Commercial Satellite Imagery

Commercial Satellite Imagery

23240-210846/A
Friesen, Manon
Telephone: (number on the official notice)

Request for Information (RFI) for Commercial Satellite Imagery

1. Purpose and Nature of the Request for Information (RFI)

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is requesting Industry feedback regarding the procurement strategy for the renewal of the existing Commercial Satellite Imagery Products or Data National Master Standing Offer (NMSO) number E60SQ-120001 due to expire on September 30, 2022. A new Request for Standing Offer (RFSO) number E60PI-22SATL is expected to be published at some point during the summer of 2022 on the new Canadabuys website.

The objective of this RFI is to solicit industry opinions and feedback to explore potential options, refine the Commercial Satellite Imagery requirement, and understand the state of the market.

This RFI is neither a call for tender nor a Request for Proposal (RFP). No agreement or contract will be entered into based on this RFI. The issuance of this RFI is not to be considered in any way a commitment by the Government of Canada, nor as authority to potential respondents to undertake any work that could be charged to Canada. This RFI is not to be considered as a commitment to issue a subsequent solicitation or award contract(s) for the work described herein.

Although the information collected may be provided as commercial-in-confidence (and, if identified as such, will be treated accordingly by Canada), Canada may use the information to assist in drafting performance specifications (which are subject to change) and for budgetary purposes.

Respondents are encouraged to identify, in the information they share with Canada, any information that they feel is proprietary, third party or personal information. Please note that it may be obligated by law (e.g. in response to a request under the Access of Information and Privacy Act) to disclose proprietary or commercially-sensitive information concerning a respondent (for more information: http://laws-RFIs.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/a-1/).

Respondents are asked to identify if their response, or any part of their response, is subject to the Controlled Goods Regulations.

Participation in this RFI is encouraged, but is not mandatory. There will be no short-listing of potential suppliers for the purposes of undertaking any future work as a result of this RFI. Similarly, participation in this RFI is not a condition or prerequisite for the participation in any potential subsequent solicitation. However, should your company be interested in receiving a copy of the upcoming Commercial Satellite Imagery Request for Standing Offer (RFSO), please provide the information requested under Annex B- Supplier Contact Information and return directly to the PSPC Contracting Authority.

Respondents will not be reimbursed for any cost incurred by participating in this RFI.

The RFI closing date published herein is not the deadline for comments or input. Comments and input will be accepted any time up to the time when/if a follow-on solicitation is published.

2. Background Information

Over the past decade, several Standing Offers have been established for the procurement of commercially available satellite imagery and data. Canada is looking to expand the scope of the previous procurement vehicle by establishing multiple non-competitive National Master Standing Offers (NMSOs) directly with Satellite Operators and Owners of the Satellite-Sensors or Constellation-Sensors to access a variety of satellite imagery (low and high resolution) products from their existing catalogue.

3. Potential Work Scope and Constraints

1) The creation of multiple non-competitive NMSOs with interested Satellite Operators and Owners with or without authorized agents (at supplier discretion) are expected to be in place by end of September 30, 2022. Interested suppliers will have to accept the standard terms and conditions of the Request for Standing Offer.
Data products could be purchased on an ?As-and-When? required basis either through annual subscription services or by individual download on an area basis. Data products of interest to Canada include data content collected from a wide list of sensors including (but not restricted to) Optical sensors, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors, Hyperspectral sensors and Lidar sensors. Web Support Services, Technical Support Services as well as supporting documentation and training are anticipated to be required as part as the annual subscription services.
In addition to Space-based Earth Observation satellite imagery products, Canada would like to explore the possibility of including Space-based Space Observation satellite imagery in order to observe Space debris. See Annex A- Questions to Industry for more details.

2) E-Procurement Solution (EPS)
CanadaBuys is a new suite of online procurement services, launched by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) recently. CanadaBuys will ultimately replace the tendering services on the Buyandsell website. PSPC is requesting information from Satellite Operators and Owners to explore their IT capabilities for providing electronic catalogues (e-catalogues). The responses received may be used by Canada to develop or modify procurement strategies and/or any contracting documents, clauses, terms and conditions.
Suppliers must be registered as a supplier on CanadaBuys website. Please see the following link for instructions: https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/getting-started. It is the sole responsibility of the supplier to register accordingly and in a timely manner prior to the publication of the upcoming RFSO. Should supplier encounter any difficulties during the registration process, supplier should contact the Service Desk directly for technical support.

3) Procurement Set-asides for Aboriginal Business (PSAB)
Indigenous Services Canada has identified the need to support Indigenous peoples in assuming control of the delivery of services, which will rely on access to timely and accurate information such as Earth Observation datasets that may pertain to issues such as water quality, health, food security, emergency support, climate change mitigation.
Canada recognizes the principles of ownership, control, access and possession (OCAP) being promoted by the First Nation Information Governance Centre. This principle defines fair data sharing that empowers rather than withholding information that is rightfully theirs. Earth Observation data collected over Canada’s landmass may have OCAP implications, wherein Indigenous stakeholders and rightsholders may not have commensurate access to data collected within Aboriginal Lands of Canada Legislative Boundaries or in land claim areas or ancestral territories.
Satellite imagery is a tool with the power to elevate and empower decision-making in relation to land, infrastructure, environment, among others. As Canada, and the world, moves to support Indigenous Nations to advance in governing their own affairs according to their own local decision-making processes, access to data is critical to effective capacity development. This imagery will be fundamental to help Indigenous Nations plan for economic and resource development, land use planning, environmental monitoring/ management and climate change adaptation/ mitigation amongst other priorities.

The new NMSOs will highlight the importance of having Indigenous Peoples as a base level 0 recipient group of RadarSat imagery of Indigenous land, as part of Reconciliation to ensure equitable access to satellite based Earth Observation imagery amongst Indigenous governments and Federal and Provincial departments. This will include both legal and jurisdictional interoperability, the ability to seamlessly integrate data and collaborate amongst a range of Indigenous communities and partners across Canada, as well as technological interoperability, where EO data can be readily used across a range of software and applications that are used by Indigenous stakeholders.

4. Legislation, Trade Agreements, and Government Policies

The following is indicative of some of the legislation, trade agreements and government policies that could impact any follow-on solicitation(s):

1) Inclusion of Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Businesses (PSIB)

Follow-on procurement may be set aside from the international trade agreements under the provision each has for measures with respect to Aboriginal peoples or for set-asides for small and minority businesses. Further to Article 800 of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), CFTA does not apply to any measure adopted or maintained with respect to Aboriginal peoples.

2) No Trade Agreements

Follow-on procurement will consist of Satellite Data Processing and Related Services which are excluded from the application of NAFTA as per Annex 1001.1B-2, Class T, Communications, Photographic, Mapping, Printing and Publication Services, subclass T013, General Photographic Services - Still. Satellite Data Processing and Related Services is not covered under the World Trade Organization - Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO-AGP), in accordance with Appendix 1, Annex 4.

3) All Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements (CLCAs) should be applicable to follow-on requirement as delivery may be to anywhere in Canada, including locations subject to a CLCA.

5. Treatment of Responses

1. Use of Responses: The responses received may be used by Canada to develop or modify procurement strategies and/or any contracting documents, clauses, terms and conditions. Canada will review all responses received by the RFI closing date. Canada may, at its discretion, review responses received after the RFI closing date.

2. Review Team: A review team composed of representatives of the Government of Canada. Canada reserves the right to hire an independent consultant, if Canada considers it necessary, to review any response received as a result of this RFI. Not all members of the review team will necessarily review all responses.

3. Follow-up Activity: Canada may, in its sole discretion, contact any respondents to follow up with additional questions or for clarification of any aspect of a response.

4. One-on-one meetings: Canada may, at its sole discretion, contact any respondents to follow up with additional questions or for clarification of any aspect of a response during a one on one meeting.

6. Important Notes to Respondents

Contents of this RFI
(a) This RFI contains specific questions addressed to the industry to be answered as well as more in-depth details about Commercial Satellite Imagery (see Annex A).
(b) This RFI contains information to be completed by suppliers interested in the upcoming RFSO E60PI-22SATL (see Annex B).

Interested Respondents may submit their responses to the PSPC Contracting Authority, identified below, directly via email:

Name: Manon Friesen
Title: Supply Team Leader
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Procurement Branch
Consumer Goods and Information Products Division

Tel.: (number on the official notice)
E-mail: (email on the official notice)

A point of contact for the Respondent should be included in the response.

Canada may, in its discretion, contact any respondents to follow up with additional questions or for clarification of any aspect of a response or to request a meeting.

Changes to this RFI may occur and will be advertised on Buyandsell website. Canada asks Respondents to visit Buyandsell.gc.ca regularly to check for changes, if any.

7. Closing date for the RFI/RFI

Responses to this RFI are to be submitted to the PSPC Contracting Authority identified above, on or by May 16, 2022.

ANNEX A- QUESTIONS TO THE INDUSTRY

List of questions

Authenticated access through a Web platform (Subscription)

1. Are you maintaining a web platform that would support discovery, visualization, processing, and transfer of Imagery Content through authenticated access? If available, please describe the level of functionalities offered from the proposed platform according to the following category:

• Content Search, Discovery and filtering
• Content Visualization
• Content Ordering and Transfer
• Data analytics

2. If a web platform is available, does it include a programmatic access through a well-defined Application Programming Interface (API)? This service endpoint will enable creation of custom scripts to automate Search/Discovery/Ordering/Transfer steps to integrate these operations in an automated or more complex data processing workflow.

3. If a web platform is available, is the access offered through prepaid plans or under a pay-per use model. Can you support or accommodate both type of models?

Access to the content

4. If a web platform is available, does it offer configurable delivery using remote push options such as SFTP or Cloud-native storage (AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage)? For subscription models, the GC expects that providers are able to stage orders at an ephemeral download location, which would eventually disappear after a limited period. As such, the goal of the GC is to ensure all downloaded assets is added in a designated GC archive (EODMS). The GC wants to maximize re-use of the images obtained. The GC also wants to avoid duplicate charges against access/download credits that come with subscription models.

5. If a web platform is available, does it offer Clip-Zip-Ship functionality and pricing model around this?

Licensing

6. If a web platform is available, can it support a multiplicity of License classes that could be determined at ordering/download time or would the downloaded content become a public good after a certain time? Such flexibility would allow the downloaded content to be reused and shared for different purposes and to meet a wider variety of government needs.

7. Does Usages Rights attached to the Downloaded Content would prevent the creation of specific categories of Data Derivatives? Government of Canada expects to use the downloaded content inside a wide variety of use cases or applications that could include (without being limited to) the creation of the following Data Derivatives: Land Characterization Map, Vector Features such as building footprints, 3D models such as Digital Elevation Model, Imagery Mosaic generated at a coarser resolution than the native resolution and Scientific Publications. The Data Derivatives could then be made available to public under the Open Government Licence - Canada (https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada)

Satellite Tasking

8. If a web platform is available, would it allow submitting requests for new data acquisition by specifying collection dates, time of the day and revisit requirements? The Government of Canada plans to use a single point of access to access for Archive content as well as new content acquired under planned monitoring programs, with the addition of on-demand data collected through Satellite-Tasking request.

Professional Services

9. Does your service offering include professional services that could screen existing Content Archive based on predefined criteria, including (without being limited to) a set of areas of interest (AOI), date ranges, maximum cloud/shadow cover, and maximum off-nadir angle? The expectation would also be that such services could create custom data packaging that will include predefined file naming convention and file structure. The Government of Canada expects that such services would ensure that delivered Imagery Content would comply with existing operations and data processes.

10. Does your service offering include warranty clauses that ensure that any data package delivered through these professional services can be reordered or replaced at no additional charge within a period of time if it is established that the delivered content does not meet all predefined criteria?

ANNEX B- SUPPLIER CONTACT INFORMATION

Suppliers interested in the upcoming RFSO E60PI-22SATL can show their interest by sending an e-mail directly to the Contracting Authority to provide the following information:

1. 1)
   Satellite Constellation Owner Name and complete address with phone number and e-mail
2. 2)
   Name(s) of Satellite-Sensors or Constellation-Sensors
3. 3)
   List of Products
4. 4)
   List of Authorized Agent(s) with their respective address (including phone number, contact person and e-mail address)
5. 5)
   Confirmation that supplier is registered as a supplier under CanadaBuys website and has created an SAP Ariba account
6. 6)
   Confirmation that supplier holds a valid Procurement Business Number (PBN)

By providing this information, supplier agrees and understands that Canada is under no obligation to enter into an agreement or contract based on information provided from this RFI.

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.