Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)
An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier 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.
2. Definition of the requirement
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) requires a contractor to propose an approach to ECCC for the regionalization of default and custom carbon intensities that can be applied within ECCC’s Fuel Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Model to account for the following foreign feedstocks: corn, corn oil, sorghum, soybean, soybean oil, canola, canola oil, and sugar cane.
3. Scope of Work
Task 1: Develop Goal and Scope Assessment
ECCC requires the contractor to review the documents and Fuel LCA Model database provided, focusing on the approach for feedstock. Following the review, the contractor must provide recommendations to improve the Fuel LCA Model database in order to incorporate the eight foreign feedstocks (corn, corn oil, sorghum, soybean, soybean oil, canola, canola oil, and sugar cane). The recommendations must consider opportunities and challenges regarding the eight foreign feedstocks with respect to: regionalization, data availability and consistency with the approach used for domestic feedstock. The analysis should include answers to the following questions:
What is the approach for regionalization of default and custom Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) in similar initiatives/regulations?
What would be the ideal level of geographical resolution for default LCI’s (world/national/regional etc.)?
What is the availability of data/model related to feedstock LCI and associated quality of the data?
Does the data/model demonstrate meaningful differences between different regions?
Is the LCI approach (method and data) for domestic agricultural feedstocks in the Fuel LCA Model applicable to other regions? If not, what are the alternatives or trade-offs?
What is your recommended approach for developing default Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) datasets of foreign feedstocks to be included in the Fuel LCA Model?Task 2: Calculate Default Carbon Intensities for the eight foreign feedstocks: corn, corn oil, sorghum, soybean, soybean oil, canola, canola oil, and sugar cane
ECCC requires the contractor to proceed to implement the final plan developed in Task 1 and provide the computed default LCI datasets for each of the eight foreign feedstocks (corn, corn oil, sorghum, soybean, soybean oil, canola, canola oil, and sugar cane). The contractor must provide eight unit process LCI datasets of foreign feedstock using data sources identified in Task 1 as well as the supporting background LCI datasets developed or identified during the contract. The contractor must ensure that the LCI’s are provided in a compatible format with the LCA software openLCA (i.e. MS Excel or JSON) and documented in accordance with the current approach for other unit processes in the Fuel LCA Model, the UNEP/SETAC Global Guidance Principles for Life Cycle Assessment Databases and ISO 14040/44 standards.
Task 2 includes the following steps:
Develop default LCI datasets for the list of eight foreign feedstocks with the geographical resolution and methodology agreed upon in Task 1 (without land use change (LUC) factor).
Document calculation procedure, data sources, and life cycle inventories (LCI) with all inputs/outputs.
Develop or identify missing background LCI datasets (e.g. fertilizer production in Brazil) based on publicly available data and in accordance with the goal and scope in the Fuel LCA Model Methodology. LCI for electricity will be available for different regions of the world and Canadian values from the Fuel LCA Model can be used as proxy for fossil fuel energy inputs.
ECCC must be able to review each step of all calculation procedures and replicate the results, from the initial data extracted from data sources to the final flow value included in the LCI dataset. The parameters and data used in the calculations procedures must be described thoroughly including their unit and reference.
Deliverables
Provide recommendations on the regionalization approach and current data available and the goal and scope for the eight foreign feedstocks LCI datasets.
Provide LCI datasets for corn, corn oil, sorghum, soybean, soybean oil, canola, canola oil, and sugar cane in order to calculate the default feedstock carbon intensities (CI) and develop report.
4. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements)
Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets the following requirements:
4.1 The team must have at least 20 years of cumulative LCA experience with a minimum of one team member with at least 10 years of experience. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) experience is defined as leading or contributing to life cycle assessment studies of products or services as one of the primary authors.
4.2 At least one team member must have a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in the fields of environmental science/engineering.
4.3 Must have previously developed LCI datasets of agricultural products produced in the U.S.
4.4 Must have previously developed a database that is compatible with commercial LCA software and compliant with international standards.
4.5 Must have developed or contributed to the development of methodological guidelines for LCI in the agricultural sector.
4.6 Are able to provide LCI datasets for corn, corn oil, sorghum, soybean, soybean oil, canola, canola oil, and sugar cane in order to calculate the default feedstock CI and develop report by the contract deadline of June 30th, 2021.
5. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement
Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA)
Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCoFTA)
Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement (CHFTA)
Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA)
6. Set-aside under the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business
This procurement is NOT subject to a set-aside.
7. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement
This procurement is NOT subject to the CLCA.
8. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier
This work is a key component of the model that must be released along with the Clean Fuel Standard regulations. In order to be included with the publication of the regulations, the data and final deliverables are needed by the end of June 2021. ECCC has reached out to several possible contractors who do not have the availability to complete this work. The selected supplier is the only known supplier that meets the minimum essential requirements and can deliver within the required timeframe
Should Canada receive a statement of capabilities from a supplier that contains sufficient information to indicate that it meets the requirements set forth in this ACAN, a competitive process will be triggered with a technical and financial evaluation methodology of the bids proposed by the potential bidders.
9. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s) and Limited Tendering Reasons
Section 10.2.1 Section 6 (d) only one person or firm is capable of performing the work applies for the following reasons:
The selected supplier is the only known supplier that meets the minimum essential requirements and can deliver within the required timeframe
10. Ownership of Intellectual Property
Environment and Climate Change Canada has determined that any intellectual property rights arising from the performance of the Work under the resulting contract will belong to Canada, on the following grounds:
(6.4.1) the main purpose of the contract, or of the deliverables contracted for, is to generate knowledge and information for public dissemination;
11. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date
Work under this contract is expected to begin in March 2021 and ends July 30th 2021.
12. Cost estimate of the proposed contract
The total estimated value of the proposed contract does not exceed $140,000.00 CAD, including travel and living expenses (if applicable), and excluding all applicable taxes.
13. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier
Quantis, Inc.
240 Commercial Street, Suite 3B
Boston, MA 02109
USA
14. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities
Suppliers 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.
15. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is:
Date: 17-Mar-2021
Time: 1400 EDT
Submission email: e••••••••@••••••.ca
16. Contact Person
All enquiries must be addressed by e-mail to:
Name: Megan FilliolE-Mail: m••••••••@••••••.ca
