PART 1 - GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1 Security Requirements
1. Before award of a contract, the following conditions must be met:
(a) the Bidder must hold a valid organization security clearance as indicated in Part 6 - Resulting Contract Clauses;
(b) the Bidder's proposed individuals requiring access to classified or protected information, assets or sensitive work sites must meet the security requirements as indicated in Part 6 - Resulting Contract Clauses;
(c) the Bidder must provide the name of all individuals who will require access to classified or protected information, assets or sensitive work sites;
2. Bidders are reminded to obtain the required security clearance promptly. Any delay in the award of a contract to allow the successful Bidder to obtain the required clearance will be at the entire discretion of the Contracting Authority.
3. For additional information on security requirements, please contact NRC's personnel security administrator at NRC.SS-PersonnelSecurity-SdeS-SecuriteduPersonnel.CNRC@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
1.2 Statement of Requirement
To provide and installed a 3D imagery printer in accordance with the detailed Statement of Requirement attached as Annex A.
1.3 Debriefings
Bidders may request a debriefing on the results of the bid solicitation process. Bidders should make the request to the Contracting Authority within 15 working days from receipt of the results of the bid solicitation process. The debriefing may be in writing, by telephone or in person.
PART 2 - BIDDER INSTRUCTIONS
2.1 Standard Instructions, Clauses and Conditions
All instructions, clauses and conditions identified in the bid solicitation by number, date and title are set out in the Standard Acquisition Clauses and Conditions Manual (https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/how-procurement-works/policies-and-guidelines/standard-acquisition-clauses-and-conditions-manual) issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada.
Although the CanadaBuys site describes the clauses and conditions as archived, the clauses and conditions are valid. The Government of Canada is in the process of updating all contract templates.
Until the new process is in effect, NRC will be using the clauses and conditions labelled as archived.
To access the various clauses and conditions, please follow the instructions below.
You are invited to submit one electronic Technical Bid and one electronic Financial Bid in two separate attachments to fulfil the following requirement forming part of this Request for Proposal. One attachment must be clearly marked ‘Technical Bid’ and the other attachment must be marked ‘Financial Bid’. All financial information must be fully contained in the Financial Bid, and only in the Financial Bid. Bidders who provide financial information in the technical bid will be disqualified. All Bids should include the front page of this RFP duly completed.
2010A (2022-12-01) General Conditions - Goods (Medium Complexity), apply to and form part of the Contract.
Bidders who submit a bid agree to be bound by the instructions, clauses and conditions of the bid solicitation and accept the clauses and conditions of the resulting contract.
Bids submitted must be valid for not less than sixty (60) calendar days from the closing date of the RFP.
2.1.1 It is the Bidder's responsibility to:
(a) return a signed copy of the bid solicitation, duly completed, IN THE FORMAT REQUESTED;
(b) direct its bid ONLY to the Bid Receiving address specified under 2.3 Submission of Bids;
(c) ensure that the Bidder's name, the bid solicitation reference number, and bid solicitation closing date and time are clearly visible;
(d) provide a comprehensive and sufficiently detailed bid, including all requested pricing details, that will permit a complete evaluation in accordance with the criteria set out in the bid solicitation.
Timely and correct transmission of bids to the specified bid email address is the sole responsibility of the Bidder. The National Research Council Canada (NRC) will not assume or have transferred to it those responsibilities. All risks and consequences of incorrect transmission of bids is the responsibility of the Bidder.
2.1.2 Bids may be accepted in whole or in part. The lowest or any bid will not necessarily be accepted. In the case of error in the extension of prices, the unit price will govern. NRC may enter into contract without negotiation.
2.1.3 While NRC may enter into contract without negotiation, Canada reserves the right to negotiate with bidders on any procurement.
2.1.4 Notwithstanding the bid validity period stipulated in this solicitation, Canada reserves the right to seek an extension from all responsive bidders, within a minimum of three (3) days prior to the end of such period. Bidders shall have the option to either accept or reject the extension.
2.1.5 If the extension referred to above is accepted, in writing, by all responsive bidders, Canada will continue with the evaluation of the bids and its approval processes.
2.1.6 If the extension referred to above is not accepted, in writing, by all responsive bidders, Canada will, at its sole discretion, either continue to evaluate the bids of those who have accepted the extension and seek the necessary approvals; or cancel the solicitation; or cancel and reissue the solicitation.
2.2 Condition of Material – Bid
Material supplied must be new and conform to the latest issue of the applicable drawing, specification and/or part number that is in effect on the bid solicitation closing date.
2.3 Submission of Bids
Bids must be submitted only electronically to the National Research Council Canada (NRC) Bid Receiving email address, no later than 14:00 EDT (NRC's Server Time), October 1st 2024 to the following NRC email address:
NRC.BidReceiving-ReceptiondesSoumissions.CNRC@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
The NRC has restrictions on incoming e-mail messages. The maximum e-mail message size including all file attachments must not exceed 10MB. Zip files or links to bid documents will not be accepted. Incoming e-mail messages exceeding the maximum file size and/or containing zip file attachments will be blocked from entering the NRC e-mail system. A bid transmitted by e-mail that gets blocked by the NRC e-mail system will be considered not received.
Bids must not be sent directly to the Contracting Authority.
All submitted bids become the property of NRC.
Due to the nature of the bid solicitation, hard copy bids (paper or soft copies on media) and bids transmitted by facsimile to NRC will not be accepted.
2.4 Late Bids
All risks and consequences of incorrect delivery of electronic bids are the responsibility of the Bidder. The National Research Council Canada will not be responsible for late bids received at destination after the closing date and time, even if it was submitted before. Electronic bids received after the indicated closing time based on NRC servers’ received time will be irrevocably rejected. Bidders are urged to send their bid in sufficient time, in advance of the closing time to reduce any technical issues. The National Research Council Canada will not be held responsible for bids sent before closing time but received by the NRC servers after the closing time.
2.5 Enquiries - Bid Solicitation
All enquiries must be submitted in writing to the Contracting Authority no later than 7 calendar days before the bid closing date. Enquiries received after that time may not be answered.
To ensure the equality of information among Bidders, responses to general enquiries will be made available to all bidders unless such publications would reveal proprietary information. The bidder who initiates the question will not be identified. Technical questions that are considered proprietary by the bidder must be clearly identified. NRC will respond individually to the bidder if it considers the questions proprietary. If NRC does not consider the question proprietary, the bidder submitting it will be allowed to withdraw the question, or have the question and answer made available through the Open Bidding System (OBS) to all bidders.
Bidders who attempt to obtain information regarding any aspect of this RFP during the solicitation period through any NRC contacts other than the Contracting Authority identified herein, may be disqualified (for that reason alone).
It is the responsibility of the Bidder to obtain clarification of the requirement contained herein, if necessary, prior to submitting its proposal. The Bidder must have written confirmation from the Contracting Authority for any changes, alterations, etc., concerning this RFP.
Bidders should reference as accurately as possible the numbered item of the bid solicitation to which the enquiry relates. Care should be taken by Bidders to explain each question in sufficient detail in order to enable Canada to provide an accurate answer. Technical enquiries that are of a proprietary nature must be clearly marked "proprietary" at each relevant item. Items identified as "proprietary" will be treated as such except where Canada determines that the enquiry is not of a proprietary nature. Canada may edit the question(s) or may request that the Bidder do so, so that the proprietary nature of the question(s) is eliminated, and the enquiry can be answered to all Bidders. Enquiries not submitted in a form that can be distributed to all Bidders may not be answered by Canada.
2.6 Applicable Laws
Any resulting contract must be interpreted and governed, and the relations between the parties determined, by the laws in force in Ontario.
Bidders may, at their discretion, substitute the applicable laws of a Canadian province or territory of their choice without affecting the validity of their bid, by deleting the name of the Canadian province or territory specified and inserting the name of the Canadian province or territory of their choice. If no change is made, it acknowledges that the applicable laws specified are acceptable to the Bidders.
2.7 Bid Challenge and Recourse Mechanisms
(a) Several mechanisms are available to potential suppliers to challenge aspects of the procurement process up to and including contract award.
(b) Canada encourages suppliers to first bring their concerns to the attention of the Contracting Authority. The CanadaBuys website, under the heading “Following up on a bid” contains information on potential complaint bodies such as:
• Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO)
• Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT)
(c) Suppliers should note that there are strict deadlines for filing complaints, and the time periods vary depending on the complaint body in question. Suppliers should therefore act quickly when they want to challenge any aspect of the procurement process.
PART 3 - BID PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
3.1 Bid Preparation Instructions
Canada requests that the Bidder submits its bid in separate attachment sections (when applicable) as follows:
Section I: Technical Bid
Section II: Financial Bid (Prices must appear in the Financial Bid only. No prices must be indicated in any other section of the bid.)
There shall be no payment by the National Research Council for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals in response to this request. No payment shall be made for costs incurred for clarification(s) and/or demonstration(s) that may be required by NRC. The National Research Council reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted, or to accept any proposal in whole or in part without negotiation. A contract will not necessarily be issued as a result of this competition. NRC reserves the right to amend, cancel or reissue this requirement at any time.
In April 2006, Canada issued a policy directing federal departments and agencies to take the necessary steps to incorporate environmental considerations into the procurement process Policy on Green Procurement (https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32573). To assist Canada in reaching its objectives, bidders should:
1) Include all environmental certification(s) relevant to your organization (e.g., ISO 14001, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Carbon Disclosure Project, etc.)
2) Include all environmental certification(s) or Environmental Product Declaration(s) (EPD) specific to your product/service (e.g., Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), ENERGYSTAR, etc.)
Canada is committed to greening its supply chain. Environmentally preferable goods and services are those that have a lesser or reduced impact on the environment over the life cycle of the good or service, when compared with competing goods or services serving the same purpose. Environmental performance considerations include, among other things: the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and air contaminants; improved energy and water efficiency; reduced waste and support reuse and recycling; the use of renewable resources; reduced hazardous waste; and reduced toxic and hazardous substances. In accordance with the Policy on Green Procurement (https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32573), for this solicitation:
• Bidders are encouraged to offer or suggest green solutions whenever possible.
• Bidders are requested to provide all correspondence including (but not limited to) documents, reports and invoices in electronic format unless otherwise specified by the Contracting Authority or Project Authority, thereby reducing printed material.
• Bidders should recycle (shred) unneeded copies of non-classified/secure documents (taking into consideration the Security Requirements).
• Product components used in performing the services should be recyclable and/or reusable, whenever possible.
• Bidders are encouraged to offer goods and/or services certified to a reputable eco-label.
• Bidders should use equipment that has high energy efficiency or produces low air emissions.
• Bidders are encouraged to offer environmentally preferred products which supports a sustainable environment for nature and wildlife.
• Bidders are encouraged to offer environmentally preferred products which ensure the comfort and air quality of building occupants.
Bidders are encouraged to consult the following websites:
https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/app-acq/ae-gp/index-eng.html
https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/app-acq/ae-gp/rle-glr-eng.html
Section I: Technical Bid
In their technical bid, Bidders should explain and demonstrate how they propose to meet the requirements and how they will carry out the Work.
Section II: Financial Bid
(a) Pricing: Bidders must submit their financial bid in accordance with the Basis of Payment including Annex B – Basis of Payment. The applicable taxes must be indicated separately.
(b) All Costs to be Included: The financial bid must include all costs for the requirement described in the bid solicitation for the entire Contract Period. The identification of all necessary equipment, software, peripherals, cabling and components required to meet the requirements of the bid solicitation and the associated costs of these items is the sole responsibility of the Bidder.
(c) Blank Prices: Bidders are requested to insert “$0.00” for any item for which it does not intend to charge or for items that are already included in other prices set out in the tables. If the Bidder leaves any price blank, Canada will treat the price as “$0.00” for evaluation purposes and may request that the Bidder confirm that the price is, in fact, $0.00. No bidder will be permitted to add or change a price as part of this confirmation. Any bidder who does not confirm that the price for a blank item is $0.00 will be declared non-responsive.
3.1.1 Electronic Payment of Invoices – Bid
Payments from the National Research Council Canada (NRC) are made by electronic payment. Direct deposit payments will be made in Canadian dollars and can only be deposited into Canadian bank accounts.
Only bank accounts outside of Canada are eligible to enroll as a Wire transfer payment method.
3.1.2 Exchange Rate Fluctuation
The requirement does not offer exchange rate fluctuation risk mitigation. Requests for exchange rate fluctuation risk mitigation will not be considered. All bids including such provision will render the bid non-responsive.
PART 4 - EVALUATION PROCEDURES AND BASIS OF SELECTION
4.1 Evaluation Procedures
(a) Bids will be assessed in accordance with the entire requirement of the bid solicitation including technical and financial evaluation criteria.
(b) An evaluation team composed of representatives of Canada will evaluate the bids.
4.1.1 Technical Evaluation
Proposals will be assessed in accordance with the mandatory evaluation attached as Annex D. Bidders shall provide a detailed response to each criterion. NRC reserves the right to verify any and all information provided by the bidder in their proposal.
4.1.2 Financial Evaluation
The financial evaluation will be conducted by calculating the Total Aggregated Cost of the Fixed Price for the initial requirement and the optional requirement requested in accordance with the pricing tables provided in Annex B – Basis of Payment.
Evaluation of Price - Bid
The price of the bid will be evaluated in Canadian dollars, Applicable Taxes excluded, DAP ‘Delivered at Place’ Ottawa, ON. Incoterms® 2020, Canadian customs duties and excise taxes excluded.
The Contractor must complete the pricing schedule provided in Annex B and include it as a separate attachment in the electronic bid submission.
The cost proposal must have sufficient structure to show how the total proposed cost was calculated. It should contain the following elements:
a) The number, classification and per diem and/or hourly rate for all assigned personnel. For each classification, the number of workdays should be defined.
b) The amount and explanation for other miscellaneous expenses that could be incurred.
c) Canada will not accept travel and living expenses that may need to be incurred by the Contractor for any relocation of resources required to satisfy its contractual obligations
Applicable Sales Tax: The GST, PST, QST or HST, whichever is applicable, shall be considered an applicable tax for the purposes of this RFP and extra to the price herein. The amount of applicable sales tax shall be disclosed and shown as a separate item.
4.2 Basis of Selection
Mandatory Technical Criteria
A bid must comply with the requirements of the bid solicitation and meet all mandatory technical evaluation criteria to be declared responsive. The responsive bid with the lowest evaluated price will be recommended for award of a contract.
