Please download the PDF at the bottom of the page to see the tables.
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1. Advance Contract Award Notice
An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract/issue a standing offer for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier/offeror, thereby allowing other suppliers/offerors to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier/offeror submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier/offeror.
2. Definition of the requirement
Commercial testing laboratories services are required to provide drug urinalysis for Correctional Service Canada (CSC) for an initial period of three (3) years, for the period from March 1, 2014 to February 28, 2017 and two (2) optional one (1) year extensions. Expert Testimony and Technical Support services are also required.
The Urinalysis Program, as part of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) and Regulations (CCRR) is designed to assist CSC in contributing to institutional and public security and safety by detecting and deterring usage of intoxicants by offenders in correctional facilities and in the community. The Urinalysis Program is intended to supplement, not replace, other means by which an inmate or offender’s use of illicit substances can be detected and deterred. The purpose of this requirement is to assure that the testing of urine specimens provided by inmates and offenders is performed in an accurate, secure and timely manner.
The requirement is limited to Canadian goods and/or services.
3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements)
Any interested Offeror must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets the following five (5) Minimum Essential Requirements (MER):
MER 1: The Offeror must provide a copy of the certificate or a signed letter from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under the direction of the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) stating that the Offeror holds a valid accreditation from SAMHSA.
MER 2: The Offeror must provide its Standard Operating Procedures for the seven drug classes specified in Group 1, alcohol in Group 2, volatiles in Group 3 and LSD in Group 4:
Drugs to be screened by a recognized immunoassay technique and confirmed by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technique
CLASS OF DRUGS CUT-OFF LEVEL
(ng/mL) DRUG / METABOLITE NAME
Screening Confirmation
THC
(Cannabinoids) 50 15 11-nor-delta-9-THC-9- carboxylic acid
Cocaine 150
(Benzoylecgonine) 100
(Benzoylecgonine) Benzoylecgonine
Opiates 300
300
(as morphine or codeine equivalents)
10 300
300
10 Morphine
Codeine
Hydrocodone
Hydromorphone
Oxycodone
(6-monoacetyl morphine)
Methadone 100 100 Methadone metabolite (EDDP)
Phencyclidine 25 25 Phencyclidine (PCP)
Amphetamines 500
(methamphetamine equivalents) 250
(as amphetamine and/or methamphetamine + 100 ng/ml) d, l-Amphetamine
d, l-Methamphetamine
MDMA/MDA/MDEA
Benzodiazepines 100
(as nitrazepam equivalents) 50 Oxazepam
Temazepam
Nordiazepam
Alprazolam
Lorazepam
Triazolam
Bromazepam
Flurazepam
Clonazepam
To be screened by an enzyme technique and confirmed by Gas Chromatography (GC)
CLASS OF DRUGS CUT-OFF LEVEL
(ng/mL) DRUG / METABOLITE NAME
Screening Confirmation
Alcohol 20 20 Ethyl alcohol (ethanol)
Volatile testing must exceed the following reporting limit:
Volatile Solvent Reporting Limit (µg/L)
Acetone 5000
Butanone (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) 500
Chloroform 10
Chloroethane (ethyl chloride) 20
1,4-Dichlorobenzene 20
Dichloromethane 50
1,2-Dichloropropane 10
Diethyl ether 100
Ethyl acetate 100
Hexane 200
Toluene 20
Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) 500
Methyl tert-butyl ether 20
Trichloroethylene 10
1,1,1-trichloroethane 10
Tetrachloroethylene 10
Tetrachloromethane
(Carbon tetrachloride) 10
1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane 10
o-Xylene 10
m+p-Xylene 10
- GROUP 4 – Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
The screening cut off level is at 0.2 ng/mL and confirmation cut-off level is 0.1ng/mL.
MER 3: The Offeror must provide two examples of litigation packages that would be provided to a legal hearing or court system demonstrating the steps in the process of drug testing from specimen collection to the final report. One example package provided must be for a normally concentrated urine specimen positive for a drug or drugs and the second example package must be provided for a dilute urine specimen (as defined in the CSC dilution protocol) positive for a drug or drugs.
Correctional Service of Canada dilution protocol:
Review of the CSC Urinalysis Program demonstrates that intentional dilution and / or adulteration of urine specimens is a significant problem. The Offeror is required to screen all urine specimens for dilution by creatinine analysis using the SAMHSA Guidelines creatinine cut-off concentration.
Whenever the urine creatinine concentration is 1.003, the specimen is treated as a non-dilute specimen. If the specific gravity is less than or equal to 1.003, the laboratory must proceed in the following “dilution protocol” manner.
Screening for cannabinoids in dilute specimens will be by a commercial immunoassay with a screening cut-off value of 20 ng/mL. Other drugs listed in the attached table are to be screened by an immunoassay method. The confirmatory cut-off values for each drug or metabolite will be the validated limit of quantitation (LOQ) for that drug of metabolite by GC/MS analysis as stated, or at the values shown in the table. Every GC/MS assay has to have a calibrator at LOQ or 40% of the normal cut-off concentration.
Technical changes may occur to the cut-off values and will be reflected in the Commissioner’s Directives throughout the course of the Requirement.
Screening – Confirmation LOQ*
(ng/ml)
Amphetamine100 100
Benzodiazepine50 50
Cannabinoid (THC)20 6
Cocaine15 15
Methadone50 50
Opiates120 120
Phencyclidine5 5
- The confirmation LOQ numbers are subject to change upon method revalidation.
MER 4: The Offeror must confirm that all testing will be conducted at a single laboratory site and specify the laboratory site.
MER 5: The Offeror must certify that all senior laboratory staff (at the level of a Responsible Person or Alternate Responsible Person (as defined by SAMHSA)) must be working at least 75% of the time (0.75 FTE) at the single laboratory site.
4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement
This procurement is subject to the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT).
This procurement consists of services which are excluded from the application of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as per Annex 1001.1b-2, Class H3, Inspection Services (incl. Commercial testing and laboratory services except medical/dental), subclass H300C – Commercial Testing Laboratory Services, and for protecting public order reasons under the World Trade Organization – Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP) (Article XXIII, Paragraph 2).
5. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement(s)
This procurement is subject to the following Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements (CLCA) as a portion of the Work will be delivered or conducted within CLCA areas:
- Tlicho Land Claims; &
- Nunavut Land Claims
6. Justification for the Pre-Identified Offeror
The CSC urinalysis program requires that all testing be performed according to rigorous forensic standards as found in a forensic toxicology laboratory. CSC has mandatory performance specifications that must be met: the SAMHSA certification. Any laboratory bidding to offer this service must have SAMHSA certification at the time of Offer submission.
Gamma-Dynacare Medical laboratories is the only known SAMHSA certified lab in Canada at this time (see the Federal Register Vol. 78, No 173 dated September 6, 2013).
7. Government Contracts Regulations Exception
The following exceptions to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) - "only one person is capable of performing the work".
8. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons
The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the:
o Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT): “Where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no alternative or substitute exists.”
9. Period of the proposed Standing Offer
The proposed initial period of the Standing Offer is three years, from March 1, 2014 to February 28, 2017 and two (2) optional one (1) year extensions.
10. Cost estimate of the proposed Standing Offer.
The estimated value of the Standing Offer, including options, is $10,000,000 (GST/HST extra).
11. Name and address of the pre-identified Offeror
Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories
115 Midair Court
Brampton, Ontario
L6T 5M3
12. Offeror’s right to submit a statement of capabilities
Offeror who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods, services or construction services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.
13. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is December 20, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. EST.
14. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities
Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:
François Pageau
Supply Specialist
Scientific Commodities and Projects Division - SC
Science Procurement Directorate
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Tel. : 819-956-3563 Fax : 819-997-2229
PDPIII 11C1-41, 11 Laurier, Gatineau Qc K1A 0S5
f••••••••@••••••••.••.ca
Government of Canada
