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 ITQ document for a full description of the requirement and the full bid instructions.

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.

During and outside of Electoral Events, Elections Canada provides media and public relations services which involve:

a. answering French or English media queries, by phone or email

b. conducting interviews (print/broadcast/online)

c. developing proactive media relations strategies to support Elections Canada’s communications objectives

d. writing media lines, backgrounders, Q&As, social media messages, web content and other documents

e. preparing and disseminating press releases, media advisories and other media products

f. organizing news conferences, technical briefings and media lock-ups

g. researching and providing background information on topics of interest to members of the agency

h. providing media training and public relations/media relations support to Elections Canada employees, Field Liaison Officers and ROs

i. supporting and implementing Elections Canada’s ongoing strategic communications objectives and deliverables

Requirement

Elections Canada requires Regional Media Advisor Services on an as and when requested basis to provide media relations services during an Electoral Event. An Electoral Event is defined as a general election, by-election or federally organized referendum. The Canada Elections Act states that an Electoral Event must last a minimum of 36 days (plus polling day) and a maximum of 50 days (plus polling day).

For the purposes of this requirement, an Electoral Event will be considered to have begun when the writs are issued for a federal general election. A writ means a formal written order instructing the returning officer in each electoral district to hold an election to elect a Member of Parliament;

The objective is to provide the media and by extension, the Canadian public—with accurate, timely information about federal Electoral Events and Elections Canada’s role and work.

Security

A preliminary version of the SRCL has been included as an annex to this ITQ. These requirements are subject to change and are provided for information purposes and Elections Canada reserves the right to revise the security requirements. However, any Respondent that does not have the security clearances described in the preliminary SRCL may wish to initiate the process to ensure they meet the requirements.

Period of the Contract

Elections Canada is currently contemplating a contract period of 2 year(s) plus 2 option periods of 1 year each.

Submission of Responses

This ITQ allows bidders to use the epost Connect service provided by Canada Post Corporation to transmit their responses electronically. For further information, bidders must refer to Part 2 – Respondent Instructions, and Part 3 – Response Preparation Instructions of the ITQ document.

Responses are to be addressed to the attention of the Contracting Authority and delivered, sealed, to the Proposal Receiving Unit on or before the bid closing date and time indicated on the front page of the ITQ.

For sending packages by courier or for dropping off, please note that the Proposal Receiving Unit at the Business Centre is open Mondays to Fridays from 8:00 to 12:00 and from 12:30 to 16:00 (Gatineau, Quebec time).

Responses sent via email or facsimile will not be accepted.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.

Enquiries

All enquiries and other communication with Elections Canada personnel are to be directed ONLY to the Contracting Authority. The Contracting Authority will be the respondent’s primary contact. Respondents who contact anyone other than the Contracting Authority may be disqualified.

All enquiries must be submitted in writing to proposal@elections.ca no later than the deadline indicated in the ITQ. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.

Interested parties wishing to obtain the solicitation documents for this ITQ 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.

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

Debriefings

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