ACAN – International Trade Professional Certification and Designation Training

TITLE: ACAN – International Trade Professional Certification and Designation Training

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 20-159901

1.0 THE PURPOSE AND EXPLANATION OF AN 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.

2.0 DEFINITION OF REQUIREMENT

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD) has a requirement for the supply of online training courses and workshops to DFATD’s trade commissionaires. The online training courses and workshops will prepare DFATD’s trade commissionaires with the knowledge and expertise to obtain a professional certification and designation as an International Trade Professional that enables participants to have a designation that is internationally recognized given the global footprint of the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service.

3.0 CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT OF THE STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES PROVIDED

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

1. The supplier must demonstrate their capability to provide comprehensive online training material, including: courses, exams, eBooks, and a resource library in both official languages. The online training material must include the following topics:

• Global Value Chain
• International Market Entry Strategies
• International Trade Finance
• Products and Services for a Global Market
• Feasibility of International Trade
• International Sales Marketing
• Global Business Environment
• International Marketing
• Global Supply Chain Management
• International Trade Research
• Legal Aspects of International Trade
• International Trade Management

The online courses and exams will require the participant to provide twenty (20) hours of effort to study and prepare for the exam; as well as, three (3) hours to complete the examination for each course.

1. The supplier must demonstrate their capability to provide comprehensive online training workshops, including: workshops, exams, eBooks, and a resource library in both official languages. The online training workshops must include the following topics:

• Situational Analysis
• Cost and Pricing Analysis
• Risk Analysis and Management
• Planning for International Market Entry
• Implementation of Market Entry Strategies
• Law and Ethics
• Intercultural Competence
• Document Management
• International Procurement
• Inventory Management
• International Distribution
• Product Development
• Service Development
• Marketing Products and Service
• Selling International Markets
• E-Commerce

The online training workshops and exams will require the participant to provide twenty (20) hours of effort to study and prepare for the exam; as well as, three (3) hours to complete the examination for each workshop.

1. The supplier must demonstrate their capability in offering a professional certification and designation as an International Trade Professional that enables participants to have a designation that is internationally recognized given the global footprint of the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service.
2. The supplier must demonstrate their capability to perform the following administrative functions :
   • Registering trade officers/DFATD staff for online courses or online workshops.
   • Advising the project authority if prospective registrants have other courses or workshops still in progress when requesting registration to a subsequent course or workshop.
   • Issuing all requisite instructions/access to enable registrants to complete the course(s) or workshop(s) online.
   • Determining the registrant’s official language preference for accessing all relevant material.
   • Processing cancellations, including requesting the applicable cancellation fee from the participant and removing the online course or workshop content from the registrant’s account (with the exception of the eBook, which cannot be retrieved from the participant).
   • Providing registrants with all requisite information regarding the cancellation policy and process.
   • Charging registrants directly as required by cancellation policy.
   • Issuing all requisite instructions/access to enable registrants to complete the course or workshop exam.
   • Following up with registrants if exams are not taken within 2 months of course or 2 weeks of workshop registration (registrants have a total of 3 months for courses or 1 month for workshops to complete the exam once they have registered for a course or workshop, respectively).
   • Providing registrants with all requisite information regarding requests for deferrals (i.e. extra time to complete the course or workshop):
   • Providing registrants with all requisite information regarding requests for exam rewrites
   • Tracking registrations and registrant status (e.g. in progress, cancelled, completed, exam failed, exam passed, equivalency credit application, designation obtained). 
   • Responding to questions from trade commissioners and other DFATD Canada staff related to online courses, workshops, designation, equivalency credits, and all other inquiries related to online products and services.

4.0 APPLICABLE TRADE AGREEMENTS

This procurement is subject to the following trade agreements:

• Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT)
• World Trade Organization – Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP)
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• Canada – Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
• Canada – Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA)
• Canada – Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA)
• Canada – Panama Free Trade Agreement
• Canada – Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA)
• Canada – Honduras Free Trade Agreement
• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)

5.0 SET-ASIDE UNDER PROCUREMENT STRATEGY FOR ABORIGINAL BUSINESS (PSAB)

This procurement is not set-aside for an Aboriginal supplier; therefore any suppliers may submit a Statement of Capabilities.

6.0 COMPREHENSIVE LAND CLAIM AGREEMENTS (CLCA)

This procurement is not subject to Comprehensive Land Claim Agreements

7.0 GOVERNMENT CONTRACT REGULATIONS EXCEPTIONS

The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) – Only one person or firm is capable of performing the contract.

8.0 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PRE-IDENTIFIED SUPPLIER

Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) has been identified as the only supplier capable of providing online training courses and workshops that will prepare trade commissionaires with the knowledge and skills in international trade to obtain the FITT Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) Designation.

As stated in the criteria for assessment, the supplier must provide online training courses and workshops that will prepare DFATD’s trade commissionaires that will prepare them with the knowledge and skills in international trade to obtain a Professional Certification and Designation as an International Trade Professional. The must also provide their own internationally recognized Professional Certification and Designation as an International Trade Professional.

9.0 PERIOD OF THE PROPOSED CONTRACT

The proposed contract is for a period of one-year (1) plus three (3) additional one-year (1) optional periods.

10.0 ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE PROPOSED CONTRACT

The total estimated value of the contract is $400,000.00 CAD including all applicable taxes and option periods.

11.0 CLOSING DATE AND TIME

The Closing Date and Time for accepting Statement of Capabilities is October 31, 2019 at 2:00 PM EDT.

12.0 PROPOSED CONTRACTOR

Forum for International Trade Training
116 Lisgar Street, Unit 100
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0C2
Canada

13.0 RIGHTS OF THE SUPPLIERS

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services or goods described in this ACAN may submit a Statement of Capabilities demonstrating how they meet the advertised requirement. This Statement of Capabilities must be provided via e-mail only to the contact person identified in Section 14.0 of the Notice on, or before, the closing date and time of the Notice. If the Bidder can clearly demonstrate they possess the required capabilities, the requirement will be opened to electronic or traditional bidding processes.

14.0 CONTACT PERSON

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Name: Brandon Hua
Title: Senior Specialist, Supply Operations
Organization: Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
Address: 200 Promenade du Portage
Telephone: 343-203-1307
Facsimile: N/A
E-mail address: Brandon.Hua@international.gc.ca