Any business seeking to enter into public contracts or subcontracts involving an expenditure equal to or greater than the thresholds set by the government must hold a contracting authorization issued by the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP).
- In the case of a public tender, the business must hold the authorization on the date of bid submission.
- For a private contract, the authorization is required on the contract signing date.
Validity Period
As of April 2, 2026, the authorization to contract is valid for an indifinite period. However, the enterprise must:
- Comply with the obligations set out in the Act respecting contracting by public bodies (ACPB), including the submission of the annual update. An enterprise that fails to submit its update within the required timeframe is subject to, among other things, the automatic suspension of its authorization and the imposition of an monetary administrative penalty.
- Not be subject to a suspension or revocation decision issued by the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP).
The status of an authorization can be verified in the Registre des entreprises autorisées à contracter ou à sous-contracter (REA). An extract from this register can be printed and serves as proof of the authorization’s status.