J85-CAN-40 Propulsion Group Sustainment

Attestation of assurance

The fairness monitor (FM) hereby provides the unqualified assurance statement below concerning the selection process for the J85-CAN-40 Propulsion Group (PG) Sustainment from the initial Request for Information (RFI) to the conclusion of industry engagement process.

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

Original signed by:

Project requirement

Samson was engaged on September 29, 2022, as a FM to observe the competitive selection process for the contracted support of the J85-CAN-40 PG systems undertaken by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), on behalf of the Department of National Defence (DND). Samson is an independent third party with respect to this activity.

The procurement process was initiated to satisfy the requirement of DND for airworthy, cost-effective, and performance-based, support for the General Electric J85 CAN-40 PG systems of the Royal Canadian Air Force CT114 Tutor fleet. This is a long-term requirement for the end of life of the aircraft fleet.

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 and activities, that is:
  • RFI documents
  • one-on-one meetings with bidders
  • questions resulting from the RFI
• identified fairness-related matters to the contracting and technical authorities
• ensured that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate

Activities and observations: Request for Information

Solicitation W8485-23SA01/A was published on CanadaBuys on September 26, 2022, to solicit industry feedback regarding the draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for the contract required in support of the J85 CAN-40 PG for the CT114 Tutor. The initial close date of October 7, 2022 was extended through amendment until October 21, 2022. There were 4 amendments in all, the last of which was published on October 19, 2022. Six questions were responded to through the amendments.

Solicitation W8485-23SA01/B was published on CanadaBuys on October 4, 2022, as a vehicle to allow potential bidders to book a one-on-one meeting with PWGSC, DND and Innovation, and Science and Economic Development representatives to provide industry feedback on the draft RFP. The initial deadline to schedule a one-on-one meeting was extended through the sole amendment which was published on October 12, 2022.

Virtual one-on-one meetings were held with 2 potential bidders on October 13 and 14, 2022. Two other potential bidders submitted written responses in relation to the draft RFP. Three of the 4 potential bidders provided a written rationale outlining why they would not be in a position to submit a bid in relation to this requirement. As a result, there was only one viable bidder identified at the conclusion of the RFI phase of the project. This concluded our involvement in this process.

No fairness issues were identified during the RFI phase of the project.

Reference Documents

Documents related to solicitations W8485-23SA01/A and W8485-23SA01/B are available on CanadaBuys or through the project office.