SEAO, Hydro-Québec and federal tenders: where each one publishes, and which language to bid in.
Quebec public bodies publish their calls for tenders on SEAO, and their documents are in French. Hydro-Québec publishes its calls on its own supplier site, with instructions in French only, and requires the proposal in French unless the Charter allows another language. Federal tenders appear in both official languages, at the same time.
This post sets out what each portal’s own texts say and the law that applies to them. It is not legal advice: for your own package, ask counsel. For what a call for tenders is and how to fit translation into it, see our post on bid documents for Quebec tenders.
P-01 · SEAO
What is SEAO, and who has to publish on it?
SEAO is the Quebec government’s electronic tendering system. A public body that goes to public tender does so by a notice published in that system (Act respecting contracting by public bodies, s. 11). It carries the notices of ministries and public bodies, Santé Québec and its establishments, the education network and Quebec municipalities: public tender notices, notices of intention and notices of interest. Bids can be submitted electronically.
A public tender is required for supply, service and construction contracts at or above the minimum threshold of an applicable intergovernmental agreement (s. 10). The thresholds of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and the Quebec-Ontario agreement are indexed every two years.
P-02 · Hydro-Québec
Does Hydro-Québec publish on SEAO?
Not for everything. Hydro-Québec adopts its own contracting policy, which must respect the intergovernmental agreements, as section 7 of the Act provides for government enterprises. As of November 2026, it lists its calls on its supplier site, and proposals go through its Espace fournisseur.
Above the trade-agreement thresholds, the notice must also appear on SEAO. According to the indicative summary of Quebec’s Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor (version 21, dated January 1, 2026), the threshold for construction work by public utilities is $6,943,900 for Canadian suppliers.
Hydro-Québec’s site lists appels au marché, and its instructions speak of appels de propositions and propositions rather than calls for tenders and bids. Its rules are in its instructions to bidders, the Renseignements et instructions aux intéressés à soumissionner, published in French only.
$6,943,900
Construction by public utilities, Canadian suppliers: above this, Hydro-Québec's notice also goes on SEAO.Conseil du trésor summary, v. 21, January 1, 2026
Which language are the documents in, portal by portal?
Three portals, three sets of rules
Point at a portal
P-01SEAO
Who publishes there
Quebec ministries and public bodies, the health and education networks, municipalities
Language of the documents
FRENFrench (Charter, ss. 21 and 21.3)
Language of the bid
FRENFrench; a version in another language may be attached in the cases the Charter and its regulation list
Its own words
public tender noticebid
P-02Hydro-Québec's supplier site
Who publishes there
Hydro-Québec, for its own calls; also on SEAO above the trade-agreement thresholds
Language of the documents
FRENInstructions published in French only
Language of the bid
FRENProposal written in French, unless the Charter allows another language (instructions, clause 27)
Its own words
appels au marchéappels de propositionspropositions
P-03CanadaBuys (federal)
Who publishes there
Federal departments and agencies
Language of the documents
FRENBoth official languages, at the same time and of equal quality, specifications and drawings included
Language of the bid
FRENAs the tender documents set out
Its own words
CanadaBuysAchatsCanada
RequiredMay be attachedAs the tender sets out
Which language must the bid be written in?
Charter of the French language, s. 21.3
For a Quebec public body, the bid is one of the documents sent to enter into the contract, and those are in French (Charter, s. 21.3). A version in another language may be attached in the cases the Charter and its regulation list; our post on Bill 96 and public construction contracts sets them out.
Hydro-Québec instructions, clauses 26 and 27
At Hydro-Québec, clause 27 of the instructions is explicit: written and verbal communications are in French, and the proposal must be written in French, unless the Charter allows another language. Clause 26 adds that a bidder with activities in Quebec employing 25 or more people for six months attaches a document from the Office québécois de la langue française showing its francization status.
25
people or more employed in Quebec for six months: the bid carries a francization document from the Office québécois de la langue française (clause 26).
P-03 · Federal
Do federal specifications and drawings have to be in both languages?
Yes. Under the Treasury Board’s guide to official languages in federal procurement (s. 3.1.2), posted notices, invitations to tender and bid documents appear in both official languages, at the same time and of equal quality, including accompanying documents such as specifications and drawings. The guide also asks for translation time and budget to be planned from the start (s. 3.1.1). Our guide to official languages on federal projects has the detail.
Where are federal tenders published?
On CanadaBuys, where Public Services and Procurement Canada publishes federal tender opportunities. The portal differs, and so does the language rule: where a Quebec body publishes in French, a federal department publishes in both languages on the same day. A contractor bidding on both sides prepares packages that follow different rules. Design work for a federal owner can also be ordered by call-up against a standing offer; the specifications and drawings it produces follow the same rule when they go to tender.
Where does translation fit in the bid period?
Where translation falls
Before publicationThe owner's translation. Federal: both versions appear the same day.
Bid periodThe bidder translates, alongside pricing, on any portal.
AddendaEach arrives with its own deadline.
3 business days before closingLast questions at Hydro-Québec, unless the notice says otherwise (clause 12).
Closing
It depends on the portal. For a federal tender, the owner’s translation happens before publication, since both versions appear the same day. A bidder translates during the bid period, alongside pricing, on any portal, and each addendum arrives with its own deadline. At Hydro-Québec, bidders’ questions must arrive at least three business days before closing, unless the notice says otherwise (clause 12).
The package’s terms are settled first; the specification and drawings are then translated in parallel, in the same terms, and addenda in the term base of the original package. Our tenders and bids service is built on that rhythm.
Before you publish or bid
C-01Identify the portal and read its instructions: at Hydro-Québec, they are in French only.
C-02Check your francization documents if your firm has employed 25 or more people in Quebec for six months.
C-03Read every document of the call, drawings included, and report discrepancies early (clause 9 of Hydro-Québec’s instructions).
C-04Plan the translation of addenda, which arrive with their own deadlines.
Common questions
What is SEAO?
The Quebec government’s electronic tendering system, where public bodies publish their public tender notices and where bids can be submitted electronically.
Does Hydro-Québec publish its tenders on SEAO?
Hydro-Québec publishes its calls on its own supplier site. Above the trade-agreement thresholds, the notice must also appear on SEAO.
Can I bid in English to Hydro-Québec?
Under clause 27 of its instructions, the proposal must be written in French, unless the Charter of the French language allows another language.
Are federal tenders in French?
They appear in both official languages, at the same time and of equal quality, specifications and drawings included, under the Treasury Board’s guide.
Start
Your engineers review the translation in the terms they approved.
