Suppliers cannot bid on City of Toronto solicitations without being fully registered on SAP Ariba. Unregistered suppliers are encouraged to complete their registration to initiate or continue doing business with the City.

SAP Ariba is the City of Toronto’s chosen e-bidding solution. The tool makes it easy for suppliers to download solicitations documents free of charge through the SAP Ariba Discovery Portal and upload more complete bids because of the easy to follow workflow. The Supplier Lifecycle Performance Module (SLP) went live on October 1, 2021. This cloud-based solution provides suppliers with an opportunity to manage and update profile information anytime from anywhere the internet is available. The opportunity to collect relevant supplier data also supports the City’s communication and procurement-related programs.
New suppliers who have not previously registered with the City, and who are interested in viewing and bidding on City solicitations can register by going to the City of Toronto Registration Page. Solicitation documents and Notices of Intended Procurement will continue to be advertised on the City website using the Toronto Bids Portal (TO Bids). An SAP Ariba research posting link within the advertisement will direct you to the SAP Ariba Discovery portal. To help suppliers become familiar with the SAP Ariba registration and response experience, please access the materials in the SAP Ariba Supplier Training Guide and Mock Solicitations section.
For more information, please visit the SLP Information Sessions section.

Buying Groups

The City is a member of the Sourcewell buying group.

The City is also able to access the Province of Ontario’s Vendors of Record and the Federal Government’s Cooperative Procurements. See the Cooperative Purchasing Process for how to access those types of cooperative procurements.

As a supplier for the City of Toronto, the first step you need to take to bid on solicitations that are posted on the Ariba Discovery portal is to register your company and identify your interest in City business.

To register, go to the City of Toronto’s Registration Page, and follow the instructions. Please take into consideration that there is a three-day processing time to approve registration.

If you are already registered on the SAP Ariba Network, you will need to go to the Registration page to register your account with the City. Once you have registered, please note that you will receive electronic notifications when public Solicitations (Request for Proposals, Request for Quotations, Request for Tenders, etc.) are issued for those commodities that are listed on your profile.

To view Notices of Intended Procurement, suppliers can also visit the Toronto Bids Portal, as SAP Ariba only provides notifications for live solicitations.

Please see the “SLP Information Sessions” section below to learn more.

In preparation for joining the SAP Ariba Network to bid on City of Toronto opportunities:

The SAP Ariba Supplier Training Guide and mock solicitations have been created to support suppliers interested in doing business with the City. The training guide includes detailed information about how to register and provides training materials to support testing the mock Request for Tender, Request for Quotation and Request for Proposal. These simulated events can be used for practice purposes and accessed from the links here:

Please see the Supplier Training Guide for supporting information. While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding this PDF, please contact us at 416-397-4141 or supplychain@toronto.ca.

Suppliers are reminded to register on the SAP Ariba Network.

Suppliers may browse advertised opportunities using the Toronto Bids Portal (TO Bids) for an up-to-date list of Request for Proposals (RFPs), Request for Quotations (RFQs), Request for Expression of Interest (REOI), and Tenders.

TO Bids lists City of Toronto solicitations that include an electronic link to SAP Ariba Discovery and are captured here below in the following areas:

  • Goods & Services
  • Professional Services
  • Construction Services
  • Offers to Purchase

To learn more TO Bids, Suppliers can view a recording of the TO Bids Information & Training Session on the City’s Youtube page. To review the slides from this presentation, as well as commonly asked questions, please see the Introduction to TO Bids slide deck.

In addition, the City may leverage buying groups to either do joint procurements or piggyback off existing contracts. The City may leverage contracts from:

Suppliers should also look to those websites to be able to participate in those procurements that the City may take advantage of in the future.

All solicitation closings are in accordance to the Municipal Code, Purchasing Bylaw, Chapter 195. Specific language regarding closing is outlined in each solicitation.

Paper Bid Bonds will be accepted via the Tender Office at City Hall, West Tower, on the 19th floor, until such time as all bidders make the transition to Electronic Bid bonds. In specific cases where the electronic transmission of files greater than 100Mb is not supported, CD’s will be couriered (upon request) or can be picked up in person at City Hall, West Tower on the 19th floor.

Any supplier wishing to withdraw a response submitted with no further intention of re-submitting must complete the Withdrawal of Bid – Request letter. The completed letter must be sent to the PMMD Buyer through the Event Messaging Board in the City of Toronto’s current online procurement system, SAP Ariba.

Ensure that your company is not suspended or disqualified from bidding for City of Toronto contracts by checking the list of Suspended and Disqualified Firms.

The City of Toronto Supplier Lifecycle Performance (SLP) module assists with onboarding, managing, and segmenting suppliers. Suppliers must complete registration on SAP Ariba, or they will not have access to view or bid on City of Toronto solicitations. Unregistered suppliers are encouraged to complete their registration to initiate or continue doing business with the City of Toronto.

A recording of the 2021 SLP Information Sessions can be found on the City’s YouTube page. To review the slides from this presentation, as well as commonly asked questions, please see the SLP Info Session Guide attached. Please note there have been small changes to the application, so you will notice small differences from this earlier material. For more up to date information please reference the Supplier Training Guide.

While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding these PDFs, please contact us at 416-397-4141 or supplychain@toronto.ca.

For more information, please visit SAP Ariba Frequently Asked Questions.