Infrastructure Hosting Services for the 600 MHz Auction

Summary

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is soliciting bids (also referred to as “proposals”) for the services of a Contractor to provide Infrastructure Hosting Services for the 600 MHz Auction as defined in Appendix “A”, Statement of Work (the “Work”), for a period commencing from date of Contract award to June 30, 2019.

Objective

ISED is seeking a Contractor to provide month-to-month infrastructure hosting for the PA Internet-based auction software. The Contractor will be required to provide primary and warm backup servers within their data centre(s) located in Canada.

Bid data submitted using the PA software during the live auctions is designated Protected B. As such, the Contractor must hold a valid Designated Organization Screening (DOS) for their data centre(s) issued by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) at the time of contract award.

Once the servers have been provisioned by the Contractor, sole administrative control will be handed over to ISED/PA for configuration of the auction software.

Security

There is a security requirement associated with this requirement. For additional information, consult Part 6 – Security Requirements, and Part 7 – Resulting Contract Clauses.

Legal Capacity

The Bidder must have the legal capacity to contract. If the Bidder is a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporate body, the Bidder must provide, if required by the Contracting Authority, a statement and any requested supporting documentation including the laws under which it is registered or incorporated together with the registered or corporate name and place of business. These requirements also apply to bidders submitting a bid as a joint venture.

Definition of Bidder

"Bidder" means the person or entity (or, in the case of a joint venture, the persons or entities) submitting a bid to perform the Work. It does not include the parent, subsidiaries or other affiliates of the Bidder, or its subcontractors.

Definition of Joint Venture

Association of two or more parties who combine their money, property, knowledge, expertise or other resources in a single joint business enterprise, sometimes referred as a consortium, to bid together on a requirement and to perform the Work.

Submission of Bids

Bids must be submitted only to Innovation, Science and Economic Development’s Bid Receiving Area by the date, time and place indicated on page 1 of the bid solicitation. Bidders are hereby advised that the Bid Receiving Area of ISED is open Monday to Friday inclusive, between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:30 pm, excluding Statutory Holidays.

ELECTRONIC BIDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Due to the nature of this bid solicitation, bids transmitted by facsimile or electronic mail to ISED will not be accepted.

Notice to bidders

The following terms and conditions may apply to this solicitation:

Bidders may be required to provide, prior to contract award, specific information with respect to their legal and financial status, and their technical capability to satisfy the requirement as stipulated in this solicitation.

a) For Canadian-based bidders, prices must be firm (in Canadian funds) with Canadian customs duties and excise taxes as applicable INCLUDED, and Goods and Services Tax (GST) or Harmonized Sales Taxes (HST) as applicable EXCLUDED.

b) For Foreign-based bidders, prices must be firm (in Canadian funds) and EXCLUDE Canadian customs duties, excise taxes and GST or HST as applicable. CANADIAN CUSTOMS DUTIES AND

EXCISE TAXES PAYABLE BY ISED WILL BE ADDED, FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY, TO THE PRICES SUBMITTED BY FOREIGN-BASED BIDDERS.

The contract term “Employment Equity” and any clause relating to international sanctions, if and when included in this document, apply to Canadian-based bidders only.

^{Communications – Solicitation Period}

To ensure the integrity of the competitive bid process, enquiries and other communications regarding the bid solicitation, from the issue date of the solicitation up to the closing date (the “bid solicitation period”), must be directed ONLY to the Contracting Authority identified in the bid solicitation. Enquiries and other communications are NOT to be directed to any other government official(s). Failure to comply with this request may (for that reason alone) result in the bid being declared non-responsive.

Bidders must reference as accurately as possible the numbered item of the bid solicitation to which the enquiry relates. Care must be taken by bidders to explain each question in sufficient detail in order to enable Canada to provide an accurate answer. Technical enquiries that are proprietary in nature must be clearly marked “proprietary” at each relevant item. Items identified as “proprietary” will be treated as such except where Canada determines that the enquiry is not of a proprietary nature. Canada may edit the questions or may request that the Bidder do so, so that the proprietary nature of the question is eliminated, and the enquiry can be answered with copies to all bidders.

All enquiries regarding this bid solicitation must be submitted in writing to the Contracting Authority named below as early as possible within the solicitation period to allow sufficient time to provide a response. All enquiries must be submitted in writing no later than four (4) working days before the bid closing date. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.

The Contracting Authority is:

Name: Chantal Lafleur

Title: Senior Contracts and Procurement Advisor

Email address: chantal.lafleur2@canada.ca

Telephone Number: 613-608-5865

To ensure consistency and quality of information provided to bidders, the Contracting Authority will simultaneously distribute any information with respect to significant enquiries received and the replies to such enquiries without revealing the sources of the enquiries.

Meetings will not be held with individual bidders prior to the closing date and time of this RFP.

Amendments to the Bidder’s proposal will not be accepted after the RFP closing date and time.