Alexandra Bridge Replacement Project Technical Advisor

Attestation of assurance

The fairness monitor (FM) hereby provides the unqualified assurance statement below concerning the procurement process of the Alexandra Bridge Replacement Project Technical Advisor.

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

Original signed by:

Project requirement

BDO was engaged on May 16, 2022 as a FM to observe the competitive procurement process for the Alexandra Bridge Replacement Project Technical Advisor issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), on behalf of PWGSC’s Real Property Services under the solicitation WS3696558429. BDO is an independent third party with respect to this activity.

This report covers the activities of the FM, from the date of our engagement continuing through the conclusion of the evaluation phase.

We reviewed all of the information provided and observed or monitored 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
• observed the entire bid and bid solicitation activities
• identified fairness-related matters to the contracting authority (CA)
• ensured that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate

The following is a summary of the FM monitored activities and related observations from May 16, 2022 continuing through the conclusion of the evaluation phase on February 16, 2023.

Industry engagement phase

Documents reviewed

During this phase, the FM was provided with the following documents for review:

• draft and final market sounding package
• industry one-on-one invitation agenda and schedule
• correspondence with the invited firms

The market sounding package was developed to support the discussions with participants, including a prospective bid solicitation and to seek comments across 5 themes. Eight engineering firms participated in the market sounding process. The industry engagement phase ended on August 26, 2022.

Fairness monitor observations

During this phase, the FM observations are as follows:

• the market sounding package was reviewed by the FM prior dissemination to the firms
• the FM reviewed drafts and final version before posting
  • feedback was incorporated as appropriate where required
• a final market sounding report was published at the end of the industry engagement phase
• the industry engagement instructions included in the report were clearly stated
• the consultation period ended on August 26, 2022 with the last one-on-one meeting
• any observations or requests for clarification made by the FM were addressed by the CA promptly

No fairness-related issues were observed with respect to the communications or the conduct of the one-on-one meetings between the CA, the project authority, and the engineering firms. The one-on-one meetings were conducted in accordance with the market outreach instructions. The FM attended all one-on-one meetings. There were no fairness-related concerns raised.

Request for proposal

Documents reviewed

During the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase, the FM was provided with the following documents for review:

• draft and final RFP documents
• clarification questions and answers during bid open period
• addenda
• correspondence with industry

Bid open period

The RFP was posted on CanadaBuys on October 6, 2022, under solicitation WS3696558429. During the bid open period, 10 amendments were issued. The RFP closed on January 12, 2023.

Five responses were received by the solicitation closing date and time.

Bid evaluation

Phase 1: Financial bid evaluation

Based on the phased bid compliance process (PBCP) phase 1, an examination of the financial submissions was undertaken and the CA determined that all 5 bidders’ financial bids included all information required.

Phase 2: Technical bid evaluation

The RFP evaluation material was provided to the FM on January 5, 2023. The CA conducted the bid evaluation orientation on January 6, 2023. The FM attended the consensus evaluation meetings held on January 24, 2023 for the mandatory technical requirements of the 5 proposals.

Based on the PBCP phase 2, technical submissions were evaluated and 2 of the bidders failed to meet eligible mandatory criteria were identified. A compliance assessment report (CAR) was sent to those 2 bidders outlining information that was missing from their technical submission. One of the responses to the CAR was provided within the allotted timeframe, evaluated and deemed non-compliant, the other bidder did not respond to the CAR and as such, was also deemed non-compliant. The FM attended the CAR response consensus evaluation meeting held on February 3, 2023.

The FM attended the consensus evaluation meeting for the rated (R) technical criteria R1 to R8 held from February 7 to 15, 2023.

The following process was undertaken to evaluate the technical responses to the RFP:

• each evaluator conducted their own independent review and scoring of the response in their evaluator workbook
• once the independent reviews were completed, the CA held meetings with the evaluators to agree on the consensus assessment
• the CA confirmed with each member of the evaluation team that they were in agreement with the final consensus scores and rationales
• 3 of the 5 bid submissions were declared responsive

Phase 3: Final evaluation of the bid

In this phase, the CA completed the evaluation of the bids found responsive to the requirements reviewed at phase 1 and 2. Bids were assessed in accordance with the entire requirement of the bid solicitation including the technical and financial evaluation criteria.

Fairness monitor observations

The FM reviewed the draft and final RFP documents and all draft amendments to the RFP including responses to clarification questions.

Any requests for clarification from potential bidders during the bid open period were addressed via amendments by the CA.

Any observations or requests for clarification made by the FM were addressed by the CA. The CA was responsive in providing clarification when requested by the FM.

The FM’s review of documents and monitoring of activities during the RFP evaluation phase considered the following principles of fairness, openness and transparency:

• the evaluation plan was consistent with the published procurement documents
• all evaluation team members were chosen and confirmed prior to the receipt of responses
• evaluator orientation training was provided to all evaluators. The CA informed all evaluators of the following as a minimum:
  • identity of the bidders and requested evaluators to declare any conflict of interest
  • confidentiality protocols
  • document control
  • clarification process
  • overview of scoring workbooks and method for individual assessment
  • explanation of fairness and the need for objectivity, consistency and equitable treatment of all responses
  • guidance with respect to only assessing the information that is in the response (not information from previous contracts, personal knowledge, etc.)
• the scoring criteria and assessment tools were established prior to the receipt of responses and were consistent with the RFP
• the submissions were logged and recorded upon receipt, clearly identifying that these were submitted on time

No potential fairness issues were noted by the FM during the evaluation phase.

Reference documents

Documents related to solicitation WS3696558429 are available on the CanadaBuys or through the project office.

Addendum to the final report

June 5 2023

Addendum to the final report dated February 17, 2023 for the competitive procurement process of the Alexandra Bridge Replacement Project Technical Advisor.

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

Contract award, communications, and debriefing

One contract was awarded on May 5, 2023. Along with the notification of awards, a written debrief was provided to the 3 unsuccessful bidders, explaining the results of the evaluation. The debriefings to the unsuccessful bidders were held on May 12 and 17, 2023 via conference calls. The FM reviewed all correspondence and observed the meetings with the bidders. The process conducted conformed to the requirements of the RFP. All bidders were treated fairly.

Attestation of assurance

The FM hereby provides the unqualified assurance statement below concerning the competitive procurement process of the Alexandra Bridge Replacement Project Technical Advisor to its conclusion on May 17, 2023.

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

Original signed by: