Community Skills Development

Title: Community Skills Development

An advanced contract award notice (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 and time stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

1. Definition of the requirement:

The Correctional Service Canada has a requirement to manage the safe transition of offenders to the community. This includes community functioning skills development for CSC’s marginalized offender population. Marginalized populations are defined as populations excluded from any given society’s mainstream social, economic and cultural life. The work will involve the following:

1.1 Objectives:

To address gaps and barriers for institutionalized and aging offenders through a peer-based model of service delivery while ensuring participating offenders achieve an increased sense of social responsibility through access to restorative opportunities that promote community participation and improve mental health, all of which positively contribute to their gradual and successful reintegration.

To restore trust and hope, and encourage participation of victims of crime and Aboriginal communities to ensure greatest positive impact in the lives of Canadians.

To promote an entrepreneurial and creative society that supports agricultural social enterprise
businesses in achieving economic and clean growth through sustainable practices regulated by local municipal and provincial government partners.

1.2 Tasks:

The tasks and deliverables include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Project Management Services
2. Community Escort Services
3. Support Group Services
4. Outreach Support

5. Reporting Requirements

1.3 Expected results:

 To promote an entrepreneurial and creative society that supports an agricultural social enterprise
business in achieving economic and clean growth through sustainable practices regulated by local municipal and provincial government partners.

To provide a positive, pro-social reintegration experience for individuals under sentence. This will include opportunities to develop reintegration plans, supports, and volunteer within the community.

1.4 Performance standards:

• The contractor must adhere to all applicable regional and national departmental policies, standards, and guidelines established for correctional interventions and reintegration.
• The contractor must provide direct supervision and monitoring of all offenders at all times.
• The contractor must coordinate staff and volunteer training with CSC for non-security accompaniments, as applicable.
• The contractor must ensure that any personnel requiring the use of a CSC Fleet vehicle have a valid driver’s license including a clean driving abstract and have completed the Citizens Escort Training. The contractor must provide proof of each requirement must be provided upon request.

1.5 Deliverables:

1.5.1 Project Management Services

The estimated level of effort under the contract is up to a maximum of 150 hours per month. The tasks the contractor must perform include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Managing activities associated with standard farm operation
• Managing activities associated with the operation and securing of group meetings

• Managing activities associated with ensuring appropriate farm/group and escort supervision of offenders (appropriate personnel that meet security and training requirements

• All associated administrative tasks
• Engaging Aboriginal communities and Elders to prepare and plant a medicine garden which
  will host Elders to deliver cultural teachings and provide mentorship to Aboriginal offenders.
• Expanding partnerships with local community growers and gardens to enable offenders to gain
  varied skills and knowledge such as beekeeping
• Providing hands on opportunity for offenders to participate in restorative opportunities that allow offenders to give back to the community and heal
• Providing education and information regarding nutrition, food preparation, and food security to
  offenders attending Emma’s Acres
• Based on individual interest, supporting offenders to explore and pursue educational and
  vocational upgrading in horticulture as well as collect hours towards a horticultural apprenticeship approved by industry standards.
• Maintain regular contact with the Parole Officer and ensuring timely information sharing of services rendered to meet client-specific needs.

1.5.2 Community Escort Services

The estimated level of effort under the contract is up to a maximum of 40 escorts per month. The tasks the contractor must perform include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Providing community escort services on Escorted Temporary Absence (ETAs), Unescorted Temporary Absence (UTAs) and Work Releases (WR’s) for offenders. The individual escorts must be directly related to meeting the deliverables of this contract.
• Providing direct supervision of offenders on ETAs, UTAs and Work Releases including, monitoring sight and sound of offenders, during program participation including at Emma’s Acres. 
• Assisting in monitoring the offender’s adherence to their conditions of release (ETA, UTA, Work
  Release, Day Parole, Full Parole, Statutory Release or Long Term Supervision Order) and
  immediately reporting any signs of deterioration or concerns to the Department.
• Utilizing opportunities while providing escorts to provide intensive individualized support for participating offenders to make positive progress against their Correctional Plan and achieve desired release outcomes.
• Providing access to culturally sensitive and relevant supports to offenders during the course of the escort where applicable including, Elder resources and teachings, to bridge the continuum of care from institution into the community.
• The Contractor must use a fleet vehicle for all ETA’s. In exceptional circumstances if no fleet vehicle is available the project authority must pre-authorize the use of a personal vehicle and associated travel costs.

1.5.3 Support Group Activities

The estimated level of effort under the contract is up to a maximum of 8 group sessions at 2.5 hours per session. The tasks the contractor must perform include, but are not limited to:

• Providing direct supervision during support group activities including, monitoring sight and sound of offenders, during program participation.
• Assisting and motivating offenders participating in support group activities to change.
• Assisting and motivating offenders participating in support group activities to understand socially responsible behaviour and accountability for one’s actions.
• Enhancing participation in restorative opportunities that allow the offender to give back to the
  community and heal.
• Providing support to assist the offender in their reintegration.
• Promoting a model of resiliency that positively contributes to reintegration and community
  involvement.

1.5.4 Outreach Support

The tasks the contractor must perform include, but are not limited to:

• Providing additional support (basic and essential need) to offenders with no community contact or Next of Kin upon immediate transition into the community. Examples of services are locating temporary housing, food items, accompaniments to release destinations in exceptional circumstances (must be directly related to a reintegration benefit for the offender) and other emergency tasks.
• Providing enhanced support where needed to offenders in developing knowledge on how to access and connect with community resources (housing, clothing, food, volunteering, employment education, substance abuse, mental health, and recreational agencies).
• Assist offenders in exploring volunteer, social, and recreation activities that enhance community
  involvement.
• Meeting with the assigned Case Management Team at regular intervals to identify case needs,
  ensure continuity of care, conduct case conferences, and ensure a consistent approach towards
  meeting the objectives of measurable progress against the offender’s Correctional Plan.
• Maintaining a log of activities and services provided to each offender including, the screening date, service start and end dates, number of contacts with the offender, type of interactions, and
  reintegration needs.

1.5.5 Reporting Requirements

The contractor must:

• Produce an annual evaluation report that provides an overview of how the above deliverables have been met with an emphasis on activities that directly correlate to and benefit the reintegration of offenders.
• With respect to Farm Supervision, the contractor must keep detailed records for the supervision of offenders at Emma’s Acres and these must be provided for each billing period. These details must include, the date and times of the supervision, the number of offenders supervised each day, and the names of institutions in which the offenders reside for each day of supervision. 
• For Project Management Services:

• The contractor must keep records of efforts and successes in engaging Indigenous communities and Elders to deliver cultural teachings and provide mentorship to Indigenous offenders.
• The contractor must keep detailed records of any substantial contact with the Parole Officers of offenders that LINC is working with. These details must include, name of Parole Officer, location of interaction, date and times of interaction and purpose of interaction.

• For Community Escort Services
  • The contractor must keep detailed records for each individual offender escort that occurs and these records must be provided for each billing period. These details must include, full legal offender names, pickup location, destination, date, time picked up and dropped off, and purpose of trip. 
  • The contractor must keep detailed records for all intensive individualized support provided for participating offenders. These details must include, full legal offender names, location of interaction, date and times of interaction and type of support provided. 
• For Support Group Activities:
  • The contractor must maintain a log of support group activities. Detailed records must be kept for each activity including, date of activities, location of activities, purpose of activity, and full legal names of all offenders attending.
• For Outreach Support:
  •  The contractor must maintain a log of activities and services provided to each offender including, the full legal name of offender, location of service, screening date, service start and end dates, number of contacts with the offender, type of interactions, and reintegration needs.

1.5.6 Paper consumption:

a. Should printed material be required, double sided printing in black and white format is the default unless otherwise specified by the Project Authority.

b. The Contractor must ensure printed material is on paper with a minimum recycled content of 30% and/or certified as originating from a sustainably managed forest.

c. The Contractor must recycle unneeded printed documents (in accordance with Security Requirements).

1.6 Constraints:

1.6.1 Location of work:

a. The Contractor must perform the work at the Contractor’s place of business.

b. Travel

ii. No travel is anticipated for performance of the work under this contract, with the exception of ETA’s where a fleet vehicle is not available for escorts. In this case the travel must be pre-authorized by the project authority.

1.6.2 Language of Work:

The contractor must perform all work in English.

1.6.3 Security Requirements:

There are no security requirements associated to this contract.

2. 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:

1. Must have at minimum three (3) years of experience within the past eight (8) years preceding the closing date of this ACAN, providing skills development training to Marginalized populations* to assist in safe and successful reintegration.

2. Must have at minimum three (3) years of experience within the past eight (8) years preceding the closing date of this ACAN, working on urban agribusiness initiatives with local community stakeholders.

3. Must have at minimum three (3) years of experience within the last eight (8) years preceding the closing date of this ACAN, providing education on food security and training to Marginalized populations*.

Marginalized populations* are defined as populations excluded from any given society’s mainstream social, economic and cultural life.

3. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement

This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

4. Set-aside under the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business

This procurement is not subject to any set-asides for Aboriginal Suppliers.

5. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement(s)

This procurement is not subject to a Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement.

6. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

The proposed supplier is a professional recruitment organization. The supplier is the only known Canadian company that can complete the scope of work, given the history, experience, and familiarity with the work required to complete the tasks identified in the scope of work.

The pre-identified supplier meets all of the minimum essential requirements described in this ACAN.

7. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

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

8. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

9. Ownership of Intellectual Property

There are no intellectual property terms in the contract.

10. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

The proposed contract is for a period of one (1) year from contract award date with an option to extend the contract for three (3) additional one (1) year periods.

11. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $554,000.00 (GST/HST extra).

12. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Name: L.I.N.C Society

Address: 33270 14^th Avenue

Mission, BC V2V 4Z7

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

14. Closing date and time for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is June 24, 2021 at 14:00 EDT.

15. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statement of capabilities are to be directed to:

Rachel Rivet, Procurement Officer

340 Laurier Avenue West

Ottawa, ON K1A 0P9

Telephone: (343) 553-2973

E-mail: Rachel.rivet@csc-scc.gc.ca