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Bid documents for Quebec tenders: what the package holds, in which language, and when to plan translation.

A Quebec public call for tenders (appel d'offres) is published on SEAO, and for a public body the bid period is at least 15 days. A Quebec public body's documents are in French; a federal tender's appear in both languages, at once and of equal quality. The owner translates before publication; a bidder, within the bid period.

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What is a call for tenders (appel d'offres)?

A call for tenders, in French an appel d’offres, is how an owner invites firms to bid on work, against documents it publishes: specifications, drawings, bid forms and the contract. For a public body under the Act respecting contracting by public bodies, a public call for tenders is made by a notice on SEAO, and the tender documents and addenda are obtained only through SEAO.

Scope

This post sets out what the rules say, as read in November 2026. It is not legal advice: for your own tender, ask counsel.

What is included in the bid documents?

The regulation on construction contracts of Quebec public bodies lists what the tender documents must set out. In practice the package gathers the specification (often dozens of sections), the drawings, the bid forms and the contract.

The package

  1. 01The description of the workThe work and its conditions of performance.
  2. 02The admissibility and conformity conditionsWho may bid, and what makes a bid conform.
  3. 03The list of documents requiredWhat each bidder must provide.
  4. 04The opening procedureHow and when bids are opened.
  5. 05The quality evaluation rulesWhere quality is evaluated.
  6. 06The award ruleHow the contract is awarded.
  7. 07The contract to be entered intoThe contract the successful bidder will sign.

It is that whole package that must exist in the right language, not only the notice.

What the tender documents of a Quebec public body must set out, under the regulation respecting construction contracts of public bodies

Which language must the bid documents be in?

It depends on who issues the tender. What follows sets out what the texts say; for your own package, ask counsel.

  1. A Quebec public body
    FRFrench
    (ministry, public body, municipality): contracts of the civil administration are drawn up exclusively in French, and so are the documents sent to enter into the contract and those related to it (Charter of the French language, ss. 21 and 21.3). Our post on Bill 96 and public construction contracts covers the exceptions and eligibility.
  2. A federal department or agency
    FR + ENBoth, at the same time, of equal quality
    under the Treasury Board’s guide to official languages in federal procurement (s. 3.1.2), publicly posted notices, invitations to tender and bid documents are offered in both official languages, posted at the same time and of equal quality, including accompanying documents such as specifications and drawings. For the contractor’s own obligations under the Official Languages Act, see our guide to official languages on federal projects.
  3. A private owner
    ?Other parts of the Charter
    follows other parts of the Charter, which our guide to Bill 96 and construction documents summarizes.

How long is a tender open?

At least 15 days for a public body under the Act respecting contracting by public bodies (municipalities have their own rules): the SEAO notice sets the closing date, which may not be less than 15 days after the notice. The notice also sets the deadline for complaints, and at least four business days must separate it from the closing date.

The documents can change along the way. An addendum likely to affect prices must be sent at least seven days before closing, or the date moves; any change made three days or less before closing moves the date by at least three days. Each addendum must also exist in the right language.

The bid period, for a public body (schematic)

0−14−13−12−11−10−9−8−7−6−5−4−3−2−1
SEAO notice← 15 days or more →Closing
  1. 7 days beforeAn addendum likely to affect prices must be sent by now, or the date moves.
  2. 4 business days beforeThe complaints deadline, at the latest.
  3. 3 days or lessAny change here moves the closing by at least 3 days.

When should the translation be scheduled?

The owner

Before publication. On a federal tender both versions appear the same day, so the translation happens while the package is prepared, not during the bid period. The federal guide asks for translation time and budget to be planned from the start. A design firm working by call-up under a federal standing offer is in the same position: its specifications and drawings are posted in both languages when they go to tender.

The bidder

For a bidder, the translation happens inside the 15 days or more of the bid period, alongside pricing. And every addendum arrives with its own deadline.

121,945

Words in one federal package

The tender package for a potable water system at a ferry terminal, English to French.

101

Documents

Including 99 numbered specification sections.

25

AutoCAD drawings

Billed and translated with the specification.

118

Questions to the engineer

Logged in eight query logs during the translation.

On a federal tender for a new potable water system at an active ferry terminal, the package ran to 121,945 words in 101 documents, including 99 specification sections and 25 AutoCAD drawings, translated from English to French. The 118 questions put to the engineer or client during the translation were kept in eight query logs. Addenda are translated in the same term base as the original package, so a revised clause matches the clause it replaces.

What delays the French

What delays the French version?

Usually something nobody planned for:

  • R-01Drawings supplied as PDFs or scans, with no editable text to write back into.
  • R-02Cited standards and manuals that have no French version.
  • R-03Late addenda, each with its own deadline.
  • R-04Questions to the engineer left unanswered.
  • R-05Terms never settled, which change from one section to the next.

On the ferry terminal package, the titles of references with no French version were translated directly, so a French reader could still understand what was cited. Settled early, a point like that delays nothing.

Soumission or devis: which word means what?

In Quebec constructionIn France
soumissionThe bid·
devisThe specificationA price quote

Two words often trip up the translation of a Quebec tender. In Quebec construction, a soumission is the bid, and a devis is the specification that describes the work. In France, a devis is a price quote, so a translator who does not know Quebec construction confuses them easily, and the package then calls the specification a price quote.

Our construction glossary gives the approved pairs of the terms that recur in tender packages. To have a package translated within the deadlines, see our tenders and bids service.

Common questions

How long is a public call for tenders open in Quebec?
At least 15 days between the SEAO notice and the closing date, for a public body under the Act respecting contracting by public bodies. Municipalities have their own rules.
Can an addendum arrive just before closing?
An addendum likely to affect prices must be sent at least seven days before closing, or the date moves. A change made three days or less before closing moves it by at least three days.
Does a federal tender have to be bilingual?
Under the Treasury Board’s guide, posted bid documents, specifications and drawings included, appear in both official languages, at once and of equal quality.
What is the difference between a soumission and a devis?
In Quebec construction, the soumission is the bid; the devis is the specification that describes the work.
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