Social Media Account Management Tool

The information contained in this notice is a brief description of the requirement and is for information purposes only. Bidders must refer to the complete Request for Proposal document for a full description of the requirement and the full bid instructions.
Background
The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (CEOC), an agent of Parliament, exercises general direction and supervision over the conduct of elections and referendums at the federal level. The CEOC heads the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, commonly known as Elections Canada.
EC requires a social media account management tool to manage its social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and YouTube.
Requirement
Elections Canada (EC) first launched its corporate social media presence by creating official accounts on Twitter (now X), YouTube, and Facebook leading up to GE42 in 2015. These accounts were initially used primarily to communicate information on where, when and ways to register and vote, as well as to answer questions from electors (including Canadians living abroad) on the electoral process and any items falling within EC’s mandate. EC has continued to use social media for each subsequent election and for ongoing engagement in between elections. Over the years, it has added YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn to its official accounts and increased its capacity for two-way engagement and more creative content development.
As part of the governance and protocols developed to effectively manage the content that is posted to social media channels, and any engagement with electors (i.e. to respond to enquiries from the public), a social media account management tool is required to facilitate and streamline access to (and usage) of the accounts both during and in between electoral events.
The provision of a social media account management tool that will allow EC to more efficiently and effectively manage its official social media presence. Among other features, the tool will allow the Social Media Team to publish and schedule posts, categorize, track and reply to enquiries from the public, monitor ongoing account activities, provide analytics, and generate reports for senior management.
Incumbent
There is an incumbent
The work is currently being performed by Sprout Social Inc. under contract (value $138,922.80 USD).
Security
There is no security requirement associated with this solicitation.
Period of the Contract
The Contract period will be from the Effective Date of the Contract for one year (the “Initial Term”).
The Contractor will grant to Elections Canada irrevocable options to extend the period of the Contract by three (3) additional periods of one (1) year each under the same terms and conditions.
Submission of Proposals
This Request for Proposal allows bidders to use the Connect service provided by Canada Post Corporation to transmit their proposals electronically. For further information, bidders must refer to Part 2 – Bidder Instructions, and Part 3 – Proposal Preparation Instructions of the Request for Proposal document.
Proposals are to be addressed to the attention of the Contracting Authority and delivered, sealed, to the Proposal Receiving Unit on or before the bid closing date and time indicated on the front page of the Request for Proposal.
For sending packages by courier or for dropping off, please note that the Proposal Receiving Unit at the Business Centre is open Mondays to Fridays from 8:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:00 (Gatineau, Quebec time).
Bids sent via email or facsimile will not be accepted.
Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.
Elections Canada retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.
Selection Methodology
Competitive Procurement Strategy: Highest combined rating of technical merity and price
Enquiries
All enquiries and other communication with Elections Canada personnel are to be directed ONLY to the Contracting Authority. The Contracting Authority will be the bidder’s primary contact. Bidders who contact anyone other than the Contracting Authority may be disqualified.
All enquiries must be submitted in writing to proposal@elections.ca no later than the deadline indicated in the Request for Proposal. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.
Interested parties wishing to obtain the solicitation documents for this Request for Proposal must do so through www.canadabuys.canada.ca. The documents downloaded through this site take precedence over any copies that may also be made available.
Further information about Elections Canada may be obtained at elections.ca.
Debriefings
Once the successful bidder has been announced, bidders may request a debriefing on the results of the Request for Proposal process. Bidders should make the request to the Contracting Authority as per the terms of the Request for Proposal. The debriefing may be in writing, by telephone or in person.