Supplier Engagement at Elections Canada

Letter of Interest

Introduction

This Letter of Interest (LOI) constitutes a preliminary phase to an intended procurement process by Elections Canada for the requirements described below. Suppliers are invited to submit responses, information and comments to assist Elections Canada in refining its requirements. Suppliers are not required to submit a response to this request for information (RFI) in order to participate in any later phases of the procurement process.

1. 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.

Elections Canada is committed to enhancing electors’ experiences in the areas of voting services, voter registration and voter information. Suppliers play a critical role in helping Elections Canada fulfill its mandate, and of particular interest are products and services that would contribute to improving the accessibility, reach, convenience and effectiveness of new products and services to electors.

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

2. Purpose

Elections Canada is issuing this LOI to provide suppliers with an opportunity to: a) learn about current and anticipated areas of interest and Elections Canada requirements; and b) provide input to assist Elections Canada in refining its requirements.

It is Elections Canada’s intent to formally launch several supplier engagement activities, including but not limited to:

• Product/Service Submission Form, which channels information directly to relevant Elections Canada stakeholders
• Elections Canada Supplier Engagement Days, currently planned for fall 2016 and subsequent dates (as needed)
• RFI opportunities, to be published separately on buyandsell.gc.ca
• Other supplier engagement activities, which may include the following, without limitation:
  • Trade shows and conferences
  • Multilateral and bilateral communication channels by area of interest
  • Presentations
  • Product demonstrations
  • Pilots and software trials
  • Online questionnaires and surveys
  • Online collaboration tools and discussion groups
  • Social media outreach
  • Focus groups
  • Advisory committees

• Other post–supplier engagement activities, which may include the following, without limitation:
  • Invitation to qualify
  • Solicitations

These efforts are intended to give Elections Canada a better understanding of the relevant products and services available in the market that would contribute to improving new products and services to electors.

Elections Canada Supplier Engagement Principles

• Early engagement and openness
• Equal opportunity
• Rigour and stewardship
• Free of conflict of interest
• Provide opportunities for suppliers to showcase
• Value for money

This LOI is not a solicitation of bids or proposals and does not constitute a commitment with respect to future purchases, procurements or contracts. No contract will be awarded as a result of the activities undertaken during this LOI. Potential suppliers of any goods or services described in this LOI should not reserve stock or facilities, nor allocate resources, as a result of any information contained in this LOI.

3. Current and Expected Areas of Interest

Elections Canada is issuing this LOI to provide suppliers with an opportunity to learn more about future Elections Canada requirements and to inform suppliers of the communication channels available to them. At this time, Elections Canada’s current and expected areas of interest include:

• Business Intelligence and Analytics
• Business Social / Networking / Collaboration Platform
• Case Management Systems / Contact Centre Technologies
• Enterprise Resource Planning (Integrated Resources Planning Model)
• Financial Systems and Automated Payment Processing
• GCDocs Implementation Services
• Information / Data Architecture Modeling / Advanced Extract, Transform, Load (ETL)
• Learning Management Systems / Recruitment Management Systems / Payroll Systems (Hire-Recruit-Pay)
• Mobile Application Development
• Mobile Device Management
• Platform as a Service / Cloud
• Printing Services – Just-in-Time Printing and Just-in-Time Bulk Variable Printing, Bindery and Finishing Services
• Unified Communications and Collaboration Technologies
• Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) Services
• Voter Information Sharing and Outreach
• Voter List / E-Poll Book Management
• Voting Process Engineering and Consulting Services
• Voting Systems and Technologies

This list will be updated on an ongoing basis.

4. What are Elections Canada Supplier Engagement Days?

From time to time, Elections Canada hosts Supplier Engagement Days to provide an opportunity for suppliers to learn more about future Elections Canada requirements, as outlined herein. Suppliers offering relevant products and services will be provided the opportunity to register and may be invited to deliver a presentation or demonstration. This notice will be updated with information about future Elections Canada Supplier Engagement Days. The information will be updated on an ongoing basis to reflect Elections Canada’s most current supplier engagement activities.

Due to anticipated high demand, unfortunately, if a product or service does not fall within a specific area of interest, it may not be possible to include it in a Supplier Engagement Day. The focus of Supplier Engagement Days will be on products and services that align with the agency’s strategic objectives, such as the current Elections Canada areas of interest. However, interested suppliers are invited to complete the Product/Service Submission Form to signal their interest in participating in the future.

5. Conditions

5.1. Nature of the LOI

This is not a bid solicitation. This LOI will not result in the awarding of any contract, nor will it result in the creation of any source list. Therefore, should a supplier not respond to this LOI, it will not preclude that supplier from participating in any future procurement(s). Also, the procurement of any of the goods and services identified in this LOI will not necessarily follow this LOI as Elections Canada reserves the right to cancel or modify any of the preliminary requirements described herein. This LOI is simply intended to solicit feedback from industry with respect to the current and expected areas of interest described in this LOI.

5.2. Nature and Format of Responses Requested

Respondents are requested to provide their comments, concerns and, where applicable, alternative recommendations regarding how the requirements or objectives described in this LOI could be satisfied by completing the Product/Service Submission Form at elections.ca/supplier. Respondents should explain any assumptions they make in their responses.

We ask that you do not contact Elections Canada personnel directly about your offerings, since you would simply be directed to the website to complete the form.

5.3. Response Costs

Elections Canada will not reimburse any respondents or any of its representatives for any overhead, costs or expenses incurred in participating in or responding to any part of this LOI.

5.4. Treatment of Responses

• Use of Responses: Responses will not be formally evaluated. However, the responses received may be used by Elections Canada to develop or modify procurement strategies or any draft documents contained in this LOI. Elections Canada will review all responses received by the LOI closing date. Elections Canada may, at its discretion, review responses received after the LOI closing date.
• Review Team: A review team composed of Elections Canada representatives will review the responses. Elections Canada reserves the right to hire any independent consultant, or use any government resources that it considers necessary, to review any response. Not all members of the review team will necessarily review all responses.
• Confidentiality: Respondents should mark any portions of their response that they consider proprietary or confidential. Elections Canada will handle the responses in accordance with the Access to Information Act.
• Follow-up Activity: Elections Canada may, at its discretion, meet with suppliers who indicate in their responses that they wish to participate in a follow-up meeting. Such a follow-up activity, if conducted, may include, but is not limited to, individual meetings and/or conferences. Elections Canada may, at its discretion, contact any supplier to follow up with additional questions or for clarification of any aspect of a response.

5.5. Contents of this LOI

This LOI refers to a web-based form to be completed by interested suppliers. As it becomes available, additional information about Elections Canada supplier engagement activities and current and expected areas of interest will be added.

This LOI and related documents are currently at a preliminary stage. Suppliers should not assume that new clauses or requirements will not be added to any future supplier engagement activities or to the procurement documents that may ultimately be published by Elections Canada; nor should suppliers assume that clauses or requirements will not be deleted or remain unchanged. Comments regarding any aspect of the process are welcome and should be submitted using the Product/Service Submission Form at elections.ca/supplier.

5.6. Format of Responses

a) Interested suppliers are invited to complete the Product/Service Submission Form at elections.ca/supplier with details of products and services that could be of interest.

Product/Service Submission Form—Content

• Product or service that could be of interest and broad pricing information, if available
• Description of product or service and relevance to Elections Canada’s identified areas of interest
• Link to any reference information the supplier may want to provide
• Supplier information and point of contact

b) Interested suppliers are invited to submit responses to current and future RFIs posted on buyandsell.gc.ca.

Please note that suppliers should search for the most current Elections Canada RFI information, including submission requirements and deadlines, on buyandsell.gc.ca.

5.7. Enquiries

Because this is not a bid solicitation, Elections Canada will not necessarily respond to enquiries in writing or by circulating answers to all suppliers. However, suppliers with questions regarding this LOI may direct their enquiries to supplier@elections.ca.

We ask that suppliers avoid contacting Elections Canada personnel directly about their product and service offerings as they will be directed to elections.ca/supplier. The completion of the web submission form will allow any information submitted to be directed to the appropriate Elections Canada personnel.

6. Submission of Responses to Series of Future RFIs

Suppliers wishing to respond to any Elections Canada RFI posted on buyandsell.gc.ca should refer to that published tender document for specific submission requirements:

a) Time and Place for Submission of Responses: Respondents should send responses electronically by the date and using the method specified on the front page of each published RFI.

b) Responsibility for Timely Delivery: Each respondent is solely responsible for ensuring its response is delivered on time, in the right format and to the correct location, in accordance with the submission requirements identified in each published RFI.