Strategic Planning, Creative Development and Production Services

SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH buyandsell.gc.ca

Please contact the following contracting authority, by e-mail, for all questions related to this RFP:

Stéphanie Thomas, Senior Advisor, Procurement and Contracting Services

E-mail: proposal-proposition@elections.ca

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 (RFP) document for a full description of the requirements 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.
In accordance with section 18 (2) of the CEA, the CEOC may, using any media or other means that he or she considers appropriate, provide the public, both inside and outside of Canada, with information relating to Canada’s electoral process, the democratic right to vote and how to be a candidate.

Elections Canada has developed a multi-media communications and information campaign strategy referred to as the “Electoral Reminder Program” or “ERP,” which is implemented during a federal general election to provide Canadian electors with key information on when, where and how to register to vote, and on the eligibility requirements.

A key component of Elections Canada’s enhancements to the ERP is the development of a renewed creative approach and strategy for a national advertising campaign and related products for use during the General Election.

Description:
The SOW attached as Annex A to the Contract outlines the services that will be required by Elections Canada.

Elections Canada requires the services of one professional firm, specializing in advertising services, to provide planning, creative development and production services to deliver a Campaign.

The objective of the Campaign is to inform and educate electors, through a variety of mediums, about registration and voting procedures and the right to vote; and to support the introduction of service enhancements offered by Elections Canada to the electorate as a whole or to specific segments of the population, be it target groups or geographic regions, for the General Election. 
The Media Strategy and product development must take into consideration the needs and requirements of Elections Canada’s outreach target groups, which include youth, Aboriginal and ethno-cultural electors, persons with disabilities, new Canadians and Canadians temporarily living outside Canada.

Period of the Contract:
The Contract period will be from the effective date of the contract to March 31, 2020. In addition, the bidder will grant to Elections Canada the irrevocable option to extend the Term of the Contract by two additional periods of up to one year each under the same terms and conditions.

Evaluation Methodology:
Bids will be evaluated in progressive stages: 
- Phase 1: Mandatory Technical Requirements; 
- Phase 2: Rated Technical Requirements;
- Phase 3: Capabilities Presentation;
- Phase 4: Mandatory Financial Requirements
- Phase 5: Determination of Highest Ranked Bidder

Proposals which fail to achieve the requirements specified in the RFP for Phases 1, 2, or 4 will be deemed non-responsive and given no further consideration.

The responsive proposal with the lowest evaluated price per point will be considered for award of a contract                                    	                	 

1.	Bid Price is the sum of the Management Fee for a federal general election quoted by the Bidder and the Ceiling Price quoted by the Bidder.
2.	Technical Score is the sum of 40% of the percentage score obtained for evaluation against the technical criteria subject to point rating and 60% of the percentage score obtained for evaluation against the Capabilities Presentation criteria subject to point rating.

International Trade Agreements:
This procurement is exempt from the provisions of:
The North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA), the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA), and the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCOFTA) under exempt services category T – Communications, Photographic, Mapping, Printing and Publication Services; and 
the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) under excluded services Annex 502.1B, Article 1.g – Advertising and Public Relations
This procurement is not related to a service area covered by the World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP).

Comprehensive Land Claim Agreements:
This procurement is not subject to any Comprehensive Land Claim Agreements.

Submission of Bids:
It is requested that bids be provided directly to the Contracting Authority. Bids must be delivered to the following address, sealed, on or before August 20th, 2013, 2:00 p.m. (Ottawa time).

Mailing Address:
Elections Canada
257 Slater Street, 6th Floor (Business Centre)
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0M6
Attn: Stéphanie Thomas, Procurement and Contracting Services
Elections Canada File No: ECST-RFP-13-0058

For sending packages by courier or for dropping off, please note that the Business Centre hours are Mondays to Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (local time).

Bids received after the stipulated closing date and time will not be accepted and will be returned unopened to the bidder. If a late bid must be opened to determine the name and/or address of the bidder or the nature of the enclosure, a covering letter will be sent to explain the necessity of opening the bid. 

Faxed or bids sent via electronic mail will not be accepted.

All enquiries and other communication with Elections Canada officials are to be directed ONLY to the Contracting Authority. The Contracting Authority will be the bidder’s primary contact. All requests for information must be directed to this contact. Bidders who contact anyone other than the Contracting Authority may be disqualified.  All enquiries must be submitted in writing to proposal-proposition@elections.ca no later than fifteen (15) calendar days before the RFP closing date.  Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.

Interested parties wishing to order the solicitation documents for this RFP must do so through buyandsell.gc.ca/tenders.  The documents downloaded through this site take precedence over any copies that may also be made available.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.

Elections Canada retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement. 

Further information about Elections Canada may be obtained at www.elections.ca.