Indigenous Offender Reintegration Program

An advanced contract award notice (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 and time stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

1. Definition of the requirement:

The Correctional Service Canada has a requirement for culturally appropriate intervention and services that will support Indigenous women offenders to address the impacts of intergenerational trauma and addictions and develop life skills to better prepare them to contribute positively to their families and communities upon release. These services are needed both within the institutions to support the transition to the urban community, as well as within urban communities to provide ongoing support to Indigenous offenders upon release.

The work will involve the following:

1.1 Objectives:

To improve CSC’s ability to reintegrate Indigenous women offenders to urban areas. The intent is to increase CSC’s capacity to acquire the services of Community Organizations in the release planning process. The Contractor will identify and coordinate reintegration support for Indigenous women offenders in urban areas, as one of the greatest challenges for Indigenous women offenders returning to urban centres is identifying traditional Indigenous support and services.

1.2 Tasks:

• The Contractor must serve, for up to one (1) year, a minimum of 50 Indigenous Women per year who are close to or already, released (within in 90 days of their release) into the community.
• The Contractor must consult and contribute reintegration support at the earliest stage of release planning with the Institutional Parole Officer for any woman offender requiring support services into the Edmonton area or other communities identified in the release plan.
• The Contractor must ensure that they begin release planning with the woman offender a minimum 2 – 6 weeks prior to their release and ensure continuity of this plan after their transition to their community.
• The Contractor must develop a release plan that is realistic and meets all the Indigenous women’s immediate basic needs (shelter, food, finances); identify natural and professional supports, identify short and long term personal goals such as trauma and addictions supports, family reunification; and develop short and long term goals for independence such as employment, education.
• The Contractor must provide reintegration support services in institutions, or Section 81 facilities to support transition within the urban communities to provide ongoing support to Indigenous Women Offenders upon release. The Contractor must facilitate connection and supports to communities outside Edmonton Area.
• The Contractor must take a collective approach in the development of a release plan to assist in fostering public safety and broadening the support the Indigenous woman offender has in the community. The Contractor must include a plan for providing continuity of services to the offender upon their release to an Urban community, even if the community is located a significant distance from the institution where the offender is incarcerated.
• The Contractor must identify resources and community contacts that may be used by CSC personnel when preparing a release plan for the women offenders.
• The Contractor must perform communication and coordination tasks, as requested by the Project Authority, to support the development and implementation of a release plan.
• The Contractor must provide assistance with accessing culturally appropriate interventions for addictions, trauma or mental health issues to the women offenders.
• The Contractor must also provide assistance to Indigenous Women Offenders in skill development for employment and education, housing, family engagement, advocacy, and mediation, how to find transportation, how/where to obtain identification and budgeting and other kinds of life skills needed.
• The Contractor must provide assistance in developing suspension and revocation mitigation plans for the women offenders in collaboration with their parole officers and reintegration support services providers.
• The Contractor must provide all the necessary facilities, equipment, and tools to perform the work. When onsite at a CSC Institution, CSC will provide a workspace to the Contractor for direct service provision to the woman offenders. The Project Authority must authorize any additional support required by the Contractor.

1.3 Expected results:

The Contractor must provide outreach and engagement to Indigenous Women offenders, urban community contacts, and CSC personnel, including but not limited to Parole Officers and Indigenous Community Liaison Officers. The Contractor must provide intervention services to CSC women facilities, which include Edmonton Institution for Women and CSC’s Section 81 partner, Buffalo Sage Wellness House to support the reintegration of Indigenous Women Offenders in urban centers.
The Contractor must provide services, including but not limited to, finding supports to aide Indigenous Women in the areas of, trauma or addictions counselling, life skills training and family reconnection. Therefore, the Contractor must give special attention to these needs during the development of the release plan.

Meetings: The Contractor must adhere to the conditions of any meetings between the Contractor and CSC as determined by the Project Authority. This includes the location of the meeting and whether the Contractor must attend in person or by conference call, as mutually agreed upon.

1.4 Performance standards:

The Contractor must conduct the work according to standards outlined in applicable CSC policies and regulations and in Canadian Law. This includes Commissioner’s Directives and the Correction and Conditional Release Act.

1.5 Deliverables:

The Contractor must collect information and prepare monthly reports on the following activities:

• Communication and work completed with CSC personnel, which includes but is not limited to Parole Offices and any community agencies or services providing assistance to the offender.
• Services provided to Indigenous offenders once they are released to a community.
• Community contacts with name and reintegration support services such as addiction counselling, Elder services, education and employment.
• An updated list of the woman offenders the Contractor is currently working with both in the institution and community.
• A yearly project evaluation of the Indigenous Women’s Offender Reintegration Program.
• Contractor must submit all Reports must be submitted in English.

1.5.1 Paper consumption:

a. Should printed material be required, double-sided printing in black and white format is the default unless otherwise specified by the Project Authority.

b. The Contractor must ensure printed material is on paper with a minimum recycled content of 30% and/or certified as originating from a sustainably managed forest.

c. The Contractor must recycle unneeded printed documents (in accordance with Security Requirements).

1.6 Constraints:

1.6.1 Location of work:

a. The Contractor must perform the work at the following locations:

• CSC Edmonton Institution for Women, Edmonton, AB
• Section 81 – Buffalo Sage Wellness House
• other outside communities

b. Travel

As part of the scope of work, the Project Authority will identify if travel is required. The Project Authority must pre-authorize any travel outside 200 kilometers of the identified CSC Institution and will be reimbursed at cost without any allowance for overhead or profit according to the National Joint Council Travel Directive.

1.6.2 Language of Work:

The Contractor must perform all work in English unless the contractor is able to deliver services in an Indigenous Language in an offender’s Indigenous language. The Contractor must obtain prior approval from the Project Authority to change the language requirement.

1.6.3 Institutional Access Requirements

Contractor personnel will be escorted at all times by Correctional Service Canada personnel or those authorized by CSC on its behalf. Contractor personnel must adhere to institutional requirements for the conduct of searches by Correctional Service Canada prior to admittance to the institution/site. Correctional Service Canada reserves the right to deny access to any institution/site or part thereof by any Contractor personnel, at any time.

2. 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:

• The supplier must be one of the following legal entity: Indigenous governing body; Indigenous not-for-profit organization, Indigenous community; a provincial, territorial, or municipal government or agency; a not-for-profit organization.
• Must support the development, or implementation of projects, programs, resources or provide services that assist in the successful reintegration of federal Indigenous offenders
• Demonstrated support by target audience of the project or service, from individuals, community groups or other stakeholders involved in designing, or delivering the project or service, or both. Support must be demonstrated by Indigenous Peoples, communities or other stakeholders; This will be demonstrated through the support and reintegration efforts provided through this organization

Experience:

• The supplier must have minimum of two years experience within the past five years, prior to the ACAN closing date, assisting Indigenous female offenders with conditional release planning and reintegration to rural and urban communities.

• The supplier must have performed two (2) projects of similar nature providing reintegration services to Indigenous female offenders or providing support to female offenders on release in the community, within the last five (5) years prior to the ACAN closing date.

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

This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

4. Set-aside under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business

This procurement is set-aside for an Indigenous Supplier in accordance with the government Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB). Therefore, only suppliers who meet the definition of an Indigenous business, as defined in the PSIB, may submit a statement of capabilities.

5. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement(s)

This procurement is not subject to a Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement.

6. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

There is a limited number of suppliers available to provide reintegration services to meet the reintegration needs of CSC women Indigenous offenders.

The pre-identified supplier meets all of the minimum essential requirements described in this ACAN.

7. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection:
(d) only one person/Contractor is capable of performing the contract.

8. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

9. Ownership of Intellectual Property

There are no intellectual property terms in the contract.

10. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

The proposed contract is for a period of 1.25 years, from December 1, 2023 to March 31, 2025.

11. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract is $199,999.00 (GST/HST extra).

12. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Name: Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society
Address: Edmonton, AB

13. 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 and time of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

14. Closing date and time for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is October 26, 2023.

15. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statement of capabilities are to be directed to:

Janet Nelson
Regional Procurement Officer
Regional Headquarters, Prairies
3427 Faithfull Avenue
SASKATOON, SK S7K 8H6
Telephone: 306-659-9300
E-mail: 501contracts@csc-scc.gc.ca