Measuring Changes in Child and Youth Exposure to Food and Beverage Marketing on Television in Canada

Title: Measuring Changes in Child and Youth Exposure to Food and Beverage Marketing on Television in Canada
Solicitation Number: 1000248443

1. The Purpose and Explanation of an ACAN
An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows Health Canada (HC) to post a notice for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that a goods, services or construction contract will be awarded to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the minimum requirements identified in the ACAN, the Contracting Authority may then proceed to award a contract to the pre-identified contractor.

2. Rights of Suppliers
Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services or goods described in this ACAN may submit a Statement of Capabilities demonstrating how they meet the advertised requirement. This Statement of Capabilities must be provided via e-mail only to the contact person identified in Section 12 of the Notice on or before the closing date and time of the Notice. If the Bidder can clearly demonstrate they possess the required capabilities, the requirement will be opened to electronic or traditional bidding processes.

3. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

The OUTLIVE Lab
40 Broadway Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 2V6

4. Definition of Requirements or Expected Results
The primary objective of the data analysis is to measure changes in children’s exposure to food advertising in Canada, using licensed data purchased by HC. The study shall provide an accurate and reliable overview of the trends in the amount and type of food advertising on TV to which children are exposed. The analysis will be conducted by age group, media market, time of day, food/beverage category/classification and station type in order to provide an in-depth analysis of food and beverage advertising in Canada.
Advertising shapes preferences, choices and behaviours. Today, advertising is ubiquitous and most foods advertised to children are high in sodium, sugars or saturated fat. Because children are particularly susceptible to advertising, there has been growing concern about the negative impact that the advertising of food and beverages has on children’s nutritional health. Food and beverage advertising also reduces the effectiveness of healthy eating promotion including uptake of Canada's Food Guide. Children are a priority audience for food guide implementation as eating habits established in childhood carry through to adulthood and influence risk of obesity and chronic diseases.
In 2019, HC licensed television Gross Rating Point (GRP) data and supported its analysis to monitor food and beverage advertising practices, establish a Canadian baseline of such practices to evaluate changes as a result of initiatives such as the food guide, and inform other interventions to support healthy eating. As part of its objective to measure changes in exposure over time, HC licensed historical data from an audience measurement data provider. HC now requires a new analysis of children’s exposure to food advertising, this time to measure the exposure against its baseline collected in 2019 and overtime since 2004.
The objectives of this project are to measure:
1. Children and youth’s exposure to food advertising on television in Canada overall, by age group, market, food category, healthfulness and station type in 2022;
2. Children and youth’s exposure to various marketing techniques used in food advertising on television in Toronto and Montreal and by station type in 2022; and
3. The trends in child and youth exposure to food advertising from 2004 to 2023.

5. Minimum Requirements
Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a Statement of Capabilities that it meets the following minimum requirements:
• The proposed team must include a principal investigator, a minimum of two (2) research assistants who have a proven track record in supporting and conducting research studies on the subject of food and beverage marketing to children and youth in substantive, theoretical and methodological terms.
• The principal investigator must possess a minimum of ten (10) years of experience, including within the past three (3) years prior to the ACAN closing date, in researching and analyzing children’s exposure with food and beverage advertising, and assessing marketing techniques used in child-appealing food and beverage advertisements, including on television.
• The principal investigator must have published a minimum of ten (10) peer-reviewed publications on children’s exposure to food and beverage marketing in the Canadian context, including on television marketing, and marketing techniques used in child-appealing food and beverage advertising, including a minimum of five (5) publications within the past three (3) years prior to the ACAN closing date.
• The proposed team must demonstrate the capacity to meet the proposed work requirements by March 31, 2026.

6. Reason for Non-Competitive Award
Section 6 of the Government Contracts Regulations contains four exceptions that permit the contracting authority to set aside the requirement to solicit bids. For the proposed procurement, the following exception applies:
(d): Only One Person or Firm is capable of performing the contract.

7. Ownership of Intellectual Property
Ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract will vest in the Contractor.

8. Cost estimate of the proposed contract
The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $329,960.00(GST/HST included).

9. Period of the Proposed Contract
The contract period shall be from date of contract award until March 31, 2026, including options.

10. 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.

11. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is June 16, 2023.

12. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities
Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Shallee Doll
Senior Contracting & Procurement Officer
Shallee.doll@hc-sc.gc.ca