Invite us to a procurement process
We respond to RFPs, RFIs and RFQs — fully, on time, in your format.
Send the bid documents or the portal link. A procurement specialist acknowledges within one business day, registers on your bid portal, and submits questions before your deadline. Responses are written against your evaluation criteria, not a generic brochure.
- What to send — the solicitation PDF or portal link, the closing date, and the contact for questions.
- What you get — a compliant response with pricing in your currency, references, security documentation, and a signed form of offer.
- Portals we work on — Bids&Tenders, bonfire, MERX, SEAO, BidNet, DemandStar, PlanetBids and municipal portals.
- Languages — English, French and Spanish submissions.
Bid desk
Request technical information
Everything IT asks for, in one package.
For a business case, a security review or a market-sounding exercise, request the technical package. It is sent by email within one business day.
- Architecture and hosting overview for your country
- Security and privacy questionnaire responses; incident-response process
- Accessibility conformance (WCAG 2.1 AA) and VPAT
- API documentation and integration catalogue
- Service levels, support hours and maintenance windows
- Implementation plan template and typical timeline
Pre-qualified purchasing vehicles
Two pre-qualified ways to buy in Canada: Vendor of Record and TIPS.
Both mean the same thing for you: the competitive process has already been run by a central purchasing body, so you can contract directly within its terms. Ontario public bodies use the Supply Ontario Vendor of Record; organizations anywhere in Canada can use the TIPS cooperative contract.
What a Vendor of Record is
A Vendor of Record (VOR) arrangement is a master agreement established by the Government of Ontario after a competitive procurement. It pre-qualifies suppliers, fixes ceiling pricing and standard terms, and lets eligible public bodies — ministries, agencies and broader-public-sector organizations including municipalities — buy from the arrangement with a simplified second-stage selection instead of a full open tender.
Blü's Supply Ontario VOR covers Milo. For a purchase under the arrangement you issue a short second-stage request (or a direct engagement under your threshold), reference the VOR number, and sign the standard VOR customer agreement.
How to buy without an RFP · Canada
- Confirm your organization is eligible to use the Supply Ontario VOR (most Ontario municipalities are).
- Ask us for the VOR number, ceiling price list and customer agreement.
- Issue a second-stage selection or direct award per your procurement by-law.
- Sign the customer agreement; implementation starts within two weeks.
What an Awarded Vendor is
TIPS (The Interlocal Purchasing System) is a cooperative purchasing organization that runs public, competitive solicitations on behalf of its members and awards contracts to the winning suppliers. Any member — including school boards, municipalities and other public bodies in Canada that have joined TIPS at no cost — can then purchase from an Awarded Vendor by referencing the contract number, with the competitive step already satisfied.
Blü is a TIPS Awarded Vendor under contracts covering software and technology services, which include Milo.
How to buy without an RFP · TIPS
- Check that your organization is (or can become, at no cost) a TIPS member.
- Ask us for the contract number and a quote on contract pricing.
- Issue your purchase order referencing the TIPS contract; your purchasing office confirms it meets your by-law.
- Sign the order form; implementation starts within two weeks.
Buying without an RFP
Four routes that stay inside your procurement rules.
Which one applies depends on your by-law or purchasing code and the contract value. Your purchasing officer decides; we supply the paperwork for whichever route they choose.
1 · Pre-qualified vehicle
Supply Ontario Vendor of Record, or the TIPS cooperative contract for members anywhere in Canada. The competition has already happened.
2 · Below-threshold direct purchase
Many municipal by-laws allow direct awards or three-quote purchases under a set value. Our standard one-permit package often falls under it.
3 · Piggyback on another municipality's contract
Where your rules allow it, contract on the terms another public body already competed. We maintain contracts written to permit this.
4 · Non-competitive justification
For an extension of an existing Milo program or a documented single-source need, we provide the justification memo your council or board expects.