Gatineau, Quebec, February 13, 2012 — The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, announced today that the Government of Canada has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to acquire cutting‑edge equipment under the Integrated Soldier System Project.
“Our Government is committed to providing our men and women in uniform the best possible equipment they need to do their jobs at home and abroad,” said Minister Ambrose. “We’re undertaking procurement in a smarter, more effective way that provides best value for Canadian taxpayers while upholding our fundamental tenets of fairness, openness and transparency.”
“This announcement demonstrates our Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting our troops with the new equipment necessary for mission success,” said the Honourable Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence.
“This is another example of how this Government is creating jobs and fostering growth for Canadian industry,” said the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture). “The application of the Industrial and Regional Benefits Policy means that Canadian firms will receive long-term work resulting from this project.”
The release of this RFP is the result of an open, fair and transparent engagement process. It follows extensive consultations through which industry was requested to comment and provide input on draft versions of the RFP. This procurement includes a field performance evaluation by Canadian soldiers. A Fairness Monitor has been engaged to oversee this competitive process.
The Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRB) Policy applies to this procurement and will ensure that the winning contractor places economic benefits into Canada equal to 100 per cent of the contract value. Canada currently has over 60 major procurements subject to the policy, which represents over $22 billion in commitments by major defence contractors. For further information on the IRB Policy and the recent enhancements, please visit www.ic.gc.ca/irb.
The Integrated Soldier System Project will provide soldiers with an integrated suite of equipment that includes weapon accessories, electronic devices, sensors, individual equipment and operational clothing. This system will significantly increase soldiers’ performance, as they will be able to seamlessly share data and voice communications with low-level command centres through a network. This capability will provide more effective and timely interaction. As a result, soldiers will have more comprehensive situational awareness, real-time tactical information and greater synchronization of activity.
The RFP is to acquire up to 6,624 integrated suites of cutting-edge equipment under the Integrated Soldier System Project over four years. The RFP includes a requirement for up to 11 years of associated in-service support.
The RFP, released by Public Works and Government Services Canada on behalf of the Department of National Defence, appears on the Canadian Public Tenders service, known as MERX (www.merx.com).
The contract award is expected to be announced in December 2013.
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