National Food and Beverage Procurement Strategy

Trade Agreement: CETA / WTO-AGP / NAFTA / CFTA / FTAs with Peru / Colombia / Panama / Korea Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid Competitive Procurement Strategy: N/A - P&A/LOI Only Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No Nature of Requirements:

National Food and Beverage Procurement Strategy

E6TOR-17RM10/A Schmidt, Jeff Telephone No. - (905) 615-2058

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), on behalf of all federal departments and agencies, is launching a national consultative process in order to seek feedback from suppliers and industry with regards to the National Food and Beverage Procurement Strategy (NFBPS) update. The first phase of the consultative process is the posting of a Request for Information (RFI) to introduce the draft strategy update.

The objectives of this RFI are to

- initiate discussions with industry on the procurement of all food and beverage products purchased by the Government of Canada; - receive industry feedback through an online survey, industry day and one-on-one meetings with federal departments, PSPC and industry; - obtain supplier feedback on any issues that would impact their ability to bid on the resulting solicitation and/or deliver on the requirements; - gather industry knowledge, expertise and recommendations with regard to best practices that would increase the success of the food and beverage strategy and/or identify any risks that would impact the food and beverage strategy; - promoting PSPC’s future e-procurement solution - advise industry to on PSPC’s consolidation of procurement vehicles from individual departmental requirements [Regional Individual Standing Offers (RISO)] to multi-departmental requirements or Regional Master Standing Offers (RMSO); - to promote PSPCs standardized bid evaluation methods through the Bid Evaluation Tool.

There will be four phases to the National Food and Beverage Procurement Strategy Request for Information process:

Phase 1 - Initial Contact with Industry - RFI

This RFI is posted on Buy and Sell to seek interest from companies in participating in the Process. It will be the chance for Industry to share with PSPC, information on the current marketplace, available technologies and supplier capabilities.

Phase 2 - Industry Day Session

The purpose of the Industry Day is to present Industry representatives with information about the National Food and Beverage Procurement Strategy, an overview of the current status, and the objectives for the consultative process. The Industry Day session will be in-person at the PSPC Regional Headquarters in Toronto, ON. Due to the geographic distribution of different suppliers, a Web Conference Meeting (WebEx) will be set up should some suppliers be unable to attend in person. It is intended to be an open forum allowing GC to communicate its requirements at a high level, and for Industry to ask questions and seek information in order to gain a sound understanding of the business needs of the GC.

Phase 3 - One-on-One Industry Meetings

One-on-one meetings will take place subsequent to the Industry Day. It is anticipated that Industry participants will be requested to provide to the Contracting Authority short written answers (short paragraphs or bullet points) to the RFI questionnaire or issues/concerns not included in the RFI posting. Although the intent is to arrange an in-person meeting, GC will also arrange Web Conference or Teleconference meetings to accommodate suppliers if required.

Phase 4 - Revised National Goods and Services Procurement Strategy Food and Beverage

As a result of the various industry engagement activities, Public Services and Procurement Canada may adjust the strategy to incorporate industry best practices while meeting Government of Canada polices and the operational requirements of various federal Government Departments.

Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

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

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.