Autorisation de contracter (authorization to contract)

The autorisation de contracter is the integrity clearance that Quebec's Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) issues to businesses that want to conclude public contracts or subcontracts involving an expenditure at or above the thresholds set by the government. Without it, a company simply cannot be awarded those contracts — the rule flips the default from "everyone is eligible unless excluded" to "nobody is eligible unless authorized."

When you need one

Per the AMP, any business seeking to conclude contracts or subcontracts with an expenditure equal to or above the government-set thresholds must hold the authorization. The provincial thresholds are $5 million for any contract or subcontract of construction work or public-private partnership, and $1 million for any service contract or subcontract concluded following a call for tenders or awarded by mutual agreement — including, where applicable, the value of all renewal options. The rule applies regardless of where the supplier is located, so out-of-province suppliers face it too. Timing matters: in a public call for tenders you must hold the authorization at the date you deposit your bid; for a contract by mutual agreement (gré à gré), at the date the contract is signed.

Validity and the REA

Since April 2, 2026, the authorization is valid for an indefinite period, as long as the business keeps meeting its obligations under the Loi sur les contrats des organismes publics (LCOP) — including filing the annual update; missing the update deadline exposes the company to automatic suspension of the authorization and a monetary administrative sanction — and as long as the AMP has not suspended or revoked it. The LCOP separately requires the authorization to be maintained for the entire execution of the contract. Anyone can verify a company's status in the Registre des entreprises autorisées à contracter ou à sous-contracter (REA), and a printed extract of that register serves as proof of authorization status. The mirror-image sanction lives in the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA).

What it means for vendors

Build the authorization timeline into your bid plan: the AMP runs an integrity review before issuing an authorization, which takes time, and the application requires prescribed information and documents plus fees that vary by company type. If your revenue mix is climbing toward the $1M or $5M marks, apply before the contract that triggers the threshold, not during it. Public bodies are responsible for confirming that bidders and direct-award recipients hold a valid authorization, so an expired or suspended file can cost you an award after the fact.

Common questions

Does the authorization replace the Revenu Québec attestation?

No. They are separate integrity requirements — the tax attestation from Revenu Québec and the AMP authorization serve different purposes, and public bodies commonly require both, along with any sector licences such as an RBQ licence for construction.

Do Montreal-specific thresholds still exist?

No. Since April 2024, the contracts and subcontracts that previously used Montreal-specific thresholds are subject to the provincial thresholds.

Related definitions

AMP (Autorité des marchés publics) · RENA (Registre des entreprises non admissibles) · LCOP · RBQ licence