Digital Platform Modernization Programme: Programme Management Strategic Advisory Services

Attestation of assurance

The fairness monitor (FM) hereby provides the unqualified assurance statement below concerning the Programme Management Strategic Advisory Services (PMSA) procurement process up to and including the conclusion of the evaluation phase.

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

Original signed by:

Activity requirement

RFP Solutions Inc. was engaged on October 12, 2021, as a FM to observe the competitive procurement process for Programme Management Strategic Advisory Services (PMSA) issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under solicitation number WS3626267714. RFP Solutions Inc. is an independent third party with respect to this activity.

This report covers the activities of the FM during the request for proposal (RFP) phase and the evaluation of bids leading to the recommendation of a winning bidder to enter a contract. It covers the period from July 5, 2022, to April 26, 2023.

IRCC required PMSA to support its digital platform modernization (DPM) phase 3 (P3) implementation. The resulting contractor is expected to provide:

• services of a core leadership team and an ancillary team of industry experts to:
  • advise IRCC's DPM P3 leadership team
  • support of achieving the DPM programme's transformation objectives
  • promote DPM P3's change agenda
  • interact with a wide variety of senior stakeholders
• expert advice and guidance drawing on best practices and lessons learned from other major business transformations

The requirement was part of a multi-year investment by Canada as part of IRCC's broader modernization efforts. The programme is being delivered through a phased implementation approach that will deliver transformation across 3 consecutive and overlapping phases. Phases 1 (stabilize) and 2 (standardize) are being carried out over 3 years, which began with the launch of phase 1 in December 2020. Together, these phases are focused on:

• de-risking and stabilizing legacy systems
• reducing technical debt
• establishing secure cloud connectivity

The work of these prior phases enables DPM P3 by stabilizing the:

• current information technology infrastructure
• day-to-day operations
• systems

We reviewed all the information provided and observed all relevant activities.

This report includes:

• our attestation of assurance
• a summary of the scope and objectives of our assignment
• relevant observations from the activities undertaken

Fairness monitoring engagement and observations

In accordance with the terms of our engagement, we:

• familiarized ourselves with the relevant documents
• reviewed the RFP documents prior to release
• observed the RFP solicitation activities and the post solicitation period, including the evaluation of bids
• identified fairness-related matters to the contracting authority (CA)
• ensured that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate

An overview of our activities over the course of the engagement along with any related observations is provided below.

Request for proposals

The RFP was issued on August 19, 2022, using the electronic procurement solution (EPS) SAP Ariba, with a public notice also issued via CanadaBuys. We reviewed the RFP before it was issued and provided fairness-related comments to the CA as required.

Fifteen amendments to the RFP were issued to respond to questions including changes to the evaluation criteria and to extend the final RFP closing date to October 28, 2022. We monitored the publication of the RFP and amendments in EPS. We also reviewed the amendments and provided fairness-related comments to the CA as required.

Four bids were received and handled in accordance with deadline and instructions stated in the RFP.

No fairness concerns were observed during the RFP stage.

Evaluation process

Prior to bid evaluations, the CA prepared evaluation workbooks for use by the bid evaluation team. We reviewed the evaluation workbooks for alignment against the published RFP and amendments.

We also reviewed with the CA the evaluation guidelines, including:

• evaluator responsibilities
• code of conduct
• security
• confidentiality
• conflict of interest requirements

The CA and procurement team conducted evaluation training for the bid evaluation team, including presentation of the evaluation methodology. Evaluator training was conducted on November 3, 2022, via Microsoft Teams. We observed the training session.

The evaluation team members first independently reviewed the bids prior to convening for consensus evaluations. Consensus evaluation meetings were held on December 8, 2022, January 12, 26, February 7, 13, 15, 17, March 6, and April 6, 2023 via Microsoft Teams.

The evaluation of bids was subject to a phased bid compliance process for the mandatory technical criteria. During the initial evaluation of the mandatory technical criteria, bidders were identified as being non-compliant with the mandatory technical criteria. The CA issued a compliance assessment report (CAR) to each such bidder in accordance with the terms of the RFP, advising them of their respective non-compliance and invited each to submit revised or additional information to support compliance. Upon receipt of the CAR responses, the evaluation team members independently reviewed and assessed the information provided prior to reconvening for consensus evaluation.

The CA also prepared and issued 2 clarifications to bidders. Upon receipt of the clarification responses, the evaluation team members independently reviewed and assessed the responses provided prior to reconvening for consensus evaluation.

Three bids were determined to meet all mandatory technical criteria and were evaluated against the point rated technical criteria.

Bids were required to achieve a minimum pass mark on the point rated technical criteria. Three bids met the required score and were evaluated on the basis of the financial bids.

We observed each of the consensus evaluation meetings including the CAR and clarification processes, providing fairness-related comments to the CA as required. Appropriate action was taken by the CA.

Financial bid evaluation was conducted by the CA and reviewed by the FM.

Once the evaluation process was complete, the FM reviewed the record of results with the CA.

No fairness concerns were observed during the evaluation process.

Reference documents

Documents related to solicitation WS3626267714 are available on CanadaBuys or through the project office.

Addendum to the final report

July 31, 2023

Addendum to the final report dated July 31, 2023, for PMSA.

This addendum covers the period following the conclusion of the evaluation phase including contract award and debriefings.

The contract was formally awarded to the successful bidder on May 3, 2023. The unsuccessful bidders were notified of the result on May 4, 2023 via e-mails that included formal letters of regret. The letters of regret identified the successful bidder and the contract value. The letters also included each respective unsuccessful bidder's consensus evaluation results, and for those bids assessed on the basis of their financial bid, the results of the financial evaluation. A contract award notice was published on CanadaBuys on May 3, 2023. The FM reviewed the communications with the successful and unsuccessful bidders before being issued.

One of the unsuccessful bidders requested additional information on its outcomes in the evaluation process. The CA responded to these questions by e-mail on May 9, 2023. The bidder asked additional clarifying questions by e-mail, which the CA responded to by e-mail on May 12, 2023. The FM was kept informed by the CA of this correspondence and had the opportunity to review the information and clarifications requested and the CA's responses, providing comments which were duly considered by the CA. No fairness concerns were observed.

The successful bidder requested a debriefing meeting with the CA. The debriefing meeting was held on May 16, 2023, via MS Teams and was facilitated by the CA and a member of the evaluation team. The debriefing provided the successful bidder the opportunity to ask questions about the process and its respective bid evaluation results. The bidder requested a copy of its evaluation record which was provided by the CA following the debriefing. The FM attended the debriefing and did not observe any fairness issues.

Attestation of Assurance

The FM hereby provides the unqualified assurance statement below concerning the PMSA up to and including the conclusion of the contract award and debriefing activities.

It is our professional opinion that the process we observed or monitored were carried out in a fair, open and transparent manner.

Original signed by: