Remote Worker Study

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.

1.0 Definition of the requirement

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is undertaking a study to explore policy trends related to remote work and the potential economic opportunity that this trend may present for Nova Scotia.

The work will involve the following:

The purpose of this project is to understand the context around, and scale of opportunity related to, the attraction of remote workers to Nova Scotia. The study will review trends in remote work, best practices and policy options for attracting and retaining workers who are able to work remotely (rather than be tied to the geographic location of an office or business). It will also investigate the potential scale of the opportunity by analyzing social media data to understand the East Coast diaspora. Nova Scotia is well-positioned in a number of respects to benefit from this growing trend (quality of life, cost of living, scenic beauty, history, culture, etc).

The consultant will undertake the following pieces of work:

1.1 Summary of Trends: Summarize current trends, globally, nationally and regionally with respect to remote working and, in particular, to the attraction of remote workers to new jurisdictions. It is expected that this work will highlight and explore such things as:

• The major motivating factors for individuals or companies who make the decision to work remotely from a new jurisdiction with specific insight into what attracts remote workers to Nova Scotia – distinguishing between those with a family and friends connection and those without (i.e. a profile of types of individuals that are more/less likely to move to the province to work remotely);
• Prerequisite characteristics (infrastructure, amenities, location, etc) that mobile remote workers are seeking in a community they could call home; and,
• Industries and occupations most suited for remote work.

1.2 Scale of Opportunity for Nova Scotia: Using available social media data and any other appropriate data sources, analyze and describe the scale of the opportunity for Nova Scotia. This work will include a review of people with connections to the region who occupy high-skilled professional jobs that could be undertaken remotely as well as the potential for people without any existing connection to the region to consider relocating. A cursory estimate of the associated potential economic benefit should be included as well as insights pertaining to the longevity of the opportunity (i.e. will this trend persist beyond the global pandemic?).

1.3 Best Practices and Policy Options: Summary and review of efforts in other jurisdictions to attract and retain remote workers. Discuss the best practices for remote working and what is needed to support remote working at scale.

1.4 Considerations for Nova Scotia: Highlight and discuss Nova Scotia-specific challenges, opportunities and other considerations.

1.5 Project Deliverables:

• The consultant(s) shall meet either in person or via conference call with the project steering committee or a representative within five (5) working days following contract award, in order to review the statement of work, present a draft work plan, receive direction and guidance from the committee and discuss preliminary observations.
• The consultant(s) shall provide to the steering committee an electronic copy of a draft outline of a report, within two weeks of the project start. The steering committee will review the draft and provide guidance to the consultant(s).
• The consultant(s) shall provide to the steering committee an electronic copy of a draft final report no more than three weeks before the project end date, and shall meet with the steering committee to review this report and receive guidance. The need for revisions to the draft final report shall be at the discretion of the steering committee.
• The consultant(s) shall provide five hard copy reports and an electronic copy of a final report by the project end date. The final report shall include all elements as outlined in the project Statement of Work. The electronic version of the report should be in Word and PDF format.

2.0 Criteria for assessment of 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:

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in the past 15 years, analyzing the employment, education and settlement trends of the East Coast diaspora.
• A minimum of 10 years of strategic and operational experience, in the past 15 years, in diaspora engagement.

Knowledge and Understanding:

• Demonstrate Knowledge and understanding of data analysis and artificial intelligence tools to support analysis of social media data and motivating factors for relocation of remote workers to Nova Scotia.
• Demonstrate Knowledge and understanding of the desirability of “second cities” and locations like Nova Scotia for remote workers.
• Demonstrate Knowledge and understanding of and existing access to a pre-established network of individuals and businesses from which to draw primary data relevant for the purposes of the study.
• Demonstrate Knowledge and understanding of remote working trends (before and during coronavirus pandemic) and existing access to a pre-established bank of recent and related research.

Academic Qualifications:

• The bidder must possess a graduate level degree in a relevant field (e.g., business administration, public policy, economics).
• The bidder must also possess at least one year education in a recognized post-secondary institution in corporate innovation.

3.0 Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

The content of the study, is the only content that contains the depth of analysis and regional expertise to meet our operational requirements. Furthermore, the content provided by the Contractor is the only content that can be obtained within the required timeframe to support decision making directly connected to ACOA’s mandatory operational requirements.

The firm to be contracted has sophisticated data science and analysis capacity and unparalleled access to a large bank of proprietary research findings from Accenture and partner organizations. In addition, the primary consultant on the projected started up East Coast Connect, a community of professional East Coasters living outside of Nova Scotia, which we would like to leverage in this procurement.

Another consultant would be unable to provide the depth of analysis relevant to opportunities for remote working in Nova Scotia without conducting extensive, costly and time-consuming research and analysis. The available consultant has a unique combination of knowledge, specialized analytical capacity and a well-developed network that would be very difficult to duplicate within a reasonable timeframe and for a reasonable cost.

4.0 Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

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

5.0 Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

The proposed contract is for a period of approximately 4 months, from November 9, 2020 to March 12, 2021.

6.0 Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $70,000.00 (GST/HST extra).

7.0 Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Accenture Inc.

1505 Barrington St #100, Halifax, NS B3J 3K5

8.0 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.

9.0 Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is November 4, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. AST.

10.0 Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:
 
Josee Belliveau, Contracting for Services Officer

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

ACOA.tenders-soumissions.APECA@canada.ca

Telephone: 506-961-7394