SYNDICATED RESEARCH STUDIES

Trade Agreement: NONE
Tendering Procedures: The bidder must supply Canadian goods and/or services
Competitive Procurement Strategy: N/A - P&A/LOI Only
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Nature of Requirements: 

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
SUBJECT: SYNDICATED RESEARCH STUDIES

NOTE: This Request for Information (RFI) supersedes the previous RFI solicitation number EP363-190460/C. All suppliers who have previously submitted studies, are required to submit an update on their study, if available, and/or confirm that the study submitted is still valid and up to date. 

As departments typically develop their annual POR plans near the beginning of each fiscal year, suppliers are strongly encouraged to submit the information on their respective syndicated studies before the end of June each year. When the price or availability of submitted products changes for example, they should re-submit the updated information. 

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The Public Opinion Research Directorate (PORD) of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) coordinates public opinion research (POR) activities for the Government of Canada (GC).

In its search for the most economical means of accessing research on its priority issues, the GC is looking for syndicated public opinion research* studies that could address its research needs. On behalf of the GC, PORD is seeking detailed information through a RFI on the studies that are available for purchase with a government-wide subscription. Please note that only studies offering a government-wide subscription will be considered.

PORD describes syndicated research studies to federal government clients as off-the-shelf products provided by the private sector on a range of societal and government-specific topics (e.g. social media usage, youth) for paying subscribers. Costs and the results of these studies are shared only among subscribers for a fixed period of time, often in the form of reports, presentations, raw data, etc. Unlike custom research where the GC determines the research content and retains the intellectual property, the suppliers who produce syndicated studies retain copyright and sole responsibility for managing the content.

By "government-wide subscription", PORD means that the information and deliverables from each study will be shared within the federal public administration; this includes all departments, as defined in the Interpretation section of the Financial Administration Act, and all divisions or branches and other portions of the federal public administration listed in schedules III, IV, V, and VI of the Financial Administration Act.

The GC is principally interested in studies that may provide relevant information to assist and support a large number of government priorities, programs and services, and not duplicate existing custom research. To be included in the GC's coordinated review process and considered for purchase, studies should be submitted in a response to the RFI. Suppliers can submit information about syndicated products on any topic area. Preference may be given to GC priority areas. 

Each syndicated study will be considered based on whether it meets the needs of GC departments, whether there is sufficient interest and available budget, whether it provides sufficient value, and whether it is the most cost-effective research option available. 

Please note that the GC is under no obligation to proceed with the purchase of a subscription to any of the syndicated research studies for which information is received**. In the event that the GC decides to subscribe to a syndicated study, PORD will act as the coordinator on behalf of the GC and the Communication Procurement Directorate will act as the contracting authority.


RESPONSE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS 

All submissions must demonstrate the high quality of the research products being presented for consideration and the value-for-money they offer. Submissions should contain (at minimum) the following details: 

1. the title of the study; 
2. an overview of the topics covered, including questions and/or specific areas/issues addressed in the research; 
a. the key areas of interest to the GC;
3. the target population(s) covered; 
4. a breakdown of the methodology(ies) used.  In the case of qualitative research: research techniques, research frequency, recruiting methods, recruiting sources, geographic locations, etc., and, in the case of quantitative research: research techniques, sample size and breakdown by region, survey duration, frequency of surveys, sample source (probability or non-probability) as well as any other pertinent information; 
5. the details of the language(s) used in data collection; 
6. suppliers should indicate whether a previous iteration of the syndicated study was conducted. Please also include information on the availability of previously-collected data for tracking purposes, if applicable;
7. the deliverables; 
a. specify all deliverables that are included in the government-wide subscription price, and their file formats (e.g. final report (Word), data tables, raw data file (SPSS/Excel), presentation (PowerPoint), live presentation or webcast). Please note that at minimum, the deliverables should include a digital report or digital file in an accessible format (e.g., Word or PowerPoint) in one of the official languages, which can be shared within the federal public administration;
b. the confirmation of political neutrality (i.e., syndicated research studies purchased by the GC must not contain information regarding electoral voting intentions, or political party preferences or party standings with the electorate);
c. planned timeline (e.g. tentative field and deliverable dates);
8. cost;
a. the total cost for the deliverables described in 7 a), with and without HST (as a government-wide subscription);  
b. the total cost if the same project were to be done as a custom study for the GC (for the purpose of cost comparison); 
c. suppliers should provide a cost (with and without HST) for the translation into the other official language of the minimum deliverables, i.e., a digital report or digital file, separate from the cost of the overall government-wide subscription. Please note that as the digital report or digital file will be shared within the federal public administration in both official languages, the translation quality of these deliverables will be verified by the GC. If the supplier does not provide deliverables in both official languages, it must provide permission to the GC to translate them for the purpose of sharing them within the federal public administration;
d. the costs for any optional deliverables offered (i.e., for any deliverables not included in 7. a);
9. the proposed payment schedule;
10. an authorization;
a. the GC is seeking advanced authorization to share all of the information provided in the RFI template with interested GC departments. Please ensure to provide this authorization in the RFI template.

Because this is not a bid solicitation, the GC will not necessarily respond to enquiries in writing or by circulating answers to all suppliers. However, suppliers may direct their questions regarding this RFI to paola.amaral@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca.


RESPONSES

The GC intends to accept responses to this RFI on a continuous basis. Submissions received will be periodically reviewed based on GC requirements and internal resource availability. The information in this notice will be updated on an ongoing basis through the issuance of an RFI amendment on buyandsell.gc.ca.


Responses should include the RFI template provided below and be sent directly to Paola Amaral at paola.amaral@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca. Although it is not a requirement, suppliers can also include a prospectus in addition to the completed RFI template.


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

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.


* Definition of public opinion research - https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/government-communications/public-opinion-research-government.html

** The issuance of this RFI does not create an obligation for the GC to issue a solicitation or contract, and does not bind the GC legally or otherwise, to enter into any agreement with the respondents. The GC reserves the right to cancel or modify any of the preliminary requirements described herein.



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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1.  Is this opportunity exclusively for companies on the Standing Offer or is it open to others?

This opportunity is not exclusive to Standing Offer holders and any supplier with a syndicated research study may submit a response. 


2. Do suppliers have to use the Word RFI template provided, or can they use a branded PowerPoint template as long as it includes all the required information?

Although we prefer that our template be used, suppliers can submit the information in any format as long as the information is included. 


3. Is an accessible copy (Word or PowerPoint) of the report required if the study is not intended for public use but rather for internal use only?  Would this still be required?

Although the report is not shared publicly, as it’s government-wide it is shared with all GC departments through our intranet (internally), and has to be accessible for employees.


4. What is meant by "key areas of interest"?

"Key areas of interest" (the 3rd item indicated on the RFI template) refers to the topic, subject area, or key areas of interest in the supplier’s syndicated product.


5. When you say target population, are you referring to the groups or stakeholders that are being surveyed or are you talking about who would be interested in accessing this information contained in the survey?

Target population refers to the population and sub populations being surveyed.


6. Can we submit copies of the templates for the syndicated studies electronically or do you require a hard copy of each study template by the due date?

Electronic copies are accepted, and are preferred as per the GC greening initiatives. 


7. In the past, some syndicated products purchased by the GC had a variety of features, including core questions available to all subscribers and proprietary questions available to subscribers on a per question purchase basis. Is this approach in line with current thinking regarding syndicated research studies and this RFI?

The RFI is meant for the purchase of syndicated research. In circumstances where studies allow for the inclusion of additional questions generated by the GC, it will be treated through a separate contract.  These client-based/omnibus questions will be treated as custom research and the results will be made available to the public through the Library and Archives of Canada website.  A methodology report along with the data tables will be required. The cost of any client-based questions and methodology report should be identified separately. 


8. Could you please clarify what is required for "custom study cost" (Item 8b) in the template, and how this information will be used or why it is needed? We are hoping for further insight into what you are looking for here. Since there always needs to be a business case to run a syndicated study, in terms of the subscription price (i.e., getting enough subscribers to offset the project cost), it is unclear what is the relevance of a custom study cost. 

A "custom study cost" refers to the cost the supplier would charge for the study if it was done as an individual project where the GC was the sole client.  Custom studies are ones where the GC would determine the content and retain the copyright. 
 
As indicated in the RFI, to address its research needs, the GC is in search of "the most economical means of accessing research on its priority issues". The GC will use the information on "custom study cost" to compare the cost of purchasing a syndicated study subscription with the cost of undertaking a custom study. 

Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.