2024 Election Administrators Conference – Venue and Audio Visual

1. ADVANCE CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE (ACAN)
1.01. 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
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer requires venue space, catering services, and audiovisual services during the 2024 Election Administrators Conference.

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:
a) Proximity
i. Within a 1-kilometre radius of Elections Canada headquarters located at 30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, QC

b) Availability
i. May 28-30, 2024, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., with access for setup on May 27 before 12 p.m.

c) Capacity
i. Minimum capacity of 525 participants

d) Configuration (available for the duration of the conference)
i. Main hall: Sufficient space for the projected attendance, as listed above under 3.c)i.
ii. Workshop rooms: Minimum of 5 workshop rooms for 100 people each. The workshop rooms must be in close proximity to the main hall to facilitate participant movement .
iii. Stations: Minimum 10 booths and 3 welcoming stations in a main open area.

e) Catering
i. Catering (breakfast, morning refreshments, lunch, afternoon refreshments, and at least five water stations including pitchers and glasses) available for participants, organizers, and facilitators at times agreed upon by the venue and Elections Canada.
ii. Tableware for meal areas (ex. Tablecloths, plates, utensils, napkins, cups etc.)
iii. Catering services are to be provided in both official languages (English and French).

f) AV Suitability
i. High-speed internet to enable live streaming and communication.
ii. Wired capacity for screens, projectors, microphones, and speakers in the main hall and in each workshop room.

g) Venue Accessibility
i. Entry and exit to the venue must be wheelchair accessible, as well as movement within the venue must not hinder wheelchair users, and those with other mobility impairments.
ii. The following locations within the venue must be wheelchair accessible:
 Main Hall;
 Workshop Rooms;
 Stations;
 Restrooms (within each floor, equipped with grab bars, and sufficient space for wheelchair users)

4. AVOIDANCE OF POLITICAL PARTISANSHIP
Due to the nature of the requirement and the importance for Elections Canada to disseminate information to the public in an impartial and non-partisan manner, an avoidance of political partisanship clause is a requirement. Such a clause restricts the contractor and its officers and employees who will be responsible for the performance of the work or who will supervise the carrying out of the work from being engaged in politically partisan activities and from performing work for or on behalf of a political party, a candidate or a person, body, agency or institution with politically partisan purposes or objectives where the performance of such work raises a reasonable apprehension of political partisanship.

5. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER
As the 45th General Election (GE) approaches, a final face-to-face meeting has been planned to take place in the National Capital Region (NCR), with Elections Canada headquarters, Field Liaison Officers (FLO), and Returning Officers (RO) , from different fields of interest and regions.

Palais des Congrès has been selected as the conference venue primarily based on logistical advantages. This decision is consistent with the idea that the venue – located at a 600-metre walk from Elections Canada headquarters – offers a prime location, facilitating the management of the event, providing a greater number of Elections Canada headquarters participants access to the conference, therefore increasing the diversity of topics and speakers. This proximity to the Elections Canada headquarters, additionally, prevents the need for reimbursement of Elections Canada headquarters members’ travel expenses, reducing the overall cost of the conference.

As stated in the above assessment criteria, there is an additional requirement for Audio Visual services for which Palais de Congrès uses their preferred supplier, Encore. An additional contract will be awarded to Encore as a result of this requirement, as the use of any other audiovisual service provider would represent a 15% usage fee.

6. GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS REGULATIONS EXCEPTION
The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) only one person is capable of performing the contract.

7. OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
7.01. Where intellectual property will be created during the course of the contract, a statement should indicate whether an exception set out in the Treasury Board ARCHIVED - Policy on Title to Intellectual Property Arising under Crown Procurement Contracts is being invoked or if the ownership of intellectual property will rest with the contractor.

Ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract will vest in and remain the property of the Contractor.

8. COST ESTIMATE OF THE PROPOSED CONTRACT
The estimated value of the venue and catering services contract is $169,095.00 (GST/HST extra).

Service / Description Total
Venue Accommodations and Catering Services $169,095.00
Maximum Contract Value $169,095.00

The estimated value of the audiovisual services contract is $196,215.00 (GST/HST extra).

Service / Description Total
Audiovisual Services $196,215.00
Maximum Contract Value $196,215.00

9. NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER
Elections Canada intends to award a contract to Palais de Congrès, located at 50 boulevard de Maisonneuve, Gatineau, QC J8X 4H4.

As a result of the above contract, Elections Canada additionally intends to award a contract to Encore located at 3020 Hawthorne Road 300A, Ottawa, ON K1G 3J6.

10. 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.

11. CLOSING DATE FOR A SUBMISSION OF A STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is January 10, 2024 - at 2:00 PM (Gatineau time).