Voter Information Cards (VIC) Printing Services

Notice of Proposed Procurement (NPP)

The information contained in this notice is a brief description of the requirement and is for information purposes only. Bidders must refer to the complete Request for Proposal (RFP) document for a full description of the requirement and the full bid instructions.

1. Elections Canada File No.: ECCS-RFP-20-0033
2. Applicability of Trade Agreements: Yes
3. Tendering Procedure: Open Competitive (Buy & Sell.gc.ca)
4. Tendering Procedure: Attachment: Yes (Buy & Sell.gc.ca)
5. Competitive Procurement Strategy: Highest Combined Rating Technical & Merit
6. Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No

Background

The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (“CEOC”), an agent of Parliament, exercises general direction and supervision over the conduct of elections and referendums at the federal level. The CEOC heads the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, commonly known as Elections Canada.

Requirement

Elections Canada has a requirement for the printing, storage, and mail preparation of approximately 29,825,000 voter information cards (VICs) necessary to support a general election or a referendum. Elections Canada anticipates issuing multiple Contracts, each with a requirement to print a subset of the VICs. The Contracts will also be used for by-elections. There are on average less than 10 by-elections nationally each year.

VICs for a General Election or Referendum are produced using a two pass process. The first pass produces a ‘shell’ that consists of the static colour components on the card. This shell – known as the VIC Ready Stock - is stored until a general election is called. The VIC variable data, consisting of elector and polling station information, is then imprinted on the VIC Ready Stock. In the unlikely event that a general election is called with insufficient time to produce the VIC Ready Stock a contingency option will be invoked in which the VICs are produced with no colour elements, in a single printing pass.

VICs for a by-election , a much smaller quantity than a general election, are produced in a single pass that includes both static colour elements and the variable data, and do not use VIC Ready Stock.

Period of the Contract

The Contract period will be from the Effective Date of the Contract until March 31, 2024 (the “Initial Term”). The Contractor will grant to Elections Canada irrevocable options to extend the period of the Contract by two additional periods of two years under the same terms and conditions.

Submission of Offers

It is requested that offers be addressed to the attention of the Contracting Authority and delivered to the Proposal Receiving Unit. Offers must be delivered to the following address, sealed, on or before the bid closing date indicated on the front page of the ECCS-RFP-20-0033 at 1:00 p.m. (Gatineau, Quebec time).

Mailing Address:

Elections Canada

30 Victoria Street - 1st Floor (Business Centre)

Gatineau, QC

K1A 0M6

Attn: Chantal Sabourin, A/Senior Advisor, Procurement and Contracting Services

Elections Canada File No: ECCS-RFP-20-0033

For sending packages by courier or for dropping off, please note that the Business Centre hours are Mondays to Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Gatineau, Quebec time).

All enquiries and other communication with Elections Canada officials are to be directed ONLY to the Contracting Authority. The Contracting Authority will be the bidder’s primary contact. All requests for information must be directed to this contact. Bidders who contact anyone other than the Contracting Authority may be disqualified. All enquiries must be submitted in writing to Proposition-Proposal@elections.ca no later than the deadline indicated in the ECCS-RFP-20-0033. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.

Interested parties wishing to obtain the solicitation documents for this ECCS-RFP-20-0033 must do so through https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/tenders. The documents downloaded through this site take precedence over any copies that may also be made available.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.

Elections Canada retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Further information about Elections Canada may be obtained at www.elections.ca.

Debriefings

Once the successful bidder has been announced, bidders may request a debriefing on the results of the RFP process. Bidders should make the request to the Contracting Authority as per the terms of the RFP. The debriefing may be in writing, by telephone or in person.