Technical Advisory Services for the Giant Mine Project
Status Awarded
Contract number 4600001235
Solicitation number 1000180515
Publication date
Contract award date
Status Awarded
Contract number 4600001235
Solicitation number 1000180515
Publication date
Contract award date
No. 1000180515 – Technical Advisory Services for the Giant Mine Project
1. Purpose of an Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)
The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) has a requirement for expert independent technical advisory services to provide quality assurance and subject matter expertise in the management of arsenic trioxide waste, freeze optimization, surface design, and community stakeholder engagement on these technical requirements, in order to assist DIAND during the refinement of the Remediation Plan and achievement of associated regulatory approvals for the Giant Mine Remediation Project (GMRP).
The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government’s intention to award a Standing Offer Agreement (SOA) for these Services to SRK Consulting - Oceanic Plaza, 22nd Floor, 1066 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 3X2.
Before awarding a SOA, however, the government would like to provide other suppliers with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying the requirements set out in this Notice, by submitting a statement of capabilities during the 15 calendar day posting period.
If other potential suppliers submit a statement of capabilities during the 15 calendar day posting period that meet the requirements set out in this ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on the government’s electronic tendering service, in order to award the SOA.
If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, a contract will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier.
2. Definition of requirement
Giant Mine is a former underground gold mine, covering 949 hectares within the city limits of the City of Yellowknife, NWT. The mine operated nearly continuously from 1948 until its closure in July 1999, leaving approximately 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide stored underground, as well as various buildings and surface areas contaminated with arsenic. As a result of the insolvency of Royal Oak Mines Incorporated (Inc), the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) established the Giant Mine Remediation Project (GMRP) Team to assist in the management of Canada’s responsibilities at the Giant Mine property. The remediation and closure (the Project) of the Giant Mine is co-managed by the Government of Canada (GoC), through DIAND, and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) as co-proponents. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC - formerly Public Works and Government Services Canada) also plays an integral role by providing procurement and project management services to the Project.
The current Remediation Plan for Giant Mine calls for in situ storage of arsenic trioxide waste in the Mine’s underground chambers, through the application of advanced freezing techniques.
The Project is supported by the Giant Mine Advisory Committee (GMAC), representing the Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN), who provide the Project Team with continued advice and input on the remediation plan, and by the Giant Mine Working Group, comprised of Project stakeholders and key participants, including: the City of Yellowknife; the YKDFN,; and the North Slave Métis Alliance (NSMA), the Giant Mine Community Alliance, and Alternatives North. Other critical participants in the Project include regulatory bodies and other government departments and non-governmental organizations.
In 2013 the Project completed an Environmental Assessment (EA) and was approved in 2014 subject to the implementation of 26 additional measures to mitigate significant adverse impacts on the environment, including cumulative impacts and to address public concerns.
Presently, the GMRP is in the regulatory approvals phase (anticipated to be completed between 2015-2020), that is required in advance of the commencement of full remediation. The Project Team is in the process of advancing the Closure and Reclamation Plan from the conceptual design level to the preliminary and detailed design levels. The GMRP Team has also been working on addressing a number of the EA measures. Several of these measures require significant public and stakeholder engagement to complete. This engagement has been undertaken via an iterative and collaborative process with interested parties and Project stakeholders
To assist Canada in its role in the GMRP to:
DIAND requires expert independent technical advisory services from a qualified firm with expertise in environmental and closure aspects of mining, remediation planning and implementation; surface engineering and the management of arsenic trioxide waste in mining applications North of 60°/in a permafrost environment; with a depth of experience and applied knowledge in the context of the Giant Mine.
Required Services include:
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 all of DIAND’s requirements.
Therefore a Respondent MUST provide evidence that it meets the following requirements:
4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement
This procurement is subject to the following trade agreements:
5. Set-aside under the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business
Not applicable.
6. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement(s)
This procurement is subject to the Tlicho Land Claims and Self-Government Agreement.
7. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier
Established in 1974, and with an established practice in the NWT since 1999, SRK Consulting’s practice includes specialization in underground mine design, planning and engineering; mine closure and reclamation; and remediation of contaminated sites; including expertise in both surface and underground design techniques, rock mechanics, and pit slope stability. SRK Consulting is also the recognized industry leader in the application of freeze techniques to arsenic trioxide waste for mine reclamation or closure applications.
This includes extensive experience on mine sites North of 60° in a permafrost environment, and in the context of the Giant Mine Remediation Plan. SRK Consulting has, pursuant to competitive contracting processes, been the lead Technical Advisor to the GMRP, since 2000, and has over 15 years of demonstrated experience in this area, including:
In addition to the above, SRK Consulting has over 15 years in depth experience and expertise in the operating environment and remediation requirements of Giant Mine. In its role as lead Technical Advisor, SRK Consulting has provided technical assistance and advice on the various care and maintenance, risk assessment and risk mitigation activities completed at the Giant Mine site. This has included completion of numerous and varied in-depth scientific mine studies (both on surface and underground) at the Giant Mine site in order to determine the baseline environmental and geo-technical conditions, particularly in the areas of the arsenic chambers. As a result of completing these studies, SRK Consulting has become intimately familiar with, and have developed an extensive understanding of, the current mine situation including all aspects of the conditions relating to the arsenic trioxide chambers and the water management and treatment systems. SRK Consulting’s ready access to technical information/documentation (i.e. studies and research which they have undertaken over the past several years and three dimensional mine models and hydrogeological models of the Giant Mine which they have developed and hold proprietary rights to) and their in-depth knowledge of current technical site information relative to the GMRP (i.e. steps being taken to manage the underground arsenic trioxide at the Giant Mine) will form an integral part of, and are essential to the successful engagement with Project stakeholders and participants, as well as defense and approval of the Remediation Plan for the Giant Mine site through the regulatory approval process.
SRK Consulting has demonstrated extensive experience and applied understanding of the concerns, requirements, and objectives of the Project stakeholders, and has an established track record of working collaboratively with the City of Yellowknife; the YKDFN; the NSMA; the Giant Mine Community Alliance, and Alternatives North, in community consultation and engagement.
Over the past three (3) years, this has included participation as a lead technical advisor in numerous public meetings and consultation sessions with Project stakeholders on the issues, options, risks and mitigating measures for the management of arsenic trioxide waste underground at the site via the freeze method; including leading two (2) stakeholder engagement sessions with the YKDFN.
SRK Consulting has also been a lead contributor in the collaborative process for Surface Design Engagement (SDE) undertaken with Project stakeholders in 2015 and 2016. The SDE is a critical step and input will be carefully considered by the Project Team in finalizing the surface remediation plan and developing the updated project description that will be submitted to the MVLWB for licensing. SRK Consulting has provided technical expertise in initial communications and design of the SDE sessions; and has participated as a technical advisor in the first six (6) steps of the SDE process to support informed review and decision-making by Project stakeholders. This has included:
SRK Consulting has demonstrated having extensive experience and applied understanding of the requirements of the NWT regulatory regime, including demonstrated experience in addressing the requirements of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) and the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board (MVLWB), as demonstrated through:
The design for creating the frozen shell or blocks of underground stored arsenic trioxide was found, in the MVEIRB’s 2013 report of the Project’s EA process to be sound from an engineering perspective for the 100-year Project lifespan.
SRK Consulting is an independent, international consulting practice, owned independently by its employees; with independence from the Project’s Design Engineer, environmental engineering advisors, and the Project’s Independent Peer Review Panel.
To DIAND’s knowledge, there are no other suppliers available that possess the required experience and technical expertise in freeze optimization and arsenic trioxide waste management in remediation applications on underground mines in a permafrost environment North of 60°; or a sufficient level of understanding and in-depth knowledge of the Giant Mine site, the overall Project requirements and objectives, the Project’s Remediation Plan, regulatory body and Project stakeholder and public concerns relative to the Site and its proposed Remediation Plan; to meet DIAND’s current and immediate needs.
8. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)
The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement:
subsection 6(d) - "only one person is capable of performing the work".
9. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons
Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) – Article 506 Paragraph12 (b), 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.
World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP) – Article XV (15), Paragraph 1 (b), the products or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – Article 1016.2(B) the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.
10. Ownership of Intellectual Property.
Canada intends to retain ownership (where it applies) of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed Contract related to the development of bibliographic or library cataloguing information, based on the following exemptions contained within Appendix A of the Policy on Title to Intellectual Property Arising under Crown Procurement Contracts:
(4.1) The main purpose of the Contract, or of the deliverables contracted for, is to generate knowledge and information for public dissemination.
11. The period of the proposed contract or the delivery date(s)
The proposed SOA is for a period of four (4) years, from contract award to March 31, 2020.
Canada retains the irrevocable option to extend the period of the Contract by up to two (2) additional one(1)-year long extensions to this initial period, at Canada’s exclusive discretion.
12. A cost estimate of the proposed contract
The estimated value of any and all Call-ups under the SOA, including option(s), is $2,000,000.00 (applicable taxes included ).
13. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier:
Name: SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc.
Address: Oceanic Plaza, 22nd Floor, 1066 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 3X2
14. 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 minimum essential requirements described herein.
15. The closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities.
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is June 16, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
16. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities
Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:
Céline Viner
10 Wellington, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H1
Telephone: (819) 994-7304
Facsimile: (819) 819-953-7721
E-mail: celine.viner@aandc-aadnc.gc.ca
Refer to the description above for full details.