Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)
1. Definition
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
Statistics Canada requires the services of a Contractor that manages all aspects of a reward points system including negotiating with reward point suppliers and managing client service for point recipients. The Contractor must also have an existing IT platform with the capability to execute all aspects related to conducting short surveys using an existing user base with a minimum of 350,000 active participants in at least three (3) Canadians provinces to help the Agency conduct a behavioural research project. The objective of this research project is to conduct behavioural research, using smart phone technology, materials, equipment and appropriate personnel in compliance with all Government of Canada requirements including bilingualism, accessibility, confidential, security and privacy, to directly reach Canadians to participate in statistical activities and to provide the Agency with by-weekly reports containing details of the activities such as number of visits to the platform and number of users.
The Contractor must also describe a plausible strategy to increase the scope of its database to a majority of the Canadian population by the end of next year (2018). That is essential for the Agency to evaluate if this type of approach could have the potential to lead to more efficiencies and/or other improvements to statistical processes and statistical information.
3. 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:
The smart phone app must be made available to all participants in English and French and must meet all Government of Canada requirements for accessibility, confidentiality, security and privacy at all times.
The supplier must provide a smart phone app platform for survey data collection with real-time monitoring of progress and a minimum of 350,000 active users in at least three (3) Canadian provinces who have already consented to participate in the platform and its related surveys. The platform must provide the option to select participants based on already identified characteristics including: age, sex, household income and education. The platform must have the capability to push surveys to participants at pre-determined dates and specific times. The platform must have the capability to provide real-time completion rates and the capability to close or withdraw offers at any time as determined by the Agency. This platform must be available for use by the Agency on or before November 1, 2017.
The services to be performed must use automated methods, materials, equipment and appropriately trained and experienced personnel.
The supplier must provide full management and administration of reward points including negotiating with reward point suppliers, providing advice and on-going monitoring of reward point levels for participants, managing the disbursement of reward points to participants and responding to all issues related to reward point acquisition and redemption that participants may encounter related to reward points allocated as part of this contract for the full period that those points are active.
The services must be provided in accordance with applicable law.
The supplier must have the capability to provide real-time reporting of progress during the project, including details of the activities such as number of visits to the platform, number of users who participate.
The supplier must be actively working to increase the scope of its database of active users to a majority of the Canadian population by the end of next year (2018) and must describe the plan to achieve this.
4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement
This procurement is subject to the following trade agreements:
Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP)
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier
Pre-Identified supplier has demonstrated that it maintains its own existing platform, having over 350,000.00 active users in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario who are representative of the general population of those provinces as identified by socio-demographic characteristics including age, sex, household income and education, and who have already consented to participate in short surveys.
The pre-identified supplier has demonstrated ability to deliver a final product on a household-related topic: and, a list of rewards codes and reports tracking details on the redemption of those codes.
The pre-identified supplier has demonstrated the ability to provide by-weekly reports containing details of the activities such as number of visits to the platform, number of users who participate in the experiments, completion rates for each experiment and any IT related or other issues that may have an impact on the experiments.
The pre-identified supplier has demonstrated that its platform provides the option to select participants based on already identified characteristics including: age, sex, household income and education.
The pre-identified supplier has demonstrated that its platform has the capability to push surveys to participants at pre-determined dates and specific times. The vendor has demonstrated that the platform has the capability to provide real-time completion rates and the capability to close or withdraw offers at any time.
The pre-identified supplier has demonstrated that the platform is available for use by the agency on or before November 1, 2017.
The pre-identified supplier has demonstrates ability to negotiate with reward point suppliers and to manage all issues related to awarding and redeeming points.
The pre-identified supplier has presented a credible strategy to on-board Canadian provinces representing the majority of the population by March 2018.
6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)
The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is (are) invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) - "only one person is capable of performing the work").
7. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons
The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the section of the trade agreement specified:
Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
Article 506.12(b) is applicable on the basis “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;
NAFTA (and subsequently CCFTA and CPFTA)
Chapter 10 - Article 1016.2 (b) – where, for works of art, or for reasons connected with the protection of patents, copyrights or other exclusive rights, or proprietary information or where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons, the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.
WTO-AGP
Annex 4(b), Article XV 1.(b) when, for works of art or for reasons connected with protection of exclusive rights, such as patents or copyrights, or in the absence of competition for technical reasons, the products or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists;
8. Ownership of Intellectual Property
Ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract will vest in the Contractor.
9. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date
The period of the contract will be from October 31, 2017 to March 31, 2018, with options to extend up to two (2) additional six (6) month periods. The total estimated value of the requirement is $368,538.01(including taxes)
10. Cost estimate of the proposed contract
The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $ 326,139.84 (GST/HST extra).
11. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier
Carrot Insights Inc.
330-20 Richmond Street East
Toronto, ON, M5C 2R9
12. 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.
13. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is November 3, 2017 at 2:00 pm EDST
14. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities
Nada Moazin
Email: n••••••••@••••••.ca
