How to build a past-performance portfolio when you have no government contracts yet

Every government tender seems to ask the same question: show us you've done this before. If you've never held a public contract, that can feel like a locked door. The good news is that buyers don't only want federal contracts on your record — they want proof you can deliver, and there are several honest ways to build that proof before you win your first tender.

What "past performance" actually means to a buyer

Past performance is evidence that your business has delivered similar work, on time and to a similar standard, before. Buyers ask for it because a tender is a promise, and they want to know the promise is credible.

It usually shows up in one of two ways in a bid document:

• A mandatory requirement — you must show at least one (or more) example of similar work, or your bid is rejected outright, no matter how good your price is.
• A rated criterion — examples of past work earn you points on a scoring grid, alongside price and technical merit.

If you want a deeper walkthrough of how these two categories work and why mixing them up is one of the costliest bid mistakes, read mandatory vs rated requirements explained. For now, the key point is this: "similar work" rarely means "a government contract." It means work of a similar size, complexity and scope, done for anyone.

Start counting the work you already have

Most small businesses already have more evidence than they think. Go through the last three to five years of client work and pull out anything that resembles the kind of contract you want to bid on.

This can include:

• Private-sector contracts and purchase orders.
• Work for non-profits, schools, hospitals or housing co-ops.
• Municipal or provincial work, even if it was small or informal.
• Long-term retainers or service agreements, not just one-off projects.
• Volunteer or pro bono work, if it was substantial and well documented.

None of this needs to say "Government of Canada" on it. A buyer evaluating your bid usually just needs to see comparable scope, comparable dollar value, and a named contact who will vouch for you. If you're not sure what "comparable" looks like for a specific tender, check the statement of work closely before you assume you don't qualify.

Build one clean reference file for every project

The biggest reason small businesses under-sell their own history is that the details live in someone's memory, not in a file. Fix that now, before you need it under a tight bid deadline.

For every project worth including, capture:

• Client name and sector (and whether they'll allow you to name them publicly).
• A direct contact — name, title, phone and email — who is willing to answer a reference call.
• Contract value or budget, even if it's an estimate.
• Scope in one paragraph, written in plain language, matching the kind of wording a tender would use.
• Timeline — start date, end date, and whether it was delivered on schedule.
• Outcomes — a measurable result if you have one (cost saved, units delivered, uptime achieved).
• A short quote or testimonial, even an informal one pulled from an email.

Keep this in a single spreadsheet or folder you update after every project, not just when a tender deadline is looming. Over a year or two, this becomes the backbone of your capability statement and saves you from scrambling to reconstruct history from old invoices.

Get your first public-sector reference through someone else's contract

If a tender genuinely requires public-sector experience and you have none, the fastest legitimate route is to work under someone who already has it.

• Subcontracting. Prime contractors on public work often need specialist subcontractors. Ask around your industry for who holds relevant standing offers or contracts and offer your services. Delivering well as a subcontractor gives you a genuine, citable reference — just be clear with the prime contractor upfront about being named as a reference later.
• Joint ventures. Teaming with a more established firm lets you bid together, with their track record supporting the bid while you build your own. This isn't right for every opportunity, so weigh it carefully — see joint ventures and subcontracting explained for what's actually allowed and where liability sits.

Both routes take patience, but one or two well-documented subcontracts can turn "no government experience" into "delivered on three public projects as part of a prime contractor's team" — a very different sentence in a bid.

Target the tenders built for suppliers like you

Not every opportunity assumes you already have a track record. Some are specifically designed to let newer or smaller suppliers in, so start there rather than chasing large, complex contracts you're not ready for yet.

• Standing offers and supply arrangements are often lower-risk starting points because they set you up as a pre-qualified supplier who gets called on smaller, individual orders as they arise.
• Set-asides, including Indigenous procurement set-asides, reduce the competition pool and sometimes carry lighter past-performance expectations.
• The new Small Business Procurement Program, rolling out through 2026, is designed around proportional requirements — meaning the evidence a small supplier is asked for should scale down with contract size, rather than copying the paperwork burden of a multimillion-dollar project. It's worth checking whether a tender you're eyeing falls under this stream before you assume you're not qualified. Read how to qualify for the federal Small Business Procurement stream for the details.

Filtering for these opportunity types is easier once your supplier profile and search filters are set up properly — browse live tender search to see what's open in your sector right now.

Use every non-government credential you have

Past performance isn't the only proof of reliability a buyer looks at, and it's rarely evaluated alone. Round it out with:

• Certifications and licences relevant to your trade or sector.
• Insurance and bonding, arranged before you need them so they don't hold up a bid at the last minute.
• Financial references, such as a line of credit or a letter from your bank confirming capacity.
• Safety records, if relevant to your industry (WSIB/WCB history, safety certifications).
• Quality processes, even informal ones, written down clearly.

None of this replaces past performance where it's mandatory, but it strengthens a rated section and reassures an evaluator who's on the fence.

A simple table to plan your first year

Use this as a rough sequence, not a rigid rulebook — some businesses move faster, especially if they already have strong private-sector history.

Stage	What to focus on	Typical evidence to gather
Months 1–2	Register properly and organize existing history	Supplier profile complete; reference file started for past 3–5 projects
Months 2–4	Target low-barrier opportunities	Standing offers, set-asides, small-value municipal or provincial tenders
Months 3–6	Build one public-sector reference	Subcontract or joint venture on a prime contractor's project
Months 6–12	Bid independently on small federal or provincial work	First direct contract, however small, fully documented
Ongoing	Maintain the portfolio	Update reference file after every project, refresh capability statement

If you haven't registered as a supplier yet, that's the logical first step before any of this matters — a complete, accurate supplier profile is what buyers and reference-checkers see first.

Don't wait for permission to start

A missing government track record is a timing problem, not a permanent disadvantage. Every business that now holds federal contracts once had none, and most got their first one by proving themselves on smaller, less competitive opportunities first. With reforms like the Small Business Procurement Program aiming to scale requirements to a supplier's size, and interprovincial trade barriers coming down to open up more markets closer to home, the path in is getting a little wider. Start documenting what you've already done, pick a low-risk opportunity to build from, and treat your reference file as a living part of the business — not a one-time task before a deadline.