Cases / Canadian Space Agency

Case study

How Canadian Space Agency actually buys

Space missions and instrumentation — extreme value concentration.

4,322
awards on record
$41.6B
recorded value
36.3%
awarded without competition
1999–2026
record span
A mixed record. 36.3% no-tender, the rest competed. Run both plays: competitive discipline on the posted opportunities, relationship positioning for the direct-award stream.
Average award value is high — expect formal RFP processes, securities, and long evaluation cycles. Team depth matters more than speed.

The incumbents — top vendors by value

NameAwardsValue
MDA SYSTEMS LTD.49$15.7B
MACDONALD, DETTWILER & ASSOCIATES LTD.25$12.0B
MACDONALD, DETTWILER AND ASSOCIATES CORPORATION125$9.3B
EMS TECHNOLOGIES CANADA, LTD.7$1.1B
MACDONALD, DETTWILER & ASSOCIATESLTD.1$604M
COM DEV LTD29$350M

Where the money goes — top categories

NameAwardsValue
125359$17.0B
19926$12.6B
423106$5.8B
420156$4.1B
431556$927M
499393$206M

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