files. Open bidding was 15.4% of contracts and 38.2% of value, which makes it the competitive method with the highest value share. If you can only prepare a limited number of bids, open bidding files are where the reported dollars sit.

Then check the department's bid pattern before you invest. If you are bidding into National Defence, Indigenous Services Canada, the Department of Justice Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, or the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, expect a field where the reported average is between 1.2 and 1.4 bids and the single-bid share is between 87.2% and 92.5%. In those departments, the practical question is whether you can be the one bid that arrives, not whether you can beat a crowd.

If you are bidding into the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, Elections Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, or Transport Canada, expect reported averages between 2.7 and 5.2 bids. Budget more time for pricing and differentiation, because more suppliers are already submitting.

Use the single-bid share as a screen. A department with a high average and a high single-bid share, such as Public Services and Procurement Canada at 3.6 bids and 56.0%, has a mixed pattern: some files draw several bidders and many draw one. A department with a high average and a low single-bid share, such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada at 4.7 bids and 17.8%, is one where multiple bidders routinely appear.

Check whether the bid count is reported for the files you are tracking. If a department's contracts often lack a reported bid count, you cannot tell from this data whether competition was thin. Treat the absence as unknown and look for other signals before deciding.

Match your effort to the pattern. Where the reported average is near 1 and the single-bid share is above 87.2%, a compliant, complete bid has a different job to do than in a department averaging 5.2 bids. Where the average is high, assume you need a sharper price and a clearer technical case.

Finally, remember what the data does not contain. Only winners are known in award data, so these figures describe how many bids were reported, not who lost or why. The bid count is a count of submissions, not a measure of how winnable a file is for your firm.