Date: July 22, 2022
COMPETITIVE BID
Issued by:
Agriculture Financial Services Corporation
COMPETITIVE BIDS FOR:
Remote Sensing Capabilities Partner
COMPETITIVE BID #: 0658
CONTRACTED SERVICE: Remote Sensing and Machine Learning
CLOSING: August 30, 2022 @ 1:00 pm (MST)
AFSC BUYER: Kathy Walker
TITLE: Buyer, Business Services
ADDRESS: AFSC
Purchasing Department
5718 56th Avenue
Lacombe, Alberta T4L 1B1
PHONE: 587-815-6146
FAX : 403-782-5650
E-MAIL: RFP@afsc.ca
Competitive Bid #, Submission Deadline, and Proponent’s Return Address
should appear on face of the envelope.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
TERMS AND CONDITIONS - 1 -
1.0 INTRODUCTION - 1 -
1.1 DEFINITIONS - 1 -
1.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY OF INFORMATION - 1 -
1.3 MATERIAL OWNERSHIP - 2 -
1.4 CONFLICT OF INTEREST - 2 -
1.5 INACCURACIES OR MISREPRESENTATIONS - 2 -
1.6 INQUIRIES - 2 -
1.7 LIABILITY FOR ERRORS - 4 -
1.8 NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES - 4 -
1.9 VENDOR’S EXPENSES - 4 -
1.10 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY - 4 -
1.11 RESERVATION OF RIGHTS - 5 -
1.12 COMPETITIVE BID ADMINISTRATION - 5 -
1.13 AFSC’S POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR SECURITY AND TRAINING ON SITE - 5 -
2.0 STATEMENT OF WORK - 7 -
2.1 BACKGROUND - 7 -
2.2 OBJECTIVES - 8 -
2.3 SCOPE OF WORK - 10 -
2.4 REQUIREMENTS - 11 -
2.5 USE CASES - 12 -
2.6 CORPORATE CAPABILITIES AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - 14 -
2.7 VALUE ADD - 14 -
2.8 APPROACH - 14 -
2.9 PRICING - 15 -
3.0 EVALUATION - 15 -
4.0 MASTER SCHEDULE - 16 -
5.0 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES - 16 -
5.1 PROPOSAL FORMAT - 16 -
5.2 PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS - 18 -
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1.0 Introduction
Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) is an Alberta Provincial Crown Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (AF). AFSC’s core programs include business risk management programs and services to the agriculture industry as well as lending products and services to farmers’ agribusinesses, value added enterprises and commercial operations. More detailed information about AFSC is available on the website www.afsc.ca.
The objective of this Competitive Bid is for AFSC to explore the diversity in the competitive market from those qualified in providing the specified services described under section 2.0 of this Competitive Bid.
1.1 Definitions
The following abbreviations and terminology are used throughout this Competitive Bid:
Term Description
Personnel Employees, contractors, subcontractors and agents of the Vendor.
Vendor Any business that is registered in Canada and is authorized to operate in Alberta, proposing to submit a Proposal to the Competitive Bid.
Competitive Bid Competitive Bid (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), Value Based Request (VBR), Notice of Proposed Procurement (NPP), Request For Information (RFI), Request for Comment (RFC)
Statement of Work The services required by this Competitive Bid as described in section 2.0 of this Competitive Bid.
Contract Monitor AFSC representative that will be responsible for the management of the contract that may result from this Competitive Bid.
1.2 Confidentiality and Security of Information
The Vendor and the Vendor’s personnel shall:
a) Keep strictly confidential all information concerning AFSC or third parties, or any of the business or activities of AFSC or third parties acquired as result of participation in the Competitive Bid;
b) Only use, copy or disclose such information as necessary for the purpose of submitting a Proposal or upon written authorization of AFSC.
The Vendor shall maintain security standards, including control of access to data and other information, consistent with the highest standards of business practice in the Vendor’s industry.
1.3 Material Ownership
Ownership in all materials including copyright, patent, trade secret, industrial design or trade mark that are made, prepared, developed, generated, produced or acquired under or in relation to the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract by the Vendor, the Vendor’s employees, subcontractors or agents belongs to AFSC as they are made, prepared, developed, generated, produced or acquired. Any such materials shall be delivered to AFSC upon completion or termination of the Competitive Bid.
The Vendor:
a) Irrevocably waives in whole all moral rights.
b) Shall ensure that its employees, subcontractors and agents irrevocably waive in whole all moral rights to the materials made, prepaid, developed, generated produced, or acquired under the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract and declares that these waivers shall operate in favour of AFSC and AFSC’s assignees and licenses.
1.4 Conflict of Interest
Vendor(s) must fully disclose, in writing to AFSC on or before the closing date of the Competitive Bid, the circumstances of any possible conflict of interest or what could be perceived as a possible conflict of interest if the Vendor were to become a contracting party pursuant to the Competitive Bid.
AFSC will review any submissions by Vendor(s) under this provision and may reject any Proposals where, in the sole opinion of AFSC, the Vendor could be in a conflict of interest or could be perceived to be in a possible conflict of interest position if the Vendor were to become a contracting party pursuant to the Competitive Bid.
1.5 Inaccuracies or Misrepresentations
If, in the course of the Competitive Bidding process, AFSC determines that the Vendor has made a material misstatement or misrepresentation or that materially inaccurate information has been provided to AFSC, the Vendor will be disqualified from the Competitive Bidding process.
1.6 Inquiries
All inquiries related to this Competitive Bid must be addressed to the AFSC Buyer on or before the date specified in the Master Schedule and as per the following:
a) Inquiries must be sent by e-mail to the AFSC Buyer at RFP@AFSC.ca, utilizing the Q&A template provided.
b) No telephone inquiries will be accepted.
c) No additional information or clarifications will be provided to inquiries received after the applicable deadline.
d) In order to be considered, all inquiries must provide the following Vendor information:
• Name of Primary Contact
• Address
• Telephone number
• E-mail address
• Competitive Bid Reference Number.
e) All inquiries received will be reviewed by AFSC.
f) All inquiries will be compiled and answered in the form of written Addendum(s) issued by AFSC via Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC) to all prospective Vendor(s).
g) Vendor(s) are advised that all inquiries answered by AFSC will be provided verbatim in writing to all prospective Vendor(s).
h) Inquiries that may contain proprietary or confidential information of a Vendor may be answered exclusively to the submitting Vendor (AFSC will direct the correspondence regarding this inquiry only to the Vendor’s Primary Contact) provided the Addendum does not:
• Require a modification to this Competitive Bid; or
• Potentially provide an undue advantage in the competitive process.
i) If either of the above situations (h) arises, AFSC reserves the right to:
• Request the Vendor reword and resubmit the inquiry; or
• Decline to provide a response.
j) AFSC reserves the right to not disclose information in conjunction with this Competitive Bid on any inquiry that requires releasing information that AFSC, in its sole discretion, regards as confidential to AFSC.
k) AFSC reserves the right in any event to decline to provide a Proposal for any reason in its sole discretion.
l) It is the Vendor’s responsibility to notify AFSC, in writing, and in advance, of any change in the Vendor(s) Primary Contact Information.
m) AFSC assumes no responsibility or liability arising from information obtained in a manner other than as described in this Competitive Bid.
1.7 Liability for Errors
While every effort is taken to ensure an accurate representation of information in this Competitive Bid, AFSC shall not be liable or accountable for any error or omission in any part of this Competitive Bid.
1.8 Notification of Changes
Any changes to this Competitive Bid, as well as the Response(s) to inquiries, will be posted as an addendum on the Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC). Vendors should routinely check APC for amendments and adhere to any amendment requirements.
In the event of a Directed Competitive Bid, Vendors should routinely check the email address the Bid was delivered to for amendments.
1.9 Vendor’s Expenses
Vendors are solely responsible for their own expenses in preparing the Proposal, as well as any subsequent Proposals, including any costs associated with attendance to Information sessions, site tours or a potential short-listed Vendor’s interview with AFSC.
1.10 Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
The Vendor acknowledges that:
a) The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act of Alberta (FOIP) applies to all information and records relating to, or obtained, generated, created, collected or provided under the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract and which are in the custody or control of AFSC. FOIP allows any person a right of access to records in AFSC’s custody or control, subject to limited and specific exceptions as set out in FOIP.
b) FOIP imposes an obligation on AFSC, and through the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract on the Vendor(s), to protect the privacy of individuals to whom information relates. The Vendor(s) will protect the confidentiality and privacy of any individual’s Personal Information accessible to the Vendor(s) or collected by the Vendor(s) pursuant to the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract.
c) The Vendor(s), if it considers portions of its Proposal to be confidential, will identify those parts of its Proposal to AFSC considered to be confidential and what harm could reasonably be expected from disclosure. AFSC does not warrant that this identification will preclude disclosure under FOIP.
d) Materials produced by the Vendor(s), in connection with or pursuant to the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract, which are the property AFSC pursuant to the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract, could be considered records under the control of a public body and could therefore also be subject to the FOIP before delivery to AFSC. As such, the Vendor must conduct itself to a standard consistent with FOIP in relation to such materials.
e) For the records and information obtained or possessed by the Vendor(s) in connection with or pursuant to the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract, and which are in the custody or control of AFSC, the Vendor(s) must conduct itself to a standard consistent with FOIP when providing the services or carrying out the duties or other obligations of the Vendor under the Competitive Bid and any subsequent contract.
The purpose for collecting Personal Information for the Competitive Bid is to enable AFSC to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information, to evaluate the Proposal, and for other related program purposes of AFSC. Authority for this collection is the Government Organization Act, as amended from time to time. The Vendor(s) may contact the Buyer identified in the Competitive Bid regarding any questions about collection of information pursuant to the Competitive Bid.
1.11 Reservation of Rights
AFSC reserves the right in its sole discretion to:
a) Accept or reject any or all Proposals.
b) Disqualify a Vendor in the event that, in AFSC’s opinion, the Proposal does not contain sufficient information to permit a thorough evaluation.
c) Verify the validity of the information supplied and to reject any Proposal where the contents appear to be incorrect or inaccurate in AFSC’s estimation.
d) Seek Proposal clarification at any time with Vendor(s) to assist in making evaluations.
e) Accept Proposals in whole or in part.
f) Accept a Proposal with only minor non-compliance.
g) Retain one copy and destroy and dispose of all other copies of any and all Proposals received by AFSC.
h) Cancel this Competitive Bid process at any stage, without award or compensation to Vendors, their officers, directors, employees or agents, without assigning any reasons.
1.12 Competitive Bid Administration
The Proposal must indicate that the Vendor accepts the Procedures set down in this Competitive Bid. In accordance with this Competitive Bid, the Vendor, if it considers portions of its Proposal to be confidential, shall identify those parts of its Proposal to AFSC considered to be confidential and what harm could reasonably be expected from disclosure. AFSC does not warrant that this identification will preclude disclosure under FOIP.
1.13 AFSC’s Policies and Procedures for Security and Training On Site
The Vendor, its employees, subcontractors and agents when using any of AFSC’s buildings, premises, equipment, hardware or software shall comply with all safety and security policies, regulations or directives relating to those buildings, premises, equipment, hardware or software that are promulgated by AFSC from time to time.
The Vendor’s employees, subcontractors and agents shall comply, as applicable, with all provisions of the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act, Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and Occupational Health and Safety Code with respect to the provision of services and materials.
When the Workers’ Compensation Act (Alberta), as amended, applies, and upon request from AFSC, deliver to AFSC a certificate from the Workers’ Compensation Board showing that the Vendor is registered and in good standing with the Board.
2.0 STATEMENT OF WORK
2.1 Background
AFSC insured roughly 23 million acres of land in Alberta in 2021 through Annual and Perennial Insurance Programs. There is a wide array of products and features within the programs such as a Hail Endorsement, a Moisture Deficiency Product, Unharvested Acre Benefit, and others all requiring data for coverage calculations and to assess indemnities resulting from insured perils (drought, hail, wildlife, flood, heat, etc.). The insurance and client data (land, input, activity/operation, yield/loss, peril, etc.) are collected in a multitude of ways (depending on the product) including client forms/submissions, an Adjusting team dedicated to inspecting and assessing losses, and (to some extent) remote sensors such as weather stations, satellite imagery, and drone imagery. Whatever the method of data collection, the goal is to accurately and efficiently assess damaged/lost acres against insured acres resulting from the insured perils.
AFSC’s strategic plan in the next five years includes adopting modern technologies, inspiring innovation in our products, how we conduct business, and delivering an exceptional client experience. Our current efforts towards these goals include:
• Plans to modernize our insurance platform.
• Exploration of technology such as Machine Learning (ML) to reduce claim processing times, provide clients with relevant, timely information, and other uses (reduce manual processes, increase efficiencies, and improve prioritization).
• A review of Insurance products (including what technology would add value to their design and delivery).
• Integration of operational data from other stakeholders.
• Integration of data from external farm management software platforms with AFSC systems/platforms (e.g. to ease automatic/seamless external data transfer).
The above goals potentially fit well with remote sensing (RS) that can provide efficiency and value to clients and AFSC staff, especially acknowledging that RS imaging and imagery capabilities are getting better in terms of technology, coverage, resolution, and costs. RS in general looks promising as a tool that can provide meaningful information or measurements for insurance purposes and allow AFSC to leverage the impending wealth of data on farms and in the industry that can be used to identify insured crops and measure damage caused by perils (such as weather). The use of RS is becoming more widespread in the ag industry; employed in external farm applications/platforms clients and agronomists are using, as well as others (e.g. grain buyers) to measure plant health and factors affecting the insured farms. Therefore, AFSC would like to position itself in the ecosystem of RS so it can be used to the benefit of the organization and its clients. Our long-term goal is to use the remotely sensed data with other data in an integrated/comprehensive manner (“georeferenced” and “geo-enriched”) for data-backed decision-making.
AFSC is currently using RS in a limited number of cases. In our pasture insurance products, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from satellite imagery (NOAA AVHRR) and precipitation data from weather stations are used as proxies for pasture production. We have explored hail analytics on optical and radar imagery to identify potential hail damage or crop loss and notify clients. We have also explored the usefulness of drone imagery to assess wildlife damage and hail damage to crops. Current applications are limited and rely heavily on external parties for the acquisition and processing of the data for use in our products or analysis and decision-making.
Currently, AFSC is pursuing enhancing their enterprise architecture and strengthening their enterprise data strategy around self-serve data analytics/insights, GIS, and imagery to enable our success in digital business optimization. The Business Intelligence technology stack at AFSC includes AFSC Connect, ESRI ArcGIS suite (Desktop, Server, Mobile), SAS Enterprise Server, and Salesforce. The potential stakeholders include business users (analysts, product specialists, inspectors, claim verifiers, product developers), decision makers, and policy specialists. These users might access the services through different platforms such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. AFSC’s strategy and priority over the last few years is focused on the client and their experience (automation, making it easier to do business with AFSC, reducing claim wait times, red tape reduction, etc.); consequently, it can be expected that the results/insights from any RS solution will be shared externally.
2.2 Objectives
AFSC is looking for a partner (or partners) to bring modern RS capabilities into the organization for programs and select use cases to grow RS capabilities into other areas that make sense (in progression). At present, solutions for use cases will need to continue to rely heavily or exclusively on external resources to acquire data (e.g. imagery), data storage, data processing and analysis, integration with other AFSC data or systems or platforms, and mapping and reporting or insights for data-driven decision-making. AFSC’s intention is to assess whether some of the work and capability can or should be done internally. An ideal partner(s) would be able to assist with that transition and advise on elements that should be internalized and will potentially need to work with other vendor(s) to achieve AFSC goals.
Figure 1 lays out AFSC’s strategy for RS adoption. This RFI is focused on Step 1, however, is concerned with the longer-term alignment of vendors with Steps 2 and 3 in the hope that a shorter-term engagement will lead to a longer-term relationship. It should be noted that AFSC may use multiple partners to accomplish the different use cases.
Figure 1 AFSC Strategy Flowchart
Figure 2 shows AFSC’s current understanding of the types of methodologies and use case categories that exist in a crop insurance context where RS may be useful.
Step 1 focuses on the crop reporting and intelligence category of use cases, while Steps 2 and 3 builds on the capabilities created in Step 1 to address more challenging business opportunities.
Figure 2 Categories of Use Cases and methodologies.
Machine Learning and Statistical Modelling
Machine Learning (ML) algorithms as well as more traditional statistical models seem like a natural fit with RS data in many cases (e.g., computer vision models, change detection, etc.). Depending on the use case, AFSC will need expertise in machine/deep learning and statistical modelling techniques from a vendor. There may also be a requirement to collaborate with other vendor(s) AFSC is engaged with on related work.
Crop Reporting and Intelligence
AFSC and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF) collaborate on the Alberta Crop Report that reports weekly crop conditions and seeding/harvesting updates throughout the growing season. Currently, AFSC Adjusting staff collect the data which is curated and prepared by the central office staff. There is a significant opportunity to augment and automate these reports to save time and provide clients and the industry with high quality up-to-date and relevant information.
Examples of the Alberta Crop Report: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-crop-reports.aspx#jumplinks-1
Foundational Remote Sensing Products
Services and products such as field boundaries, base maps, and other products and services that are foundational to map-based interfaces and operations. This category could be defined as the foundation for further capabilities (e.g. finding “fields” of canola might be difficult without field boundaries). Note that ideally these map products are spatial and linked to cadastral and administrative conventions.
Product Triggers and Payment Functions
Like Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release, the accuracy of payment and triggers is crucial. There may be some significant opportunity to enhance products or create new ones using RS data for coverage, identifying loss (type, extent, intensity) and settlement with insurance programs.
Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release
AFSC has stringent requirements for accuracy and consistency when verifying and settling crop insurance claims, however in some cases RS data may provide a level of accuracy sufficient to release claims, especially for smaller ones with lower risk of under- and over-payments or where RS supplies a clear, exact outcome. Claim settlement and desk release using RS looks like it makes sense to introduce into Step 2 or late in Step 1 of the implementation strategy if the use cases look feasible at that stage.
2.3 Scope of Work
Please provide a proposed/suggested solution for completing as many of the requirements in section 2.4 based on Step 1 in table 1 as possible; with an additional minimum of 3 use cases (from Steps 2-3) examples in the crop reporting category in Table 1 which lead to automation and augmentation of the AB Crop Report (Crop type, acres seeded/planted, condition trends and rating, harvest progress, etc).
The ability to locate & delineate client fields and their field boundaries.
Make current and historical RS data available to AFSC for research purposes. Examples of the type of data that could be made available would be helpful in the proposal.
Corporate overview and key personnel experience, highlighting recent projects, models developed and delivered, training capabilities, and ability to work with client’s infrastructure, Architecture, Business Intelligence (BI), Product Innovation and select other teams to align modern RS capabilities/use case solutions.
2.4 Requirements
Field Boundaries
• Within an acceptable margin of what AFSC has recorded for acres in a field (may need to test against current AFSC recorded acres in a given year or compare edge-detection for accuracy to gain some confidence in the widespread application of those acres to insured fields).
• Boundaries refreshed on an annual-basis and available in the spring when boundaries often change (will need to coordinate with AFSC on timing).
Data Availability for AFSC Work (e.g. Research and internal work)
• Imagery and other RS data used to develop proof of concepts and/or create solutions for use cases is available to AFSC.
Crop Reporting Use Cases
• Provide as many solutions as possible for step 1 but a minimum of 3 use cases (from steps 2-3)
• Outcomes have a high accuracy level. E.g., successful positive identification of fields that have been combined, seeded, left unseeded, unharvested, 90% of the time; conditions reported are within a close margin (~ 5%) of what current data sources report.
AFSC is looking for as much of the crop report to be automated as possible and for less fieldwork or verification/confirmation needed from our Adjusting staff that currently report the information. More use cases covered means a better result for AFSC clients.
Integration with AFSC
• Ready integration with other AFSC data and reports for a more comprehensive business decision intelligence.
• All solutions are created with AFSC processes and formats in mind, so they are immediately useful.
2.5 Use Cases
The following are potential use cases that have perceived value to find RS solutions for. The list is not comprehensive and open to additions. The table may also provide more clarity on the requirements.
Table 1 Desirable AFSC Use Cases for Remote Sensing.
Remote Sensing Use Case Step Category
Field Boundaries (definition of fields for acre validation and making insurance more digital and map based). Step 1 Foundational Remote Sensing Products
Cloud free base maps for use in current Mapping activities. Step 1 Foundational Remote Sensing Products
Identify Crop Stages (Flowering canola, crops senescing, etc.). Step 1 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
Yield Estimation for loss forecasting, crop reporting, etc. Step 1 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
General Crop Conditions (use variables like moisture, biomass, variability, to try and define conditions). Step 1 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
Identify acres seeded and combined for acre estimation (e.g., % seeded and harvested) – by crop if possible. Step 1 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
Crop quality (indirect measures such as relative differences between fields, areas and years). Step 1 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
Identify Crop Type Step 1 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
Identification of unseeded acres (end of June). Step 2 Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release
Highly Accurate Biomass Measurement for Pasture programs and general crop health Step 2 Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release
Identification and separation of areas of fields with different levels of health for targeted scouting. Step 2 Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release
Crop Health Monitoring (Detecting changes in crop health or stress from drought, hail, etc.). Step 2 Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release
Hailed area estimation Step 2 Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release
Identify Land Use (urban, rural, forest, water, pasture, crop). Step 2 Crop Reporting
Identification of unharvested acres (December). Step 2 Crop reporting / Adjusting
Finding and mapping damage for events or perils (e.g., hail, flood, drought, stress (pest, disease) - useful for ad-hoc work. Step 2 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
Identifying and delineating field production or management zones (show differences/variation/risks in a field). Step 3 Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release
Verification and detecting fraud/anomalies. Step 3 Adjusting Augmentation and Desk Release
Benchmarking and historical insights using imagery – e.g. for yield but using a proxy such as NDVI or other productivity indexes. Step 3 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
Counts (e.g. germination, stand establishment, plant population, etc.) Step 3 Crop Reporting and Intelligence
2.6 Corporate Capabilities and Executive Summary
Proposals must include an executive summary of the key features of the Proposal. This summary should include:
a) A brief introduction of the Vendor;
b) A brief company history and overview of the Vendor as it applies to the content of the Competitive Bid;
c) Demonstrate a sound understanding of the scope, objectives and requirements presented in this Competitive Bid;
d) The number and nature of engagements in similar scope and size as outlined in section 2.0 of Competitive Bid during the past two (2) years; and
e) Industry awards, certifications and other market place distinctions;
f) Social responsibilities and environmental consideration;
g) Indicate why the Vendor considers itself to be a “right” service provider and what key strengths it will bring to AFSC in the immediate and long term.
2.7 Value Add
The Vendor may describe two (2) significant value added services provided relative to the scope of work provided to other clients including the Vendor’s commitment for future support.
The Proposal should contain a description of value added services provided by the Vendor and the strategy that the Vendor would employ in proposing a similar type of service to AFSC. The Proposal must clearly outline if there are any additional cost for the value added services.
2.8 Approach
Proposal should include the following:
a) A description of corporate philosophies, values, culture and approaches especially as they relate to the requirements of AFSC;
b) A description of the Vendor’s decision-making approach and philosophy; and;
c) The Proposal must provide two project examples to demonstrate the Vendor’s ability to take ownership, accept accountability and deliver on commitments made and to “stand behind their work”.
d) How the Vendor plans to proactively address issues that may come up in regards to a relationship with AFSC.
e) Provide the Vendor’s approach to quality assurance, continuous improvement, and performance management processes, techniques, change control and tools.
2.9 Pricing
Please describe the services that you can provide as well as an estimated annual cost for the specified service.
Please also note that these prices are for AFSC’s education and information only and will be kept strictly confidential.
Additionally, if in the future AFSC decides to purchase, a separate Request for Proposal (RFP) process (including a formal pricing request) will be launched.
Services Annual cost
Deliverable $
Deliverable $
Deliverable $
Total Price $
G. S. T. Certification Clause
This is to certify that the services ordered or purchased are for the use of, and are being purchased by AFSC with Crown funds, and are therefore not subject to the goods and services and harmonized sales tax.
3.0 Evaluation
This Competitive Bid is a request for information purposes only. AFSC will not be awarding the Competitive Bid but could potentially post a subsequent RFP.
The RFP will go through the appropriate evaluation process.
4.0 Master Schedule
The Master Schedule of Competitive Bid related events is set out in the table below and is governed by the following principles:
a) In the event that any dates elsewhere in this Competitive Bid conflict with a date set out in this table, the date set out in this table shall prevail;
b) All times listed are based on Mountain Standard Time (MST);
c) AFSC reserves the right to adjust the dates of the schedule if required through an addendum process.
# Event Scheduled Date/Time
1 AFSC to accept e-mail inquiries relevant to this Competitive Bid. Vendor(s) must use the Q & A template provided as Appendix (A) and submit through RFP@afsc.ca.
August 4, 2022
2 Final receipt of Proposals. (closing date) August 30, 2022 @ 1:00 pm (MST)
3 Interviews or presentations for Vendors. AFSC in its discretion may change this date. Week of September 12, 2022
5.0 Proposal Submission Guidelines
5.1 Proposal Format
Proposals should be organized in the following format using the section titles and sequence listed below:
Table of Contents;
a) Pre-Screening Requirements (optional)
b) Proposal to Statement of Work (2.0); including
Legal and Contact Information:
• The full legal name of the Vendor.
• The location of the Vendor’s head office and service centers.
• A Vendor contact for all questions and clarifications arising from the Proposal.
References
• The Proposal should include three (3) references including, but not limited to organization, address, contact name, telephone number and email address.
• References should include organizations that can verify the satisfactory provision, performance and or/servicing of goods and associated services the name as, or similar to the requirements of this Competitive BIds, the Corporate Purchasing Section may contact references in addition to those provided in the Proposal.
• References may be conducted to validate information provided in the Vendor’s Proposal
• It is expected that the Vendor(s) will be able to arrange for AFSC to contact the reference during the evaluation period.
• Government and Agencies, references would be preferred if available. (Optional)
Additional Information
• Additional information may be included at the Vendor’s discretion,
Assumptions
• Vendor is expected to identify in detail any assumptions that have been made during the creation of their written Proposal to the scope identified.
c) Proof of WCB and Insurance
d) Proof of Corporate Registry
Appendices
The following Appendices are included and applicable to this Competitive Bid:
Appendix A: Question and Answer Template
5.2 Proposal Submissions
Electronic versions (emails) must be less than 18 MB in order for AFSC to receive the Vendor’s submission. If the proposal is larger than 18 MB, it must be divided into a sufficient number of files such that each email, including attachments, is less than 18 MB.
AFSC cannot accept files on media storage devices.
(optional) All hard copy proposal materials are to be sealed in a single package and clearly labelled with the Competitive Bid # to:
Attention: Buyer, Business Services
AFSC
5718 – 56th Avenue
Lacombe, AB
T4L 1B1
Vendors by submitting a Proposal are deemed to have accepted the Competitive Bid terms and conditions.
