Multi-year Calibration and Support agreement for two complementary radio frequency exposure measurement systems

1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)

An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

2. Definition of the requirement

The Department of Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has a requirement to provide yearly support, maintenance and re-calibration services for the Department’s Schmid & Partner Engineering AG (SPEAG) cSAR3D Vector Array Fast Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) Measurement System and the cDASY6 SAR and RF Exposure (Power Density) Measurement System.

Yearly support, maintenance and re-calibration services is necessary in order to maintain the testing, data integrity, accuracy, reliability and reproducibility of the measurements results produced by the SPEAG cSAR3D and cDASY6 systems. The services provided will also apply to the SPEAG cDASY6 5G Module which is used to perform RF Exposure evaluations (power density evaluations) in the frequency range from 6GHz to 100GHz.

These systems are critical measurement solutions employed by the Certification and Engineering Bureau (CEB) of ISED. These systems allow the CEB to carry out ongoing market surveillance to monitor compliance to applicable safety limits outlined in Radio Standard Specification (RSS) 102 for radio frequency exposure. Examples of products tested using these systems are mobile phones and tablets.

The services provided will include:

• The Contractor will provide “support, maintenance and re-calibration” services from date of Contract award to March 31^st, 2018 plus five (5) one-year irrevocable options allowing Canada to extend the term of the contract. The first year of services will cover the cSAR3D while the additional option years will cover the specified services for both the cSAR3D and the cDASY6 SAR Measurement Systems.

• Yearly support and maintenance which includes:
  • Remote technical support;
  • Maintenance, repair and replacement of SPEAG hardware in Zurich;
  • Updates to the existing software versions;
  • Yearly web training, as requested;
  • Regular supply of technical information about component performance, new developments and general dosimetry relevant to the operation of the cSAR3D and DASY SAR Systems, and readily available to SPEAG;
  • Discount of 25% on the loan/rental fee for replacement components;
  • Discount of 25% on the price of revisions and modifications of the current version of the cDASY6 System beyond Updates;
  • Discount of 25% on all prices relating to the standard calibrations and 50% discount on Sensor Model Calibration prices for the cDASY6 system;
  • Discount of 25% on the price of revisions, modifications and upgrades of the current version of the cSAR3D beyond Updates.

• Yearly re-calibration services (as performed by an accredited ISO/IEC17025 calibration laboratory) which include:
  • All re-calibration service must be completed on March 31^st of each year.

• Calibration and characterization of the ISED’s cDASY6 system components including:
  • System validation dipoles and antennas;
  • Isotropic electric field probes;
  • Data acquisition electronics;
  • Modulation and Audio Interference Analyzer;
  • Dielectric assessment system probe and reflectometer;
  • Millimeter wave electric field probe;
  • 5G module validation and verification antennas.

• Calibration and characterization of the cSAR3D system and components including:
  • cSAR3D Left Head;
  • cSAR3D Right Head;
  • cSAR3D Flat;
  • Modulation and Audio Interference Analyzer;
  • As applicable to the component being calibrated and measurement software, calibration parameters will be provided in the form of calibration files that will be imported into the measurement software once calibration has been completed.

3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements)

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

1. Can provide all services listed in 2. Definition of the requirement for both the cSAR3D and cDASY6.
2. All services provided are 100% compatible and interoperable with the SPEAG cDASY6 and cSAR3D SAR Measurement Systems including the cDASY6 5G Module.
3. Calibration services are carried out by an ISO/IEC17025 accredited calibration laboratory and will satisfy all requirements set forth in the most recent versions of IEC62209-1 Ed. 2.0 [1] and IEC TR 63170 ED1 [2].

[1] IEC 62209-1, Edition 2.0, “Measurement procedure for the assessment of specific absorption rate of human exposure to radio frequency fields from hand-held and body-mounted wireless communication devices – Part 1: Devices used next to the ear (Frequency range of 300 MHz to 6 GHz)”.

[2] IEC TR 63170 Edition 1.0, “Measurement procedure for the evaluation of power density related to human exposure to radio frequency fields from wireless communication devices operating between 6 GHz and 100 GHz Hz”.

4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement

This procurement is subject to the following trade agreements:

• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA);
• World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP);
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA);
• Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement;
• Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement;
• Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement;
• Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement;
• Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement;
• Canada-European Union: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

SPEAG Switzerland has exclusive proprietary rights to the equipment and associated testing software. In addition, SPEAG is the only ISO 17025 accredited laboratory that can access the hardware and software components necessary to recalibrate the systems.

6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection: (d) only one person or firm is capable of performing the contract. (http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-87-402/page-2.html)

7. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

The following exclusions and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the section of the trade agreements specified:

• World Trade Organization – Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-GPA), Article XIII(b);
• Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement (CETA), Article 19.12 (b);
• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), Article 513 (b);
• North American Free Trade (NAFTA), Article 1016.2 (b);
• Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement, Kbis-09 (b);
• Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement, Article 1409 (b);
• Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement, Article 17.11 (b);
• Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement;
• Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement, Article 1409 (b);
• Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement, Article 16.10 (b).

8. Ownership of Intellectual Property

Ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract will vest in the Contractor.

9. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

The proposed contract is from date of Contract award to March 31^st, 2018 plus five (5) one-year irrevocable options allowing Canada to extend the term of the contract.

10. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated maximum value of the contract is $784,000.00 CAD inclusive of applicable taxes.

11. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Schmid & Partner Engineering AG

Zeughausstrasse 43, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland

12. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods, services or construction services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person 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.

13. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is February 9, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

14. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Chantal Lafleur

Senior Contracts and Procurement Advisor

Corporate Finance Systems and Procurement Branch

235 Queen Street, Ottawa ON
Telephone: 613-990-5937
E-mail: chantal.lafleur2@canada.ca