Improving the Internet Connectivity of Users in Remote Locations

December 5, 2018

Attachment 2 contains a question and answer related to the challenge.

As a result, the following change has been made to this Challenge:

Delete: $0.50Mbps or less

Replace with: $0.50/Mbps or less

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November 28, 2018

Attachment 1 contains questions and answers related to the challenge.

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This Challenge Notice is issued under the Innovative Solutions Canada Program Call for Proposals 002 (EN578-170003/C).

Please refer to the Solicitation Documents which contain the process for submitting a proposal.

Steps to apply:

Step 1: read this challenge

Step 2: read the Call for Proposals

Step 3: propose your solution

CHALLENGE TITLE: Improving the Internet Connectivity of Users in Remote Locations

CHALLENGE SPONSOR: Shared Services Canada (SSC)

FUNDING MECHANISM: Contract

MAXIMUM CONTRACT VALUE:

Multiple contracts could result from this Challenge.

The maximum funding available for any Phase 1 Contract resulting from this Challenge is $150,000.00 CAD (plus tax) including shipping, travel and living expenses, as applicable, for up to 6 months.

The maximum funding available for any Phase 2 Contract resulting from this Challenge is $1,000,000.00 CAD (plus tax) including shipping, travel and living expenses, as applicable, for up to 2 years. Only eligible businesses that have completed Phase 1 could be considered for Phase 2.

This disclosure is made in good faith and does not commit Canada to contract for the total approximate funding.

TRAVEL:

No travel is anticipated for Phase 1

Kick-off meeting: Teleconference/videoconference

Progress Review Meeting: Teleconference/videoconference

Final Review Meeting: Teleconference/videoconference

PROBLEM SUMMARY

Shared Services Canada is seeking solutions that would enable low-cost high-speed Internet access to Government of Canada employees and Canadian citizens who work or live in remote areas around the world.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The Government of Canada (GoC) employs people who may be required to work in remote locations on an ongoing basis. These employees may not have the same quality of access to web-based applications and digital services as fellow public servants doing the same work in better connected urban environments. The same situation faces Canadian citizens who reside in remote locations and do not have the same quality of access to GoC services (e.g., online tax filing, passport applications, etc.). Shared Services Canada (SSC) is seeking innovative solutions to improve the online experience of GoC employees and citizens in remote locations.

DESIRED OUTCOMES AND CONSIDERATIONS

The desired outcomes are technologies that enable the provision of low-cost, high-speed Internet access that is scalable and easily accessible by GoC employees and Canadians in remote locations.

A remote location for this challenge is understood to meet the following criteria:

• Any community not currently connected to the North-American electrical grid nor to the piped natural gas network; and
• Is a permanent or long-term (5 years or more) settlement with at least 10 dwellings.

A rural area for this challenge is understood to meet the following criteria:

• Small towns, villages and other populated places with less than 1,000 people according to the current census; and
• Rural areas of census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations that may contain estate lots, as well as agricultural, undeveloped and non-developable lands.

Close proximity for this challenge is understood to meet the following criteria:

• 100km or less.

A major urban centre for this challenge is understood to meet the following criteria:

• Comprise of populations of 100,000 or more.

Essential Outcomes:

The proposed solutions must:

• Be easily deployed in remote locations and be monitored and maintained/administered remotely;
• Be able to outperform current bandwidth speeds and at prices better than rural areas that have a close proximity to major urban centers;
• Be deployable and supportable to various geo-diverse locations which may be several hundred kilometers from the closest larger urban center; and
• Be weather resistant and able to operate in harsh and cold environments.

Additional Outcomes:

The proposed solutions should target improvements in:

• Internet speeds: 100Mbps or better; and/or
• Latency: 30ms or less; and/or
• Cost effectiveness: $0.50/Mbps or less; and/or
• Uninterrupted Internet connections: for at least 12 hours encompassing normal business hours

Consideration is given to proposals that either focus on hardware or software solutions or any combination thereof. Novel solutions that improve network traffic and optimize the performance of Web caching that result in reduced bandwidth consumption, server load and latency are also of interest.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

SSC and GoC partners have tried to provide better access to GoC applications and services to GoC employees in remote locations using existing technology and standards, but most currently available solutions tend to be prohibitive, unsupportable, and ineffective given the location or provide a poor user experience (i.e., slow speeds and high latency).

New solutions that would improve the online experience and productivity of GoC employees working in remote locations could also be applied to improve the online experience of Canadian citizens that live in similar geographic regions and that require access to GoC online services.

ENQUIRIES

All enquiries must be submitted in writing to TPSGC.SIC-ISC.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca no later than ten calendar days before the Challenge Notice closing date. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.