Research, Evaluation, Performance Measurement and Review Services – Set Aside

RFSO NUMBER:	1000165119
PROJECT TITLE:	Research, Evaluation, Performance Measurement and Review Services – Set Aside
CLOSING DATE:	March 17, 2015

The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) invites you to submit a proposal for the following work:

Research, Evaluation, Performance Measurement and Review Services – Set Aside

1	OBJECTIVE(S)

DIAND requires the services of qualified consultants, including individuals, smaller specialized and larger broad-based entities, such as non-profit and for-profit firms, cooperatives, bands as defined by the Indian Act, universities and research centres, as well as joint ventures, to support the work of the Evaluation, Performance Measurement and Review Branch (EPMRB).  

EPMRB conducts a diverse and complex range of evaluation studies involving multiple lines of quantitative and qualitative research and differing governance structures. The studies can include, for example:
•	Simple, low risk evaluations often focusing on single issues or single localities, involving literature, document and administrative reviews with minimum requirements for field work or primary data collection;

•	Medium size evaluations or those with higher risks involving complex issues or more extensive fieldwork and/or other primary data collection activities. They are also likely to involve more than one region and have the support of working groups; and 

•	Large scale or high-risk evaluations, which can involve highly sensitive issues, are often national in scope, can span differing sectors or departments, and which can require sophisticated data collection strategies and statistical analyses. These types of studies may involve a number of governance structures involving internal and external working groups, technical advisory or high level strategic committees. 
EPMRB also provides advice to programs and the Department as a whole on performance measurement, including but not limited to the development, implementation, monitoring and assessment of the Department’s performance measurement strategies and implementation plans, and other related work. 
Finally, EPMRB also serves its mandate through reviews, advice and/or approval of program and policy proposals, as well as follow-up on the implementation of management responses and action plans developed in response to EPMRB’s evaluative work (Further information on the Branch’s activities and five year evaluation and performance measurement plans can be found at http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100011247/1100100011248).
Much of the work undertaken by EPMRB requires a thorough understanding of Aboriginal and Northern issues as well as qualitative and quantitative data collection methods appropriate to research on issues related to, or with, Aboriginal and Northern individuals, organizations and communities.  Moreover,  the Branch’s work looks to ensure that data collection  methods are mindful of the potential reporting burdens which may be placed on recipients and, where relevant, respectful of the principles of ownership, control, access and possession.


To that end, DIAND is putting in place Standing Offer Agreements for Research, Evaluation, Performance Measurement and Review Services on an ‘as and when needed’ basis.  

Consultants are required to provide services in one, two or three of the following Task Areas: 
 
•	Task Area 1 - General Evaluation, Performance Measurement and Review Services; and/or 
•	Task Area 2 - Specialized Research: Statistical Analysis;  and/or 
•	Task Area 3 - Specialized Research – Quantitative Data Collection and Analysis. 

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

The Mandatory Criteria listed below will be evaluated on a simple Pass/Fail (i.e. responsive/non-responsive (compliant/non-compliant) basis.  Offers which fail to meet one of the Mandatory Criteria will be deemed non-responsive and given no further consideration.

Offers must demonstrate compliance with all of the Mandatory Requirements and must provide the necessary documentation to support compliance.

The Department will first assess proposals on the basis of the Mandatory Requirements below in Table M1. Bidders will be evaluated on a meet/does not meet basis. 

Bidders must clearly identify the section(s) or page(s) in their proposals, which provide the evidence that they meet the Mandatory Requirements. 

Any proposal that fails to meet all mandatory requirements will receive no further consideration. 

Table MR 1:   Mandatory Requirements	Met/Not Met	Section/Page #
M1	The Bidder must indicate what Task Area(s) it is proposing to provide services for: 
1.	General Evaluation, Performance Measurement and Review Services; and/or
2.	Specialized Research Experts:  Statistical Analysts; and/or
3.	Specialized Research Experts:  Quantitative Data Collection and Analysis 		
M2	The Bidder must identify a project principal at the senior level, OR if no senior resources are being proposed, at the intermediate level as a minimum. 		
M3	The Bidder must demonstrate that all proposed senior and intermediate resources hold, at a minimum, an undergraduate degree. 
NOTE:  Individuals must have received their education from a recognized* Canadian academic institution, or the equivalent as established by a recognized* Canadian academic credentials assessment service, if obtained outside Canada.
* The list of recognized organizations can be found under the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials web site (http://www.cicic.ca/2/home.canada).
	
M4	The Bidder must demonstrate that:
•	Senior resources must have a minimum of ten (10) years experience related to the task area(s) in which they are proposed as per Mandatory Requirement M1. 
•	Intermediate resources must have a minimum of five (5) years experience related to the task area(s) in which they are proposed as per Mandatory Requirement M1. 
Bidders must provide complete details as to where, when, and how (e.g., through which activities/responsibilities) the stated qualifications and experience were obtained.  
Start and end dates must be expressed in months and years, in the format mm/yyyy, in order to facilitate assessment of the Bidder’s experience).
Years of experience will be calculated on the basis that the identified months are full months.
Where the time frames of projects overlap, the overlapping months/years will only be counted once.		
M5	The Bidder must provide the following documents in support of its proposal: 
M5.1   Curriculum vitae (CV) for each named resource which includes: 
•	The name of the proposed resource and the task area(s) for which they are being proposed as per Mandatory Requirement M1; 
•	The proposed resource’s position within the Bidder’s organization;
•	Description and chronology of relevant professional experience, including years/months of engagement (Start and end dates must be expressed in months and years, in the format mm/ yyyy, in order to facilitate assessment of the Bidder’s experience);  
•	Language capabilities in both Canadian official languages (English/French);
•	Level of Government of Canada Security Clearance held at the time of proposal submission;
•	A detailed listing of academic attainments including academic institution, year granted and degree awarded. All other formal training should be listed by the title and duration (indicated in days/months) of the course/program.  
•	Relevant publications and/or accreditations, citations and awards. 

M5.2   One  (1) sample report or research paper completed by the Bidder within the past five (5) years to support an assessment of the clarity of the Bidder’s proposal (Point Rated Criteria R7, below);  

M5.3   For each Task Area proposed, Project or Research summaries for five (5) projects or research papers completed within the past five (5) years, which have included at least one of the proposed resources.  

Following the model provided in Table MR2, below, the summaries must include:
	A brief overview of the project/research, its objectives/mandate, scope, methods, duration, cost (if applicable) and when it was undertaken (Start and End dates of the work must be expressed in months and years, in the format dd/mm/yyyy, in order to facilitate assessment of the Bidder’s experience);
	The roles and responsibilities of the Bidder’s proposed resources as well as a summary of other resources used and their roles and responsibilities;
	Other relevant information deemed necessary by the Bidder to demonstrate it meets or exceeds the requirements of this RFSO; and
	The client project authority, organization, and contact information, OR in the case of a published or publicly available research paper, the publication(s) or website(s) where it appears.  
NOTES: 
The Bidder may submit some or all of the same project descriptions for each Task Area they are proposing.  
DIAND reserves the right to:
•	Contact project authorities to verify the information contained within the project summaries; and/or
•	Verify the publication or website where research papers are stated to appear; and/or
•	Request the Bidder to provide a copy of the research paper(s) in cases where they are not published or publicly available. 		
M6	The maximum allowable length of Technical Proposals (excluding curriculum vitae, completed certifications (Annex "A"), and sample report / research paper (Mandatory Requirement M5.2), depends on the number of Task Areas proposed: 
One area:      20 - 25 pages;
Two areas:    40- 45 pages: and   
Three areas:  55- 60 pages.		

BASIS OF SELECTION

1.	To be declared responsive, a bid must: 
a.	comply with all the requirements of the bid solicitation; and 
b.	meet all mandatory criteria; and 
c.	obtain the required minimum of 115.5 points overall for the technical evaluation criteria which are subject to point rating. 
The rating is performed on a scale of 165 points. 
2.	Bids not meeting (a) or (b) and (c) will be declared non-responsive. 
3.	The selection will be based on the highest responsive combined rating of technical merit and price. The ratio will be 70 % for the technical merit and 30 % for the price. 
4.	To establish the technical merit score, the overall technical score for each responsive bid will be determined as follows: total number of points obtained / maximum number of points available multiplied by the ratio of 70 %. 
5.	To establish the pricing score, each responsive bid will be prorated against the lowest evaluated price and the ratio of 30 % in accordance with 1.2.1 Financial Evaluation. 
6.	For each responsive bid, the technical merit score and the pricing score will be added to determine its combined rating. 
7.	Neither the responsive bid obtaining the highest technical score nor the one with the lowest evaluated price will necessarily be accepted. The responsive bid with the highest combined rating of technical merit and price will be recommended for award of a contract. 

DIAND will identify successful Bidders on the basis of the highest combined technical and financial ratings for each Task Area separately (Details on the amounts and numbers of the awards appear in Part 7, A., 8 number of Standing Offers), with technical merit assessed at 70% of the overall mark, and financial costs valued at 30% of the overall mark. 

(NOTE: Bidders may propose to provide services in one, more than one, or all three areas. Further details on these services can be found in the Statement of Work, Appendix A). 

The number of SOAs awarded and the amount of each individual SOA will depend on the number of Bidders deemed by DIAND to have met or surpassed the minimum selection criteria, which will allow DIAND sufficient access to qualified resources across all three Task Areas, and which will allow DIAND adequate access to resources who can provide services in either or both official languages.