The Government of Yukon uses its trade agreement exceptions to promote regional economic development. Under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Government of Yukon can:
- select 10 projects;
- worth up to $1,000,000 each;
- that support small enterprises or employment opportunities; and
- invite only Yukon businesses to bid.
Public notice
When exceptions are used, we will give notice by:
- Notification – Notification is hereby given of the Government of Yukon’s intent to use the procurement exceptions in CFTA Schedule of Yukon – Procurement Exceptions and CETA Annex 19.
- Conformity – The following procurements conform to the requirements of the exceptions noted. Each procurement has a total value below $1 million and supports small enterprises or employment opportunities.
- Justification – The following procurements, that are within the Government of Yukon's jurisdiction and made by the government, promote regional economic development by supporting small enterprises such as those based in Yukon and increasing employment opportunities for local residents in non-urban areas.
Below is the list of Regional Economic Development (RED) exception tenders issued by the Government of Yukon from the previous 3 years. View the list of exceptions granted prior to this date. Dates indicate when they were posted on Yukon.ca.
Only those who have been formally invited in writing by the Government of Yukon to submit bids or proposals for RED tenders will have their bids or proposals accepted. Bids or proposals received from people other than those formally invited in writing will not be accepted and returned to the bidder or proponent unopened.
2026-27 exceptions
Procurement exceptions for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2026, and ending March 31, 2027.
Carried forward from 2025-26
1. Government of Yukon-owned landfill groundwater monitoring program, for all communities
2. Consolidated contract for services in Carcross 2026-27 (NOTE: this project was previously called “tourism-related services in Carcross”)
Posted June 3, 2026
3. Petroleum hydrocarbon soil remediation at the Discovery Creek mine site.
4. Concrete bridge deck repairs at Takhini River bridge, kilometer 195.5 Klondike Highway #2.
5. Concrete bridge deck repairs at various locations, south Alaska Highway #2.
2025-26 exceptions
Procurement exception for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2025, and ending March 31, 2026.
Carried forward from 2024-25
1. Septic system replacement at Nelnah Bessie John School in Beaver Creek
Posted April 14, 2025
2. Contractor services for abatement and structural assessment of the airport terminal building in Watson Lake
Posted June 9, 2025
3. Embankment rehabilitation works at Rose River bridge #1, km 104.8 of the Canol Road, near Johnson's Crossing and Ross River
Posted August 26, 2025
4. Government of Yukon-owned landfill groundwater monitoring program, for all communities (NOTE: counts against the 2026-27 procurement exceptions)
Posted December 29, 2025
5. Public address, phone and clock system upgrades at École Émilie Tremblay in Whitehorse
Posted January 22, 2026
6. Lewes Bridge roadway lighting construction in Whitehorse.
7. Tourism-related services in Carcross (NOTE: counts against the 2026-27 procurement exceptions)
2024-25 exceptions
Procurement exceptions for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2024, and ending March 31, 2025.
Posted April 12, 2024
1. Rancheria Falls recreation site trail upgrades, near Teslin
2. Swift River living complex demolition (NOTE: has been removed from the RED exemption list)
3. Access road construction for the Murray Agriculture Subdivision, phase 2, in Ibex Valley
Posted June 18, 2024
4. Boat launch upgrades in Teslin
5. Culvert replacement at kilometre 23.2 of the Silver Trail, highway 11
6. Local food procurement project in Whitehorse
Posted November 6, 2024
7. Seismic and structural upgrade at Nelnah Bessie John School in Beaver Creek
Posted January 20, 2025
8. Septic system replacement at Nelnah Bessie John School in Beaver Creek 1 (NOTE: counts against the 2025-26 procurement exceptions)
Effective September 1, 2026, we’ve increased the dollar limits for purchases that can be made without a competitive tender.
In some cases, the Government of Yukon can buy goods, services or construction directly from a business instead of issuing a public tender. This is called a direct award.
The government updated these thresholds to:
- better reflect today’s costs;
- reduce administrative requirement for lower-value purchases; and
- make government procurement more efficient.
Dollar limits
The dollar limits for direct award contracts will be:
- Goods: $18,000 (up from $10,000)
- Services: $75,000 (up from $50,000)
- Construction: $100,000 (up from $50,000)
Adjusting for inflation
The Government of Yukon now adjusts these dollar limits every two years to account for inflation.
The first of these inflation increases will take effect January 1, 2028. This will coincide with the automatic adjustments made to open tendering thresholds in the Canada Free Trade Agreement.
In February 2026, we launched a 6-month pilot program for public bid openings. We restricted the pilot to publicly tendered price-driven construction projects. It was later expanded to include vegetation control procurements from the prequalification list as well.
Review
We are currently reviewing the pilot’s performance and feedback and are considering the next steps.
We cancelled the Vendor Performance Review Program in January 2026 after listening to feedback from industry about the program.
Departments continue to:
• manage contracts;
• monitor performance; and
• enforce contractual obligations.
Future approach to vendor performance
Highways and Public Works is working with industry and Yukon First Nations to:
• identify practical alternatives that support strong vendor performance; and
• maintain fair and effective procurement.
If you have further questions about procurement, email [email protected] or phone 867-667-5385.
Related tasks
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