"TGMS-SGSTO" Tri-Agency Grants Management Solution (TGMS) Initiative

Update – October 10, 2019

The notice amendment is raised to extend the closing date of the Notice of Proposed Procurement to October 31, 2019 at 14h00 EDT, to answer questions received in response to the NPP, to update the contracting authority and to modify Annex F accordingly.

***********

Update - September 27, 2019

The notice amendment is raised to add “Annex F – Questions and Answers” to answer questions received in response to the Notice of Proposed Procurement.

***********

Update - September 16, 2019

The notice amendment is raised to extend the closing date of the Notice of Proposed Procurement to October 11, 2019 at 14h00 EDT, in order to permit Canada to publish questions and answers from engagement activities.

***********

Update - September 3, 2019

The notice amendment is raised to modify Annex B.

One-on-one meetings: Interested suppliers may request a one-on-one meeting by contacting the contracting authority at the coordinates below no later than September 6, 2019.

***********

Update - August 22, 2019

This notice amendment is raised to add the Industry Day presentation in the attachments menu below.

***********

This NPP is issued to inform potential suppliers regarding the proposed procurement of a grants management solution (GMS) on behalf of the Tri-Agencies, the federal granting agencies that support research, research training and innovation in Canadian postsecondary and research institutions. This grants management initiative is referred to as the TGMS Initiative.

The Tri-Agencies consist of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and together, annually award in excess of $3 billion of research grant and award funding.

Requirement

The Tri-Agencies’ existing grants management systems are limited in their capacity to adapt to the changing needs of the research community and the Agencies’ evolving business needs mainly because they are composed of non-integrated systems with limited integration capabilities.

By procuring a seamless user-centric grants management solution, there is an opportunity to modernize grants management and meet the standards of excellence that the Canadian research community and Tri-Agency staff expect in terms of efficiency, interoperability, accessibility, and usability, to counter:

• Aging systems that are complex, administratively burdensome and time-consuming to use, resulting in an unsatisfactory user experience and inefficient processes.
• Out-of-date technology that cannot be upgraded and is increasingly challenging to maintain. This rigidity impedes responsiveness to a changing research landscape and limits the ability of the agencies to collaborate on innovative programs.
• Inconsistent data architecture and too many unnecessary data fields that create inefficiencies and impede data sharing and data analysis. This silo approach to data makes it difficult to conduct analysis of funded research.

The TGMS Initiative (referred to as TGMS or Solution) requirement is for the provision of a contractor configured, operated and supported grants management solution. In addition, the TGMS must provide required internal and external stakeholder interfaces and provide interfaces with Tri-Agency financial and business systems to enable implementation of an initial wave of grants and awards programs. Transition from existing Tri-Agency GMS systems will take place incrementally over several years to accommodate required program and organization change and to ensure continuity of services in current programs.

Additional information about the TGMS Initiative requirement is provided in Annex A, C, D and E.

Proposed Procurement Strategy

The TGMS Initiative requirement is proposed to be addressed through an agile procurement process as being evolved by Canada. This process incorporates gates with extensive stakeholder and industry engagement including requirements for hands-on exposure to potential TGMS Solutions by Tri-Agency stakeholders during various stages in the procurement.

The initial gate in the proposed TGMS agile procurement process is:

Gate 1: Industry and stakeholder engagement

• An “industry day” at which Canada will elaborate and answer questions on the scope of potential TGMS requirements and the PSPC and TGMS agile procurement process – est. August 23, 2019.

  Additional details on the Industry Day are provided in Annex B.

• One-on-one meetings at which Canada will seek input on the topics outlined Annex B with interested suppliers following Industry Day – est. September 4-16, 2019.

  Additional details on the One-on-one meetings are provided in Annex B.

  How to participate

  Industry Day: Participation is intended for suppliers as the primary audience. To attend in person or via WebEx, please fill out the online registration form at https://tgms-sgsto.eventbrite.ca. Participants will receive a confirmation of their registration and details about the session after registering.

  One-on-one meetings: Interested suppliers may request a one-on-one meeting by contacting the contracting authority at the coordinates below.

The Gate 1 of the TGMS agile procurement process will be open to all potential suppliers of grants management related software and service solutions. Canada may modify the proposed procurement strategy following the industry and stakeholder engagement process.

Gate 1 Feedback

Canada may request additional information for clarification during the review of feedback received in response to Gate 1.

No payment will be made for costs incurred in the participation in or preparation and submission of feedback to Gate 1.

No Obligation

The issuance of this NPP does not create an obligation for Canada to issue a subsequent solicitation and does not bind Canada legally or otherwise, to enter into any agreement or to accept any suggestions from industry.

Potential suppliers are advised that any information submitted to Canada in response to the industry engagement phase may be used by Canada in the development of a subsequent solicitation. However, Canada is not bound to accept any expression of interest or to consider it further in any associated documents.

Contracting Authority

All enquires and other communications related to the NPP must be directed to the Contracting Authority as follows:

Jonathan Vinet
Public Works and Government Services Canada
10 rue Wellington
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0S5
Phone: 343-999-3327
Email: Jonathan.vinet@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca