Procurement Outlook Conference 2013

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Procurement Outlook Conference Requirements
3. Attestation of Assurance
4. Methodology
   1. 4.1 Fairness Monitor Activities and Observations: Industry Sessions and Q&As
5. Reference Documents

1. Introduction

Samson & Associates was engaged as a Fairness Monitor (FM) to observe PWGSC’s one-on-one industry engagement sessions held during the Procurement Outlook Conference / Mari-Tech 2013 Conference. Interested suppliers in the New Vessel or the Vessel Life Extension requirements of the Canadian Coast Guard were invited through a Letter of Interest (LOI) posted on MERX by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) as a result of solicitation EN558-14LOI1/A. Samson & Associates is an independent third party with respect to this activity.

We observed the one-on-one engagement sessions with interested suppliers and we reviewed all Questions and Answers resulting from these engagement sessions prior to their posting to the public.

We hereby submit the Final Report, covering the activities of the Fairness Monitor, commencing with the one-on-one industry engagement sessions held during the Procurement Outlook Conference and continuing through the review of the Questions and Answers resulting from the engagement sessions.

This report includes our attestation of assurance, a summary of the scope and objectives of our assignment, the methodologies applied and relevant observations from the activities undertaken.

2. Procurement Outlook Conference Requirements

The Letter of Interest was posted by PWGSC to invite interested suppliers to register for the Procurement Outlook Conference held in Halifax, Nova Scotia June 25-27, 2013 and to provide an opportunity for one-on-one sessions with interested industry representatives.

Procurement planning is currently underway for the Fleet Renewal requirements for the Canadian Coast Guard. The focus of the Procurement Outlook Conference was to discuss the New Vessel and the Vessel Life Extension (VLE) requirements of the Canadian Coast Guard.

The Procurement Outlook Conference’s intent was to engage industry and to seek advanced information regarding requirements, procurement strategies, and schedules prior to finalizing the approach.

3. Attestation of Assurance

The FM hereby provides the following unqualified assurance statement concerning the one-on-one industry engagement sessions held during the Procurement Outlook Conference and continuing with the review of the Questions and Answers resulting from engagement sessions.

It is our professional opinion that one-on-one industry engagement sessions we observed during the Procurement Outlook Conference were carried out in a fair, open and transparent manner.

4. Methodology

Samson & Associates was engaged as a Fairness Monitor (FM) to observe the one-on-one sessions held during the PWGSC’s Procurement Outlook Conference / Mari-Tech 2013, and to attest to the fairness, openness and transparency of this monitored activity.

In accordance with the terms of our engagement, we familiarized ourselves with the relevant documents, observed related Conference activities (i.e., Letter of Interest, one-on-one sessions, and Questions and Answers), identified fairness-related matters to the contracting and technical authorities, and ensured that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate.

4.1 FM Activities and Observations: Industry Sessions and Q&As

All interested suppliers were invited to register for the Procurement Outlook Conference through a Letter of Interest posted on MERX on June 19, 2013 and which closed on June 27, 2013. Interested industry representatives were given the opportunity to register for one-on-one engagement sessions with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and ask questions related to the New Vessel and Vessel Life Extension upcoming requirements.

The FM Specialists attended a meeting with PWGSC and CCG representatives on June 25, 2013 to preview the upcoming Industry Days’ activities. The FM Specialists attended the PWGSC session of the Procurement Outlook Conference and observed all scheduled one-on-one engagement sessions during the following two days, June 25 and 26, 2013.

Ninety-seven questions were submitted by the industry and the answers addressed and published on MERX.

The FM reviewed all questions and answers provided during the Procurement Outlook Conference and one-on-one engagement sessions to ensure fairness-related considerations were satisfactorily addressed.

Observation #1: The one-on-one engagement sessions held during the Procurement Outlook Conference were undertaken in a fair and transparent manner.Questions asked during the above sessions Procurement Outlook Conference and related activities were handled in accordance with the terms of the LOI and the responses were clear, understandable and communicated to all proponents in a timely fashion. All fairness considerations were satisfactorily addressed.

No fairness issues resulted from any of the noted observations.

Fairness Monitor Summary of Findings on the Request for Proposal Process: It is the opinion of the Fairness Monitor that the activities observed during the PWGSC’s Procurement Outlook Conference, which was held for the New Vessel and the Vessel Life Extension requirements of the Canadian Coast Guard were conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner. In this context, fairness includes the elements of openness, competitiveness, transparency and compliance.

5. Reference Documents

The following documents are referenced by number in this report and unless otherwise indicated, are available through PWGSC.

Table Summary

The following table includes a list of documents referred to in the report such as the Request for Proposal(RFP), amendments, clarification letters, debriefing letters, etc. Each row is numbered, followed by the document title, then a document identifier such as a date or document number.

Reference Documents

No.	Document	Date
1	Letter of Interest: EN558-14LOI1	June 19, 2013
2	PWGSC’s Procurement Outlook Conference Mari-Tech 2013	June 26-27, 2013
3	Questions & Answers	August 6, 2013