GROW AND EVALUATE BREEDING WHEAT AND OAT LINES – British Columbia

ACAN (01R11-19-C005)

GROW AND EVALUATE BREEDING WHEAT AND OAT LINES – British Columbia

This ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) intends to award a service contract 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 this ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

REQUIREMENT:

Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) requires the services of a Research Facility who owns/has access to land in the Dawson Creek and/or Fort St. John, British Columbia locations, to grow and evaluate early maturing oat cultivars suitable for production in the eastern rust-prone areas of the prairies and early maturing spring wheat cultivars suitable for production in the Peace River and Parkland production areas of Western Canada.

AAFC is a Cooperative Test Coordinator with the Prairie Recommending Committee for Oat and Barley, and coordinates the evaluation of candidate oat cultivars and wheat cultivars in a series of cooperative pre-registration trials.

The Contractor is Required to:

1. Plant seed as early as possible, weather permitting, as per trial design provided by AAFC Project Authority. 
2. Apply weed, bird and insect control as required.

1. Identify plots (with stakes or loop labels) throughout the growing season. 

1. Apply fungicides on a Case by Case Basis, as requested by AAFC Project Authority, for the control of foliar and seed borne diseases. These applications should be timed so as not to interfere with the selection for genetic resistance to diseases of economic interest.
2. Evaluate the plots in season as requested by AAFC Project Authority. Evaluation will include, but is not limited to; observations regarding heading date, maturity, height and lodging.
3. Harvest plots when crop is ripe, taking care to minimize harvest losses and/or mistakes, and as weather at harvest permits. 
4. Weigh and record plot yields, returning such data to AAFC as soon as practical for post-harvest analysis by the AAFC Project Authority.
5. Retain all harvested/collected grain until the end of February of each crop year and, return the seed to AAFC as requested in accordance with written instructions from the Project Authority.
6. Create and Provide a Report to the Project Authority, in electronic format (Word or Excel), on activities for each crop year. 

1. Reports will include, but not limited to, the following:

• information on disease resistance
• heading date
• maturity and height
• lodging and yield for early maturing oat and wheat cultivars and/or lines 
• dates of receipt of seed, planting and field operations
• other data as requested by the AAFC Project Authority

CONTRACT PERIOD: April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2021.

ESTIMATED VALUE: $ 214, 200.00 (including GST)

PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER:

B.C. Grain Producers Association

Box 6004

FORT ST. JOHN BC V1J 4H6

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION:

The B.C. Grain Producers Association (BCGPA) is the only known supplier to provide access to the land of the test sites. The Dawson Creek and Fort St. John locations provide the extremely short growing season required for breeding wheat and oat varieties adapted to the Parkland and Peace River production areas, as required by Wheat Core activity CL6-A3 and by the industry supported mandate of the Oat Breeding cluster. The value of the data produced by the BCGPA is enhanced by the fact that long-term statistical models have been built to relate the performance of experimental wheat and oat lines at the BCGPA sites with their performance across the growing region. Data produced at another site will not provide the same value to the breeding program. The value of agricultural yield testing data is linked to the site where it is produced and long term continuity of data is integral to its value.

SUBMISSION OF STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES CLOSING DATE AND TIME:

The closing date and time for accepting Statement of Capabilities is February 22, 2018 at 2:00 pm CST.

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.

ACAN NOTICE:

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the Contracting Authority.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and agencies to post a notice, for no less than 15 calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the Contracting Authority may then proceed with the award. However, should a Statement of Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, then the Contracting Authority will proceed to a full tendering process.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/goods described herein, may submit a statement of capabilities in writing, either via letter, facsimile or Email 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.

The Solicitation Number, Name of Contracting Authority and closing date of the ACAN must appear within your Statement of Capabilities in block letters.

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.