Advance Contract Award Notice

1. Advance Contract Award Notice (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. Definition of the requirement
   StatCan requires a Contractor to create and distribute content that connects Census data to the shared history of the Canadian public. More specifically, to generate three animated videos exploring key moments and figures in the history of Canada’s Census. These videos will be targeted towards the general population.
   As an outreach initiative to support the 2021 Census and associated activities, Statistics Canada requires an Contractor to provide writing and translation services to produce three animated short videos (at a running time of 1-2 minutes each) and to promote these videos through their social media network and website.
   The videos will let Canadians know why the Census is important to our nation’s history by exploring key moments and important people in the history of Canada’s Census.
   Additionally, StatCan requires the Contractor to create new and updates content on The Canadian Encyclopedia that further explores the history of the Census and the stories told in the videos.

   Specific content themes will be identified by the Statistics Canada Project Authority and communicated to Contractor when work begins on this contract.

3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements)

Criterion

Project team experience

Requirement

The Contractor must employ a minimum of three project team members each with a minimum of 5 years of experience in historic documentary film production for a school based audience and developing public programming.

Criterion

Education expertise

Requirement

The Contractor must employ a minimum of one teacher who has a valid Ontario certification and a minimum 3 years of work experience.

The Contractor must have a minimum of 3 years of experience creating programming for schools across Canada (grades 7-12) in English and French.

The Contractor must have an existing communication network with the ability to communicate via email with teachers across Canada (at least 50,000 teachers).

Criterion

Scope of network

Requirement

The Contractor must have an existing and robust* social network presence and website audience aimed at promoting educational or Canadian historical content

*robust is defined as a minimum of 100,000 followers across all social media platforms and a minimum of 5,000,000 reach within a 12 month period across all managed websites.

Criterion

Historical documentary video production expertise

Requirement

The Contractor must employ a video producer who has a minimum of 10 years of experience.

The Contractor must have completed a minimum of 3 historic documentaries aired on national television (CTV, CBC, Global and APTN) in the past 5 years.

The Contractor must have an established working relationship with at least 5 history experts (must have PHD in history).

*StatCan reserves the right, at its own discretion, to request that suppliers provide a reference letter and/or resume, in addition to their statement of capabilities, to support the knowledge and experience claimed.*

4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement
This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s):

• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
   

5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

The goal of this project is to produce unique content demonstrating the rich Census heritage and disseminate it to audiences that are interested specifically in this kind of content. The key assumption is that this will indirectly increase Census participation through a heightened public interest, the sense of civic duty and respect for Census as a national institution. To achieve this goal, the provider must have a rare combination of attributes, such as:

• Be widely recognized and respected in historic academic circles;
• Have unmatched expertise in Canadian history and heritage;
• Have a long and publicly visible track record in producing heritage content;
• Have world-class production capacity; and
• Own robust distribution platforms that reach the vast majority of Canadians online and in traditional media.

Historica occupies a unique place in the Canadian cultural landscape. They do not simply produce nationally-renowned heritage video materials; they have a process in place that allows them to produce content respected by academic peers and admired by Canadians. Historica has historians on staff who create and validate content for historic accuracy. They generate ideas and write scripts that can stand close public scrutiny and satisfy diverse audiences. They have unique expertise and perspective on what content would trend with millions of viewers. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Historica is a household name in Canada and a cultural icon.

Historica possesses a unique expertise in historical documentary video production entailing a video producer who has a minimum of 10 years of experience, the completion of a minimum of 3 historic documentaries aired on national television (CTV, CBC, Global and APTN) in the past 5 years and having an established working relationship with at least 5 history experts (PHD in history). Furthermore, the organisation is capable of deploying a project team employing at least three members with a minimum of 5 years of experience in historic documentary film production for a school based audience and developing public programming. They can take an idea and handle the entire process – from concept to publication. They write the script, validate it for historical accuracy, consult with history experts, produce unique Hollywood-level imagery, and most importantly, disseminate it to their extensive national audience.

Moreover, Historica reached 28 million Canadians last year and generated 15 million views on YouTube and other social media sites. They own such beloved publications as The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Memory Project and the Heritage Minutes. The Canadian Encyclopedia receives nearly 14 million visitors each year and the other program websites collectively receive nearly 1 million visitors annually. Historica has over 250,000 engaged followers who are interested in Canadian history and heritage across its social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Additionally, Historica is a trusted brand in academic circles with an existing communication network able to communicate via email with teachers across Canada. As a matter of fact, the organisation has an electronic distribution network spanning over 7,000 schools and over 60,000 educators across Canada. It produces bilingual education materials that 67,000 educators regularly use.

6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is (are) invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) - "only one person is capable of performing the work".

7. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons
The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the

• Article(s) 513(b)

• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)

if the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute goods or services exist for any of the following reasons:

• due to an absence of competition for technical reasons;

8. Ownership of Intellectual Property
Ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract will vest in the Contractor.

9.  Period of the proposed contract or delivery date
The services of the Contractor will be required for a period of approximately 8 months, beginning in September 2020. The expected completion date of this project is mid-April 2021.

10. Cost estimate of the proposed contract
The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $ $150,000.00 (GST/HST extra).

11. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier
Historica Canada
2 Carlton Street, East Mezzanine
Toronto ON Canada
M5B 1J3

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

13. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is May 29, 2020 at 14:00 EDT

14. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities
Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:
Name: Daniel Blanchard
Title: Contracting Advisor
Organization: Statistics Canada
Address: 170 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6
Telephone: 343-998-2991
E-mail: statcan.macs-bids-smc-soumissions.statcan@canada.ca