GovCon Weekly Data Dump: Aug - Sep

It was a slow news week, so we decided to dive into the data. It seems like procurement is finally back - the # of opportunities posted is finally back to its pre-summer levels, and the awards are rolling in.

we've analyzed the government procurement data from August and September to understand where spending actually landed. With Ottawa's 15% cost-cutting mandate looming and provinces implementing "Buy Canadian" policies, the numbers provide useful context for what's happening on the ground.

We analyzed 4,071 opportunities posted and 252 contracts awarded worth $256.5 million. These numbers offer a snapshot of late-summer procurement patterns—useful intelligence whether you're targeting federal departments or exploring provincial markets. Here's what the data shows about where government money flowed in August and September.

Aug - Sep Procurement Reality Check: 4,071 Opportunities Mapped

Where Government Money Actually Flows Across Canada

Source: Publicus Platform Data | Aug - Sep 2025

What's Happening: Our analysis of 4,071 government opportunities reveals surprising patterns. Provincial/territorial governments (54%) actually outpaced federal opportunities (46%).

The National Landscape:

• Total Opportunities: 4,071 across all governments

• Category King: Construction & Infrastructure (1,385 opportunities, 34%)

• Federal vs Provincial Split: 1,871 federal (46%) vs 2,200 provincial/territorial (54%)

Provincial Procurement Profiles:

Ontario (742 opportunities) - The Construction Giant

• Construction (41%), General Goods (12%), Professional Services (11.6%)

• Reality: Construction dominance means if you're not building in Ontario, you're missing 304 opportunities

Quebec (458 opportunities) - The Maintenance Hub

• Construction (37%), Facilities Maintenance (13.5%), IT (12.2%)

• Reality: Highest facilities maintenance concentration in Canada—62 opportunities for property managers

British Columbia (410 opportunities) - The Consulting Capital

• Construction (39%), Professional Services (13.7%), IT (12.4%)

• Reality: Best province for consultants with 56 opportunities, highest professional services ratio nationally

Alberta (394 opportunities) - The Balanced Market

• Construction (40.6%), IT (11.9%), General Goods (11.2%)

• Reality: Strong IT presence suggests digital transformation push alongside traditional infrastructure

Nova Scotia (127 opportunities) - The Maritime Outlier

• Data shows concentrated procurement but specific breakdown varies by department

• Reality: Strategic importance beyond numbers due to shipbuilding and defence presence

The Overlooked Three:

• Saskatchewan (38), Nunavut (16) (slow month in comparison to the >130 this summer), New Brunswick (14)—combined 68 opportunities that face minimal competition

Top 5 Federal Buyers - What They Actually Want:

1. DND (218 opportunities)

• Defence/Security (73%), General Goods (10%), Professional Services (5%)

• Translation: Unless you're defence-cleared, only 59 opportunities are accessible

2. PSPC (112 opportunities)

• Construction (32%), General Goods (21%), Facilities (13%), IT (11%)

3. DFO (56 opportunities)

• Construction (41%), Research (18%), Transportation (11%)

4. Shared Services Canada (29 opportunities)

• IT (90%), defence (10%)

5. NRC (30 opportunities)

• Research (50%), IT (17%), Construction (13%)

The Category Deep Dive:

Construction & Infrastructure (1,385 total):

• Federal: 530 opportunities (28% of federal opportunities)

• Provincial: 855 opportunities (39% of provincial opportunities)

• Hotspots: Ontario (304), Quebec (168), Alberta (160), BC (159)

IT & Digital Services (475 total):

• Federal: 235 opportunities (12.6% concentration)

• Provincial: 240 opportunities (10.9% concentration)

• Leaders: Shared Services (26), Ontario (64), Quebec (56), BC (51)

Defence & Security (287 total):

• Federal: 231 opportunities (DND holds 159 alone)

• Provincial: 56 opportunities (mostly specialized equipment)

What It Means For You:

The data reveals three distinct procurement ecosystems:

1. Federal Specialists: DND for defence, Shared Services for IT, NRC for research

2. Provincial Generalists: Every province needs the same mix—construction, goods, services

3. Municipal Dark Horses: Cities like Calgary (26), Burnaby (25), Regina (23) quietly posting significant volumes

The Strategic Insight:

Stop chasing federal mega-contracts where everyone competes. Provincial governments posted 2,200 opportunities with less competition and faster decision cycles. Ontario alone posted 742 opportunities—more than DFO, Shared Services, NRC, and Parks Canada combined.

The Vendor Winners: Who Captured 's Biggest Contracts

219 Vendors Competed, 10 Took Home 44% of the Money

Source: Aug - Sep 2025 Contract Analysis

The Aug - Sep vendor landscape reveals stark contrasts in winning strategies. While 219 companies won at least one federal contract, the top 10 captured $112.9 million—44% of all dollars awarded.

The Mega-Deal Winners (Single Contracts Over $10M):

• Bayshore HealthCare: $17.6M (2 contracts averaging $8.8M each)

• Home Hardware: $13.9M (1 contract, Construction, PSPC)

• Calian Ltd: $11.6M (1 contract, Healthcare, likely CBSA)

• All single-client relationships

The Volume Strategy:

• GROUPM Canada: $14.5M across 13 contracts

  • All from PSPC

  • Average $1.1M per contract

  • 100% Professional Services

• Donna Cona Inc: $14.8M from just 2 contracts

  • Served 2 different departments

  • Mix of Healthcare and IT

  • Average $7.4M per contract

The Defense Specialists:

• Larus Technologies: $8.3M (1 contract)

• Louis Tanguay Informatique: $7.5M (1 contract)

• SIMEX Defence: $6.2M (1 contract)

• Wajax Limited: $4.1M (1 contract)

The Infrastructure Giants:

• St. John's Dockyard: $8.2M (2 contracts, DFO)

• Biarritz Construction: $8.4M (1 contract, NRC facilities)

• Vancouver Drydock: $4.6M (1 contract)

• D.M. Wills Associates: $4.0M (2 contracts)

Cross-Category Players (The Diversifiers):

Only 5 vendors successfully won contracts across multiple categories:

• Donna Cona: Healthcare + IT ($14.8M)

• Stantec Consulting: Professional Services + Construction ($2.6M)

• Calian Ltd: Defense + IT ($619K in secondary work)

• Felix Technology: Defense + IT ($129K)

The Concentration Reality:

• 73% of vendors won from only one department

• 89% of vendors won contracts in only one category

• Average vendor captured $1.17M

• Median vendor likely under $500K (dominated by mega-deals)

Client Loyalty Patterns:

Most vendors depend on a single department:

• Bayshore: 100% from one client despite $17.6M value

• GROUPM: 13 contracts but all from PSPC

• Home Hardware: One contract, one department, $13.9M

Only the largest vendors achieve true diversification. The data shows federal procurement rewards two strategies: win big and rare, or win repeatedly from the same buyer. The middle ground—multiple small contracts from different departments—barely exists.

Publicus helps government contractors find, qualify, and win more contracts with less effort. Our AI-powered platform monitors every opportunity across all government levels, with analytics on pricing and competition so you can understand your market like never before.