Online self-study program and virtual tutoring for English (stream 1) or French (stream 2)

Explore online programs for self-study training and virtual tutoring opportunities available to Government of Canada departments and agencies to improve their second official language. Summary and procedures for registration and cancellation.

On this page

• Standing offers
• Pricing information
• Objectives
• Summary of services under the standing offer
• Creating and issuing a call-up
• Cancellation and rescheduling of training cancellations
• Security requirements
• Statutory holidays

Standing offers

Online self-study program and virtual language training services which may include virtual tutoring across Canada (except within Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements).

Stream 1: Online self-study program and virtual tutoring for English as a second language

Language Research Development Group inc. EN578-202723/011/ZF (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)

Stream 2: Online self-study program and virtual tutoring for French as a second language

Language Research Development Group inc. EN578-202723/011/ZF (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)

Pricing information

1 offeror is qualified per work stream, please refer to the Pricing: Online self-study and tutoring (available only on the Government of Canada network).

Objectives

The services in these work streams are aimed at providing federal government employees across Canada with the opportunity to start, continue or finish learning English as a second language (ESL, stream 1) or French as a second language (FSL, stream 2), and to maintain their English or French skills, through online web-based self-study-solutions (the solutions) that can also include distance tutoring through virtual means.

The solutions are required to meet the following objectives:

• comply with official languages requirements (Canadian English and Canadian French)
• provide learning content consistent with the Qualification standards in relation to official languages
• provide content that is relevant to Canadians
• comply with the Government of Canada standard on web accessibility
• protect learners’ personal information and data
• provide administrative functionality to the learner’s manager or training coordinator (designated users) so that they can navigate freely without having to follow the learning path
• to give all employees an opportunity to take training as permitted by their work schedules and/or personal and job-related obligations, favouring a flexible learning approach that suits learners’ varying schedules
• allow learners to set and fulfill their professional development goals of starting, continuing, completing or maintaining their level and/or acquiring an A, B or C level to meet the language requirements of their positions

Summary of services under the standing offer

For a more detailed description of the minimum required characteristics of the online self-study platform, as well as a more detailed description of the professional services provided please visit the Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements Application (SOSA App) to access the full standing offer (SO) documents.

In this section

• Online self-study platform (solution): User subscriptions
• Individual tutoring
• Group tutoring: Part-time
• Group tutoring: Full-time
• Additional hour per week of individual tutoring for group learners
• Oral language assessment
• Pedagogical follow-up for self-study learners

Online self-study platform (solution): User subscriptions

• Annual user subscription (12-month) to the online self-study platform, including warranty, documentation for the software, maintenance and support
• Learning modules for written expression, learning comprehension and oral comprehension aligned with the Government of Canada qualification standards in relation to official languages from the beginner level (level A) to the advanced level (level C)
• The solution:
  • Must be accessible to learners and designated users on the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
  • Offers an online placement test to determine the learner’s initial module
  • Is accessible from each of the following operating system/browser combinations:
    • Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and above with Google Chrome 77 and above
    • Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and above with Firefox 69 and above
    • Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and above with Internet Explorer 11 and above
    • macOS 10.12 and above with Google Chrome 77 and above
    • macOS 10.12 and above with Firefox 69 and above
    • macOS 10.12 and above with Safari 10 and above
• For learners, online access to his/her personal profile, progress reports, self-study progress, and his/her training schedule (number of hours per week of training, and tutoring schedule)
• For designated users, provide access to an administration module (an administration licence), such as, educational content when follow-up is required in response to a learner comment and has real-time reporting capability for data analysis and monitoring

Individual tutoring

• Firm hourly rate per learner for online tutoring in support of self-study learning with the online platform
• At least 1 hour per session
• Learners must first be assessed by the offeror via an online placement test (included in the price) for their written expression, reading and oral comprehension, as well as their oral expression (price not included, see oral language assessment section below)
• Number of hours for individual tutoring training will be determined according to the result obtained by the learner in the placement test
• The teaching resource and the learner must:
  • establish the training schedule, according to the results obtained in the placement test
  • agree on the method of communication that will best meet the needs of the learner (by telephone or online videoconferencing)
• Services are available Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm (learner’s local time), except during federal statutory holidays (see Appendix 2 of the SOW) and from December 25 to January 1
• The designated user may limit the tutoring schedule to certain time periods only (for example, between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm from Monday to Thursday), which must be respected by the offeror when setting up the schedule with the learner

Group tutoring: Part-time

• Firm hourly rate per learner, for groups of 3 to 4 learners
• 1 or 2, 2-hour classes per week, for 12 weeks, depending on the call-up
• Groups formed by the offeror
• Learners must first be assessed by the offeror via an online placement test (included in the price) for their written expression, reading and oral comprehension. It may also include an assessment of oral proficiency (not mandatory)
• The group tutoring sessions will be conducted via online videoconferencing
• Each learner may request an additional 1 hour of individual tutoring per week (price not included, see additional hour per week of individual tutoring for group learners’ section)
• Services are available Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm (learner’s local time), except during federal statutory holidays (see Appendix 2 of SOW) and from December 25 to January 1. If requested, the offeror may also provide part-time group tutoring outside these hours

Group tutoring: Full-time

• Firm hourly rate per learner, for groups of 3 to 4 learners
• 3 hours of group tutoring per day, divided into 2 or 3 sessions per day, for 12 weeks
• The offeror must provide the learners with self-study exercises/modules to be completed before the next scheduled tutoring session. It is understood that learners enrolled in this type of training will spend a total of 6 to 7.5 hours per day on their language training
• Learners must first be assessed by the offeror via an online placement test (included in the price) for their written expression, reading and oral comprehension, as well as their oral expression (price not included, see oral language assessment section)
• The group tutoring sessions will be conducted via online videoconferencing
• Each learner may request an additional 1 hour of individual tutoring per week (not included, see additional hour per week of individual tutoring for group learners’ section)
• Services are available Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm (learner’s local time), except during federal statutory holidays and from December 25 to January 1
• All tutoring hours must fall within an 8-hour period (for example, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm)
• The 8-hour period must be between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm (learner’s local time). If requested, the offeror may also provide part-time group tutoring outside these hours

Additional hour per week of individual tutoring for group learners

• Firm hourly rate per learner for online tutoring
• 1 hour per week of additional individual tutoring for learners that are already in full-time or part-time group tutoring
• Services are available Monday to Friday and must fall within an 8-hour period (for example, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm)
• The 8-hour period must be between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm (learner’s local time), except during federal statutory holidays and from December 25 to January 1
• The individual tutoring hour cannot be rescheduled from 1 week to the next if missed by the learner A learner who misses his/her tutoring hour will be considered absent for that hour of training, which cannot be rescheduled to another time during the week
• This is optional and meant to provide additional learning support to individuals that need it, on top of the time spent in group tutoring sessions

Oral language assessment

• Rate per assessment
• Oral interaction interview is mandatory for individual and full-time group training
• For part-time group training, learners can use the free Self-assessment tool (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)

Pedagogical follow-up for self-study learners

• Firm hourly rate per learner
• Pedagogical consultation and progress review for learners who desire additional support in setting and achieving their language learning objectives
• These interactions can be done by telephone or videoconference, as per the learner’s choice. During these interactions, the pedagogical adviser or teaching resource must verify the learner’s time investment toward his/her training and motivate the learner and give advice as well as objectives to be achieved
• Services are available Monday to Friday and must fall within an 8-hour period (for example 8:00 am to 4:00 pm). The 8-hour period must be between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm (learner’s local time), except during federal statutory holidays and from December 25 to January 1

Creating and issuing a call-up

It is recommended that a call-up be issued at least 20 business days prior to the desired start of the tutoring. The designated user must understand that language training is a service involving human resources, which requires significant planning on the part of the offeror. It would therefore be unreasonable to request a start of tutoring for the day following the issuance of a call-up.

Certain times of the year are very busy, such as January, March and September, so please plan your tutoring needs accordingly.

For individual tutoring, it is recommended to issue a call-up with the total number of hours allocated to the learner and an end date, not a mandatory number of hours per week. The learner and the teaching resource will then be able to determine a schedule for the hours allocated during the specified period of the call-up.

In this section

• Call-up forms and information
  • Call-up instrument
  • Call-up limitation
  • Purchase combinations under the standing offer

Call-up forms and information

Call-up instrument

• The work will be authorized or confirmed by the designated user using the duly completed forms or their equivalents as identified below, or by using Canada acquisition cards (Visa or MasterCard) for low dollar value requirements
• Call-ups must be made by designated users' authorized representatives under the SO and must be for goods or services or combination of goods and services included in the SO at the prices and in accordance with the terms and conditions specified in the SO
• The following forms are available through PSPC’s forms catalogue (accessible only on the Government of Canada network):
  • PWGSC-TPSGC 942 Call-up against an SO
  • PWGSC-TPSGC 942-2 Call-up against an SO: Multiple delivery
  • PWGSC-TPSGC 944 Call-up against multiple SOs (English version)

or

• An equivalent form or electronic call-up document which contains at a minimum the following information:
  • The name(s) of the learner(s)
  • SO number
  • statement that incorporates the terms and conditions of the SO
  • description and unit price for each line item
  • total value of the call-up
  • point of delivery
  • confirmation that funds are available under section 32 of the Financial Administration Act
  • confirmation that the user is a designated user under the SO with authority to enter into a contract

Call-up limitation

• Individual and batch call-ups against the SO must not exceed $400,000 (including all subsequent amendments and applicable taxes included).

Purchase combinations under the standing offer

• The purchase of optional professional services cannot be purchased without the purchase of a subscription
• For purchases of tutoring services (individual or group), the learner(s) must be identified in the call-up, as well as the desired start date for each learner’s training. This will allow the offerors to organize groups and the start dates of training accordingly to the call-ups received
• When a call-up is issued for a package of services, the designated user will authorize the use of the services by the learners, as and when required, by communicating learners’ identifying information to the offeror. Only the designated user (or their representative as designated in the call-up) can authorize the usage of services in the call-up
• As each government entity manages its linguistic training in a different way, the offeror may be issued call-ups for the following combinations of subscriptions (mandatory purchase) and optional professional services:

Examples of purchase combinations in a call-up

Types of services	Combination 1	Combination 2	Combination 3	Combination 4	Combination 5	Combination 6	Combination 7
Learner subscriptions	Yes	Yes	Yes	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Packages of learner subscriptions	n/a	n/a	n/a	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Individual tutoring	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Group tutoring	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Language assessments, pedagogical follow-ups and/or weekly hour of individual training for group training	No	Yes or no	Yes or no	No	Yes or no	Yes or no	Yes or no

Cancellation and rescheduling of training

In this section

• Subscription call-up cancellation fee policy (12 months)
• Call-up cancellation fees for tutoring policy
• Unforeseen absences

Subscription call-up cancellation fee policy (12 months)

Before the start of the subscription (12 months)

In any case, if notice of at least 3 working days is given before the start of the training of the self-study program, no cancellation fee applies and the subscription can be transferred to another learner.

After the start of the subscription (12 months)

If less than 3 working days’ notice is given, there is no refund.

Call-up cancellation fees for tutoring policy

In all cases, should notice be given at least 10 business days before the tutoring is to start, no cancellation fee will apply.

Learner in individual tutoring

For the individual tutoring, after 10 business days’ notice has elapsed, the equivalent of 2% of the price of the unused training hours provided for in the call-up will be paid in cancellation fees. For example, if a call‑up provides for 100 hours of tutoring for Julie Tremblay and a cancellation is made after 10 hours of tutoring, the cancellation fee would be the equivalent of 1.8 hours of tutoring (2% of the remaining 90 hours in the call-up).

Learner in group training

For the group training, after 10 business days’ notice has elapsed, the entire price of the training must be paid. For example, a group training period starting on September 28, 2020, should be cancelled no later than September 11, 2020, to avoid having to pay for the entire training period for the learner.

Unforeseen absences

An unforeseen absence is an absence of a maximum of 3 consecutive business days not identified in the call-up.

Learner in individual tutoring

• The designated user will pay the offeror for a learner’s unforeseen absence for which at least 1 business day’s written notice has not been given
• Unforeseen absences communicated by the designated user 1 business day in advance may be made up at the end of the call-up period, but not after the date of the end of the call-up, unless they are authorized by the designated user by way of a call-up amendment
• Unforeseen absences for which notice was not sent 1 day in advance may not be postponed, unless they are authorized by the designated user by way of a call-up amendment
• A maximum of 2 unplanned absences per month with notice is possible. If a learner is absent more than 2 times for the current month, the designated user will pay the offeror 100% of the price of the cancelled tutoring session

Learner in group tutoring (part-time or full-time)

The designated user will pay the offeror for any of a learner’s unforeseen absences and such absences cannot be rescheduled at the end of the training period.

Security requirements

The following security requirements (security requirements check list (SRCL) (see SO) and related clauses provided by PSPC’s Contract Security Program (CSP) apply and form part of the SO.

Security requirement for Canadian supplier: PSPC File No. EN578-202723

• The offeror/offeror must, at all times during the performance of the contract/SO, hold a valid designated organization screening, issued by the CSP
• The offeror/offeror personnel requiring access to protected information, assets or sensitive site(s) must each hold a valid Reliability status, granted or approved by the CSP
• The offeror/offeror must not remove any protected information or assets from the identified site(s), and the offeror/offeror must ensure that its personnel are made aware of and comply with this restriction
• Subcontracts which contain security requirements are not to be awarded without the prior written permission of the CSP
• The offeror/offeror must comply with the provisions of the:
  • SRCL and security guide (if applicable), attached at Annex C of the SO
  • Contract Security Manual

Statutory holidays

The following days are designated holidays for federal government learners. When a holiday falls on a weekend, it is moved to the next business day. The offerors will not provide professional services such as tutoring on any of these days.

• New Year’s Day (January 1)
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Victoria Day
• June 24 (for services provided to learners working in Quebec)
• Canada Day (July 1)
• Provincial civic holiday (first Monday in August, except for services provided to learners working in Quebec)
• Labour Day (first Monday in September)
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30)
• Thanksgiving (second Monday in October)
• Remembrance Day (November 11)
• Christmas Day (December 25)
• Boxing Day (December 26)