WINTER NURSERY SERVICES – Specializing in Disease Pressure and Small Plot Work, New Zealand

ACAN (01R11-25-060)
WINTER NURSERY SERVICES – Specializing in Disease Pressure and Small Plot Work
Canterbury Plains, South Island and Manawatu Plains, North Island, New Zealand

This Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada intends to award a standing offer 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 this ACAN, the Contracting Officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

REQUIREMENTS:

Plant breeding winter nursery services in New Zealand on an “as and when required” basis by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Research & Development Centres located at Lacombe and Lethbridge in Alberta, Indian Head, Saskatoon and Swift Current in Saskatchewan; Brandon and Morden in Manitoba and Ottawa, Ontario co-ordinate winter nursery services for AAFC plant breeders. Current users of the winter nursery service include AAFC plant breeders of flax, barley, peas, wheat and oats.

This winter nursery is an ongoing plant breeding research program in New Zealand. The soil and climatic conditions (October to March) are similar to summer growing conditions in Canada. The timing of harvest in New Zealand permits early seed shipment to Canada, a critical concern to the nursery users, as it permits preparation of experiments for spring planting within a very narrow time frame. Natural levels of disease infection permit selection for genetic resistance to several diseases of economic importance in Canada.

Plant breeding winter nurseries are used by AAFC plant breeders to gain an extra generation of seed production and selection each year. This significantly reduces the time from the initial cross between parent lines to the production of a finished crop variety by up to four years. The use of field planted winter nurseries in areas of the southern hemisphere provides a substantial cost benefit to users in comparison to the operation of greenhouses and plant growth chambers.

The winter increase facilities are used by AAFC plant breeding programs to hasten the commercialization of new crop varieties or to recover from crop failures experienced during the preceding growing season. The use of winter nurseries also affects commercial pedigreed seed production by facilitating the introduction of improved varieties in a timely manner, an important consideration in today's competitive market.

SERVICES REQUIRED:

Winter Nursery Servies specializing in disease pressure and small plot work on New Zealand's South and North Islands. The Offeror must have access to land on both Islands and is required to plant, manage and harvest cereal lines to specified quantities and purity standards for individual AAFC plant breeding programs and to plant, manage, harvest and condition pure seed, bulk planted pedigreed increases of cereal, oilseed and pulse lines or varieties to standards equivalent of Canadian Breeder Seed.

The services include arranging phytosanitary inspection / certification and other documentation for all seed shipped to Canada and delivery of the packaged seed to a designated shipping agent in Christchurch New Zealand.

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT OF THE STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES :

Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that they are able to provide winter nursery services for flax, barley, peas, wheat and oats breeding in New Zealand as described in the “Requirement” section above.

STANDING OFFER PERIOD: August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2027.

ESTIMATED VALUE: $ 1,500,000.00 CAD

PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER :

New Zealand Institute of Plant and Food Research Limited
Operating as: Crop Seed
MARC
120 Mt Albert Road
Auckland
1025
New Zealand

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION:

Crop Seed, a subsidiary of Plant and Food Research, is the only service provider offering winter nursery services on the Manawatu Plains of North Island of New Zealand. This service is on-going and use of this location is critical to plant breeders for the selection of genetic disease resistance to pathogens of major economic concern on the eastern prairies of Canada. The environment at this site is optimal for the selection of genetic resistance to leaf and stem rust of wheat and crown rust of oats. These diseases are of major economic importance to cereal production on the eastern Canadian prairies. The incorporation of improved genetic resistance to cereal rusts is a key goal of AAFC breeders so the use of winter nurseries at this site is critical to their success. The Arable Nursery program of Crop Seed fulfills a national mandate in New Zealand similar to that of AAFC’s Seed Increase Unit in that this team is responsible for the development of crops with genetic resistance to diseases, production and distribution of Breeder pedigreed seed of crop varieties developed by their institution’s plant breeders. There is no other company in New Zealand that is capable of performing the magnitude of genetic enhancement research that the work requires. This is a specialized nursery and AAFC requires the expertise this company has to grow the unique experimental genetic materials and ensuring their integrity.

Government Contracts Regulations Exception and Limited Tendering Reason:
Section 6 (d) has been invoked for this procurement as only one supplier (person/firm) is capable of performing the contract.

ACAN NOTICE:

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the Contracting Authority.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and agencies to post a notice, for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the Contracting Authority may then proceed with the award. However, should a Statement of Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, then the Contracting Authority will proceed to a full tendering process.

STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES CLOSING DATE AND TIME:

The closing date and time for acceptance of Statement of Capabilities is July 12, 2024 at 2:00 pm CST.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services described herein, may submit a statement of capabilities by Email 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.

The Solicitation Number, Name of Contracting Authority and closing date of the ACAN must appear within your Statement of Capabilities.

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

CONTRACTING AUTHORITY:
Natalie O’Neill
Contracting Specialist, Western Service Centre
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
natalie.oneill@agr.gc.ca / Cel: 306-807-8740