Ministry of Transportation
REGISTRY, APPRAISAL & QUALIFICATION
SYSTEM (RAQS)
REGISTRATION FOR CONTRACTORS
A. INTRODUCTION
The Ministry of Transportation’s Registry, Appraisal, & Qualification System (RAQS) is an electronic web-
based system used to register, qualify, and maintain a corporate performance rating for contractors and consultants who want to conduct business with the ministry in a broad range of technical and professional categories. RAQS is accessible through the Internet (World Wide Web).
As a non-registered user of RAQS, you can browse the web site to learn more about this innovative system, and current opportunities with the ministry.
As a registered user of RAQS, your company can participate in the ministry’s qualification and corporate performance rating programs that are key requirements in undertaking business with the Ontario government.
This document outlines the system requirements to access the RAQS web site, offers directions to set up your software to increase access speed, and provides step-by-step instructions to complete the online application to register your company on RAQS.
There are two ways to access the RAQS web site:
1. Access the ministry’s web site at www.mto.gov.on.ca.
Left click on your language of choice.
Left click on Business Opportunities
Left click on one of the menu choices to view current opportunities in the ministry.
2. Directly access the RAQS web site at www.raqs.mto.gov.on.ca.
B. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Minimum Hardware Requirements:
; Pentium 100 or equivalent, 32 MB RAM, 28.8 K modem.
Internet Connection:
; Access to the Internet through an Internet service provider (ISP). Contact a local ISP for
details.
; Internet email address.
Software Requirements:
; Internet Explorer 5.0+ with 128-bit encryption, -OR-
; Netscape Communicator 4.7+ with 128-bit encryption.
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Note: Internet Explorer and Netscape offer downloading of their 128-bit encryption free of charge. This
may be downloaded from our RAQS Website, if you click on the security link located under the
General section.
INTERNET BROWSER SETTINGS:
Your Internet browser settings must be set correctly to access the full functionality of RAQS. Instructions for browser settings are provided below for Internet Explorer and Netscape users.
Note: Initial system performance will seem slow. As your browser stores shortcuts to web sites
you visit, the access speed will increase. If you delete your computer’s cache or cookies,
your browser will slow down, as it will have to recreate the shortcuts.
Browser Settings for Internet Explorer Users:
1. Left click on “Tools” on the menu bar at the top of the screen. Left click on “Internet Options”.
2. Left click on the “General” tab.
3. Under “Temporary Internet files”, left click on “Settings…”.
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4. Under “Check for newer versions …”, left click in the circle to the left of “Automatically”.
5. Left click on “OK” to save the setting.
6. Left click on “OK” to exit “Internet Options”.
Browser Settings for Netscape Users:
1. Left click on “Edit” on the menu bar at the top of the screen. Left click on “Preferences”.
2. On the left hand side of the screen under “Category”, left click on “Advanced”.
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3. Under "Cookies", left click in the circle to the left of "Accept all cookies".
4. Left click on “OK” at the bottom of the screen to save this setting.
5. On the left hand side of the screen under “Category”, left click on “Advanced”.
6. Left click on “Cache”.
7. Under “Document in cache …” on the bottom right of the screen, left click in the circle to the left
of “Every time”.
8. Left click on “OK” at the bottom of the screen to save this setting.
9. Left click on “OK” at the bottom of the screen to exit “Preferences”.
As you will visit our RAQS Website often, we recommend you save this Website as a bookmark in your
Internet Explorer's Favourites folder or Netscape Bookmarks folder. November 2002 Page 4 of 8
REGISTRATION FOR CONTRACTORS
C. APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION
How to Apply to Register:
1. Access the RAQS web site at: www.raqs.mto.gov.on.ca. The RAQS main menu will appear on
your screen.
2. Left click on “New Registration” on the menu bar on the left hand side of the screen.
3. Left click on “Register” at the bottom of the drop down menu. November 2002 Page 5 of 8
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4. To determine the “Type of Application:”, left click on the “What is this?” link.
5. Left click in the circle to the left for a "Qualified Contractor' OR
5a. Left click in the circle to the left for a "Non-Qualified Contractor'
In the section below, you will be entering information about your company. A red asterisk (*)
denotes mandatory information that must be provided to process your application.
6. In the “Company Name:” field, enter the full legal name of your company.
7. In the “Contact Name:” field, enter the first and last name of the individual you want us to
contact if we have any questions regarding your application to register your company.
8. In the “Address:” field, enter the suite or room number, floor, building number, street name and
any other information that would normally be included to identify the location of the company.
9. In the “City:” field, enter the name of the city where your company is located. If your company
has several locations, enter the name of the city where the company’s primary office is located.
10. In the “Province/State:” field, no change is required if your company is located in the Province of
Ontario. If your company is located outside the Province of Ontario, left click on the arrow to the
right of this field to display a drop down list of provincial and state names. Left click to select the
province or state in which your company is located.
Note: Contact the RAQS Help Desk at 1-877-246-4600 if the province or state where your
company is located is not listed.
11. In the “Country:” field, no change is required if your company is located in Canada. If your
company is located outside Canada, left click on the arrow to the right of this field to display a
drop down list of country names. Left click to select the country in which your company is located.
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12. In the “Postal/Zip Code:” field, enter the postal code or zip code for the address given above.
The format for a postal code must be A#A A#A. The format for a zip code must be 00000 or
00000-00000.
13. In the “Phone Number:” field, enter the area code and telephone number of the company in the
format ###-### ####.
14. In the “Phone Extension:” field, enter the extension number of the contact person lists above, if
applicable.
15. In the “Fax Number:” field, enter the area code and telephone number of the company in the
format ###-### ####.
16. In the “Email':” field, enter the full email address the ministry is to use to contact your company
in the format xxxxxx@xx.xx.
17. The “Common Ownership Company Information:” applies only if you selected “Qualified
Contractor” in step 5. above. For a brief description of “Common Ownership Company
Information” left click on “What is this?” For a detailed definition, see section 19 of the
“Qualification Procedures for Contractors”. The contents of your application form will be retained
while you access other functions in RAQS.
To access the “Qualification Procedures for Contractors”:
; Left click on “Contractor” on the menu bar on the left hand side of the screen
; Left click on “Contractor Information” at the top of the drop down menu.
; The “Qualification Procedures for Contractors” are available in two formats: Adobe and
Microsoft Word. Left click on the file and format you want to open.
; Use the scroll bar on the right hand side of your screen to scroll to section 19.
; To return to your application form, left click twice on the “Back” button on the top menu bar.
18. If the company you are registering is related by “common ownership” to another qualified
company, in the “Company Name:” field, enter the full legal name of the company to which the
company in this application is related.
19. If the company you are registering is related by “common ownership” to another qualified
company, in the “Company User ID:” field, enter the ministry’s identification number for the
company to which the company in this application is related in the format 00-00000-00.
20. Left click on “Submit” to forward your application to the ministry.
Note: When a mandatory field is blank or information is not formatted as specified, your application
form will not be submitted. Please check the mandatory fields and the specified format for errors,
and retry “Submit”. Contact the RAQS Help Desk at: 1-877-246-4600 if you continue to
experience problems in submitting your application.
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21. Your computer screen will display this notification when your application has been received by the
ministry:
22. Fax a copy of your Master Business Licence or Articles of Incorporation to the ministry at 1-905-
704-2855.
Note: Your company’s registration on RAQS cannot be completed until the appropriate
documentation has been received.
Within ten (10) business days of receipt of your application, the ministry will send written notification of your request for registration on RAQS to the email address provided in the application form you submitted.
Should you have any questions, comments or concern, please do not hesitate to contact our RAQS Help Desk at: 1-877-246-4600.
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