Microfiche and Microfilm Scanner

Trade Agreement: NAFTA/AIT/Canada FTAs with Peru/Colombia/Panama
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited to bid
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Vendor Name and Address: 
Ristech Company Inc.
5115 Harvester Road
Unit 8
Burlington Ontario
Canada
L7L0A3
Nature of Requirements: 

Microfiche and Microfilm Scanner

A0167-163743/A
Hooper, Marlyn
Telephone No. - (613) 219-8478
Fax No. - (819) 956-3814 

1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) 

An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a departmentor 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. 

2. Definition of the requirement 

The Litigation Management and Resolution Branch (LMRB) of the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has a requirement for the supply of a high-capacity multi-functional scanner which has the functionality to ribbon scan both microfiche and microfilm in order to process large volumes of data in an expedient manner for data management and discovery purposes. The ribbon scanning feature is essential as it captures an image quality superior to other machines, which then allows the images to be converted to searchable content via OCR (optical character recognition function). LMRB also requires that the scanner also have the capability to scan aperture cards, oversized, ultra, and mini fiche sizes in order to adequately scan a variety of document types (including letters, maps, papers, 

3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements) 

Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that its microfiche and microfilm scanner meets the following requirements: 

- Must be a single machine capable of ribbon scanning both microfiche and microfilm documents;
- Must have the capability to scan a wide variety of document formats types, and sizes, including aperture cards, oversized, ultra, E-Size, and mini-fiche documents without technical difficulties;
- Must produce high fidelity, high resolution scanned images in various digital formats and format these images via optical character recognition (OCR) conversion into easily accessible, exportable, and searchable documents for review by researchers and legal counsel;
- Must have the capacity at any time to scan, capture, and process large quantities of data and images at an expedited rate of speed; 
- Must be equipped with software which allows for scanning and image QC activities to be performed simultaneously from multiple workstations without significant delays or technical issues;
- Must be equipped with software which contains a user-controlled customizable fields feature for database coding and cataloguing; and
- Must be equipped with software which is fully compatible with other third party database software environments.

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

This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s);
- Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT)
- North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

NextScan’s FlexScan scanner (distributed by the OEM-authorized Canadian distributor, Ristech Company Inc.) has the following unique technical features not available through other vendors which are required for the INAC’s Litigation Management and Resolution Branch to digitize a large collection of microfilm and microfiche from provincial and territorial archives for litigation cases that INAC manages.

- Must be a single machine capable of ribbon scanning both microfiche and microfilm documents;
The scanner must be able to perform the process of converting rolls of film and/or fiche jackets into digitized file formats for electronic access as required for database entry and access by litigation researchers and counsel. 

- Must have the capability to scan a wide array of formats, including aperture cards, E-Size drawings, ultra, oversized, and mini fiche sizes without technical difficulties; 
The scanner must have the technical ability to properly digitize and process a multitude of different image mediums without any issue or special setup required outside of the initial installation. Because of the large time span and subsequent progression in a variety of document formats and subsequent image types within which the Department’s data reside in, it is imperative for researchers, case managers, and Department of Justice litigators that the scanner is fully capable of processing these varying document formats so they may access any and all pertinent information without having to seek special assistance or the use of an additional scanner or imaging service. The scanner must be able to scan documents as large as E-Size drawings (34”x44”) as can be the case with oversized maps. 

- Must produce high fidelity, high resolution scanned images in various digital formats and format these images via optical character recognition (OCR) conversion into easily accessible, exportable, and searchable documents for review by researchers and legal counsel;
The scanner must have the technical capacity to generate high quality resolution images of varying physical conditions of scanned documents, including historical and contemporary hand-written notes, signed letters, and maps, without a loss of image quality through image capture features including speckle removal, image enhancement, and automatic formatting. Scanning resolution of 15500 DPI, with options to scale images and irregularly-sized documents at 640 DPI for 24x Reduction Ratio and 320 DPI for 48x Reduction Ratio is strongly desired. Further, this scanner must be able to OCR a multitude of documents so thatthe entire textual content of the documents can be keyword searched to facilitate document review and database coding. 

- Must have the capacity at any time to scan, capture, and process  large quantities of data and images at an expedited rate of speed; 
Due to the often urgent and short deadlines imposed by court rulings and proceedings (which dictate the breadth and scope of information that needs to be accessed and researched in any given case), the Department requires that the scanner and its associated software application are both able to efficiently process thousands of documents at a high rate of speed without compromising the image quality of the documents being scanned and digitize the documents in an expedited time frame. Required processing speeds are 190 ppm for microfiche documents, 400 ppm for roll film (16mm) documents, and at capable of at scanning up to 500 Aperture Cards per hour on an approx. 100MB/second or faster on standard bandwith, with a 1GB Ethernet connection. 

- Must be equipped with hardware and software which allows for scanning and image QC activities to be performed simultaneously from multiple workstations without significant delays or technical issues;
The scanner’s hardware must come with a preconfigured 8TB (terabyte) image storage device and software which would allow for multiple researchers to scan and image QC simultaneously from different workstations. This technical feature is critical in addressing both time constraints imposed on researchers aswell as satisfying the team-based collaborative aspects of conducting research and document review. 
 
- Must be equipped with software which contains a user-controlled customizable field feature for database coding and cataloguing; and
In order for the Department’s researchers and case managers to be able to efficiently and effectively access information found within existing evidence management databases, the images being scanned by the scanner in question and its associated software must provide for the ability for image and metadata fields to be customized to user preferences. 
 
- Must be equipped with software which is fully compatible with other third party database software environments.
The software application used to operate the scannermust be able to import/export files to and from existing evidence management and discovery database software installations in use by the Department. These file extensions and formats include TIFF bitonal G3/G4, TIFF uncompressed, Multi-page TIFF, JPEG, CALS, PDF/A, Multi-page PDF, JPEG 2000 and others. 

6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s) 

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


7. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons 

The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the section of the trade agreement(s) specified:

Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) - Article(s) 506 12.(b) where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no alternative or substitute exists;

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - Article(s) 1016 2.(b) where for works of art, or for reasons connected with the protection of patents, copyrights or other exclusive rights, or proprietary information or where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons, the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.


8. Ownership of Intellectual Property

Ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract will vest in the Contractor.

9. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date 

The equipment is requested to be delivered by January 16, 2017.

10. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract, including options is $130,000.00 (GST/HST extra). 

11.Name and address of the pre-identified supplier 

Name: Ristech Company Inc.
Address: 5115 Harvester Road, Unit 8, Burlington, Ontario, L7L 0A3 

12.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 thisnotice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

13.Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities.

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is December 15, 2016 at 2:00pm EST.

14.Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities 

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to: 

Marlyn Hooper, Supply Specialist 
Scientific, Medical and Photographic Division
Commercial and Consumer Products Directorate
6A2 (36) Place du Portage, Phase III
11 rue Laurier, Gatineau Quebec K1A 0S5
Telephone: 613-219-8478
Facsimile: 819-956-3824
E-mail: marlyn.hooper@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the contracting officer identified above.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and agencies to post a notice, for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contracting authority may then proceed with the award.  However, should a Statement of Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, then the contracting authority will proceed to a full tendering process.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/goods described herein, 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.

The PWGSC file number, the contracting officer's name and the closing date of the ACAN must appear on the outside of the envelope in block letters or, in the case of a facsimile transmission, on the covering page.

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

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.