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 RFP 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.

EC requires printing and mail induction preparation services from an FSC-certified Contractor to produce, assemble, package and ship two different Guide to the Federal Election (one for Nunavut and one for the rest of Canada) and three Caution Instruction Sheets for up to four Electoral Events (2 GEs plus 2 option GEs). The Contractor will be responsible for the coordination and execution of the entire project, with the collaboration of EC and Canada Post.

Requirement

To ensure that Canadians can exercise their democratic right to vote, Elections Canada conducts a Voter Information Campaign before and during federal elections to provide Canadians with all the information they need on when, where and the ways to register and vote in a federal election. To this end, approximately 15,885,000 Guide to the Federal Election are to be printed and mailed across Canada within extremely critical mandatory deadlines. In addition, 20,000 Guide to the Federal Election are to be shipped to Nunavut via priority courier. The Contractor is also required to have a contingency of up to 65,000 units in case of emergency requirements.

Period of the Contract

The Contract period will be from the Effective Date of the Contract until March 31, 2030 (the “Initial Term”).

The Contractor will grant to Elections Canada irrevocable options to extend the period of the Contract by two (2) additional periods of four (4) years under the same terms and conditions.

Submission of Proposals

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

Proposals 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 RFP.

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 13:00 to 16:00 (Gatineau, Quebec time).

Bids sent via email or facsimile will not be accepted.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.

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

Selection Methodology

Competitive Procurement Strategy: Highest combined rating of technical merity and price

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 bidder’s primary contact. Bidders 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 RFP. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.

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