RFSO - Technical Advisory Services related to Clean Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Aboriginal Northern Communities

RFP NUMBER:	20-13-6009
PROJECT TITLE:	Request for Standing Offer Agreements for Technical Advisory Services related to Clean Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Aboriginal and Northern Communities – Set-Aside for Aboriginal Businesses
CLOSING DATE:	January 3, 2014
This requirement is set aside for Aboriginal suppliers in accordance with the government Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business.  The bidder must certify in its bid that he or she is an Aboriginal business or joint venture as defined within the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business.
In order to ensure that the Department of Indian and Northern Development (DIAND) has the timely and specialized expertise required to support the development and implementation of renewable energy projects and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Aboriginal and northern communities, DIAND requires the services of contractors capable of providing DIAND with Technical Advisory Services.

The overall objective of a Contractor’s work will be to support program delivery surrounding renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction activities in Aboriginal and northern communities via the provision of Technical advisory services.
As a result from this proposal call, DIAND intends to award up to one (1) SOA.
In a companion Request for Proposals (RFP), solicitation 20-13-6010, DIAND is seeking to establish up to two (2)  SOAs.
In the event that no SOA is awarded under the companion solicitation 20-13-6010 to this solicitation, DIAND will increase the number of competitively awarded SOAs under this solicitation up to a total of  three (3) SOAs overall.
Period of the SOAs is from the date of the award to June 30, 2016 with two (2) additional one (1) year option periods. 
M1 Corporate Profile
The Bidder MUST provide a corporate profile and resume demonstrating the Bidder’s knowledge and experience in the provision of services relevant to, and similar to this work stream as defined in the Statement of Work (SOW). At a minimum, the Bidder MUST include within the corporate profile:

The full legal name of the firm submitting the Proposal (clearly identifying, as applicable, all joint venture, partners or subcontractors); 
Evidence that the Bidder’s firm has been in business for a minimum of five (5) years, by providing the date of incorporation of the firm.
Note:  If the proposal is being submitted as a joint venture, at least one of the parties must have been in business for a minimum of five years and provide proof. 

A written description of approximately 1000 words indicating the Bidder’s capabilities as a firm, including;
The extent of the Bidder’s experience in the provision of services similar to those described under section SW5 of the Statement of Work; 

Note:  Where the Bidder wishes to use experience obtained by sub-contractors, partners or other firms, the Bidder must enter into a Joint Venture for the purpose of this Request for Proposal. In the case of Proposals submitted as a joint venture, the combination experience of the Parties forming the joint venture will be considered in the evaluation of the experience of the Bidder, and the Bidder should submit a separate Corporate Profile for each firm. 

The Bidder’s proposed project management approach;
Resource availability and access to back-up resources; and
The Bidder’s ability to attend meetings in the National Capital Region at a location designated by the DIAND project Authority on a weekly / biweekly/ monthly basis (when required).
M2 Proposed Resources
The Bidder MUST propose a resource team to perform the work described, composed of the following numbers and Resource Categories: 
TECHNICAL ADVISORY SERVICES
•	Senior Technical Advisor (must propose 2 resources);
•	Intermediate Technical Advisor (must propose 2 resources); and 
•	Junior Technical Advisor (must propose 1 resource). 
Note 1: Named resources cannot be proposed in more than one (1) Resource Category.

Note 2: If more than the required number of resources is proposed within the Bidder’s proposal, only the specified number of resources will be evaluated in the order in which they are first presented in the Bidder’s proposal. 

The Bidder MUST include detailed CVs for each proposed resource named within its Proposal. CVs MUST include (a-f): 
a)	The name of the proposed resource and the Resource Category for which they are being proposed; 
b)	A list of relevant academic and professional qualifications demonstrating that the proposed resource meets the minimum education qualifications for that Resource Category as described in section SW7, 7.2 of the Statement of Work. 
c)	A list of chronological work experience (indicated in years/ months) with detailed descriptions of work experience related to SW5 of the Statement of Work AND demonstrating that the proposed resource meets the minimum work experience qualifications for that Resource Category as described in section SW7, 7.2 of the Statement of Work. 
d)	Names, titles, and telephone numbers of at least two (2) client references who may be contacted by DIAND to verify the work was carried out by the individual proposed and attest to the individual’s provision of quality and complete deliverables;
e)	Language capabilities and degree of fluency to perform the work described in the Statement of Work in either or both Official Languages (written, oral, and reading comprehension in English and/ or French as applicable);
i.	At least one (1) resource of the Bidder’s team in the Senior Technical Advisor or Intermediate Technical Advisor categories MUST be able to provide services in French and at least one (1) resource of the Bidder’s team in these categories MUST be able to provide services in English. The provision of translation services does NOT satisfy this requirement. 
Note: Language levels are not assessed; however, by signing under Official Languages Capacity under CERTIFICATIONS (see Annexes), Bidders are confirming that the proposed resources meet this requirement and are able to provide the service described in the statement of work fluently in French and English.

f)	Level of Security Clearance at the time of Proposal submission
M3 Project Summaries

The Bidder MUST provide three (3) written project summaries describing in detail the Bidder’s experience in successfully providing services relevant to, and similar to SW5 of the Statement of Work.
Note 1: Only projects completed by the Bidder can be submitted. Where the Bidder wishes to use experience obtained by sub-contractors, partners or other firms, the Bidder must enter into a Joint Venture for the purpose of this Request for Proposal.

Note 2: If more than three (3) project summaries are included within the Bidder's Proposal, the Evaluation Committee will only consider the first three (3) listed, in the order in which they are first presented in the Bidder's Proposal.

Within each project summary provided, the Bidder MUST indicate (a-g):
a)	The name of the client organization. Projects MUST NOT include projects where DIAND’s Climate Change Division was the Project Authority. Only one (1) of the three (3) projects summaries cited may have included DIAND as the Project Authority, other than DIAND’s Climate Change Division. At least one (1) of the three (3) project summaries cited MUST describe the provision of these services for a municipal, provincial, or federal Government Client.
b)	A detailed description of the type and scope of services provided.
c)	The dates/ duration of the project. Projects MUST have taken place during the last 5 years.
d)	The dollar value of the project (to the Bidder). At least one (1) of the three (3) project summaries cited MUST have been valued at a minimum of $30,000.00 (CAD) to the Bidder.
e)	The project management approach and quality assurance methodology utilized.
f)	The role of the Bidder’s proposed resources involved in the project. For each of the three (3) project summaries cited, at least one (1) of the proposed resources under the Senior Resource Category or Intermediate Resource Category MUST have been directly involved in the project.
g)	The name, title, and valid contact information (any of a telephone number, fax number, or e-mail) of a Client Reference within the client organization who possessed oversight or approval authority over the Bidder’s work for the cited project.
The Bidder MUST forward each project summary, as submitted within the Bidder’s Proposal, to the project’s Client Reference named under M3.2(g) for completion of the following Reference Form (M3.3). The completed form, duly signed by the Referrer, MUST be submitted as part of the Bidder’s Proposal. 
Note 1: The Bidder must not sign the reference form on behalf of the Referrer.
Note 2:  In the event that the Bidder cannot obtain an original signature from the Referrer, a faxed or scanned copy of the Reference Form duly signed by the Referrer and included within the Bidder’s Proposal is acceptable.
Note 3: Proposal who’s any single Reference Form contains “no” responses in any one of the following combinations will be deemed non-compliant and will be given no further consideration: 
a)	four (4) “no” responses in part 1;
b)	four (4) or more “no” responses in part 3;
c)	four (4) or more “no” responses in parts 1 and 3 combined;
d)	a “no” response in part 4.
Note 4: DIAND reserves the right to contact the named Client Reference for the purpose of verifying the accuracy and veracity of the information provided in the Bidder’s Proposal. Should DIAND choose to contact the Client Reference and should one (1) or more named Client References provide a negative reference regarding the accuracy or veracity of the Bidder’s information, the Proposal will be deemed non-compliant and be given no further consideration.  
Basis of Selection
DIAND intends to award up to one (1) SOA as a result of this solicitation to the Bidder(s) representing Best Value, as determined in accordance with the Selection and Evaluation Criteria of this RFP.  Best Value will be defined as the highest Total Score.
In the event that there is no SOA awarded for the companion solicitation (reference number 20-13-6010, DIAND intends to award up to three (3) SOAs as a result of this solicitation to the bidders representing best value as determined in accordance with the Selection and Evaluation Criteria of this RFP. Best value will then be defined as the three (3) highest total scores with work being divided 33.3%, 33.3%, and 33.3%.

In the event that more than one (1) Proposal receives the same Total Score, of those Proposals, the Proposal with the lower price will be considered to represent Best Value.

Security
Pursuant to the Government of Canada Security Policy, the nature of the services to be provided under the Standing Offer Agreement requires a Government of Canada Security Clearance.

This procurement is subject to the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Businesses (PSAB).