Canadian Armed Forces relocation support services

On this page

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Attestation of assurance
• 3. Project requirement
• 4. Methodology
• 5. Reference documents
• 6. Addendum to final report, January 12, 2017

1. Introduction

Samson & Associates was engaged as a Fairness Monitor (FM) on July 18, 2013 to observe the competitive selection process for the Canadian Armed Forces Relocation Support Services (CAFRSS), issued by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), on behalf of the Department of National Defence (DND) as a result of solicitation no. 24062-140087/A through G and W6369-150002/A. Samson & Associates is an independent third party with respect to this procurement.

We reviewed all of the information provided, observed all relevant activities and had full access to all aspects of the procurement process. We had the full co-operation from all stakeholders.

We hereby submit the Final Report, covering the activities of the FM commencing with Industry Engagement Phase and continuing through to the end of the Request for Proposal (RFP) evaluation phase.

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. Attestation of assurance

The Fairness Monitor hereby provides the following unqualified assurance statement concerning the competitive selection process for Canadian Armed Forces Relocation Support Services commencing with the Industry Engagement Phase and continuing through to the end of the Request for Proposal evaluation phase.

It is our professional opinion that the competitive selection process for the above activities we observed, was carried out in a fair, open and transparent manner.

3. Project requirement

The Request for Information (RFI) phase of this acquisition was a joint activity with Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). One RFP phase was done separately for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and another was carried out for TBS and the RCMP.

The CAFRSS includes services to support the requirements of the National Joint Council Relocation Directive for the CAF Integrated Relocation Program (IRP).

The relocation program is designed to support transferred employees and members of the CAF in their relocation to their new work location, and reduce the effects of relocation on departmental operations.

The services provided under the contract include the administration and delivery of relocation services, such as relocation planning, residential marketing assistance, destination services and a variety of other related services. These do not include the physical movement of household goods and effects, which are managed under separate contracts.

The CAFRSS is domestic and international in scope, involving thousands of CAF members being relocated to new work locations each year.

The requirement for these services which excludes the movement of household goods contains three key components:

• advisory services: policy interpretation and guidance
• financial services: expense tracking and reimbursements
• directory services: the link to all ancillary services that is, (real estate, lawyers/notaries, home inspectors, appraisals and rental search assistance)

CAFRSS services were previously referred to as the IRP.

4. Methodology

Samson & Associates was engaged as a FM to observe the competitive selection process for the CAFRSS, 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 and activities (for example industry information, comments resulting from the RFI, RFP, related amendments and disposition of questions and answers received during the process), identified fairness-related matters to the contracting authority and technical authority, and ensured that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate.

4.1 Activities and observations—Industry engagement phase

4.1.1 Request for Information no. 1—24062-140087

The initial RFI for the Government of Canada Relocation Support Services (GCRSS) was posted on the government electronic tenders service, buyandsell.gc.ca on August 21, 2013. The RFI phase of this acquisition was a joint activity with the CAF, TBS and the RCMP. The RFI was developed to solicit input from industry experts with respect to industry best practices on how industry would propose to deliver the GCRSS high level technical services requirements which were described in the document attached to the RFI. Canada wanted this opportunity to examine other possible models for the delivery of these services. The document posed a number of questions to industry designed to give Canada feedback on best practices and to provide industry with guidance.

Proponents were invited to provide their comments and suggestions for consideration during the acquisition process.

RFI no. 1 was posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on August 21, 2013 and the closing of September 30, 2013 was extended to October 15, 2013. There were six amendments in total to provide clarification and respond to the five questions from proponents. The FM reviewed the RFI and related amendments and responses to questions prior to their release.

Four firms submitted comments during the process.

4.1.2 Letter of Interest 24062-140087/B

Subsequent to RFI no. 24062-140087/A and as part of the next steps in the industry engagement process, an Letter of Interest (LOI) was published to invite industry to participate in an information Webinar and an Industry Day on the procurement of GCRSS.

LOI 24062-140087/B was posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on November 12, 2013 and closed on November 25, 2013. There was one amendment posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on November 14, 2013 to add GSIN numbers.

The Webinars, one in English and one in French, were held on November 21, 2013. The Industry Day was held on December 3, 2013. The FM attended the Webinars and Industry Day and reviewed the responses to questions prior to their release.

4.1.3 Letter of Interest 24062-140087/C

Subsequent to RFI no. 24062-140087/A and LOI no. 24062-140087/B, the purpose of this third industry engagement notice was to provide ongoing information about the GCRSS procurement process and respond to questions from the industry.

The 22 questions and answers stemming from the November 21, 2013 webinar sessions on the GCRSS were provided.

LOI 24062-140087/C was posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on November 28, 2013 and closed February 19, 2014. The FM reviewed the notice and related responses to questions prior to their release.

4.1.4 Letter of Interest 24062-140087/D

A Summary Report including the questions and discussions stemming from the December 3, 2013 Industry Day on the GCRSS was prepared for internal purposes only and was not posted to buyandsell.gc.ca.

4.1.5 Request for information no. 2—24062-140087/E

The purpose of this RFI was to provide industry with an update on the status of the GCRSS procurement process and to request further feedback from industry regarding Canada's plans. This RFI contained specific questions addressed to industry. All interested suppliers were requested to submit a response by August 31, 2015. Proponents were also invited to participate in one-on-one sessions to provide additional comments. Separate sessions were held for the TBS/ RCMP requirements and the CAF requirements. Three firms chose to participate in one-on-one sessions. The FM attended all one-on-one sessions.

RFI no. 2—24062-140087/E—RFI was posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on July 16, 2015 and closed August 31, 2015

Six questions were posed by proponents and responded to through the one amendment raised and posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on August 28, 2015. The FM reviewed the RFI and related amendment and responses to questions prior to their release.

4.1.6 Request for information no. 3—24062-140087/F

Based on industry feedback received during the RFI no. 2 process that closed on August 31, 2015, Canada provided further clarification of its anticipated requirements for the GCRSS procurement initiative.

RFI no. 3—24062-140087/F was posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on October 5, 2015 and closed October 19, 2015. The FM reviewed the RFI and related responses to questions prior to their release.

4.1.7 Request for information no. 4—24062-140087/G

Following a series of industry engagement activities, the fourth RFI on the GCRSS procurement initiative provided industry with two draft RFPs for review and comments.

Draft RFP no. 1 related to the CAF relocation services requirements, with one anticipated resultant contract.

Draft RFP no. 2 related to the TBS and the RCMP relocation services requirements, with two anticipated resultant contracts (i.e. a TBS contract and an RCMP contract).

RFI no. 4—24062-140087/G was posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on December 7, 2015 and closed December 23, 2015. One amendment was posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on December 18, 2015 to respond to the one question.

Five firms provided feedback on the Draft RFPs.

Observation

The RFI and LOI documents were written in a clear and understandable manner. Comments and questions submitted were responded to in an understandable fashion. The FM reviewed the solicitation documentation, viewed the webinar as well as reviewed the supporting documentation, reviewed the summary of industry responses to the various RFIs and LOIs and participated in the one-on-one sessions.

No fairness issues were identified.

Summary of findings

It is the opinion of the FM that the Industry Engagement Phase for the GCRSS contract was conducted in a fair manner. In this context, fairness refers to decisions being made objectively, free from bias, favouritism or influence and conform to established rules.

4.2 Activities and observations—Request for proposal phase

During the Industry Engagement Phase of the procurement process, it was decided that there would be separate RFP processes for the CAF and TBS/RCMP requirements.

The CAFRSS RFP was posted to buyandsell.gc.ca on February 16, 2016 and had a closing date of April 15, 2016. The RFP advised potential bidders of a Bidder’s Conference which was held in Ottawa on March 1, 2016. Attendance at the Bidder’s Conference was not a requirement in order to submit a proposal. The FM attended the Bidder’s Conference.

The responses to 138 questions submitted during the question period were provided through the amendment process. Eight questions raised during the Bidder’s Conference were answered through amendment no. 5. The FM reviewed the RFP, related amendments and all questions and answers provided during the bidding period to ensure fairness-related considerations were satisfactorily addressed.

No fairness issues were identified.

Observation

The RFP documents were written in a clear and understandable manner. Comments and questions submitted were responded to in an understandable fashion. The FM participated in the Bidder’s Conference and reviewed all the responses to questions raised during the RFP process.

Summary of findings

It is the opinion of the FM that the Request for Proposal Phase for the CAFRSS contract was conducted in a fair manner. In this context, fairness refers to decisions being made objectively, free from bias, favouritism or influence and conforming to established rules.

4.3 Activities and observations—Evaluation phase

An evaluation kick-off meeting was held on April 18, 2016 with the evaluators to review roles and responsibilities. The Contracting Authority (CA) and the FM were also in attendance.

Canada carried out a two-phased bid evaluation process for this requirement. Phase 1 consisted of a two-step bid evaluation process. Step 1 was a review of the bidder’s proposal and, if necessary, the release of a Preliminary Evaluation Report to all Bidders indicating whether or not they were compliant. If they were deemed non-compliant, they were invited to submit additional or different information.

Step 2 was the evaluation of the proposals which included Bidders responses to the Preliminary Evaluation Report. For point rated criteria having a minimum pass standard, if the additional or different information provided by a Bidder rendered the criteria responsive, those criteria were deemed responsive. However, the original score remained unchanged for financial evaluation purposes.

Only those bids deemed to be responsive at the completion of Phase 1 were evaluated at Phase 2 which consisted of the financial evaluation of all responsive bids.

Four bids were submitted in response to the RFP.

The bids were initially reviewed individually by the three evaluators, who subsequently met on several occasions to determine whether the bidders had met the mandatory and rated requirements. The FM and the CA were also in attendance at all evaluation meetings.

Based on the results of the initial evaluation, Preliminary Evaluation Reports were issued to all bidders and some additional information was provided by the proponents for further consideration. The FM reviewed the Preliminary Evaluation Reports prior to their distribution.

As a result of the final evaluation consensus meeting of June 7, 2016, which considered the responses to the Preliminary Evaluation Report process, three proponents were deemed to have met the mandatory and minimum rated criteria stated in the RFP. The financial evaluation based on the criteria and methodology stated in the RFP determined the final ranking of the proponents and a successful proponent was identified on June 7, 2016. The FM reviewed the Phase 2 evaluation documentation.

No fairness issues were identified.

Observation

The instructions and tools of the evaluators were complete, respected the terms of the RFP and were consistent with the principles and practices of fairness, and they were executed fairly. Evaluation criteria, weighting and points awarded complied fully with what had been established in the RFP. The evaluation was performed as described by the RFP and the scoring was performed in accordance with the criteria. Consensus discussions were open and a consensus was reached for all the criteria.

Summary of findings

It is the opinion of the FM that the RFP Evaluation Phase for the CAFRSS requirement was conducted in a fair manner. In this context, fairness refers to decisions being made objectively, free from bias, favouritism or influence and conforming to established rules.

5. Reference documents

The following documents referenced in this report, unless otherwise indicated, are all available through PSPC.

Request for information documents by publication date

No.	Documents	Date
1	RFI no. 1—24062-140087/A	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on August 21, 2013
2	RFI: Amendment no. 1	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on August 29, 2013
3	RFI: Amendment no. 2	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on September 11, 2013
4	RFI: Amendment no. 3	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on September 19, 2013
5	RFI: Amendment no. 4	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on September 25, 2013
6	RFI: Amendment no. 5	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on October 1, 2013
7	RFI: Amendment no. 6	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on October 9, 2013
8	LOI—24062-140087/B	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on November 12, 2013
9	LOI 24062-140087/B : Amendment no. 1	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on November 14, 2013
10	LOI 24062-140087/C	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on November 28, 2013
11	LOI 24062-140087/D	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on December 15, 2013
12	RFI no. 2—24062-140087/E	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on July 16, 2015
13	RFI 24062-140087/E: Amendment no. 1	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on August 31, 2015
14	RFI no. 3—24062-140087/F	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on October 5, 2015
15	RFIno. 4—24062-140087/G	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on December 7, 2015
16	24062-140087/G: Amendment no. 1	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on December 18, 2015

Canadian Armed Forces relocation request for proposal documents by publication date

No.	Documents	Date
1	W6369-150002/A—RFP	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on February 16, 2016
2	RFP: Amendment no. 1	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on March 14, 2016
3	RFP: Amendment no. 2	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on March 16, 2016
4	RFP: Amendment no. 3	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on March 24, 2016. l 4, 2016
5	RFP: Amendment no. 4	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on April 4, 2016
6	RFP: Amendment no. 5	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on April 11, 2016
7	RFP: Amendment no. 6	Posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on April 12, 2016

6. Addendum to final report, January 12, 2017

Addendum to fairness monitor final report dated July 27, 2016, on the competitive selection process for Canadian Armed Forces relocation support services.

This Addendum to the FM Final Report covers the period following the conclusion of the evaluation phase, including contract award and debriefings.

Fairness monitor activities related to contract award and debriefings

There were four bids submitted in response to the Request for Proposal. Three bids were deemed responsive. The successful bidder was announced and the contract awarded on August 26, 2016.

Each bidder was provided with a written debrief consisting of a letter, which included their technical and financial evaluation scores and those of the selected bidder, as well as their own technical consensus evaluation report.

This information was provided by the Contracting Authority in writing on August 26, 2016. There were several questions raised by bidders which were responded to in writing by the Contracting Authority. The debriefing process concluded on November 25, 2016.

The FM reviewed all communications to and from bidders during this phase of the process.

Fairness monitor attestation of assurance

The Fairness Monitor hereby provides the following unqualified assurance statement concerning the competitive selection process for Canadian Armed Forces Relocation Support Services.

It is our professional opinion that the competitive selection process that we observed, was carried out in a fair, open and transparent manner.