Knowledge Management

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:
    

   Departmental demographics currently indicate that 24% of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) executive-level workforce will be eligible to retire in the next 3 to 5 years. Many of these employees are in highly specialized positions, supporting mission critical government operations and have acquired tacit knowledge over the years in their field of work, which needs to be shared in a timely manner with the organization. The departure rates of employees and managers below the executive cadre are also pointing to the need to find an agile, real-time mechanism to capture and transfer critical knowledge.

   PWGSC has identified a critical need to identify, record, and share the knowledge of a minimum of 5 up to a maximum of 55 transitioning employees.

   Due to current time and workload constraints within PWGSC the tacit knowledge and complexity of mission critical roles cannot be documented and transferred in a quick and effective method before the employees’ anticipated departures. It is imperative that the knowledge extraction and transfer is completed using a thorough and time-sensitive method that allows the department to prepare accordingly for talent management and associated staffing changes and flag any potential gaps of knowledge/information or roles/responsibilities with limited disruption to the employee.

3. The work will involve the following:

   When a requirement is identified, PWGSC will provide the contractor with the transitioning employee’s contact information and whether a BroadScopeTM or a Detailed DiscoveryTM methodology is required. Within two (2) business days of receiving this information, the contractor must contact the employee and schedule an interview to occur within three (3) business days, unless otherwise agreed to by PWGSC. This applies to any PWGSC employee, anywhere in Canada or outside the country.

   BroadScopeTM Interview - The contractor will conduct an interview using the BroadScopeTM interview methodology with each identified employee.

   The interview will be held remotely using the PWGSC-provided WebEx tool. The contractor will require no longer than ninety (90) minutes to accurately identify and capture the tacit knowledge, such as roles and responsibilities as well as complex subject matters, held by the employee. The interview will be conducted in the employees’ official language of choice.

   BroadScopeTM Report – The contractor will produce and send a draft of the results within two hours of the interview to the employee for their review and validation. This will allow the employee to adjust, clarify, or correct the findings if and when identified by the employee. 

   Once the employee agrees with the findings, the contractor will complete the report and submit the final version in written format to PWGSC within one (1) business day.

   Detailed DiscoveryTM Interview – If and when PWGSC identifies that particular knowledge extracted from the initial BroadScopeTM report with an employee requires a deeper understanding, PWGSC will request a Detailed DiscoveryTM interview and report be completed.

   The contractor will conduct the interview using the PWGSC provided WebEx tool.

   The contractor will require no longer than ninety (90) minutes to build upon the findings of the initial BroadScopeTM interview, focusing and expanding on the critical elements of the employee’s knowledge as needed. Working with the manager and employee, PWGSC may elect to invite other experts to participate and observe the Detailed Discovery interview in order to contribute to the content and knowledge transfer objective. The interview will be conducted in the employees’ language of choice (English or French)Detailed DiscoveryTM Report – The contractor will complete the report and submit in written format to PWGSC within two (2) business days and will meet all the same parameters identified for the BroadScopeTM Report.

   The estimated level of effort from the contractor is four (4) working days per employee, if both a BroadScopeTM Interview and a Detailed DiscoveryTM Interview is determined necessary by PWGSC (at two [2] business days per interview).

4. 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.
   Suppliers must provide references and a sample report demonstrating their capabilities.

5. Assessment Criteria:

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

   The supplier must provide a proprietary commercial off the shelf knowledge transfer solution with a track record of results.

   Supplier must demonstrate that their solution has been used for more than 5 years, and can provide results which are consistent and comparable from year to year.

   The data collection interview with the departing employee must conclude in maximum of 3 hours, including time for providing introductory instructions and related information about the interview methodology.

   The solution must provide for a written knowledge transfer report of the data collection interview within a maximum of 2 business days.

   Initial Interview and report goals:

• The interview will capture an employee's knowledge in an efficient, objective and timely manner, providing an organized view of roles and responsibilities.
• The interview is 90 minutes or less, follow up review with employee within 2 business days as needed and final report will be submitted within 2 business days.
• The process must capture critical elements and complex subject matter which will allow organizations to assess risk and reduce impact, if an employee is leaving a role.
• Enables effective workplace planning and leadership development for greater individual and organizational productivity.
• Report shouldn’t exceed 25 pages, including charts, graphs or any other information.

  Follow up interview and report goals:

• If required the contractor will build upon the findings of the initial interview, focusing and expanding on the critical elements of the employee’s knowledge.
• Providing an organized broader view of roles and responsibilities.
• The follow up interview with the departing employee must conclude in maximum of 90 minutes.
• The solution must provide for a written knowledge transfer report of the data collection interview within a maximum of 2 business days.
• The process must capture critical elements and complex subject matter which will allow organizations to assess risk, and reduce impact if an employee is leaving a role, and enables effective workplace planning.
• Report shouldn’t exceed 25 pages, including charts, graphs or any other information.

  The references and sample report provided by interested suppliers must demonstrate that the proposed methodology will fulfill the above assessment criteria and can achieve the goals of the BroadScope and Detailed Discovery.

6. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier:

   PWGSC requires the unique services of Transition-Path Inc. to meet this acute need using an innovative and expedient method. Transition-Path Inc. holds the sole intellectual proprietorship of the BroadScope^TM and Detailed Discovery^TM knowledge transfer methodologies that extracts, captures, and shares an employee’s knowledge, the complexities of their role in the organization, and their key priorities in a time-sensitive manner. Each interview is completed in a flexible setting within 90 minutes, using WebEx (a virtual online interview) with respective reports completed in less than two (2) business days that requires little to no time commitment from the departing employee.

   The BroadScope^TM is a Canadian innovation which uses a remote web application to quickly and efficiently organize highly detailed and complicated subject matter. The process takes place virtually and takes no more than 90 minutes. The BroadScope^TM begins when job knowledge is extracted straight from the people who are doing the work and who are in transition (retirement, or departure). The methodology follows a discipline designed to capture all relevant information necessary to transfer knowledge. The remote nature of the interview is free of gender, racial, or personality bias, allowing the department (PWGSC) to capture and assess critical knowledge while respecting diversity and ensuring inclusion. 

   Methodology is trademarked, sole proprietor of intellectual property.

7. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s):

   10.2.5 Exception (d) sets competitive bidding aside when only one person or firm can do the job. This exception is quite definitive and should be invoked only where patent or copyright requirements, or technical compatibility factors and technological expertise suggest that only one contractor exists.

8. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

   The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the Applicable Limited Tendering Provision under NAFTA (Article 1016.2)

   1016.2(b) - where, for works of art, or for reasons connected with the protection of patents, copyrights or other exclusive rights, or proprietary information or where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons, the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists;

   Applicable Limited Tendering Provision under WTO-AGP (Article XV.1)

   XV.1 (a) - protection of exclusive rights, such as patents or copyrights, or in the absence of competition for technical reasons, the products or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.

   Applicable Limited Tendering Provision under AIT (Article 506.12)

   506.12(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.

   Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)

   Article 513: Limited Tendering

   (b) (ii) the protection of patents, copyrights, or other exclusive rights

9. Period of the proposed contract:

   The period of the Contract is from date of Contract award to March 31, 2019

10. Option to Extend the Contract:  

    With (2) two (1) one year option period

11. Cost estimate of the proposed contract:

    The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $300,000.00

    Customs duties are included, and Applicable Taxes are extra.

12. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Transition Path Inc.

36, rue Toronto,
bureau 800,

Toronto (Ontario)
M5C 2C5

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

April 24, 2018 1400 EST

14. Ownership of Intellectual Property

No intellectual property will be generated as a result of this contract.

15. Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

The Contracting Authority

Mark St Laurent

Contracting and Procurement Division

Telephone: 819-420-2810

E-mail address: mark.stlaurent@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca