National Surveillance Services of Selected Rare Paediatric Conditions

Trade Agreement: Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited to bid
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Government Objectives Representing Best Interests/Value to Govt
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Vendor Name and Address: 
Canadian Paediatric Society
2305 St. Laurent Blvd.
Ottawa Ontario
Canada
K1G4J8
Nature of Requirements: 

Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)


An 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 stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.


1. Requirement

Public Health Agency of Canada has a requirement for national surveillance services of selected rare paediatric conditions, based on monthly reporting by Canadian paediatricians, paediatric sub-specialists in order to obtain and disseminate surveillance data and information that informs public health action.

Tasks could include the following:

- the management of a process for the selection of conditions to be placed under surveillance;

- collection of non-nominal data through reporting by participants and national-level data collation and analysis, as per the study protocols; and,

- the communication of all resulting surveillance information, including actionable feedback to the program participants.


The proposed work will involve the following:

- maintaining, operating and enhancing an active surveillance system for selected rare paediatric conditions, based on monthly reporting by Canadian paediatricians, paediatric sub-specialists and other medical specialists. Enhancements could include making the system more efficient, able to capture more cases from more reporting physicians more quickly or cost effectively in light of evolving technology and practice.

- providing surveillance services to conduct two ongoing surveillance studies (i.e., Acute Flaccid Paralysis; and, Adverse Drug Reactions) and to conduct, at any given time, at least five multi-year studies (typically two-years in duration, unless otherwise specified by the Project Authority). New studies should be poised to begin as studies already underway conclude. 

- conduct additional one-time surveys or multi-year or ongoing studies with up to a maximum of 13 studies underway at any given time. 

- add one-time survey questionnaires or information items of clinical or public health relevance to the monthly mail-out as many as four times per year. Collected results must be forwarded to the investigator for data analysis.

- prepare, design, translate, and print all reporting and correspondence materials;

- mail and/or email monthly Initial Report Forms to a minimum of 2,700 participants (paediatricians, geneticists, paediatric neurologists, etc.). A minimum of 2100 of which are sent by email while approximately 800 are sent by mail;

- mail Detailed Report Forms when a case under surveillance is identified;

- mail and/or email quarterly reminders to non-reports;

- follow-up non-reports and clarify information with paediatricians;

- collect, collate and digitize returned Initial Report Forms through computer entry;

- establish a comprehensive list of paediatricians and paediatric subspecialists that hold a license to practice medicine in Canada and are willing to participate in the surveillance of rare paediatric conditions; 

- collect and disseminate Detailed Report Forms to study investigators for analysis on a timely basis;

- ensure the timely production of research reports on diseases/conditions under surveillance; 

- facilitate development of data sharing agreements and completion of ethical approval processes with investigators and PHAC; and

- complete, as scheduled, using equivalent methodology and procedures, any studies already underway as of March 31, 2019.  


Please note that this requirement may include security requirements. For more information on personnel and organization security screening or security clauses, Suppliers should refer to the Contract Security Program of Public Works and Government Services Canada (http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/esc-src/introduction-eng.html) website.


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: 

M1 
The Supplier must have five (5) years of experience in the management of a national, Canadian surveillance program involving three (3) one-time surveys per year to paediatric health professionals and ten (10) ongoing or multi-year active surveillance studies with monthly case reporting all within the same five (5) year period. The surveys and studies must have appeared in publications such as paediatric health peer-reviewed journals or Canadian federal, provincial, or territorial government reports with combined response rates that must have reached a minimum of 70%.

To demonstrate this experience, the Supplier must provide for each of the five (5) years, the title, dates, duration, audience and description of the three (3) one-time surveys per year for a total of 15 one-time surveys over a five (5) year period as well as the title, dates, duration, audience, description and case reporting frequency of the 10 ongoing or multi-year active surveillance studies. In addition, the Supplier must provide for each one-time survey and active surveillance study a corresponding list of publications, appearing in peer-reviewed journals or Canadian federal, provincial, or territorial government reports that contain descriptions of the methodology (including response rate) and the results of these surveillance activities.  


M2 
The Supplier must have completed three (3) multi-year health-related surveillance or research projects within the past ten (10) years for a total minimum of $5 million that completed on time and on budget. 

The Supplier must demonstrate this experience by providing a brief description of each multi-year project including the dates and duration, the steps taken to complete the project on time, the budget associated to each project and how that budget was managed.


M3 
The Supplier must have experience working in two (2) multi-disciplinary groups within the last five (5) years where specific facilitation techniques were used to address the tendency for different professional groups to have different assumptions, different lexicons, different values and different professional’s norms to forge consensus and create common public health initiatives to the mutual benefit of all concerned.

The Supplier must demonstrate this experience by providing a description of each multi-disciplinary group including the Supplier’s role, the group objectives, the titles of the group participants and the duration and dates the Supplier was part of the multi-disciplinary group. The Supplier must demonstrate the facilitation techniques they used in each multi-disciplinary groups to address different assumptions, different lexicons, different values and different professional’s norms to forge consensus and create common public health initiatives to the mutual benefit of all concerned. 


M4
The Supplier must demonstrate experience working with a range of national public health professionals in Canada in the implementation of survey/surveillance projects. 

The Supplier must demonstrate this experience by providing a description of their collaborators involved in their survey/surveillance projects including those from at least two institutions, at least two municipal or provincial/territorial governments, and at least one federal government organization involved in over the past five (5) years.


3.Applicability of the trade agreement(s)

This procurement is subject to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).

The procurement is not subject to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as per Annex 1001.1b-2, Section B - Excluded Coverage, Class R, Data Collection Services (R113); or the World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP), as the services are not listed under Appendix 1, Annex 5, and is not subject to the Annexe 19-5 of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).


4. Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business 

The Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business (PSAB) is not applicable to this procurement, as Work will not be set-aside under PSAB.


5. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements

The Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements (CLCAs) are not applicable to this procurement, as Work will not be delivered to, nor conducted within CLCA areas.


6. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

1) The Canadian Paediatric Society can provide continuity and consistency of the survey sample population between past and future surveys to provide a strong scientific basis to interpret differences in repeated surveys on specific medical conditions.  

2) The Canadian Paediatric Society has access to names and contact information for a range of medical specialists treating children with a wide range of health conditions, including the vast majority of paediatricians in Canada.  

3) The Canadian Paediatric Society has the full range of medical specialists with the expertise to identify and treat many of the rare conditions of interest in the Active Surveillance system. This in turn provides for efficient surveys of rare health events that affect children.  

4) The Canadian Paediatric Society provides a high response rate to surveillance surveys based on their combined group of specialists who are difficult to access without remuneration. 

5) The Canadian Paediatric Society is capable of attracting paediatricians and other specialists willing to donate their time to develop surveillance studies.

6) The Canadian Paediatric Society has the necessary qualifications and experience to perform the work and to meet all of the work requirements.


7. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

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

 
8. Limited Tendering Reasons

The following exclusion(s) and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the:

Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) - Article(s) 513, 1(b) (iii) - "if the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable alternative or substitute goods or services exist for any of the following reasons: due to an absence of competition for technical reasons."


9. Ownership of Intellectual Property

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


10. Period of the proposed Contract

The period of the proposed contract is from the date of contract award to March 31, 2022 with two optional one-year periods. 


11. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract, including option(s), is $3,250,000 (GST/HST included). 


12. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Canadian Paediatric Society
2035 St Laurent Blvd, 
Ottawa, ON Canada K1G 4J8


13. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods and/or 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 this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.


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

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is March 13, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. EST.


15. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:

Jenny Lamoureux
Services and Technology Acquisitions Management Sector
Acquisitions Branch
Public Works and Government Services Canada
10 Wellington street, Gatineau, QC  K1A 0S5
jenny.lamoureux@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Telephone: 873-353-9492

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.