Permanent Resident Cards

Trade Agreement: Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) Tendering Procedures: The bidder must supply Canadian goods and/or services Competitive Procurement Strategy: N/A - P&A/LOI Only Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No Nature of Requirements:

Permanent Resident Cards

B8362-190251/A Leblanc, Marc-André Telephone No. - (873) 354-5948 ( )

Part I: Request for Information Process

1. INTRODUCTION

This is the Request for Information (RFI) pertaining to the permanent resident card for the Permanent Resident Program of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration (also known by its applied title: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)).

The purpose of this RFI is to inform industry of IRCC’s requirement for the permanent resident card and to give industry the opportunity to provide feedback on the requirement and subsequent engagement activities. Responses to this RFI will assist Canada in initiating a dialogue about the requirements and possible solutions.

The RFI will be followed by separate one-on-one sessions with interested suppliers.

1.1 Nature of this Request for Information

This is not a bid solicitation. This RFI will not result in the award of any contract. Potential suppliers of any goods or services described in this RFI should not reserve stock or facilities, nor allocate resources, as a result of any information contained in this RFI. Nor will this RFI result in the creation of any source list. Therefore, whether or not a potential supplier responds to this RFI will not preclude that supplier from participating in any future procurement. Also, the procurement of any of the goods and services described in this RFI will not necessarily follow this RFI. This RFI is simply intended to solicit feedback from industry with respect to the subject matter described in this RFI.

2. INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

2.1 Nature and Format of Responses Requested

Respondents are reminded that this is an RFI and not a Request for Proposals (RFP). As such, respondents are requested to provide their comments, concerns and, where applicable, alternative recommendations regarding how the requirements or objectives described in this RFI could be satisfied. Respondents may provide their responses at any time up until the closing date. RFI responses should also clearly identify any additional information and/or clarifications that respondents suggest be incorporated into any future solicitation documents. Respondents are also invited to provide comments regarding the content, format and/or organization of any draft documents included in this RFI. Respondents should explain any assumptions they make in their responses. Any marketing or promotional information submitted as part of the responses will not be reviewed.

Responses will not be used for competitive or comparative evaluation purposes, and thus the response format is not as rigorously defined as would normally be for an RFP. However, for ease of use and in order for the greatest value be gained from responses, Canada requests that respondents follow the structure outlined in section 2.7.

2.2 Response Costs

Canada will not reimburse any organization for expenses incurred in responding to this RFI, including, but not limited to, expenses incurred for participating in the additional engagement activities.

2.3 Treatment of Responses

Use of Responses: Responses will not be formally evaluated. However, the responses received may be used by Canada to develop or modify the procurement approach, as well as any draft documentation contained in this RFI. Canada will review all responses received by the RFI closing date. Canada may, at its discretion, review responses received after the RFI closing date.

Review Team: A review team composed of representatives of Immigration, Refugees and Immigration Canada (IRCC) and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) will review the responses. Canada reserves the right to hire any independent consultant or to use any Government of Canada (GOC) resources that it considers necessary to review any response. Not all members of the review team will necessarily review all responses.

Confidentiality: Respondents should mark any portions of their response that they consider proprietary or confidential. Canada will handle the responses in accordance with the Access to Information Act.

2.4 Follow-up Activity

Canada may, at its discretion, contact any respondent to follow up with additional questions or to clarify any aspect of a response.

Additional Engagement Activities: This RFI is part of a larger overall engagement strategy, and will be followed by separate one-on-one sessions with interested suppliers. For more details, please refer to the following sections:

• Section 12.2: Engagement Phase 1 Activities Subsequent to RFI

• Annex F: Registration Form for One-on-One Sessions

Media: Media cannot participate in any of the one-on-one sessions.

2.5 Communication with Industry

During the additional engagement activities for this Engagement Phase, the Contracting Authority may communicate with registered industry participants through direct email rather than by posting additional notices on the BuyandSell website.

2.6 Contents of the RFI

The information contained in this document remains a work in progress and respondents should not assume that new requirements will not be added to any bid solicitation that is ultimately published by Canada. Nor should respondents assume that none of the requirements will be deleted or revised. Comments regarding any aspect of the draft documents are welcome. This RFI also contains specific questions addressed to the industry.

2.7 Format of Responses

Cover Page: If the response includes multiple volumes, respondents are requested to indicate on the front cover page of each volume the title of the response, the solicitation number, the volume number and the full legal name of the respondent.

Title Page: The first page after the cover page should be the title page, which should contain the following information:

(i) the title of the respondent’s response and the volume number;

(ii) the name and address of the respondent;

(iii) the name, address and telephone number of the respondent’s contact;

(iv) the date, and

(v) the RFI number.

Number of Copies: Canada requests that respondents submit their response in unprotected (i.e. no password) PDF format by email, if the size of the document is less than 6MB, to:

Marc-Andre.Leblanc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

A response that is larger than the maximum allowable size should be sent in multiple e-mails that each fall under the maximum allowable attachment size. Alternatively, suppliers may provide a response in the form of an FTP link that can be accessed without the need to create an account.

Responses to this RFI may be in either of Canada’s official languages, English or French.

2.8 Submission of Responses

Time and Place for Submission of Responses: Organizations interested in providing a response should deliver it to the Contracting Authority identified above by the time and date indicated on page 1 of this solicitation document.

Responsibility for Timely Delivery: Each respondent is solely responsible for ensuring its response is delivered on time to the correct location or e-mail address.

Identification of Response: Each respondent should ensure that its name, return address, the solicitation number and the closing date appear legibly on the outside of the response.

Return of Response: Responses to this RFI will not be returned.

2.9 Enquiries

All enquiries and other communications related to this RFI and associated industry engagement activities shall be directed exclusively to the PSPC Contracting Authority. Since this is not a bid solicitation, Canada will not necessarily respond to enquiries in writing or by circulating answers to all respondents; however, respondents with questions regarding this RFI may direct their enquiries to:

Contracting Authority: Marc-André Leblanc

Public Services and Procurement Canada

360 Albert Street, 12th Floor Ottawa, ON K1R 7X7

Email address: Marc-Andre.Leblanc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

Telephone: 873-354-5948

The use of email to communicate is preferred.

2.10 Fairness Monitor

Canada may engage the services of an organization to act as an independent, third-party Fairness Monitor (FM) for the permanent resident card procurement process. The role of the Fairness Monitor is to provide an attestation of assurance on the fairness, openness, and transparency of the monitored activities.

The Fairness Monitor’s duties will include, but will not be limited to the following

i. observing all or part of the procurement process (including, but not limited to, the engagement and contemplated RFP processes);

ii. providing feedback to Canada on fairness issues; and

iii. attesting to the fairness of the procurement process.

Please note that, for the purpose of carrying out its Fairness Monitor related obligations, the Fairness Monitor will be granted access to industry responses and related correspondence received by Canada pursuant to this RFI (any subsequent RFI and any resulting RFP) and may act as an observer at the subsequent follow-up engagement and contracting activities indicated in section 2.4 above and sections 12.1 and 12.2 below.

Delivery Date: 28/11/2019

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.