Advanced Contract Award Notice
Solicitation: 22-58129
Ultra-High Purity (UHP) Orbital Welding Requirement
Advanced Contract Award Notice (ACAN) :
An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the Contractor community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified Contractor, thereby allowing other Contractors to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a Statement of Capabilities. If no Contractor submits a Statement of Capabilities that meets the Minimum Essential Requirements as 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 Contractor.
2. Definition of the Requirement:
The Contractor will be responsible to install Ultra-High Purity gas lines throughout the National Research Council Canada’s (NRC) Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) facility in a High Purity Semiconductor environment using 316L stainless tubing (¼” and ½”). The installation must be conducted in accordance with Ultra High Purity (UHP) standards which requires the Contractor to continuously weld from a source cabinet to the tool-with zero mechanical joints. The quality of the joints has direct consequence on the results of the CPFC’s research and development clientele. The CPFC expects perfect welds proved by complete and reliable documentation. The Contractor must ensure that the welding equipment, tools and documented procedures offer all prerequisites for a complete UHP installation.
3. Background:
The NRC-CPFC provides world-class engineering and manufacturing services, commercial-grade prototyping and pilot-run production facilities. CPFC fabricates devices in a variety of materials including gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (InP), gallium nitride (GaN), and other substrates. CPFC offers single-step foundry services or end-to-end fabrication of photonic devices, photonic integrated circuits and gallium nitride electronics. The CPFC also develops new process technologies for our client’s devices.
This procurement is part of the $90M investment for updating and modernizing the fabrication capabilities of the NRC-CPFC announced in the Government of Canada’s 2021 budget. Under this project, CPFC has a requirement to expand existing plasma processing capacity, within existing available space, while designing maximum future flexibility, all while continuing to execute on client deliverables. NRC will see the addition of two (2) new multi-chambered cluster tools. NRC will replace three (3) aging single chambered toolsets with these state of the art cluster tools, each configured with four (4) processing chambers. This specialized equipment requires an Ultra-High Purity Orbital Welder to support the installation of these new state-of-the-art cluster tools.
4. 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:
The Contractor must have extensive knowledge of, and experience (4+ years) working at an Industrial Photonics Foundry with Ultra High Purity (UHP) Process Gas Distribution Systems and Networks.
The Contractor must have established UHP Orbital Welding procedures for use on a UHP Process Gas Distribution Network and within operational spaces.
The Contractor’s representative(s) that are on site doing the work must have extensive experience (4+ years) working in Fabrication support spaces while operations are underway.
The Contractor’s representative(s) that are on site doing the work, must be TSSA certified level two and have TSSA approved certifications for UHP services being provided and equipment being used.
The Lead Fabricator that is on site and doing the work, must have a current and valid welding ticket for UHP services being provided and equipment being used.
5. 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".
Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement. This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s):
Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
Revised World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP)
Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)
Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement
Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement
Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement
Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA)
Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada-UK TCA)
Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA)
Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier:
L.A.D.S. Mechanical is the only known Contractor with extensive experience with the CPFC UHP process gas distribution network, systems, and procedures developed specifically for this facility. They have a documented deep understanding of our Ultra High Purity Orbital Welding installation and for supporting Semiconductor facilities. This experience and site knowledge is extremely specialized and technical and will maximize safety for personal and facility and de-risk potential interruptions to CPFC multi-shift operations. The proposed Contractor is the only known Contractor that is able to address the Minimum Essential Requirements.
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".
Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons:
Due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, and additional deliveries by the original Contractor of goods or services that were not included in the initial procurement.
The following exclusions and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the:
Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) Article: 513.1(b) (iii);
World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP) Under the Revised GPA - Article XIII, 1 (b) (iii);
Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) Article 19.12 (b) (iii);
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Article(s): 15.10 , 2 (b) (iii) (s);
Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) Article(s) Kbis-09 (b),Article Kbis-09 (c);
Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Article(s): 1409 (b) (iii);
Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement Article(s): 17.11 2 (b) (iii);
Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement Article 14.3, Under the Revised GPA - Article XIII, 1 (b) (iii);
Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement Article(s) 16.10 (b) (iii);
Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) Article(s1409 (b) (iii);
Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) Article(s Article 10.13 (b) (iii); and
Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement: refer to CETA as the provisions of CETA are incorporated by reference into and made part of this Agreement. (CETA) Article 19.12 (b) (iii).
Ownership of Intellectual Property:
Ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract will vest with the Contractor.
The initial Contract or Standing Offer is for a three year period for services on and as required, the NRC may extend the contract period for two subsequent one-year periods.
Name and address of the pre-identified Contractor:
L.A.D.S. Mechanical Inc. - 1400 County Rd 2, Maitland, ON K0E 1P0
Contractors 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 this notice. The Statement of Capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the Contractor meets the advertised requirements.
Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities : The closing date and time for accepting Statements of Capabilities is
April 12, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. EDT
Inquiries and submission of Statements of Capabilities are to be directed
via email only
to:
Katie Homuth
Chef d’équipe d’approvisionnement et des contrats
(Intérimaire)
- Direction des services financiers et d’approvisionnement Conseil national de recherches Canada / Gouvernement du Canada
Katie.Homuth@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
/ 343-549-4539
