Conferencing & Operator Assisted Services (COAS)

Conferencing & Operator Assisted Service (COAS)

2022-12-16 Addition in Excel format Attachment - Att 4.2 Financial Evaluation (Annex E - Pricing Table)

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One-on-One Engagement Session for Draft RFP – Guidelines & Acknowledgement

Objective

As the objective of the Draft RFP & 1-1 Engagement Session is to increase vendor activity and to ensure the solicitation is clear and to understand whether there are any showstoppers with regards to vendor ability to bid.

Providing Questions and Feedback to the Draft RFP or Attendance for One-on-one Sessions is encouraged but is not a mandatory requirement to bid on future RFPs.

Virtual One-on-one Engagement Session Guidelines:

1. This One-on-one engagement process is not a solicitation of bids or tenders. No contract will be awarded as a result of the activities undertaken during the One-on-one engagement process. Vendors may withdraw from the process at any time. Therefore, Vendors can choose not to bid on the final solicitation.
2. Note that the sessions will not necessarily result in the same experience for all Vendors. Some Vendors may have more questions than others. The collaborative nature of the one-on-one meetings will be such that the content covered in meetings with one Vendor may be quite different from the content in a meeting with another, even though the same general topic is being discussed. Every Vendor has the opportunity to ask questions during these meetings. Information provided to one Vendor in response to oral questions asked during one-on-one meetings will not automatically be provided to other Vendors. Instead, it is the responsibility of each Vendor to determine what information it requires and ask questions accordingly.
3. Each Vendor has an opportunity for a Virtual One-on-one two hour engagement with SSC. SSC will provide a schedule of available timeslots by January 9, 2023 and will complete the One-on-ones on a first come first served basis, commencing on January 16, 2023. 
4. The Vendor must submit an email to request and identify their preference for a date and time for their One-on-one engagement and submit an agenda. SSC will respond to each request as received. Agenda items must be specific to clarification requirements of the solicitation including all documents and must be submitted two days in advance of the meeting to ensure that Canada’s subject matter experts are in attendance. 
5. Except for communications at events scheduled as part of the One-on-one engagement process, all communications with respect to this procurement must be directed to the Contracting Authority.
6. Any oral statements made by SSC’s representatives during the One-on-one Engagement sessions will not constitute a representation of fact and will not be binding on SSC.
7. By participating in the One-on-one Sessions, the Vendor acknowledges Canada’s obligations to maintain records and to provide access to those records in accordance with the Access to Information Act. When the Vendor provides information to SSC, whether orally or in writing, it is the responsibility of the Vendor to indicate to SSC if any portion of the information is:

   a) a trade secret;

   b) financial, commercial, scientific or technical information that the Vendor consistently treats in a confidential manner;

   c) information the disclosure of which the Vendor reasonably believes could result in material financial loss or gain, or could reasonably be expected to prejudice its competitive position; or

   d) information the disclosure of which the Vendor reasonably believes would interfere with its contractual or other negotiations with a third party.

8. Canada will treat the responses in accordance with the Access to Information Act and any other laws that apply. By participating in the One-on-one Sessions, each Vendor agrees that it will not digitally or electronically record (either audio or video) any of the meetings or discussions. Canada also agrees not make recordings of any meeting or discussion with any Vendor during the One-on-one Sessions.
9. Vendors may submit written questions to SSC any time. Any written questions that a Vendor believes include proprietary information must be clearly marked “proprietary” at each relevant item. Items identified as proprietary will be treated as such unless Canada determines that the question is not of a proprietary nature. Canada may edit the questions or may request that the Vendor do so, so that the proprietary nature of the question is eliminated, and the edited question and answer can be provided to all Vendors. Questions not submitted in a form that can be provided to all Vendors may not be answered by Canada.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND AGREEMENT

______________________ (the “Vendor”) acknowledges receipt from Shared Services Canada of the One-on-one Engagement Session for the CONFERENCING AND OPERATOR ASSISTED SERVICES (COAS) dated _______________.

The Vendor agrees that the One-on-one Engagement Sessions will be governed by the guidelines described in this document.

The Vendor acknowledges that, regardless of whether any or all the documents provided to Vendors as part of this process are classified, Canada’s network architecture, security measures and many other aspects of the project are treated as confidential by the Government of Canada.

For the purposes of this Agreement, any information and documentation includes but is not limited to: any documents, instructions, guidelines, data, drawings, specifications, materials, advice or any other information whether received orally, in printed form, recorded electronically, or otherwise and whether or not labelled as proprietary or sensitive, that is disclosed to a person or that a person becomes aware of during the One-on-one Engagement Session.

The Vendor agrees that it shall not reproduce, duplicate, use, divulge, release or disclose, in whole or in part, in whatever way or form any information or documentation to any person other than a person employed by Canada on a need to know basis, and hereby undertake to safeguard the same and take all necessary and appropriate measures, including those set out in any written or oral instructions issued by Canada, to prevent the disclosure of or access to such information or documentation in contravention of this Agreement.

Executed this ___ day of _____________ by its Authorized Signatory

_____________________________________

Title: _______________________________

Print Name: ___________________________