Notice of Proposed Procurement - NPP
Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Audit of the Performance of the Duties and Functions of Election Officials
a) Trade Agreements: Yes
b) Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid
c) Attachment: Yes (buyandsell.gc.ca/tenders)
d) Competitive Procurement Strategy: Best overall Proposal
e) Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: If applicable
f) Nature of Requirement: Audit Services
g) Elections Canada File No: ECPB-RFP-14-0365
SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH BUYANDSELL.GC.CA/TENDERS.
The information contained in this notice is a brief description of the requirement and is for information purposes only. Bidders must refer to the complete RFP for a full description of the requirements and the full instructions.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS RFP INCLUDES AN OPTIONAL BIDDERS’ CONFERENCE ON MAY 14, 2015, AS DETAILED IN SECTION 2.22 OF THE RFP.
Background:
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Canada, an agent of Parliament, exercises general direction and supervision over the conduct of elections and referendums at the federal level. The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada heads the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, commonly known as Elections Canada.
On June 19, 2014, Bill C-23 received Royal Assent, amending the Canada Elections Act (CEA) by adding section 164.1 to introduce a legislated audit, which deals primarily with the identification of electors, the attestation to an elector’s qualification or residence, an elector’s registration (when not on the list of electors at the polls) and record keeping activities.
The current Special Voting Rules (SVR) duties and functions are not subject to audit. However, Bill C-50, which was introduced in the House of Commons on December 12, 2014, proposes to include, in the scope of the legislated audit introduced under Bill C-23, the exercise of powers and performance of the duties and functions of additional election officials mandated with administering certain responsibilities for SVR as set out under Divisions 3 and 4 of Part 11 of the CEA. These election officials would include, but are not limited to, the CEO and members of his staff, to determine if they have properly exercised the powers conferred on them, and properly performed the duties and functions imposed on them, under sections 223 to 225, 227, 233 to 234, 236 to 237.1 and 241 to 243.1 of the CEA.
Description:
Elections Canada requires the services of one professional audit firm to perform an audit and produce a report, as set out in Section 164.1 of the CEA. The winning bidder will be required to perform the services outlined in the SOW, attached hereto as Annex A, for up to three general elections, and up to 70 by-elections. On average, there are approximately 10 by-elections per year. The winning bidder will be responsible for providing all services related to the planning, execution and reporting phases of the audit, as outlined in the SOW, in order to provide a demographically representative audit aggregated nationally for general elections, a demographically representative audit aggregated on a per Electoral District specific basis for a single by-election, or a demographically representative audit aggregated collectively when coinciding multiple by-elections fall on the same Election Day.
The objective of the legislated audit is to report on whether key individuals performed specified duties at the polls on all advance polling days and Election Day. The successful bidder shall also report on the degree to which the administrative controls established by Elections Canada, including manuals and training material, support election officials in the exercise of the their powers and performance of their duties and functions in accordance with Section 164.1 of the CEA.
Additionally, the contract includes optional services, which may be requested by means of a Task Authorization. The optional services include:
- an audit of the SVR, in accordance with Section 10 of the SOW;
- a limited audit, in accordance with Section 11 of the SOW;
- a meeting with the CEO and/or Deputy Chief Electoral Officer(s) and/or Audit External Panel, in accordance with Section 12 of the SOW; and
- a debrief presentation, in accordance with Section 11 of the SOW.
The Contract, including the SOW, outlines the specific services that will be required by Elections Canada.
Period of the Contract:
The Contract period will be from the Effective Date of the Contract to March 31, 2017.
Bidders shall grant to Elections Canada the irrevocable option to extend the Term of the Contract by three additional periods of two years each under the same terms and conditions.
Evaluation Methodology:
Proposals will be evaluated in the following progressive stages:
Phase 1 – Mandatory Technical Evaluation
Phase 2 – Rated Technical Evaluation
Phase 3 – Financial Evaluation
Phase 4 – Determination of Highest Ranked Bidder
Bidders who fail to achieve the requirements specified in the RFP for Phases 1, 2, or 3 will be deemed non-responsive and given no further consideration.
The bidder with the highest combined evaluation score will be considered for the award of a contract, in accordance with Section 4.4 of the RFP.
International Trade Agreements:
This procurement process is subject to the provisions of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO–AGP), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT), the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement, the Canada Colombia Free Trade Agreement, the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement and the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement.
Submission of Proposals:
Proposals must be submitted directly to the Contracting Authority. Proposals must be delivered to the following address, sealed, on or before the date and time indicated on the cover page of the RFP.
Mailing Address:
Elections Canada
30 Victoria Street -1st Floor (Business Centre)
Gatineau QC
K1A 0M6
Attn: Pascal Bouchard-Phillips, Senior Advisor, Procurement and Contracting Services
Elections Canada File No: ECPB-RFP-14-0365
For sending packages by courier or for dropping off, please note that the Business Centre hours are from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, and closed on statutory holidays.
Proposals received after the stipulated closing date and time will not be accepted and will be returned unopened to the bidder. If a late proposal must be opened to determine the name and/or address of the bidder or the nature of the enclosure, a covering letter will be sent to explain the necessity of opening the proposal.
Proposals submitted by electronic mail or fax will not be accepted.
All enquiries and other communication with Elections Canada officials are to be directed ONLY to the Contracting Authority. The Contracting Authority will be the bidder’s primary contact. All requests for information must be directed to this contact. Bidders who contact anyone other than the Contracting Authority may be disqualified. All enquiries must be submitted in writing to p••••••••@••••••••.ca no later than 15 calendar days before the RFP closing date. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.
Interested parties wishing to order the solicitation documents for this RFP must do so through buyandsell.gc.ca/tenders. The documents downloaded through this site take precedence over any copies that may also be made available.
Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.
Elections Canada retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.
Further information about Elections Canada may be obtained at www.elections.ca
