How SEAO works: a plain-English guide for suppliers

Published October 12, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

SEAO (Système électronique d'appel d'offres) is the official website where Québec public bodies publish their calls for tenders. If you want to sell to the Québec government, a municipality, a health institution or a school board, this is where you start. Most notices are in French.

Who publishes on SEAO?

Public bodies covered by the Act respecting contracting by public bodies must publish every public call for tenders on SEAO, and so must municipalities and municipal bodies. That includes departments and agencies, health and social services institutions, education and higher-education networks, and municipalities. Crown corporations such as Hydro-Québec also publish notices there.

SEAO also publishes information on awarded contracts.

Steps for a supplier

Browse notices: searching notices is part of SEAO's free basic services.
Create an account for your organization to order documents and bid.
Order the tender documents. Addenda issued after your order are sent at no charge.
Submit your bid: online (electronic submission, "STVE") or on paper, unless the buyer requires electronic submission.
Follow the results: bid opening results and awarded contracts.

What it costs (fee schedule, checked October 12, 2026)

Service	Cost
Basic services	Free
Specialist user subscription	$6.95/month
Reader subscription	$3.00/month
Search inside documents	$24.95/month
Matching email alerts (subscription required)	$0.35 per notice
Standard electronic document	$0.03 per page
Order preparation (standard documents)	$5.50 per order
Occasional order (basic services only)	$20.00 per order
Electronic bid submission	$20.00 (subscriber) or $30.00 (basic services)

SEAO alerts (jumelage)

SEAO's matching runs your advanced searches daily and emails new notices. It requires a subscription and costs $0.35 per notice. See our comparison with Veillea.

Where Veillea fits

Veillea doesn't replace SEAO: it monitors notices published on SEAO (and CanadaBuys), ranks them against your profile and summarizes them in English and French. You still order documents and bid on SEAO.

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Frequently asked questions

Is SEAO free?

Browsing notices and basic services are free. Documents, the user subscription ($6.95/month for a Specialist), matching alerts ($0.35/notice) and electronic submission ($20 or $30) cost money.

Is SEAO available in English?

Most SEAO notices are in French. Veillea provides English and French summaries of SEAO notices on paid plans; the official notice always prevails.

Who must publish on SEAO?

Public bodies covered by the Act respecting contracting by public bodies, plus municipalities and municipal bodies, for their public calls for tenders.

Can I submit a paper bid?

Generally yes. Paper bids are still accepted unless the buyer requires electronic submission.

How much does electronic bid submission cost on SEAO?

$20 per submission for a subscribing organization, $30 for one on basic services.

Are there alerts for SEAO?

Yes: SEAO's own matching (subscription + $0.35/notice), or monitoring services like Veillea, which has a free plan for SEAO.