Acquisition of retail volume data for multiple categories (tonnage) in Chile

ADVANCE CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD CANADA – No. 01B68-18-0156 The Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has a requirement for the provision of customized trend information from Chilean databases for the latest two to three year period for a range of food products. The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government's intention to award a contract for these services to: ACNielsen 160 McNabb Street Markham, ON L3R 4B8 Before awarding the contract, however, the government would like to provide other suppliers with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying the requirements set out in this Notice, by submitting a statement of capabilities during the 15 calendar day posting period. If other potential suppliers submit a statement of capabilities during the 15 calendar day posting period that meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on either the government's electronic tendering service or through traditional means, in order to award the contract. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contract will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier. Project Title: Acquisition of retail volume data for multiple categories (tonnage) in Chile Background: The data will be used by AAFC’s Food Industry Division (FID) to better understand the Chilean consumers’ reaction and adaptation over a period of time to their government’s introduction of mandatory front-of-pack (FOP) labeling regulation, which came into effect on June 27, 2016. The law made the inclusion of a FOP label mandatory on a product’s front indicating that it is “HIGH IN” calories, saturated fats, sugars or sodium. The acquisition of Chilean actual retail sales data of certain food categories, over a period covering a few months before the Chilean legislation changes came into effect to almost two years after its implementation, will allow AAFC to analyze retail sales trends. Objective: The purpose of this project is for the contractor, The ACNielsen Company of Canada, to provide trend information from its Chilean databases for the latest three year period (or two year period depending on the database and the categories available) for a range of food products. For every food and beverage category selected, the data will consist of volume sales across Chile, in number of units sold and in tonnage for either 18 bi-monthly periods (over a three year period from the audit database) or 24 four-week periods (over a two year period from the Point-of-Sale (POS) scanned database). Scope of Work: The Contractor will prepare a report, in Microsoft Excel, containing the following elements: Super-Categories and sub-categories:

Confectionary/Snacks – Candies; Chocolate; Potato Chips; and Alajores (cookie with creamy middle)

Food - Ice Cream; Frozen Meals/Prepared Meals*; Bread* (Packaged Bread/Tortillas & Wraps); Cheese; Luncheon Meats (Total Luncheon Meats, Total Sausages/Wieners, Total Bacon and substitutes)

Soft Drinks (CSD) – Carbonated Soft Drinks.

Facts: Sales volume in Kilograms or Liters, and number of units sold Periods: most recent three year period beginning approximately April, 2015 and ending approximately April, 2018, consisting of 18 bi-monthly periods (audit based data) with the exception of Frozen Meals/Prepared Meals and Bread which will be for most recent two year period (Approximately from April 2016 to April 2018) and consisting of 24 4-weekly periods (POS scanned data). Region: National Channels: All Channels Requirements/Deliverables: The ACNielsen Company of Canada, through the Nielsen Company’s Chilean operation, is to provide a Global Snapshot on multiple food and beverage categories in Chile, consisting of customized bi-monthly (or 4 weeks) volume retail sales data for the last 3 year period (or 2 years), respectively. These categories reflect food and beverage products that are generally high in sodium, or saturated fats, or sugar. The Contractor will prepare the following deliverable to the satisfaction of the Project Authority: A report in Microsoft Excel with the information listed in the Scope of Work. This is to be submitted directly to the Project authority by email. Location of Work:  The work for this project will be conducted at the Contractor’s location. Minimum Essential Qualifications: To fulfill the requirements of the contract, any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it has the capacity to provide the same information that is listed above. Government of Canada Regulations Exception: The Treasury Board’s Government Contract Regulations, Part 10.2.1 Section 6 states there are four exceptions that permit the contracting authority to set aside the requirement to solicit bids. The exception for related to this ACAN includes: d. “only one supplier person or firm is capable of performing the contract.” Justification for the Pre-Selected Supplier: Given the Nielsen Company’s proprietary databases of scanned sales transaction at retail point of sale, and their unique audit agreements with retailers, it is uniquely and solely positioned to provide comprehensive market information for food sales in Chile. This data is not available from any other supplier as The Nielsen Company has exclusive rights to retail data. Contract Period: The resulting contract will be valid from date of contract award extending to August 31, 2018. Estimate of Costs: It is intended to award a service contract to the supplier for an amount of $33,485.00 CAD plus applicable taxes. Project Authority: Denyse Landry Senior Economic Analyst, Market and Industry Service Branch Food Industry Division, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 1341 Baseline Road, Tower 5, Floor 4, Room 347, Ottawa, ON K1A 0C5 Telephone: (613) 773-0186 Fax: (613) 773-0200 Email: denyse.landry@agr.gc.ca Contracting Authority: Rhonda DiMarco Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Professional Services Contracting Unit 1341 Baseline Road, Tower 5, Floor 2, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C5 Tel: (613) 773-0934 Email: rhonda.dimarco@agr.gc.ca  Suppliers Right to Submit a Statement of Capabilities: Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to meet the specified requirements, 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. Statements of Capabilities must be delivered to and received by the Contracting Authority on or before the closing date. The closing date and time for accepting Statements of Capabilities is: Friday July 13th, 2018 at 12:00 P.M. (EST, Ottawa time) to the following address: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Professional Services Contracting Unit 1341 Baseline Road, Tower 5, Floor 2, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C5 Rhonda DiMarco Tel: (613) 773-0934 Email: rhonda.dimarco@agr.gc.ca Requisition Number: ACAN no. 01B68-18-0156 Statements of Capabilities must be mailed or faxed on or before the closing date. Statement of Capabilities received on or before the closing date will be considered solely for the purpose of deciding whether or not to conduct a more extensive tendering process. Information provided will be used by the Crown for technical evaluation purposes only with respect to a decision to proceed to a further competitive process. Suppliers that have submitted a Statement of Capabilities will be notified in writing of AAFC's decision to proceed to award the contract without a further additional tendering process. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the Contracting Officer identified above. The AAFC Solicitation Number (01B68-18-0156), 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 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.