Frequently Asked Questions

Expand/Collapse Information What is MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

MERX Canadian Public Tenders is where business finds billions of dollars in contracting opportunities from the Canadian public sector. MERX Canadian Public Tenders includes federal, provincial and MASH sector opportunities, making it easy for you to find new opportunities, bid on them and win the business from customers interested in the goods or services you provide.

Expand/Collapse Information Who uses MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

Every level of the public sector uses MERX Canadian Public Tenders to post their procurement requirements. Whether it is to meet global trade agreements or broader public sector procurement rules, purchasing departments turn to MERX to improve productivity, reduce their procurement costs and provide accountability to all stakeholders.

Expand/Collapse Information Is MERX part of the government?

MERX is not a government owned service. MERX is the trademark under which MERX, a subsidiary of mdf commerce operates.

Expand/Collapse Information Is MERX Canadian Public Tenders a solution only for large businesses?

A majority of businesses that use MERX Canadian Public Tenders belong to the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) classification. Statistics show that over 80% of our customers belong to organizations with a workforce of fewer than 50 employees.

Expand/Collapse Information Who does business with the Canadian public sector?

Thousands of companies across Canada have realized the opportunity associated with providing goods or services to various levels of government. Open tendering is a requirement of public sector organizations in their mandate to be “open”, “fair” and “transparent” and most levels of government across Canada are required to advertise opportunities over $25,000. MERX Canadian Public Tenders has the largest and most complete listing of public sector opportunities available at your fingertips. Register today and take advantage of all the opportunities waiting for you on MERX Canadian Public Tenders.

Expand/Collapse Information What services are available?

As a MERX Canadian Public Tenders subscriber, your business can benefit tremendously by accessing Canadian public sector tender opportunities. View a detailed list of our services.

Expand/Collapse Information How many opportunities are open on MERX Canadian Public Tenders at any given time?

There can be anywhere from 1,700 to 2,500 open tenders on MERX at any given time. These opportunities are posted from federal, provincial and municipal government departments as well as from universities, school boards, social welfare agencies and hospitals from across the country. Visiting MERX everyday and maintaining an Opportunity Matching Profile is the best way for you to make sure you never miss another opportunity.

Expand/Collapse Information Why are opportunity notices sometimes available only in English or French?

The contracting authority is responsible for selecting the language in which the opportunity notice and tender documents are published on MERX Canadian Public Tenders.

Expand/Collapse Information If the abstract is not clear, how can more detailed information be obtained?

The opportunity abstract is provided for information purposes only. Refer to the "Associated Components" for authoritative information. MERX asks you to direct all queries pertaining to the language, content or any missing or inaccurate information within a opportunity abstract to its originator. The contact information of the purchasing agency in question is located in the ‘Contact(s)’ section of the abstract.

Expand/Collapse Information What is the Document Request List and how can I use it?

The Document Request List allows you to identify partnering opportunities for government contracts and gain valuable competitive information. This feature is accessible by clicking the Document Request List link from within an opportunity notice abstract. Pay as You Go users have access to this service only after they order the documents.

Expand/Collapse Information Are there international opportunities posted on MERX Canadian Public Tenders?

Yes. In addition to the thousands of Canadian tender opportunities available from all levels of government, subscribers can also search MERX Canadian Public Tenders for open international opportunities.

Expand/Collapse Information What is a MASH sector opportunity?

A MASH sector opportunity refers to a tender that is posted from a Municipality or an Academic, Social or Healthcare organization. This acronym is used to describe the organizations in the broader public sector.

Expand/Collapse Information When are opportunities posted on MERX?

Opportunities are posted on MERX Canadian Public Tenders multiple times every business day.

Expand/Collapse Information What is MERX for agencies, crown and private corporations?

MERX allows all types of businesses (small and medium enterprises and/or large organizations) to expand into tendering. With MERX, you can benefit from this efficient and cost-effective service.

MERX is a fast, simple and central location for you to view opportunities and source the tender documents pertinent to your business. As a MERX subscriber you can access new business opportunities from agencies, crown and private corporations looking to purchase a variety of goods and services. Grow your business by easily finding and bidding on opportunities you were not otherwise aware of.

Expand/Collapse Information Is MERX for agencies, crown and private corporations a solution only for large businesses?

MERX allows all types of businesses (small and medium enterprises and/or large organizations) to view and bid on tenders. With MERX Pay as You Go , your business has access to all buying organizations posting their opportunities. A MERX Organization Specific subscription gives your business access to one or many buying organizations.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I get the information needed to submit a bid?

Please refer to the applicable opportunity notice and related associated components the buyer has posted on MERX. These should provide you with the information needed to submit a bid. Depending on your MERX subscription, you can preview the associated components before ordering them.

Expand/Collapse Information How can I identify opportunities from agencies, crown and private corporations?

To help distinguish public opportunities from the agencies, crown and private corporation opportunities, the public will be preceded with the Canadian maple leaf icon whereas the ACPC will be preceded with a travel case icon.

Expand/Collapse Information What services are offered?

As a MERX subscriber, your business can benefit tremendously by accessing opportunities from agencies, crown and private corporations. Access a detailed list of our services.

Expand/Collapse Information What is Opportunity Matching and is it for me?

Included in your registration to MERX is one free profile for the MERX Opportunity Matching feature. Opportunity Matching is designed to look for opportunities of interest to your business and send them to you each weekday by fax or email at no additional charge. You create the search criteria profile and we'll do the rest. As a MERX subscriber, you can create up to nine* profiles for this valuable service by selecting the 'Setup Profile' link under the Opportunity Matching heading on the Opportunities page. Don't forget to test your new profile before saving it to make sure that you are receiving the opportunities that are relevant to your business.

^* Please see the Pricing page for fees associated with more then one Opportunity Matching Profile.

Expand/Collapse Information Do I need to set-up another Opportunity Matching profile if I am currently taking advantage of the Opportunity Matching for MERX Public Tenders?

The same profile will search and provide results for both services.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I make sure that I receive amendments?

An amendment (also known as an update or addenda) is a piece of documentation that is issued by the buyer after an opportunity has been posted on the MERX site.

It is strongly recommended that you always choose 'Receive Notification' for each of the opportunity notices that you intend to bid on. By choosing not to receive notifications of amendments, you run the risk of not being able to obtain details of changes to the requirements, closing date, or any general information that may put your bid at a disadvantage or to possibly cause it to be considered non-responsive or non-compliant. The selection box can be found under the column 'Order Setting' on the 'Order Basket' page. Once notified of the amendment, you simply log into MERX and order the amendment.

MERX also offers a value added service that ensures that any amendments or updates are automatically delivered to you. By choosing 'Automatic Delivery of Amendments', you will automatically receive the amendments themselves, by fax, email or mail. This ensures that any amendments for opportunity documents you purchased are sent to you. If you do not want to receive amendments but simply the notification that one has been issued, simply select 'Receive Notifications'.

Expand/Collapse Information What is a Standing Offer?

A standing offer is not a contract. It is an offer from a potential supplier to provide goods and/or services at pre-arranged prices, under set terms and conditions, when and if required. No contract exists until the government issues an order or "call-up" against the standing offer. There is no actual obligation by the government to purchase until that time.

Expand/Collapse Information What is a Supplier Arrangement?

Supplier arrangements are non-binding agreements with suppliers to provide a range of goods or, more commonly, services on an "as required" basis. They are lists of qualified suppliers identified as potential sources from which departments can obtain firm price quotations on specific requirements. Supplier arrangements include a set of predetermined terms and conditions that will apply to any subsequent contracts. Supplier arrangements allow departments to solicit bids based on their specific scope of work and in this way they differ from standing offers which only allow departments to accept a portion of a requirement already defined and priced. Many supplier arrangements include ceiling prices which allow departments to negotiate the price downward based on the actual requirement or scope of work.

Expand/Collapse Information What is a Vendor of Record (VOR)?

A VOR arrangement is a procurement arrangement resulting from a fair, open and transparent procurement process that authorizes one or more vendors to offer specific goods or services to ministries for a defined time period, with terms and conditions and pricing as set out in the particular VOR arrangement.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I become a Vendor of Record (VOR)?

“To become a VOR for a particular commodity, you will need to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) and be successful in that evaluation process. The evaluation process will vary from situation to situation as appropriate and will be described in the RFP. Typically, RFPs to become a VOR are posted on MERX to ensure that vendors are aware when these opportunities are available to them.

Expand/Collapse Information What is an Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)?

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is used by the Government of Canada. It is “a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified supplier believed to be the only one capable of performing the work, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no other supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with awarding the contract to the pre-identified supplier. It is important to note that an ACAN is not a competitive process; however, competitive approval authorities may be used if there is no successful challenge.http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/app-acq/arp-pns/ap39u3-pn39u3-eng.html

Expand/Collapse Information How do I bid on a tender?

The tender documents (available on MERX) will explain how to submit your bid, how you should layout your proposal and how it will be evaluated. It is important to review the general conditions and standard instructions.

Expand/Collapse Information What is the process for asking questions related to tenders listed on MERX?

Every tender document is unique. Please refer to the tender documents to identify the designated contact person and the final date allowed for questions to be asked.

Expand/Collapse Information What is the difference between a closed opportunity and an awarded opportunity?

Closed or Former Opportunities are notices that have passed their closing date but are still accessible on MERX Canadian Public Tenders. Subscribers may browse through the Former Opportunities database to research and track buying patterns of the public sector. Awards are notices indicating that an organization won a particular contract and may include financial information about the award. These award notices are not mandatory and are posted at the discretion of the buying organization.

Expand/Collapse Information How far back can I search the awards database?

Awards data on MERX can be searched going back seven years.

Expand/Collapse Information If awards are not posted, can we request them through MERX?

MERX Canadian Public Tenders does not receive award notices for every opportunity as some buyers choose not to publish this information. Please contact the contracting authority for the tender in question.

Expand/Collapse Information How are contracts generally awarded?

The evaluation criteria that will be used to choose the winner will be clearly identified in the tender documents. The tender documents will state what requirements are mandatory, which are desirable as well as the weighting of the areas to be scored. They will also list the selection factors which will determine the contract winner. If you have questions regarding a specific tender, please contact the appropriate contracting authority.

Expand/Collapse Information If we are not awarded a contract, how do we know why we were unsuccessful?

Upon request, many government contracting authorities will provide a debriefing to organizations if they are unsuccessful.

Expand/Collapse Information Do I have to be a paid member of MERX to login to the system?

No, but you must be a paid member in order to have unlimited access to download or order tender documents. Alternatively you may register as a Basic subscriber and pay a one-time access fee. For a low monthly fee you can have unlimited electronic access to all tender documents posted on MERX Canadian Public Tenders.

Expand/Collapse Information Can I subscribe to MERX Canadian Public Tenders without having to provide a credit card number?

No, but you must be a paid member in order to have unlimited access to download or order tender documents. Alternatively you may register as a Basic subscriber and pay a one-time access fee. For a low monthly fee you can have unlimited electronic access to all tender documents posted on MERX Canadian Public Tenders.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I sign up?

If you are not already registered to MERX, click on the 'Sign Up' button. You will then be prompted to read and accept the MERX 'Terms and Conditions' and then to complete an online registration wizard. The online registration wizard will walk you through a quick four step process.

If you are already registered to MERX and would like to add an Organization Specific subscription to your profile, please login to MERX. Once logged in, from your supplier home, click on 'Customer Profile' and then 'View Own Service Details'. This will allow you to register to a specific organization within MERX as well as to other MERX services all using your existing MERX account.

Expand/Collapse Information How much does it cost?

There are two options for accessing agency, crown and private corporation business opportunities. You can subscribe to an annual fee to access tenders posted by a specific organization or you can choose to Pay As You Go to access any tenders of interest. Please see the pricing page for more information.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I search for opportunities on MERX Canadian Tenders?

From the MERX Canadian Tenders home page you can easily find the opportunities relevant to your business through our list of opportunities sorted by industry type. This list displays the number of open tender opportunities by industry category and the number of new opportunities published that day. Alternatively, from the MERX Canadian Tenders home page, you can enter a keyword to conduct a simple search for open tender opportunities or, if you wish, access the advanced search tool for refined searches. If you are a subscriber to MERX Canadian Tenders, you can also access these search engines after you have logged on.

Expand/Collapse Information What information is searched when using the keyword search?

MERX will search through: the title, organization name, abstract, solicitation number, region of delivery, region of opportunity, tender type, agreement type, GSIN and categories.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I search using a solicitation number?

To search using a solicitation number, simply enter this number into the search area of the search bar (just as you would enter a keyword).

Expand/Collapse Information How do I search for opportunities on MERX?

From the home page you can view the most recent open opportunities. You will find a link near the bottom of the home page to view the entire list.

Again, from the home page, you can enter a keyword to conduct a simple search for open tender opportunities or, if you wish, access the detailed search tool for refined searches.

If you are a subscriber to MERX, you can perform searches using the search box at the top of the page before or after login. Alternatively, you can use the 'Opportunities' link to perform simple, and/or detailed searches once you have logged in to MERX.

An opportunity search under either the Public Tenders tab or the Agencies, Crown and Private corporations tab will search both services. However, the search results will be dependant on the service tab under which the search was performed. If the search was performed under the Agencies, Crown and Private corporations tab, search results will be displayed for agency, crown and private corporation opportunities and a red button will be provided near the top left-hand corner to view the results for the Public Tenders service.

Expand/Collapse Information How can I use the document previewing feature?

If there are electronic documents associated to the opportunity that you are interested in, a 'Preview Associated Components' link in the abstract of the opportunity may be displayed. The link will always be displayed to those organizations you are subscribed to with an Organization Specific subscription. The link will not be available for other opportunities unless you have already placed an order against that opportunity using Pay as You Go. By clicking on the 'Preview Associated Components' link you will be brought down to the bottom of the page where the associated components are listed. Only components that are in electronic format have a preview link. This allows you to decide if you meet all the eligibility criteria prior to ordering the opportunity.

MERX converts all electronic files into PDF (Portable Document Format) for document previewing. However, electronic files that are ordered (for download, email, or CD/DVD delivery) may not be in PDF. Buyers may request that their documents be distributed in their native file format (such as Microsoft Excel).

Expand/Collapse Information What is Opportunity Matching and is it for me?

One free Opportunity Matching Profile is included in the Basic and Complete subscriptions. Opportunity matching is designed to look for opportunities of interest to your business and send the matches to you each weekday provided there is a match. You create the search criteria, save your profile and we'll do the rest. It is important to test your new profile before saving it to make sure that you are receiving the opportunities that are relevant to your business.

Expand/Collapse Information Is there a charge for using Opportunity Matching?

Your first Opportunity Matching Profile is available free of charge. Adding up to three profiles to your account will cost $1.95/month, for up to nine profiles the cost is $2.95/month. Additional charges are automatically billed to your account. If you have more than one profile at any time during a month, you will be charged.

Expand/Collapse Information When using Opportunity Matching, is it necessary to search terminology in both English and French?

Yes, it may be necessary to search using both English and French terminology as the MERX search engine does not translate when it searches. The language of the abstract will determine which terminology is used and available to be searched on.

Expand/Collapse Information Is there support available to help with creating effective Opportunity Matching profiles?

Our Customer Support agents are available to assist you in creating your Opportunity Matching Profile. Please contact us at 1-800-964-6379 or merx@merx.com for assistance.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I order a document?

Expand/Collapse Information How do I download an order?

Once you have submitted your order, you will be presented with the Order Confirmation page. Any items that you have ordered via download will appear as a button under the column entitled Delivery Details. Click on the 'Download link' to view your document. Most files are in PDF format. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your workstation to read the files. Some files, at the buyer's request, are in their native format (such as Microsoft Word). If you wish to download the file to your local hard drive, you can right click the 'Download' button and depending on your browser select 'Save Link As' or 'Save Target As'. You cannot download files until your order has been successfully processed. PDF files on MERX are best viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6.0 or higher.

Expand/Collapse Information In what format will I receive my downloaded tender documents?

Portable Document Format (PDF) by Adobe is the standard format used on MERX Canadian Public Tenders. You may download a free copy of

Adobe Acrobat Reader. PDF files on MERX are best viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6.0 or higher. At a posting organization’s request, MERX will distribute electronic documents for download, email, and CD/DVD delivery in their native file format (such as Microsoft Excel). Should you experience difficulties using an electronic document that is not in PDF, please contact the contracting authority to resolve the issue.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I verify my order history?

Access your Opportunity Ordered List located under Account Activity from the supplier home page once you have logged in to your account. The information on this list will include the date you submitted your order, the opportunity reference and solicitation number, and the order confirmation number. You will also be able to see the status of your order. There are three statuses:

• Processing: The order has not been processed.
• Approved: The order has been processed and sent via the delivery method selected by the user.
• On-Hold : An order may be put “On-Hold” if there are fees and the credit card number is invalid, if there are delays in printing or if a buyer supplied item has not been replenished.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I view an ordered document that has not yet been received?

If your document is available electronically you will be able to download your document at any time from the Opportunity Order Confirmation page by clicking on the Confirmation Number.

Expand/Collapse Information If I order an opportunity on MERX Canadian Public Tenders, are details of my order sent to the Government?

By ordering on MERX Canadian Public Tenders, elements of your company’s information (name, address, contact information as well as the solicitation number) are automatically made available to the applicable Contracting Authority.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I ensure that I receive amendments?

An amendment (also known as an update or addenda) is a piece of documentation that is issued by the contracting authority after an opportunity has become active on the MERX Canadian Public Tenders site.

It is recommended that you always choose ‘Receive Notifications’ for each of the opportunity notices that you intend to bid on. By choosing not to receive notifications of amendments and updates, you run the risk of not being able to obtain details of changes to the requirements, closing date, or any general information. This may put your bid at a disadvantage causing it to be non-responsive / non-compliant. The amendment selection box can be found under the column Order Setting on the Order Basket page. Once notified of the amendment, you simply log into MERX Canadian Public Tenders and download the amendment.

MERX Canadian Public Tenders also offers a value added service that ensures that any amendments or updates are automatically delivered to you. By choosing to receive amendments, you will automatically receive the amendment documents by fax or email and will incur any costs that may arise from the choice of this option. If you do not want to receive amendments but simply the notification that one has been issued, simply select Receive Notifications.

Expand/Collapse Information Can more than one person in my organization receive notifications of amendments?

The amendments are sent only to the contact information of the account from which it was ordered. As such it is not possible to have the amendments delivered to someone else in your organization.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I change an amendment notification setting for a specific opportunity?

Once you have logged into your account, select My Account Activity. The list of opportunities you have ordered will appear. Simply locate the opportunity in question and change the setting under the Receive Amendments column.

Expand/Collapse Information What is the difference between ‘receive amendments’ and ‘receive notifications’?

Notification of Amendments will send you a notification of any amendment or cancellation pertaining to the opportunity you ordered. Once you receive the notification you will need to login to MERX and order the amendment documents. This option is available free of charge. Automatic Delivery of Amendments will automatically send all amendment documents to you as soon as they become available. They will be sent by email, however if the documents are too large to be sent via email they will be sent via courier. This option is available at a nominal fee; please see our pricing list for more information.

Expand/Collapse Information Is it possible to obtain documents for tenders that have already closed?

If you have ordered the tender documents for this closed opportunity, you may still access the documents from your account activity. However, Drawings and Specification Packages (DSPs) are not available after closing.

Expand/Collapse Information Why are some documents available only in one language?

The contracting authority is responsible for selecting the language in which the opportunity notices will be published on MERX Canadian Public Tenders.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I order a document?

Once you register, you can order a document on the website by clicking on the 'Order' link next to the opportunity you're interested in and following the instructions. MERX offers different delivery options that include download, email, fax, mail, courier, and pick-up. The prices vary according to the size of the document and the delivery option selected. Please see the pricing page for more information.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I obtain my document once I have chosen download as my delivery method?

Once you have submitted your order, you will be presented with the 'Order Confirmation' page. Any items that you have ordered via download will appear as a button under the column entitled 'Delivery Details'. Click on the 'Download link' to view your document. Most files are in PDF, to read them you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your workstation. Some files, at the buyer’s request, are in their native format (such as Microsoft Word). If you wish to download the file to your local hard drive, you can right click the 'Download' button and depending on your browser select 'Save Link As' or 'Save Target As'.

You cannot download files until your order has been successfully processed. Please note that at peak times a minimal delay may occur while your order is being processed.

Expand/Collapse Information In what format will I receive my downloaded tender documents?

Portable Document Format (PDF) by Adobe is the standard format used on MERX. We have selected PDF due to its security features and because it is an industry standard. You may download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader if needed.

At a buyer’s request, MERX will distribute electronic documents for download, email, and CD/DVD delivery in their native file format (such as Microsoft Excel). Should you experience difficulties using an electronic document that is not in PDF, please contact the buyer.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I view an ordered document not yet received?

Login to MERX and access your 'Opportunity Ordered List' located under 'Account Activity' from the supplier home page. The information on this list will include the date you submitted your order, the opportunity reference and solicitation number, and the order confirmation number. You will be able to identify the reference number by the PR before the number.

You will also be able to see the status of your order. There are three statuses:

• Processing: The order has not been processed.
• Approved: The order has been processed and sent via the delivery method selected by the user.
• On-Hold: An order may be put “On-Hold” if there are fees outstanding and the credit card number has expired or has been rejected.

If your document is available electronically you will be able to download your document at any time from the 'Opportunity Ordered List' Confirmation page by clicking on the 'Confirmation Number'.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I verify my order history?

Login to MERX and access your 'Opportunity Ordered List' located under 'Account Activity' from the supplier home page.

Expand/Collapse Information What is electronic bid submission?

Electronic bid submission (or E-bid submission) is a value added service on MERX that allows suppliers to submit bids electronically. You can securely upload files that make up your bid. Then, after the closing date and time have passed, the applicable buyer will retrieve the electronic bid files.

Expand/Collapse Information Who can use electronic bid submission?

Any supplier registered to MERX can use electronic bid submission; however your organization must have someone designated as an Electronic Bid Submission Authorized Signer. An Electronic Bid Submission Authorized Signer is someone who has been selected by your organization to legally bind your organization to the terms of the electronic bids you submit.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I use electronic bid submission?

You must be a subscriber to MERX. Once you have logged in, you will notice on the supplier home screen a link called 'E-bid Submission'. Clicking on this link will provide you the list of opportunities that you have ordered and for which E-bid submission is permitted or required. From the list, you can create a bid, modify it, delete it, or submit it. However, you will require authorization from an authorized signer to complete the submission process. You can see the status of your E-bids (submitted, not submitted, or late submission), the time left to submit a bid, and any electronic bid confirmation numbers. Please refer to the applicable help pages for more information.

Expand/Collapse Information What is the accuracy of the clock used by MERX?

The MERX servers are synchronized to official Canadian time sources at Environment Canada and the National Research Council using the NTP protocol.

Expand/Collapse Information When can I use electronic bid submission?

We encourage you to use electronic bid submission whenever possible. However its use will, in part, be up to the buyer. Please pay special attention to the ‘E-bid Submission’ field that appears in each opportunity abstract. This field indicates whether the buyer will accept E-bid submissions for that particular opportunity. The E-bid Submission field will show one of the following values:

• Mandatory: The buyer will only accept E-bid submissions
• Optional: The buyer will accept E-bid submissions, but other methods are acceptable
• Not Available: The buyer will not accept E-bid submissions

Please note you will be charged a value added service fee per opportunity for open tenders when you use MERX electronic bid submission. Please see the pricing page for more information.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I update my contact or organization profile?

It is important that both your contact and organization‘s profile be up to date so that documents ordered are delivered to the proper location. For more information on how to update this information, please see the tutorials once logged in.

Expand/Collapse Information Can more than one contact within my organization be added to MERX?

Yes, more than one contact within your organization can be added to MERX. The supplier coordinator can add multiple contacts within one organization. Please contact the supplier coordinator for your MERX account to be added to your existing organization. Please be advised that each supplier may be charged with applicable fees. If you are the supplier coordinator and would like assistance adding contacts to your organization, please view the online tutorial for more information once logged in.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I view which subscriptions I am currently subscribed to?

To determine what you are currently subscribed to on your account, login to MERX. Select View Own Service Details, from Manage My Account in the left hand menu. This will allow you to view/edit your current subscriptions. For more information or assistance please contact MERX Customer Support at 1-800-964-6379 and an agent would be pleased to help.

Expand/Collapse Information How can I change the User ID associated to my account?

For security reasons each User ID is unique to every account in our system and cannot be modified. The ID is only visible to the User. The only way to change the User ID would be cancel the current account and to create a new account. An additional fee may apply for this transaction, and all order history from the cancelled contact will be lost.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I update my contact or organization profile?

It is important that both your contact and organization profiles be up to date so that documents you order are delivered to the proper location. Updating your profile(s) is simple. Login to MERX and click on the 'Customer Profile' link to open the 'View Organization Information' page. From this page select the 'View Own Contact Information' page depending on your role (supplier or supplier coordinator). Click the 'Update' button located at the bottom of the profile page and then update the profile as required. Click the 'Submit' button to complete the update process.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I pay my bill?

Chargeable MERX services are charged automatically each month or in advance annually, as the case may be, to your VISA, MasterCard or American Express card. Your credit card information was provided to MERX when you registered or when you elected to use a chargeable service.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I change my credit card information?

Login to MERX and click the Customer Profile under Account Activity. Select the Credit Card Information link (for supplier coordinators only) and update your credit card information as required.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I obtain my statements online?

MERX statements are available online to supplier coordinators. To access your statements online, login to MERX and click the Account Activity menu located on the left side of the supplier menu. Under the online statements header, click on the View link. Select the MERX statement you wish to view, you will find detailed information from the last 12 months. Please see the View Online Statements in our tutorials section once logged in. Please note, statements by mail are also sent if there is a balance on your account.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I access help?

For more information on how to use MERX Canadian Public Tenders, visit our tutorials section once logged in, where you will find videos demonstrating how to use various features and functions available on the MERX service.

Expand/Collapse Information What do I do if I have received a warning that my account has been locked out?

A MERX password security feature limits the number of failed login attempts. After 10 consecutive failed attempts your account will be locked out. Please contact MERX Customer Support at 1-800-964-6379 or by email at merx@merx.com to unlock your account. Please also note that only one person can be logged into a given account at one time. Any other attempts will be locked out.

Expand/Collapse Information What Internet browsers are compatible with MERX?

When a new browser version is released, we make every effort to ensure that MERX is upgraded so that it is compatible.

Expand/Collapse Information What does encryption do?

Encryption is a sophisticated scrambling technique used to guard private information while it is transmitted through the Internet. To recognize that your transmission is encrypted, some browsers will display a small icon on your screen that looks like a lock or a key. MERX uses 128-bit encryption, which is currently the highest form of encryption available commercially.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I access online help?

For more information on how to use MERX, access our online help pages by clicking on ‘Help’ in the top right-hand corner of most pages once logged in.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I switch language preference during my session?

Switching from one official language to the other is possible during a session simply by pressing the Français link while on an English page and the English link while on a French page. These links will enable you to switch from one language to another while remaining logged in and on the same page.

Expand/Collapse Information How do I change my password online?

Log in to MERX and click on 'Customer Profile', click on 'View Own Profile' and then select the link titled 'Change Password'.

Expand/Collapse Information Is there someone I can call for technical support?

MERX Customer Support will answer any technical questions you may have. Some questions may require escalation thus slightly delaying a response. Please contact us at 1-800-964-6379 or at merx@merx.com.