Financial Services / Services Financiers

Trade Agreement: Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT)
Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid
Attachment: None
Competitive Procurement Strategy: N/A - P&A/LOI Only
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Nature of Requirements: 
Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)
Acquisitions Branch (AB)

Subject: Canada Student Loans Program Re-Procurement

Introduction

Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and Human
Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) have begun work
on the Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) contract
re-procurement. As part of its procurement strategy, PWGSC and
HRSDC want to engage industry early, and at certain stages in
the re-procurement process, in order to solicit industry
feedback on the CSLP business requirements, possible service
delivery models as well as the related procurement strategy. The
overall objective of collaborating with the industry is to
obtain valuable feedback to help shape CSLP business
requirements and possible alternative delivery solutions as well
as the procurement strategy to achieve an end-state business
solution meeting the needs of the Canada Student Loans Program.  

This Notice outlines Canada's intended industry engagement
strategy. Also, the Notice invites industry to provide any
initial feedback at this point, and to identify its organization
if interested in participating in the engagement process. While
a brief overview of CSLP is included as part of this Notice to
help familiarize industry with the business, Canada will be
issuing other Notices which will contain more detailed
information relating to the re-procurement. Suppliers may also
identify themselves as a participating entity at that time.

Suppliers are encouraged to continue to monitor the Government
Electronic Tendering Services (GETS) for further information on
the CSLP re-procurement process.

Background

The Canada Student Loans Program was created in 1964 to promote
access to post-secondary education.

The requirement for the program is legislated through the Canada
Student Loans Act R.S.C. 1985, c. S-28 and the Canada Student
Loans Regulations, which govern the provision of loans issued to
students up to August 1, 1995, and the Canada Student Financial
Assistance Act S.C. 1994, C.28 and the Canada Student Financial
Assistance Regulations, which govern the provision of financial
assistance issued to students as of August 1, 1995. 

Direct lending, introduced by CSLP in 2000, entails the
financing of student loans directly with taxpayer funding
instead of bank financing. The loan administration of CSLP was
outsourced to Service Providers (Contractors) as part of this
change. Following a competitive procurement process, in December
2000, PWGSC awarded a contract to one Service Provider selected
to provide financial and related administrative services for
students attending Public Educational Institutions, and another
contract to a second Service Provider selected to provide the
services for students attending Private Educational
Institutions. These two contracts expired in March 2008.

A subsequent competitive solicitation was conducted and in
December 2006, PWGSC awarded a follow-on contract with a single
Service Provider to provide financial and related administrative
services for students attending both Public and Private
Educational Institutions. The current contract will potentially
expire in March 2018.

The provincial Governments of Saskatchewan, Ontario,
Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and British Columbia
have signed integration agreements with the Government of Canada
to incorporate their requirements for provincial loan
administration services into the current requirements.  

Industry Engagement Strategy

The intended consultation approach involves: 1) initial
telephone contact by PWGSC/HRSDC with suppliers and
organizations in certain market segments, 2) an Industry Day (an
awareness/information session and open forum), 3) in-person
individual session(s) with interested suppliers, and 4) written
responses to a formal Request For Information and Draft Request
For Proposal.

Please note that participation in any of the Industry
consultation steps is not a mandatory requirement for eventual
submission of proposal; industry representatives that do not
participate in the consultation process will remain eligible to
submit a proposal in response to any future Request For Proposal
relating to the CSLP re-procurement.

1.	Initial Contact with Industry 

Prior to holding an Industry Day, PWGSC and HRSDC want to
contact Industry to collect information on the current
marketplace, available technology and supplier capabilities. 
Industry representatives interested in participating in this
early step of the Industry engagement process are invited to
provide the following information to the PWGSC contact person
identified in this notice. 

a.	Firm's legal name
b.	Contact person and title
c.	Email address and telephone number

2.	Industry Day

PWGSC and HRSDC anticipate scheduling an Industry Day in the
National Capital Region in Fall 2012. During this session, PWGSC
and HRSDC representatives will share the procurement strategy
and the business needs underlying the CSLP. The Industry Day is
intended to be an open forum allowing Canada to communicate its
requirements at a performance outcome level, and for industry to
ask questions and seek information in order to gain a sound
understanding of the business needs of the Student Loans Program.

Following the Industry Day, Canada may request organizations
that participated in the Industry Day to submit written feedback
on the CSLP re-procurement (potential alternative procurement
strategies, evaluation criteria, project specific risks and
appropriate risk management strategies) as well as identify
feasible solutions to meet the CSLP operational needs. This
written feedback would serve to plan and organize follow up
one-on-one consultations with Industry.

Attendance at this event will be strictly reserved to properly
registered industry representatives. Details pertaining to the
registration process, the location and time of the Industry Day
will be provided at a later date through a Notice on GETS.

3.	One-on-one sessions with individual firms

Subsequent to the Industry Day consultation session, separate
one-on-one meeting(s) with individual firms are anticipated to
allow the opportunity to discuss requirements in more detail and
possible viable options for service delivery models.

Attendance at these individual meetings will be strictly
reserved to properly registered industry representatives.
Depending on the level of interest shown by Industry and the
demand on government resources and the procurement schedule,
Canada may not choose to meet with all interested firms. More
details concerning the individual meetings, registration,
location and time will be communicated directly to registered
Industry representatives. 

4.   Request For Information/Draft Request For Proposal

Canada intends to issue a Request for Information, including a
DRAFT Request For Proposal, which incorporates the findings and
recommendations from Industry engagement that meet the CSLP
operational needs. The purpose would be to solicit further
feedback from Industry prior to developing any final Request For
Proposal.

Confidentiality

Canada will handle any material or information provided by
Industry in response to this request for input in accordance
with the Access to Information Act.

Disclaimer

This document is intended for information purposes only and may
be subject to change without notice. Release of this information
does not constitute a commitment on the part of the Government
of Canada to contract for any of the above-mentioned
requirements.

Also, please note that attendees are responsible for their own
transportation, accommodation, meals, parking and all other
expenses related to participation in the Industry engagement
activities. Canada will not reimburse any firm or attendee for
expenses incurred in responding to Canada's questions or
attending the consultation sessions.

Contact Person:

Rob Crober
Supply Team Leader
PWGSC, Special Procurement Initiatives Directorate
11 Laurier Street, Gatineau (QC), K1A 0S5 
Tel: (819) 956-1206
PCPERenouvellement.CSLPRenewal@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
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.