Task-Based Informatics Professional Services (TBIPS)/Solutions-Based Informatics Professional Services (SBIPS) Record of Decisions

Item 1

Description: Establishment of a Record of Decisions (RoD) log document

Date of Decision: 15 October 2009

Summary: PWGSC decided that a Record of Decision will be put in place and kept up to date to track any decision that would result from the Informatics Professional Services (IPS) Advisory Committee.

Item 2

Description: Financial Evaluation Methodology option to avoid low-bidding

Date of Decision: 15 October 2009

Summary: A proposed Request for Proposal (RFP) financial evaluation methodology was accepted by the IPS Advisory Committee as an acceptable methodology available to departmental users under the TBIPS procurement tool specifically. It was also requested that if and when this methodology is used, the following framework should also apply:

• The percentages of both the upper and lower band limits can differ from one another;
• The percentages are to be established on a case-by-case basis;
• The per diem rates bid for subsequent/optional period(s) cannot be lower than the preceding year's rates.

Item 3

Description: Ceiling rates requirement under TBIPS (Per diem rates remain mandatory under the TBIPS MoS)

Date of Decision: 15 October 2009

Summary: It was decided by the IPS Advisory Committee that the ceiling rates are to remain part of the TBIPS evaluation and bidders' selection process. Since the refresh process allows for the rate(s) of future years(s), beyond the first year of the contract, to be higher than the ceiling rate, it was agreed to keep rates in the supply arrangements (SA) as ceiling rates.

Item 4

Description: Add one additional random pick to the TBIPS process

Date of Decision: 15 October 2009

Summary: It was decided by the IPS Advisory Committee to continue to invite one of the three highest ranked suppliers and to increase the number of random bidders by one additional random pick to all levels of the Tier 1 TBIPS RFP.

• For requirements valued up to $1M: A minimum of 3 suppliers must be invited to compete (including 1 of top 3 ranked SA Holders and 2 SA Holders randomly selected by the Search Tool).
• For requirements valued above $1M but less than or equal to $2M: A minimum of 5 suppliers must be invited to compete (including 2 of top 3 ranked SA Holders and 3 SA Holders randomly selected by the Search Tool).

Item 5

Description: Correspondence of comments and/or suggestions from a specific supplier (organization or individual) outside of the IPS Advisory Committee must be re-directed to one of the member associations or the OSME.

Date of Decision: 15 October 2009

Summary: It was decided by the IPS Advisory Committee that any comment and/or suggestion originating from a specific supplier (organization or individual) must be submitted to the Committee through one of the member associations or, if the company or individual issuing such correspondence is not a member of either associations, to the PWGSC Office of Small and Median Enterprise (OSME) which will be responsible for transmitting to the IPS Advisory Committee.

Item 6

Description: Establishment and implementation of a Standing Offer Mandatory Criteria Checklist to evaluate proposed resources towards a call-up process.

Date of Decision: 10 December 2009

It was agreed by the IPS Advisory Committee that:

• Effective immediately, departments may use a Mandatory Criteria Checklist as a means of identifying the mandatory criteria which must be met, as well as the criteria for which only a ratio or a percentage is required to be met, by the approached TBIPS Holders.
• TBIPS Holders will have to certify they have a resource that meets the minimum required criteria and the specified ratio amongst the secondary list of criteria;
• Departments will have to vigilantly monitor the responses and report false certification to the SO Authority as early as possible in the call-up process.
• Résumés could be submitted as a verification process of the certification unless specified as a requirement in the Task Based Services Form (TBSF).

Item 7

Description: Proposed process for evaluation time/period for requirement valued at less than $400K and / or evaluation period of less than 30 days accepted by committee.

Dates of Decision: 14 April 2010, 16 June 2010, 29 September 2010

Summary: The clause hereunder was provided, read, reviewed and agreed by the IPS Advisory Committee.

(applies if required by the RFP) Status and Availability of Resources

1. By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that, should it be awarded a contract as a result of the bid solicitation, every individual proposed in its bid will be available to perform the Work as required by Canada's representatives and at the time specified in the bid solicitation or agreed to with Canada's representatives.

For a contract(s) estimated at $400K or less ONLY, the following applies:

1. Following verification from the Contract Authority, should the resulting Contract be awarded within 30 days from the solicitation closing date, the proposed resource must be available to perform the services in accordance with the Contract. If during the verification, the proposed resource is no longer available, the next ranked compliant bidder will be awarded the Contract.
2. Should the resulting Contract not be awarded within 30 days from the solicitation closing date, and the proposed resource is no longer available to perform the services due to circumstances beyond the control of the bidder, that bidder will have an opportunity to replace the resource with a replacement of equivalent or higher qualifications and experience as determined by the solicitation's evaluation criteria.

Item 8

Description: Process for approaching up to ten (10) SO Holders at once when using the checklist as established in item 6 above.

Date of Decision: 29 September 2010

Summary: It was agreed by the Committee that clients will have the option to use the Checklist (as established in Decision #6) instead of a statement of work (SOW). By using the checklist, clients could approach up to 10 suppliers at a time (respecting the right of first refusal). For clients who use the SOW, the option of going to 10 suppliers at a time is not available.

Item 9

Description: Publication of the IPS Advisory Committee decisions on the Web

Date of Decision: 1 February, 2012

Summary: The Committee agreed that the Informatics Methods of Supply (IMOS) Division should publish the IPS Advisory Committee Record of Decisions on its TBIPS and SBIPS websites.

Item 10

Description: Clients to always evaluate the proposed resources (Supply Arrangement)

Date of Decision: 1 February, 2012

Summary: Given the number of enquiries and complaints, it was decided to inform clients of the following:

• Departments have to evaluate a resource even if they have knowledge that such resource is working on a mandate that should expire later than the expected start date of their project. A decision to not evaluate that resource based on such knowledge alone is not acceptable.

Note: Please note that the Professional Services National Procurement Strategy implemented during the 2012/2013 Fiscal Year may prevail (or even replace) some of the decisions stated above.