Canadian Dental Care Plan
Fairness monitor final report: September 6, 2023
Addendum to final report: December 18, 2023
Submitted to: Director, Fairness Monitoring Program
Submitted by: RFP Solution Inc.
On this page
Attestation of assurance
The fairness monitor (FM) hereby provides the unqualified assurance statement below concerning the procurement process for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) 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:
Mathieu Farley
Chartered Professional Accountant Auditor
Certified Internal Auditor
Certified Information Systems Auditor
Certified Fraud Examiner
Partner, Audit & Advisory Services
Samson
Philip Morton
Chartered Professional Accountant
Certified Internal Auditor
Fairness Monitor Specialist
Project requirement
Samson was engaged on July 27, 2022, as a FM to observe the procurement process for the CDCP, issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) on behalf of Health Canada (HC) as a result of solicitation WS3591046501. Samson is an independent third party with respect to this activity.
This report covers the activities of the FM starting with the issuance of the request for information (RFI) on July 25, 2022, until the conclusion of the request for proposal (RFP) evaluation phase in September 2023.
The procurement process for the CDCP was conducted as 1 continuous process consisting of multiple stages.
Stage 1 was the invitation to qualify (ITQ), where suppliers were asked to submit responses in accordance with the basis of qualification, and Canada would select up to 3 compliant respondents who obtained the highest score.
Stage 2 was the review and refine requirements (RRR), where qualified suppliers from the ITQ stage held focused interactions so that PWGSC and HC could address any concerns and recommendations from the qualified suppliers.
In stage 3, Canada released the RFP to the qualified suppliers. Prior to these 3 procurement stages, Canada also released a RFI to inform industry of the potential requirements of the CDCP and seek feedback from industry stakeholders.
Currently, a third of Canadians currently do not have dental insurance, and in 2018, more than 1 in 5 Canadians reported avoiding dental care because of the cost. Budget 2022 committed to expand dental care for Canadians. The plan will be known as the CDCP and will be open to Canadian residents with an adjusted family net income below $90,000 per year.
Oral health is an important part of Canadians’ overall health status. Poor oral health can lead to:
- respiratory disease
- diabetes complications
- cardiovascular disease
- strokes
- cancer
- pregnancy complications
- life-threatening infections
- greater all-cause mortality
- related mental health issues
- reductions in quality of life
And in extreme cases to:
- employment challenges
- social stigma
- nutritional issues
- isolation
The goal is to fill gaps, by providing oral health care coverage to those within the income range and who are currently without private or employer-sponsored dental care insurance (certain public programs may allow coordination of benefits if applicant is eligible).
By 2024, it is estimated that the number of Canadians eligible for the CDCP will be approximately 9.3 million. This number is expected to grow to 9.8 million by 2028.
We reviewed all the information provided and observed all relevant activities subsequent to our engagement.
This report includes:
- our attestation of assurance
- a summary of the scope and objectives of our assignment
- the methodologies applied
- 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 procurement activities
- identified fairness-related matters to the contracting and technical authorities
- ensured that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate
In this section
Request for information phase
An RFI was posted via buyandsell.gc.ca on July 25, 2022, and closed on August 23, 2022. The purpose of the RFI was to inform industry of HC’s potential requirements for the CDCP, as well as to seek industry feedback. The RFI contained 37 questions to solicit feedback about various aspects of the CDCP from interested stakeholders.
Canada received 26 RFI responses by the closing date. After reviewing the responses, Canada scheduled 10 one-on-one meetings between August 30 and September 2, 2022, with respondents that were deemed to be Tier 1 insurance and/or claims processing companies, as well as with other stakeholders who requested a meeting. The purpose of the meetings was to give Canada an opportunity to ask questions regarding the RFI responses, as well as to discuss other pertinent information related to the CDCP requirements.
The FM reviewed the RFI document, and all of the responses provided by interested parties. The FM also participated in all of the one-on-one meetings with stakeholders.
No fairness issues were identified.
Stage 1: Invitation to qualify
The ITQ was posted on October 28, 2022, with a closing date of December 5, 2022. The objective of the ITQ was for Canada to select up to 3 compliant respondents who have attained the highest score. Those selected respondents would be deemed qualified suppliers and be considered for the next stages of the procurement process.
The FM reviewed the draft ITQ prior to posting and provided some fairness related comments for consideration to the contracting authority (CA). The FM reviewed the 28 questions and answers that were submitted during the ITQ posting period. These questions resulted in 3 amendments to the ITQ. The ITQ document was written in a clear and understandable manner, and all questions submitted were responded to in an understandable fashion.
Canada received 8 responses to the ITQ. Upon the initial review of the mandatory criteria, 6 responses were deemed to contain all of the necessary information, while 2 respondents were sent compliance assessment reports (CAR) in order to seek clarifications and provide an opportunity to provide any missing information in order to demonstrate compliance with the criteria that were found non-responsive. The FM reviewed the CAR, as well as the new information submitted by the respondents.
No fairness related issues were identified.
Invitation to qualify evaluation
The FM reviewed the ITQ evaluation plan, the evaluation tools and the evaluator training presentation. An information session for the evaluation teams was held on December 2, 2022, and a separate briefing was conducted for the FM on the same day. The evaluation of the bids consisted of a review of the documentation submitted by the bidders, by 1 of the 3 independent evaluation teams. Each evaluation team was assigned 1 or more criteria, and their review was independent from the other teams. The evaluation of bids began on December 6, 2022. The CA and the FM attended the consensus meetings with the evaluation teams, which took place between December 12 and December 21. Some fairness-related observations were communicated to the CA and were successfully resolved.
Following the consensus evaluation sessions, the results were forwarded to the evaluation review committee (ERC), comprised of senior executives from HC and PWGSC, for final review on December 22, 2022. The draft report submitted to the ERC was an overall summary of the results for mandatory and rated criteria. All company names were removed from the report; therefore, the ERC discussion was done anonymously to avoid any bias. The ERC provided feedback and comments to the evaluation teams, and a final consensus evaluation report was prepared and approved on January 12, 2023. No fairness related issues were identified.
The 3 successful respondents were informed on January 25, 2023, that they were qualified suppliers. The unsuccessful respondents were notified of the results of the ITQ on January 27, 2023. Three of the unsuccessful respondents requested debriefs on their ITQ results, and they were provided with written debrief letters in February and March 2023. The FM reviewed all correspondence, and no fairness related issues were identified.
Stage 2: Review and refine requirements
The purpose of the review and refine requirements (RRR) stage was to allow a more focused interaction with the qualified suppliers to further refine the requirement by addressing the qualified suppliers’ concerns and considering the qualified suppliers’ recommendations. Only the 3 qualified suppliers who were successful in the ITQ stage participated in the RRR process. The qualified suppliers signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) at the RRR stage, as well as a participation agreement.
The FM attended the kick-off meeting that was held on February 2, 2023, and all 3 qualified suppliers were in attendance. The RRR consisted of 6 workshops in total, where each workshop week began with an introduction for all qualified suppliers, followed by one-on-one sessions for each supplier, which were scheduled as follows:
Dates | Topics |
---|---|
February 6 to 10, 2023 |
|
February 20 to 24, 2023 |
|
March 6 to 10, 2023 |
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March 20 to 24, 2023 |
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April 3 to 6, 2023 |
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April 17 to 28, 2023 |
|
The FM attended all the workshop sessions and reviewed all of the questions and answers prepared for each of the topics. Some fairness related observations were communicated to the CA and were successfully resolved.
Following the workshops, Canada sent updated versions of the draft RFP and statement of work (RFP Solution Inc.) to the qualified suppliers to obtain their feedback. The FM reviewed the draft documents, as well as the feedback provided from the suppliers and responses from Canada. Some fairness related observations were communicated to the CA and were successfully resolved.
During the draft RFP review period, 2 of the qualified suppliers informed Canada that they had decided not to submit a bid for this solicitation. Both suppliers indicated that the overall risk level of the program was higher than their risk tolerance. They cited factors such as financial risks, the size and scale of the program, as well as the timeline for implementation. The FM and CA reviewed all of the factors that led to this outcome and concluded that the decision was not caused by a fairness related issue.
Stage 3: Request for proposals
The RFP was initially posted via CanadaBuys (WS4053399035) on June 21, 2023, and had a closing date of July 7, 2023. Two amendments were issued, the last of which was on July 7, 2023. Questions from potential bidders were accepted and answers were provided and distributed through the amendments. The FM reviewed the RFP documents, as well as all questions and answers provided during the RFP posting period. Only 1 qualified supplier submitted a bid. No fairness issues were identified.
Request for proposal evaluation phase
Since only 1 bid was received, the originally planned technical evaluation process was not required. Instead, PWGSC and HC undertook a comprehensive technical proposal validation process to ensure it met all essential requirements, specifications and timelines outlined in the RFP and RFP Solution Inc.. Several clarifications were requested from the respondent, and additional information was provided. The validation process concluded on July 27, 2023, that the technical proposal responded to Canada’s requirements and timelines outlined in the RFP. The FM reviewed the technical bid, and all of the questions and answers during this review. No fairness related issues were identified.
Reference documents
Documents related to the RFP under solicitation WS4053399035 are available on CanadaBuys and/or through the project office.
Addendum to the final report
December 18, 2023
Addendum to the final report dated September 6, 2023, concerning the CDCP procurement process.
This addendum covers the period following the conclusion of the evaluation phase, including contract award and debriefing.
Fairness monitoring activities related to contract award and debriefings
Following the RFP evaluation phase, the successful bidder entered into an early work agreement contract on August 22, 2023, and into contract negotiations with the CA and the project authority. A detailed review of all the contract requirements was conducted by all parties to the negotiation to ensure feasibility and a mutual interpretation. The project team also undertook a comprehensive cost analysis review of the bidder’s pricing with the Price Support Directorate of PWGSC. The FM reviewed the correspondence with the bidder and attended the contract review meetings on October 5, 6, 12, 13 and 19, 2023. The contract award notice was posted on CanadaBuys on December 1, 2023. No fairness issues were identified.
No debriefing meetings were requested by any bidders.
Attestation of assurance
The FM hereby provides the unqualified assurance statement below concerning the CDCP procurement process up to and including the conclusion of the contract award and debriefing activities.
It is our professional opinion that the process that we observed or monitored was carried out in a fair, open and transparent manner.
Original signed by:
Mathieu Farley
Chartered Professional Accountant Auditor
Certified Internal Auditor
Certified Information Systems Auditor
Certified Fraud Examiner
Partner, Audit & Advisory Services
Samson
Philip Morton
Chartered Professional Accountant
Certified Internal Auditor
Fairness Monitor Specialist
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