The Abundance Program

An advanced contract award notice (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 and time stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

1. Definition of requirement:

The Correctional Service Canada has a requirement to facilitate incarcerated and conditionally released women access to services and programs to encourage a successful reintegration. The work will involve the following:

1.1 Objectives:

To prepare women for educational and employment opportunities by dealing with the root cause of their criminalization.

1.2 Tasks:

The Abundance Program (TAP) is a peer supported program for criminalized women. This program, run with peer-led leadership and support, consists of supportive employment and education readiness modules.

The in-house portion of the program is an 8 week training program that focuses on personal development, wellness, conflict resolution, and on pre-employment, including resume and cover letter writing and job search skills.

The Job training and Education portion will include mentorship and on the job/ in-school maintenance. Women from across the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) & Truro area will be chosen from a residential program, the community, and through contacts within the Correctional Facilities. The contractor must connect with local businesses who are willing to facilitate short term job shadowing opportunities, and provide support in the form of outreach services as women complete their placements by facilitating job placement opportunities for women to further develop their portfolio of employable skills, experiences, and networks.

The goal in the Truro location will be offering the program to women in Nova Institution through Escorted Temporary Absences (ETA’s) as well as women residing at Laver’s House as well as the community.

Women who are successful in acquiring employment, outreach workers and peer supports will also play a key role in checking in with women regularly. In doing so, outreach workers and peer supports will be able to help women troubleshoot problems they may be facing and proactively address these issues before they become unmanageable.

Through partnership with other community agencies, such as NS Works, Mentoring Plus (career

mapping with women and retired professionals in the community) and the Mi’kmaw Family Healing Centre the contractor must help build supports in the community that women need during reintegration; as well as moving forward.

The contractor must work to facilitate job placement opportunities for up to a maximum of 8 women, for each location, to further develop their portfolio of employable skills, experiences, and networks. The contractor must connect with local businesses who are willing to facilitate short term job shadowing opportunities, and provide support in the form of outreach services as women complete their placements.

1.3 Expected results:

To provide Women Offenders with the necessary tools so they can successfully reintegrate into the community as law-abiding citizens.

1.4 Deliverables:

1.4.1 The contractor must provide an 8 week training program in the Truro Area and the Dartmouth area, as described above, in Tasks. 

1.4.2 Paper consumption:

a. Should printed material be required, double sided printing in black and white format is the default unless otherwise specified by the Project Authority.

b. The Contractor must ensure printed material is on paper with a minimum recycled content of 30% and/or certified as originating from a sustainably managed forest.

c. The Contractor must recycle unneeded printed documents (in accordance with Security Requirements).

1.5 Constraints:

1.5.1 Location of work:

a. The Contractor must perform the work in their location of business as well as the areas of Halifax and Truro.

b. Travel to the following locations will be required for performance of the work under this contract: Halifax Area and Truro area.

1.5.2 Language of Work:

The contractor must perform all work in English.

1.5.3 Security Requirements:

There are no security requirements associated to this contract.

2. Criteria for assessing the statement of capabilities (minimum essential requirements):

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

Experience:

The supplier must have 1 year of experience, obtained within the past five (5) years working directly with women who have been incarcerated or released into the community.

the supplier must have 1 year of experience, obtained within the past five (5) years delivering educational programs to marginalized persons.

(Marginalized persons: persons who are socially disadvantaged, such as, individuals who have mental illness, been involved in the criminal justice system, been homeless, financial or personal problems which interfere or prevent them from functioning at work, have been a victim of domestic violence, etc.)

Academic qualifications:

The proposed personnel to do the work must possess a degree from a recognised university in the field of social work.

The degree must have been obtained from a recognized Canadian university, college or high school, or the equivalent as established by a recognized Canadian academic credentials assessment service, if obtained outside Canada.

The list of recognized organizations can be found under the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials web site.

3. Applicability of the trade agreement (s) to the procurement

This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

4. Set-aside under the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business

This procurement is not subject to any set-asides for Aboriginal Suppliers.

5. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement (s)

This procurement is not subject to a Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement.

6. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

There is a limited number of suppliers available to provide job training and education to meet the reintegration needs of CSC women offenders.

The Elizabeth Fry Society and their staff have been involved in assisting women in conflict with the law for many years and have a keen understanding of the issues and facing women who have been incarcerated. They have developed a number of ties with various stakeholders within the Truro and Halifax community as well. They have developed and delivered the Abundance program in several other jurisdictions throughout Canada. They also have the staff trained to deliver the program in both Truro and Halifax.

Staff at EFRY have been trained as volunteer escorts and have been cleared to pick up and return women who are on ETAs. They have been doing in-reach work with female inmates as well as outreach with female offenders for many years with CSC and have established excellent rapport with our clientele.

The pre-identified supplier meets all of the minimum essential requirements described in this ACAN.

7. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection: (d) only one person is capable of performing the contract.

8. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

The following exclusion (s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the section of the trade agreement (s) specified: This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

9. Ownership of Intellectual Property

There are no intellectual property terms in the contract.

10. Period of the proposed contract or the delivery date(s)

The proposed contract is for a period of 5 months, from November 20^th, 2019 to March 31^st, 2020.

11. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $31,168.00 (GST/HST extra).

12. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Name: Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia

Address: 1 Tulip Street, Dartmouth, NS, B3A 2S3

13. 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 and time of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

14. Closing date and time for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is November 8, 2019 at 2:00 PM ADT.

15. Inquiries and submission of statement of capabilities

Inquiries and statement of capabilities are to be directed to:

Josee Belliveau, District Officer, Contracting and Materiel Management Services

111-1045 Main Street, 3^rd Floor, Moncton, NB, E1C 1H1

Telephone: (506) 851-3923

E-mail: josee.belliveau@csc-scc.gc.ca