Sample collection for the national bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance programme

ADVANCE CONTACT AWARD NOTICE (ACAN) - Jean-Paul Fortier et Frères Inc

Canadian Food Inspection Agency has a requirement for the provision of rendering services. The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government's intention to award a contract for these services to Jean-Paul Fortier et Frères Inc, located at 479 Route Bégin Sainte-Claire, Québec, G0R 2V0. 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.

Background

Canadian Food Inspection Agency has a requirement for the following need:

On May 20, 2003, a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, was confirmed in an animal born and raised in Canada. On January 9, 2004, the Government of Canada announced it would increase BSE surveillance testing as part of the national BSE response strategy. The CFIA has increased the number of samples collected at the national level to a minimum of 8,000 in 2004, the CFIA has subsequently implanted a BSE surveillance system program to analyze a minimum of 30,000 samples annually. The CFIA therefore wishes to encourage, through offers of service contracts, the collection of samples in sufficient quantity to meet the objectives of the National ssurveillance program for BSE.

The work will involve the following:

Services required by the CFIA in implementing its surveillance program include those associated with carcass pick up, identification and traceability (record keeping) of selected carcasses, provision and maintenance of a suitable sampling facility and on site handling to present the appropriate samples to the CFIA, as well as those services related to the storage and segregation of carcasses pending determination of BSE status.

The proposed contract is for a period of three (3) years, from January 8^th, 2018 to December 31, 2020 and will include two (2) option for an additional 5,000 samples each.

The estimated value of the contract, including the option period, is $1,200,000.00 (excluding taxes).

Minimum Essential Requirements

Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets the following requirements:

• must be located in Canada;
• must have knowledge and experience of the dead stock industry;
• must demonstrate professional experience in the industry of collection of dead cattle in the past 3 years;
• must possess adequate facilities and record keeping capabilities;
• must be operated in accordance with federal, provincial and municipal requirements;
• must have the ability to collect bovine carcasses on the territory of Canada;
• must have a business volume that allows for the recovery of more than 5,000 heads to allow the CFIA to meet its national sampling objectives;
• must have sufficient refrigeration equipment in order to preserve carcasses before and after sampling occurs until test results are available;
• must provide acceptable working conditions for staff of the CFIA.

Justification for the Pre-Selected Supplier

There are no other dead stock operators in Canada that suit the CFIA’s requirements for BSE Surveillance. The requirement concerns the admissibility of carcasses based on age and identification. The quantity of selected carcasses must allow CFIA personnel to choose those that correspond to BSE program criteria and the quality of these carcasses needs to permit quality samples. Furthermore, the suggested supplier is the only known operator that can provide sufficient facilities to meet the requirements of the National BSE Surveillance program to fulfill CFIA needs.

Canada intends to retain ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract on the basis that the main purpose of the contract consists of material subject to copyright

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.

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is February 9, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. EST.

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Karine Chrétien

Procurement Officer

Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Telephone: 613-773-7606
Facsimile: 613-773-7615
Email: karine.chretien@inspection.gc.ca

Policy Information

The statutory and regulatory requirements applicable for this ACAN process are the following:

__√__ Government Contracts Regulations (GCR) – Section 6(d)

 “only one person or firm is capable of performing the contract”

__√__ Contract subject to WTO-AGP - Article XXIII: paragraph 2

“…nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent any Party from imposing or enforcing measures: necessary to protect public morals, order or safety, human, animal…”

__√__ Contract subject to NAFTA – Chapter 10, Annexe 1001.1b-2, Section B, class F – Natural Resources and Conservation Services, subclass F029 – Other Animal Care / Control Services

__√__ Contract subject to AIT - Chapter 5, Article 506, paragraph 12 (b)
”Where only one supplier is able to meet the requirements of a procurement, an entity may use procurement procedures that are different from those described in paragraphs 1 through 10 in the following circumstances: (b) where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no alternative or substitute exists;”