Privacy Policy
Last updated: February 6, 2026
Ghray, Inc. ("we", "us", "our") operates the GovBids platform at govbids.ca (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).
1. Information We Collect
Account Information
When you create an account, we collect:
- Full name
- Email address
- Password (stored as a bcrypt hash — we never store plaintext passwords)
If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google. We do not receive or store your Google password.
Search & Alert Preferences
When you create saved searches and alerts, we store:
- Search keywords and filters
- Procurement categories of interest
- Preferred alert frequency (daily, weekly, or real-time)
- Bookmarked tenders and notes
Usage Data
We automatically collect standard log data when you use our Service, including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps. This data is used for analytics and security purposes.
Payment Information
If you subscribe to a paid plan, payment processing is handled by Stripe. We do not store your credit card number, CVC, or bank account details. We only store your Stripe customer ID and subscription status for billing management.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information to:
- Provide and maintain the Service (account management, search, alerts)
- Send you email alerts for new tenders matching your saved searches
- Process payments and manage subscriptions
- Respond to support inquiries
- Improve the Service through anonymized analytics
- Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
We will never sell your personal information to third parties. We will never send you unsolicited marketing emails unrelated to the Service.
3. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services to operate GovBids:
- Stripe (stripe.com) — Payment processing. Stripe handles all credit card data under their own privacy policy.
- Mailgun (mailgun.com) — Email delivery for tender alerts and transactional emails. Your email address is shared with Mailgun to deliver messages.
- Google OAuth (optional) — If you choose to sign in with Google, your account is authenticated through Google's OAuth service.
4. Data Retention
We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will remove your personal information within 30 days. Anonymized usage data and aggregated analytics may be retained indefinitely.
Tender data sourced from CanadaBuys is public government information and is retained regardless of account status.
5. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:
- Encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS)
- Hashed passwords (bcrypt)
- Secure session management
- Regular security reviews
No system is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Your Rights
Under PIPEDA and PIPA, you have the right to:
- Access your personal information we hold
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Delete your account and associated personal data
- Withdraw consent for data processing (which may require account closure)
- Opt out of non-essential emails
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@govbids.ca.
7. Cookies
We use essential cookies to maintain your session and authentication state. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. No cookie consent banner is required because we only use strictly necessary cookies.
8. Children's Privacy
GovBids is not directed to individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.