Telecommunications Services

Trade Agreement: Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) Tendering Procedures: Attachment: None Competitive Procurement Strategy: N/A - P&A/LOI Only Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No Nature of Requirements: This notice is only to inform the supplier community that PWGSC is expecting to publish a bid solicitation on MERX in early summer 2012 to procure telecommunication services for Elections Canada.

1. Introduction Elections Canada is moving forward with a new approach for the agency to procure telecommunications and network services: it is based on the concept of Telecommunications as a Service (TaaS). This approach is to establish a contract vehicle in which products and services may be acquired and deployed quickly and avoid capital costs unless they are supported by a return on investment. 2. Background Elections Canada is an independent agency reporting to Parliament and is responsible for conducting federal electoral events - general elections, by-elections and referendums. Its mandate includes informing citizens about the electoral system and maintaining the National Register of Electors. Elections Canada headquarters (ECHQ) in Ottawa employs approximately 500 people for ongoing planning and administrative functions required by the Canada Elections Act. This staff complement expands considerably to support a general election. In the spring and early summer of 2013, Elections Canada will consolidate its numerous Ottawa offices into new offices in the National Capital Region. This move is an opportunity for the agency to consider and migrate to enhanced telecommunications and network services. During a general election or referendum, up to 500 Elections Canada field offices should be established across Canada within hours of the writ being issued. The logistics involved in commissioning these offices is enormous, and the dependency on telecommunications is mission-critical from the beginning of an event. Elections Canada carried out a successful pilot project for the 41st general election in 2011 that deployed wireless data modems and both fixed wireless and portable cellular telephones to field offices in advance of the writ. The result was a dramatic reduction in the time needed to open all field offices, effectively shrinking the timeline from several days to hours. Elections Canada would like to continue to exploit existing and emerging telecommunications technologies not only to further enhance the setup of field offices but also to introduce operational efficiencies. The key findings of the pilot project indicated the following: The agency is not well served by purchasing telecommunications products for elections. It would be better to lease these items for the duration of the event and subsequently return them to the provider. The resolution of integration issues amongst and across devices, service providers and technologies is a work area that is best handled by a knowledgeable and well-resourced contractor. With the rapid pace of change in Canada's telecommunications technologies, the agency requires a flexible procurement vehicle that will allow it to be an agile, early adopter of new products and services based on business needs. The demand for bandwidth increases in coincidence with its availability. 3. Telecommunications as a Service The general objective to procure TaaS is to create a long-term, flexible procurement vehicle for telecommunications products and services that: provides ongoing services to ECHQ; establishes a catalogue approach to products and services, allowing the agency to acquire and deploy additional telecommunications products and services on an as-and-when requested basis provides for the integration of new devices and technologies, and for the "evergreening" of products, through regular and timely replacements enables the agency to support a general election without a preceding or concurrent procurement exercise provides an ongoing and dynamic IT support organization for the products and services Elections Canada is looking to implement a new framework for its telecommunications requirement because, like many public and private enterprises, it sees telecommunications playing an increasingly prominent role in its core operations. The agency also recognizes that its business model supporting telecommunications must change to meet the emerging characteristics of this industry, in which rapidly advancing capabilities and the frequent introduction of new equipment call for a rethink of return on investment. 3.1 The Catalogue Concept The central concept behind the TaaS procurement process is a catalogue of products and services that form the substance of the contract. The catalogue identifies the products and services required to support the ongoing business of ECHQ, and the field offices across Canada during an electoral event. This catalogue would be comprised of three divisions: those products and services that the agency would commit to order for ECHQ; products and services in support of an electoral event; and optional products and services that the agency may request during the lifetime of the contract. In addition to providing products and services, the contractor will be responsible for developing plans for deployment of the various services. Of particular importance is the need for an established plan that will ensure all of the approximately 500 field offices for which the contractor has to provide voice and data services, are opened within a two-day window. 3.1.1 Ongoing products and services The following products and services will be required at ECHQ: toll-free voice services audio and web conferencing equipment and services for remote workers portable devices instant messaging and presence They will be described in detail in the bid solicitation document. 3.1.2 Products and services required for field offices during electoral events The following products and services will be required at each of the approximately 500 field offices opened during an electoral event: high-speed access to the Internet wireless LANs in some or all offices fully functional preconfigured network hardware telephone service (both wire-based and wireless) all related devices used at the offices They will be described in detail in the bid solicitation document. These products and services will be supplied as part of an overall service package in which hardware is installed, services activated and support provided for the election period over the course of approximately 10 weeks. At the conclusion of the election, the contractor is expected to recover the equipment from each office. 3.1.3 Optional products and services Contact centre services Unified communications WLAN service for ECHQ Local access telephony services, including VoIP at ECHQ Voice mail services Network services and fixed VPN services Polling station connectivity and services on election day 3.2 Role and responsibility of the Contractor The scope of the products and services included in this project suggests strongly that the successful contractor may have to take on the role of a Multi-Sourcing Integrator as it will be responsible for planning, sourcing and delivering products and services from diverse suppliers while taking on the responsibilities for all related integration and support issues. The contractor for TaaS will not only be at the forefront of an emerging model in telecommunications management but will also be a highly visible enabler of Canada's electoral process. This relationship, once established, could span an entire decade. 4. Communication Any communication pertaining to this upcoming requirement must be submitted in writing to the PWGSC Contracting Authority identified below: Ginette Plante Public Works and Government Services Canada Acquisitions Branch Informatics and Telecommunications Systems Procurement Directorate Portage III, 4C1 11 Laurier Street, Gatineau, Qc K1A 0S5 Telephone: 819-356-1430 Facsimile: 819-953-3703 E-mail address: ginette.plante@tpsgc-pwsgc.gc.ca

Definition of Terms Term Definition Field Office A local Elections Canada office. A local office is installed in each of Canada's electoral districts, expected to be 338 in the next general election. Field offices are formally known as "returning offices" or "additional assistant returning offices." Returning Office Also known as the "office of the returning officer," a returning office may be the only local Elections Canada office in an electoral district or it may be the parental office for one or more "additional assistant returning offices" (see below). A returning office typically has approximately 20 functional positions staffed in three shifts daily. It is equipped with approximately 20 telephones of various types, approximately 12 computers, a high-capacity printer and a scan/fax multifunctional device. Returning offices require inbound call-handling features and higher-speed access to the Internet. They are typically located in level access premises that are accessible to the public. Additional Assistant Returning Office An additional assistant returning office may be established as a supplemental satellite office in electoral districts that are very large or in those districts with exceptionally high population density. The expectation for such offices in the next election is that they will be equipped with 3 to 5 personal computers, a corresponding telephone complement, a printer, fax machine and higher-speed access to the Internet.

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.