Surveillance of Space 2 RFI

1-Publish questions posed by vendors and responses provided by Canada; and
2-Publish the Summary of Findings and Outcomes document prepared pursuant to the industry engagement processes that have taken place to date for the Surveillance of Space 2 project.

Amendment 004
This amendment serves to publicize the presentation that was given during the Industry Day on October 2, 2018.

Amendment 003
This amendment serves to publicize a summary of the questions posed and answers provided during the one-on-one meetings with vendors that took place on October 2, 3 and 4, 2018.

Amendment #1
This amendment is to change the time for the submission of the RFI response and the industry day as per below:

Responses to this RFI are requested on or before 23 October 2018. E-mail responses are preferred.

Industry Day will be held in Ottawa, Ontario on 2 October 2018 with one-on-one meetings to follow the Industry Day and continue through 4 October 2018.
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Trade Agreement: None
Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid
Competitive Procurement Strategy: N/A - P&A/LOI Only
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Nature of Requirements:

Title: Surveillance of Space II Request for Information

GENERAL

This industry consultation process seeks information from industry on its interest, capacity and ability to produce and deliver the systems that meet the requirements for the Department of National Defence Surveillance of Space 2 (SofS 2) project. This industry consultation process provides industry the opportunity to provide feedback in the development and refinement of the requirement, including the proposed technical requirement, the procurement strategy and methods of leveraging economic benefit for Canada.

The information gathered through this industry consultation process may be used by Canada to assist in the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the implementation of the SofS 2 procurement. As such, the requirement may be revised pending alternate solutions and discussions that take place during all industry engagement processes.

BACKGROUND

The Canadian Armed Forces rely heavily on space-based assets to conduct operations. The space environment is increasingly congested due to the dramatic increase in commercial and other satellites and debris. Potential adversaries also possess increasingly sophisticated anti-satellite weapons. In the context of this environment, access to Space Situational Awareness (SSA) helps ensure the security and integrity of national space-based capabilities, the awareness of space threats to Canadian territory, and support to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations worldwide. In 2013, the Department of National Defence (DND) and the CAF launched their first military satellite, Sapphire, a Space Based Optical (SBO) sensor that provides valuable Space Situational Awareness to both Canada and its allies. SSA products allow Canada to accurately assess the orbital positions and projected paths of our space assets. Surveillance of Space 2 (SofS 2) offers Canada the opportunity to build on the performance of Sapphire and to continue Canada’s status as a valuable contributor to the US owned and operated Space Surveillance Network (SSN) and enjoy guaranteed access to the SSN. The preferred capability for the SofS 2 solution is Optical and may include a Ground Based Optical (GBO), SBO (which may include multiples) or a combination of both GBO and SBO(s); an enduring SSA capability that provides best value for cost is a key consideration for DND.
For further background information please see the attached Request for Information (RFI) document.

Requirement

Please refer to the RFI document for details.

The Procurement Process

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

This RFI is released to Industry to engage industry and socialize the requirements of SofS2 while soliciting feedback from industry to assess procurement and implementation options.

Responses to this RFI are requested on or before 15 September 2018. E-mail responses are acceptable.

Submission of a response to this RFI is not required in order to submit a response to any follow-on RFP.

INDUSTRY DAY

The SofS 2 Project Team intends to hold an Industry Day information session to provide companies with general information of the SofS 2 project and obtain initial industry comments on the RFI. One-on-one meetings with interested companies will be held following the Industry day information session.

Industry Day will be held in Gatineau, Quebec on 28 August 2018 with one-on-one meetings to follow the Industry Day and continue through 29 August 2018.

In order to participate in the Industry Day and one-on-one meetings, interested companies must sign and return the Rules of Engagement document, available when requested by interested suppliers. Additional Industry Day specifics will follow only to those companies that have sent back the signed Rules of Engagement Document.

In order to facilitate the one-on-one meetings, industry is encouraged to provide written comments and/or questions in advance of the meetings.

Participation in Industry Day or subsequent one-on-one meetings is not required in order to submit a response to the RFI or any follow-on RFP.

INDUSTRIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL BENEFITS

The Industrial and Regional Technological Benefits Policy, including Value Proposition may apply to this procurement. For more information about the ITB Policy, please visit www.canada.ca/itb.

NOTES TO INTERESTED FIRMS

This Industry Consultation process is not a bid solicitation nor will it result in a Contract.

Potential respondents are advised that any information submitted in response to this Industry Consultation may be used by Canada in the development of a subsequent competitive RFP. Canada is not bound to accept any Expression of Interest or to consider it further in any associated documents such as a RFP.

The issuance of this Industry Consultation process does not create an obligation for Canada to issue a subsequent RFP, and does not bind Canada legally or otherwise, to enter into any agreement or to accept any suggestions from organizations. Canada reserves the right to accept or reject any or all comments received.

There will be no short listing of firms for purposes of undertaking any future work as a result of this Industry Consultation. Similarly, participation in this Industry Consultation process is not a condition or prerequisite for participation in any RFP(s).

Companies participating in this Industry Consultation process should identify any submitted information that is to be considered as either company confidential or proprietary.

PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY

All enquiries and other communications related to this Industry Consultation process, including submission of RFI responses, must be directed exclusively to the Procurement Authority as follows:

Alan Chan
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Procurement Branch
10 Wellington St.
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0S5

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

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.

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.