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merx is the easiest way for suppliers to connect with public and private buying organizations throughout Canada. With merx, vendors gain access to thousands of federal, provincial and local opportunities that align with the products and services they offer.
In this article we’ll review how vendors can find the opportunities they’re looking for and provide quick helpful how-to’s on how to get the most out of merx!
How to find bids
There are many different types of solicitations that are published within merx. From Canadian Public tenders to Crown and private organization business opportunities, at any given point, there are over 1,000 open solicitations ready for bid submission.
Registered vendors set up a company profile along with saved searches by keywords to be automatically notified of matching business opportunities daily. Saved searches are complimentary and there is no limit to the number of search configurations that you can have to pinpoint the best matches for your business. By selecting “get notified” on your saved searches, you will receive an email up to twice daily with newly issued solicitations matching your criteria. If you haven’t yet, set up your saved search with notification now!
In addition to notification of open solicitations, suppliers can login and use an advanced search with filters. Are you looking for Canadian Public Tenders or Agencies, Crown & Private Corporation solicitations? Simply click the tile to see only those specific buying organizations by type.
Other filter options include closing date, region/location, categories, keywords, and the buying organization name itself.
Tips for vendors registered on merx
Want to make the most out of your access on merx? Below are steps to make sure you do not miss any open opportunities and are visible to government buyers.
How to add or update your categories
Just like keywords, your category selections also play an important role in both your notification and searching. merx uses three types of categories to make certain that you find the right opportunities. The Government of Canada utilized the Goods and Services Identification Number (GSIN) to identify generic product descriptions on merx up until its transition to UNSPSC in 2017. The federal government and other buying organizations now utilize the international classification system for procurement items called the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC). On the platform, suppliers can choose from a combination of 3 categories including the “general” merx categories consisting of broad fields of Construction, Goods, Services and Other. In addition, both GISN and UNSPSC categories can be selected to further narrow down your opportunity notifications and searches by specific category. Update your category selections on merx within your Organization Profile.
In addition, many of our participating government buyers need to add vendors manually to their notification lists and find suppliers utilizing these codes. Your information is also displayed and buyers can filter by location, category code and other criteria to view your company information to call or contact for a quick quote or informal procurement.
How to use Saved Search
Thousands of open solicitations can be found on merx, issued either by one of our participating buying organizations or provided by our dedicated team of researchers for our supplier community. If you have already set up a saved search, fantastic! However, what if you want to look for more matches? Or do research on other opportunities outside of the normal products or services you provide? merx offers an advanced searching capability that can help you find the solicitations based on several filters including keyword, location, category code and others. The saved search feature saves you time and gives you the information you need directly on your main page.
The saved search is ideal for setting up your preferred search filters (such as keywords, locations and/or categories.
TIP: Utilize the saved search for closed and awarded solicitations for networking opportunities with other suppliers and/or to give your company an idea of upcoming tenders after the awarded contract term has ended.
How to Update and Enhance your Profile
Updating your profile along with your category codes is crucial to success. It is important to keep your Organizational Profile up to date because this is how buyers will see your company information. Buyers can see vendor information such as Contact Information, Company Description, Products and/or Services, Working Categories, and Bid History from electronic bid submissions.
There are thousands of vendors registered on merx and buyers go through each of these vendors for their RFQs, so providing your complete business information is crucial. Buyers tend to skip over vendors who don’t provide clear information.
Suppliers who have a local, regional or national package have the ability to download unlimited documents, submit e-bids at no charge, and download amendments. Another key benefit of updating your profile to one of these packages is the ability to add your logo, a video and sell-sheets to your existing merx company profile.
Aside from the basic information that is visible to buyers viewing your company profile, suppliers with an annual or monthly package stand out from the competition by enhancing their profile. Suppliers can provide more information about their company, such as a one-pager brochure, company video and highlights, along with other documents that explain more about vendor offerings. When buyers see additional company information, it gives them confidence that the vendor has what they’re looking for. Update your account to benefit today.
merx: Your key to success in bidding
Vendors need easy-to-use digital tools to be effective in today’s competitive government bidding sector. With merx, vendors not only gain access to thousands of government and private opportunities that are relevant to their service offer – they also bring their solicitation process into the digital realm, making it easier than ever to find, bid on and win the contracts they’re interested in. merx has a dedicated Supplier Success team who is always there to assist vendors from Mondays – Fridays, 8 AM – 8 PM ET.
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