Procurement

Procurement – Smart, fair and efficient purchasing for our communities.

Municipal Shared Services provides a centralized Procurement Shared Service that helps our partner municipalities make strategic, transparent, and cost-effective purchasing decisions. From everyday supplies to complex service contracts, we ensure that procurement follows best practices and delivers value for public dollars.

What We Do

Our procurement team works closely with each municipality to support purchasing activities that are fair, competitive, and compliant. Services include: 

  • Policy & Process Support: Developing and interpreting procurement policies, procedures, and templates that reflect legal and trade agreement requirements. 
  • Tenders, RFPs & RFQs: Coordinating competitive procurement processes for goods, services, and construction — including drafting, posting, and evaluating submissions. 
  • Contract & Vendor Management: Supporting contract negotiation, tracking deliverables, and maintaining vendor relationships. 
  • Buying Local & Sustainable: Helping municipalities align procurement decisions with community values, including support for local suppliers and environmental goals. 
  • Compliance & Risk Management: Ensuring adherence to procurement legislation, trade agreements (e.g. CFTA, NWPTA), and internal audit standards.
  • Training & Advisory Support: Providing training, templates, and day-to-day advice to staff on procurement requirements and best practices. 

Our shared service helps municipalities get what they need — responsibly, efficiently, and with confidence. 

Why a Shared Procurement Service?

Procurement is a highly regulated and increasingly complex field. By centralizing this function, our partner municipalities benefit from: 

  • Consistent application of policies and trade rules.
  • Improved transparency and public trust in purchasing processes.
  • Cost savings through group procurement, standardization, and reduced risk.
  • Enhanced professional support for departments managing contracts and suppliers.
  • A strong focus on buying local, where permitted, to support regional economic development.

Doing Business with Us

We support procurement on behalf of the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, the Town of Bridgewater, and the Town of Mahone Bay across a wide range of categories — from infrastructure and IT to HR services and waste management. 

Procurement opportunities (tenders, RFPs, RFQs) are posted on the official websites of our partner municipalities as well as the Provincial Procurement Opportunities and Public Notices webpage.

Our Approach to Procurement

At MSS, we believe in open, fair, and competitive procurement processes. Whether you’re a local contractor, a regional supplier, or a national service provider, we welcome the opportunity to work with you. We follow the principles of:

  • Transparency
  • Fair competition
  • Value for money
  • Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability
  • Compliance with all applicable trade agreements (e.g., CFTA, ATPP)

We support opportunities for local suppliers and small businesses, within procurement guidelines and appropriate consideration of value.

Vendor Frequently Asked Questions

Any qualified supplier may bid on our opportunities, provided they meet the requirements outlined in the tender or RFP documents. 

Procurements are typically posted on either our partner municipalities’ websites or the Province of Nova Scotia’s Procurement Portal.

Yes. We support buying local where trade agreements and procurement rules allow. We evaluate bids based on best value, which includes price, quality, sustainability, and service — not just lowest cost.

Yes. All procurement activities comply with applicable trade agreements, including but not limited to: 
– Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) 
– Atlantic Trade and Procurement Partnership (ATPP) 
– Nova Scotia Public Procurement Act 

Check the procurement pages of our partner municipalities regularly or sign up for their notifications where available. 

Yes — vendors may contact us to introduce their services or seek guidance on how to participate in public tenders. Please contact us to schedule an appointment. 

Each municipality has procedures for handling procurement concerns. Please refer to the contact listed in the tender documents or reach out to the Procurement Service through MJSB.