Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN): provision of research, analysis and environmental scanning service

Advance Contract Award Notice

1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)

   The Department of Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has a requirement for the provision of research, analysis and environmental scanning service focused on the information content industries to inform its internal research and analysis function and support LAC as an evidence-based policy driven institution. The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government's intention to award a contract for these services to Outsell Inc. situated at 330 Primrose Road in Burlingame, California, USA. Before awarding a contract, 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 the ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on either the government's electronic tendering service or through traditional means, in order to award the contract.

   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 the requirement

   LAC is seeking to acquire a subscription to an information management service that will provide LAC with research, analysis, and environmental scanning services focusing on the information industries (e.g., publishing, information—including library and information science, education, law, finance, health industries), and that will include the following products and services:

• Access for up to 10individuals to core, annual, published reports on information management(IM), including:
  • Information Management Benchmark Annual update;
  • Information Management Toolkit;
  • Content Pricing survey Update;
  • End-User Study Update;
  • Top Predications for Information Management;
  • Information Industry Outlook.
• Access to best practice and benchmark reports, tools, webinars, and online archives on IM, including:
  • Additional reports on benchmarks and best practices covering specific segments;
  • Reports and tools advising on return on investment(ROI) and assessing information impact;
  • Updates on end-user research;
  • Reports covering innovations, disruptive or transformative influences and technologies, and trends in the future of IM;
  • Customized IM benchmark reports.

• Access to timely expert analysis of events, data and trends in the information industry and their implications (daily/weekly).
• Access to news and information about trends in information industry companies and their implications (daily/weekly).
• Access to expert research analysts for specific adhoc research inquiries (e.g., semantic search, digital repositories, and digital content management) for up to 10 people.
• Access to online databases, including:
  • Database of over 8,900 vendor reviews;
  • Data from surveys and end users to understand information habits, preferences, and spending.

In addition, LAC will have the opportunity to collaborate and contribute current data on government libraries in Canada through the development of an annual benchmark survey on IM.

The IM subscription service provided by the contractor will help to inform the research, analysis and products prepared by the strategic research and analysis function at LAC. The service will also serve to inform and support LAC as it undertakes its mandate and develops evidence-based policy frameworks and business processes relevant to the digital environment.

3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements)

1) Variety of Content: The Supplier must provide business intelligence and analysis about public and private information industries, including libraries and archives. The supplier must also highlight new development in the fields of information science, law, publishing, education, finance and health.

2) Geographic Coverage: The Supplier must provide coverage of information industries not limited to North America. Rather, the supplier’s examination of global information trends is key to the preparation of high quality research products that regularly provides comparative analyses of international best practices.

3) Research analysts: The Supplier must provide access to its expert research analysts who can undertake research inquiries in the fields of interest to LAC and its mandate.

4) Access to information industry professionals: The Supplier must provide access to its network of other information industry professionals through teleconferences, webinars, etc., as a means of enriching LAC’s knowledge-base and providing the opportunity to discuss challenges and share solutions.

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

Part1, Section6(d) of the Government Contracts Regulations(GCR) where only one person or firm is capable of performing the contract.

Article1016(2)(b) of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) …..[…]

5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

The contractor is a leading and widely respected American research and advisory firm covering the $500-billion information industry and focuses solely on media, information, and technology. The contractor provides access to unique expert, current, trustworthy, independent research and trends analysis on international information industries, including the publishing, information (as well as library and information science), education, law, finance, and health industries.

The contractor provides over 120information product reviews and rankings, covering more than 8,900 information industry companies, which are included in a database that is updated daily. The contractor’s team of over 20analysts provides 10years’worth of functional best practices that trend and track library performance, and access to 15 years’ worth of reports. The contractor provides a unique combination of decision support for/about the industry that is not present in any other firm.

The contractor’s information research, analysis, and environmental scanning products focus on events, data and trends in the information industry, and the analysis of companies, product and vendor reviews, business models, formats, media, aggregation and delivery channels; these products provide a unique perspective on information industry trends, developments, and their implications for organizations involved in the information industry.

Of particular note is the breadth of content provided by the contractor. The contractor’s information, research and news services, and research reports focus on a wide range of topics of interest to information industries. This includes, but is not limited to current trending issues such as client segmentation, semantic search, digital repositories, digital content management, the e-book and e-publishing.

While this includes libraries and archives, it also includes industries with a strong information component, such as publishing, education, law, finance, health, whose knowledge and best practices in library and information science, can help inform the best practices and strategic approaches undertaken by libraries and archives in other domains.

In addition, the geographic coverage provided by the contractor through its information, research and news services, and research reports, includes both North American as well as international sources. This range of source material and their access to a network of industry leaders provide global analysis of the strategic challenges, and best practice approaches undertaken by the information industries. This holistic approach to the development of business intelligence is key to libraries and archives in order to understand the relevance and implications of best practices and strategic approaches in libraries and archives in the Canadian context.

To facilitate continuous discussion between members, the Contractor has also created a secured web platform through which industry professionals can convene and share insights, leverage best practices, and network with like-minded thinkers. This may inform decision-making at the institutional level and potentially result in the identification and pursuit of collaborative initiatives.

6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is (are) invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) - "only one person is capable of performing the work”.

7. Ownership of Intellectual Property

The data existed before and outside of the Crown Procurement Contract. The gathering of the data by the contractor is not conceived, developed or produced as any part of work completed under a Crown Procurement Contract.

LAC has determined that no intellectual property(IP) will be developed under this contract. LAC does not own the IP but simply obtains the right to use the data to generate knowledge and information for organizational usages. The contract allows the Government to incorporate data from other sources to further develop and publish reports from the data. This excludes commercial sale in competition with the contractor.

8. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

The proposed contract is for a period of 3 years, from July 18, 2016 to July 17, 2019.

9. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract, is $75,000 USD.

10. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Outsell, Inc.

Main Office

330 Primrose Road, Suite 510

Burlingame, California 94010-2, United States of America

11. 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.

12. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is

June 30,2016 at 2:00p.m. EST

13. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Micheline Lafontaine

Contracting Officer

Financial Services and Procurement Branch

Library and Archives Canada

550 De la Cité Blvd, 8-120

Gatineau, Qc K1A 0N4

Telephone: 1-819-793-9361
E-mail: Micheline.lafontaine@canada.ca