ACAN 25-58292 – Sliding Load Apparatus -SLA Prototype

Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)

ACAN 25-58292 – Sliding Load Apparatus -SLA Prototype

1. 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

The National Research Council Canada’s (NRC) – Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering (OCRE) Research Centre has a requirement for an SLA - Sliding Load Apparatus prototype to be produced and commissioned in the Harsh Environment Research Facility (HERF) at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). The SLA prototype must be physically and functionally integrated with the MUN owned apparatus: Ice Structure Dynamics Apparatus (ISDA). The SLA will be owned by NRC-OCRE and will be used for conducting laboratory experiments on sliding impact loads (from ice, rigid and other indenters) on full-scale ship hull structures. The HERF’s cold room, ISDA integration, and existing technical design are unique to MUN.

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. Unique Infrastructure:
• The SLA must be installed within MUN’s Harsh Environment Research Facility (HERF), which includes a cold room with the required length, width, height, 10 ton overhead crane, and 750 HP / 3 phase 600 V power supply.
• No other facility provides equivalent environmental and mechanical conditions necessary for the SLA.

b. Exclusive Integration Requirement:
• The SLA must be physically and functionally integrated with MUN’s Ice Structure Dynamics Apparatus (ISDA).
• The ISDA is owned, operated, and maintained by MUN and is not accessible for integration at any other institution.
• Integration requires access to proprietary design data and instrumentation available only through MUN.

c. Specialized Expertise and Research Continuity:
• MUN researchers possess unique expertise in ice mechanics, ice structure dynamics, and cold region engineering, developed over years of collaboration with NRC OCRE.
• The existing technical design and research continuity between MUN and NRC OCRE are essential to ensure functional alignment and scientific validity.

d. Ownership and Operational Location:
• The SLA will be owned by NRC OCRE but permanently located at MUN to operate within HERF and ISDA.
• No other institution can provide the same integration environment or technical continuity required for the project’s success.

4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement

This procurement is subject to the following trade agreements:
• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
• World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP)
• Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
• Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
• Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA)
• Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada-UK TCA)
• Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA)

5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

Given the exclusive technical compatibility, infrastructure requirements, and research integration necessary to complete the SLA prototype as designed, Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) is the only institution capable of meeting NRC OCRE’s requirement to produce this prototype.

6. Government Contracts Regulations (GCR) Exception(s)

The following exception to the GCR is invoked for this procurement under:
• Subsection 6(d) - only one firm is capable of performing the contract.

7. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the:

Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) – Article 513 (1) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP) – Article XIII (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) – Article 19.12 (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – Article 15.10 (2) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) – Article Kbis-16 (2) (c): necessary to protect intellectual property;
Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement – Article 1409 (1) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement – Article 17.11 (2) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement – referencing the WTO Protocol Amending the GPA, Article XIII (1) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement – Article 16.10 (1) (b) (iii): because of the absence of competition for technical reasons;
Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) –Article 1409 (1) (b) (iii): due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;
Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement: refer to CETA as the provisions of CETA are incorporated by reference into and made part of this Agreement. (CETA) Article 19.12 (b) (iii);
Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) – Limited Tendering Article 10.13 (b) (iii) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons.

8. Period of the proposed contract

The period of the proposed contract begins April 1, 2026 and ends on or around March 31, 2028.

9. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract is $8,510,801.00 CAD.

10. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN)
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

11. Suppliers' right to submit a Statement of Capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods and 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.

12. Closing date for a submission of a Statement of Capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is: March 26, 2025 at 2 pm EDT.

13. Inquiries and submission of Statement of Capabilities

Inquiries and Submission of a Statement of Capabilities must be sent to:
Katie Homuth | Senior Contracting Officer
Procurement and Contracting Services | Finance and Procurement Services Branch
National Research Council Canada | Government of Canada
Katie.Homuth@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca | 343-549-4539