Simultaneous Interpretation services

Title: Professional Services for Simultaneous Interpretation

1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)

An 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 stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

2. Definition of the requirement

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (OSFI) has a requirement for the provision of professional services for Simultaneous Interpretation services for virtual meetings and events. The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government's intention to award a contract for these services to America Interpretation Inc. 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.

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 the following requirements:

• Ability to provide interpretation services on a regular basis based on OSFI’s business requirements
• Provide simultaneous interpretation in French-to-English and English-to-French via Zoom other acceptable platforms
• Provide simultaneous interpretation for concurrent meetings/events
• Ability to provide short notice interpretation services within 3 days turn-around time
• Ability to conduct large* volume of simultaneous interpretations per month.

*Large volume is defined as minimum of 10 interpretation per month.

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

This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s)
• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
• Revised World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP)
• Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
• Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
• Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA)
• Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada-UK TCA)
• Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA)
5. Justification for the Pre-Selected Supplier

The pre-selected supplier (America Interpretation Inc.) has demonstrated the ability to provide OSFI the requirement of interpretation services as outlined in the criteria above in section 3, and no other identified suppliers has demonstrated that they can provide the services required.

6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

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

7. Ownership of Intellectual Property

Not applicable

8. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

The proposed contract is for a period of one (1) year from September 1, 2023 to August 30, 2024 with four (4) options to extend the contract for up to a period of one (1) year each.

9. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract, including 4 option periods, is $1,000,000 CAD (HST extra).

10. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

America Interpretation Inc.
2751 Boul. Liégeois,
Québec, QC G1W 2A2

11. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to meet the specified requirements may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the Contracting Authority 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 acceptance of Statements of Capabilities is July 4, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. (EST).

13. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

France Emond
Senior Contracting Officer
e-mail: contracting@osfi-bsif.gc.ca
255 Albert St. 12th floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H2