Extended Logistic Services

This amendment is raised to correct the French version.

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada is collaborating with the provinces and territories on the bulk procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-line health care workers in the provinces/territories.

As a result, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) requires the assistance of a major logistics service provider for an overall solution including, but not limited to, customs documentation and brokerage (for goods arriving from outside Canada), receipt at Canadian port of entry or at supplier’s own warehouse, deconsolidation, stocktaking, secure warehousing, inventory management, responsive reporting and onward movement of these critical products to various locations in each of the provinces and territories. The services will be required for a period of 1 year with an option to extend the contract by an additional 3 one-year period.

In order to secure the logistics chain, interested suppliers must be an asset-based 3PL.

This request is issued in order to invite interested parties to demonstrate their interest and ability in providing the requirement described herein. Interested suppliers having demonstrated their ability to fulfill this requirement may be invited to submit a proposal. Interested parties must be able to action the proposal within 24 hours after being notified a Contract Award.

PHAC is asking interested parties to provide information for a potential logistic solution meeting the following criteria:

Section A: Requirement

The services described below are expected to be flexible and timely. Inquiries will require to be responded within 1 hour during normal working hours and within 3 hours after normal working hours:

Shipping / Movement:

• Handling of up to one hundred 20’ and 40’ sea containers at a time, including both Dangerous Goods (DG) and non-dangerous Goods, every two weeks;
• Sea containers must be held in a secured area with appropriate security measures;
• Ability to store 20’ and 40’ sea containers in a temperature controlled environment or in such a manner as to prevent excessive exposure to extremes of temperature. Temperature control would be a range as specified by PHAC, but not outside what is currently expected in industry, i.e. ranges from just above freezing to a maximum of 25 degrees centigrade. It is estimated that up to 100 sea containers (a combination of 20’ and 40’) would need special temperature control. A portion will need special consideration to avoid direct and sustained sunlight;
• Sea containers (20’ and 40’) may have a requirement to have their content be de-consolidated, counted, properly inventoried and re-consolidated in various proportions prior to onward shipment to the provinces and territories;
• Coordinate return of contractor owned sea containers;
• Customs paperwork and brokerage or coordination with customs brokerage firms at Canadian ports of embarkation and disembarkation (sea ports will likely include Vancouver and Montreal. However, a contractor must be prepared to coordinate onward movement should another port of entry be used). This service must also be available at Canadian airports;;
• Ability to operate and handle shipments by all modes of transportation (air, sea, road or rail) with the capability to accept, receipt and move shipments from all designated transportation nodes (airports, railheads, commercial transition points and sea ports);
• In transit visibility from end to end of materiel under custody, ability to pull records to know location and disposition of material under custody. All enquiries for information must be answered within 1 hour during normal business hours and within 3 hours outside of normal business hours), upon request by PHAC;
• Ability to accept and manage partial shipments;
• Freight forwarding to final destinations as directed by PHAC; and
• Ability to move material over all modes of transportation, to include expeditious delivery, as required.

Receipt:

• Regular loads equivalent to approx. 500 cubic meters; Loads are usually every 1-2 days but can surge up to 3 flights in one day;
• Deconsolidation of loads, from air pallets and sea containers and re-pack to individual boxes or into other configurations as directed by PHAC;
• Must have the ability to receive up to 100 sea containers (combination of 20’ and 40’) and deconsolidate contents every two weeks;
• Inventory of received load through computerised interface, inventory to include cataloguing of SKU, quantity received by SKU, lot, expiry date, and product description information;
• Translation of product information (Chinese to English and French), in close cooperation with PHAC – the task would be to take pictures of the materiel and print a pre-formatted page, per SKU, to identify the product). In addition, the ability to affix labels and markings in accordance with PHAC requirements;
• Provide access to products/loads under custody to PHAC/Health Canada representative(s) so they can conduct sampling/testing. Access to loads must be made available within 24 hours of request;
• Receipt - Establish / Coordinate SKUs identification using information of materiel being handled;
• Segregate a portion of all loads for longer term storage, as directed by PHAC;
• Segregation of quarantined items and storage while awaiting disposal decision from PHAC; and
• Ability to segregate items physically and electronically pending test results;

Safe and secured Storage:

• Flexible warehouse space, located in Canada, required to properly store a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE): (75k sq ft interior (climate controlled), with an option to expand to 250k sq ft (decentralized – climate control), but not to exceed 500k sq ft (decentralized – climate controlled));
• Outdoor storage for up to 750 sea containers (20’ and 40’). Both DG (petroleum based hand-sanitizer and other type medical based products) and non-DG 20’ and 40’ sea containers;
• Outside secure storage with fencing or other appropriate measures as to deter and prevent theft and preserve the integrity of the materiel;
• Inside secure storage within a locked facility and other appropriate measures as to deter and prevent theft and preserve the integrity of the materiel;
• Point of Presence for receiving warehousing and distribution;
• Extended period of storage of properly inventoried material;
• Climate control for various products;
• Warehouse management, including inventory management and tracking of material;
• Electronic location system of management / record to ensure effective control of all products, to include storage and shipment;
• Warehouse personnel to manage products in storage, to include re-counts on request, labeling products, pick and put away, etc.

Onward Movement:

• Pick and prepare order fulfilment in accordance with variable distribution scheme and load size;
• Capable of working with the Amazon technology, once a training period has been completed and the technology introduced at the Contractor’s facility)
• Nationwide shipping;
• Ability to prioritize shipments when directed by PHAC, including the ability to provide same day or next day delivery upon request (depending on location);
• Multimodal shipment (to include air access to remote central locations in the provinces and territories);
• Feedback and performance measurement mechanisms;
• Tracking of shipments, to include in transit visibility;
• Ability to ship / handle partial shipments;

Miscellaneous:

• Provide a daily report / customer interface for PHAC on inbound shipments, stock on hand, and shipments pending, shipments out and goods received at end delivery point;
• Requirement for vendor to provide resource to respond to PHAC management’s tasks and queries on contract performance and status of services.

Section B: Responses

Interested parties are requested to submit their response outlining how they meet the above mentioned requirements by email to: 

Sandra.labbe@tpsgs-pwgsc.gc.ca

Please indicate File No. 6D024-202295/A on all correspondence.

Section C: Responses Requested by

As this may be the only invitation to submit an Expression of Interest for this requirement, interested parties should provide their response by Thursday, May 7, 2020.

Any response received after this date may not be considered.

Section D: Information Provided by Interested Parties

Information provided by interested parties should include the file number and details addressing each criteria listed above in Section A.

Section E: Canadian Content

In accordance with Canadian Content Policy, this requirement is solely limited to Canadian goods and/or services.

Section F: Additional Information

For more information, please contact Sandra Labbé at sandra.labbe@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

Section G: Not a Solicitation Process

Note that this is not a tender process, nor a request for proposal, but only an inquiry to identify potential suppliers

The information provided through this EOI may be included in a source list and PSPC on behalf of PHAC may issue an invitation to tender based on this information, or based on any other information which may come to its attention prior to an issuance of an invitation to tender. PSPC reserves the right to proceed with an invitation to tender by inviting only parties deemed to most effectively meet specific operational, security and public safety requirements.