LCOP — Loi sur les contrats des organismes publics

In Quebec, the LCOP — the Loi sur les contrats des organismes publics (CQLR, chapter C-65.1) — is the founding statute for how provincial public bodies enter into contracts with private-sector businesses. Section 1 gives it three objects: setting the conditions for contracts between public bodies and contractors; setting certain conditions for contracts of the bodies listed in its section 7; and setting conditions for the public subcontracts attached, directly or indirectly, to those contracts.

Who and what it covers

Section 4 defines the public bodies (organismes publics): government departments, budgetary organizations listed in Schedule 1 of the Financial Administration Act, bodies whose personnel are appointed under the Public Service Act, non-budgetary bodies in Schedule 2 (with exceptions such as Héma-Québec), plus the Commission de la construction du Québec and others. Section 3 captures three contract families: supply contracts (purchase or rental of movable property), construction contracts subject to the Building Act (where the contractor must hold the required licence), and service contracts, with defined exclusions (for example, art-integration contracts for government buildings). A key design feature: the law's conditions flow down to subcontracts, so obligations attach to your own subs even though they contract with you, not with the public body.

Public tender and integrity rules

Section 10 requires a public tender process (appel d'offres public) for supply, service and construction contracts whose expense — including option value — equals or exceeds the minimum threshold set in any applicable intergovernmental agreement (the trade-agreement thresholds), for partnership contracts, and for any other contract the government prescribes. Contracts below the thresholds must follow the law's rotation and regionalized-public-tendering rules (s. 14.1–14.2). The law also codifies the integrity regime: businesses wishing to contract above the government-set thresholds must first obtain a contracting authorization (autorisation de contracter) from the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP), the compliance regime administered under the law's chapter V.1, with administrative monetary penalties since 2023.

How it differs from the municipal law

Do not confuse the LCOP with the Loi sur les contrats des organismes municipaux (C-65.01), which governs municipal bodies — municipalities, transport authorities and the like. The two statutes borrow from each other: the municipal law expressly imports several LCOP provisions (including the chapter V.1 integrity regime) with adaptations, and both rely on the same government-approved electronic tendering system — the SEAO. Where a public body acts for a municipality, the applicable contracting rules follow the mandate.

Common questions

Where do Quebec public tenders get posted?

On the SEAO, the government-approved electronic tendering system. See our SEAO overview and the broader e-procurement platforms comparison.

How are contracts awarded below the tender threshold?

The LCOP establishes public tendering as the default solicitation mode and requires rotation among competitors and use of new contractors for contracts below the threshold, with public tendering by regions favoured where no intergovernmental agreement applies. Open tendering principles in the LCOP thus reach even small contracts.

Related definitions

SEAO · Supplier suspension and debarment · RBQ licence · CFTA thresholds