1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)
An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.
2. Definition of the requirement
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) requires hosting and technical support services for the custom application known as iMISACS. Additionally, LAC will request modification/improvement to the iMISACS system on an as-and-when-required basis through task authorization.
The iMISACS application supports LAC’s acquisition, preservation and provision of access to Canada’s audiovisual (AV) documentary heritage. iMISACS is used to capture/store/search:
• Accession-level records
• Intellectual descriptions of AV assets at the item level
• Technical descriptions of AV assets
• Work orders for preservation and access activities
The required services include:
• Use of the iMISACS custom archival application
• Setup, configuration and maintenance of iMISACS
• Technical support and maintenance of iMISACS
• Any necessary changes to iMISACS; these changes could involve anything from additions to the data model to screen layouts, reports and new modules
• Up to two terabytes of storage space hosted in a Canadian data centre
• Web hosting and usage to the standard of 365 days/24 hours/7 days per week
• Application and server support via the web, email and telephone
• Operating system updates/patches as required
• Server uptime monitoring
• Automatic response to server outages
• Server security and health checks
• Administrative-level server and system tasks such as email account management, web firewall management and access control (e.g. FTP, SSH), and domain name system management
• Administrative-level software and system tasks such as user access, software administration, data and related functionality
• Placing links/notifications on pages for security, navigation and information-only related activities (e.g. outage notice or site support link)
3. Criteria for assessment of the statement of capabilities (minimum essential requirements)
Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets the following requirements.
To bid successfully on this contract, a vendor requires:
• Trained MINISIS database administrators with at least 10 years of experience with V9.09 or newer
• Trained iMISACS application specialists with at least five (5) years of experience using the latest web toolkit V9.09 or newer
• Trained MINISIS web interface specialists with at least five (5) years of experience using the latest web toolkit with V9.09 or newer
• Proven ability for live support during all business hours
• Hosting in a Tier 1 Cloud provider in Canada, and providing exception response times and support according to service-level agreements with LAC
• Ability and experience in implementing core MINISIS software updates
• Ability to create enhancements where needed to support iMISACS unique data structures and database definitions evolution
• Familiarity with the special needs of the AV and preservation services that LAC provides
• Familiarity with the MINISIS newer web and the past 35 years of previous minicomputer and desktop tools/architecture/technology
• Familiarity with the iMISACS millions of records and dynamic data structures in order to migrate the application and data
• Ability to integrate the solution with other third-party tools already engaged at LAC
• The vendor must be able to export data and pass content across databases within LAC
• Only companies that can certify and accept responsibility for the iMISACS application will be considered
• The vendor must be able to customized the application, or build a new replication of features in new software instead, which would involve hundreds of reports, and creating several views and functionalities to support the unique AV data set
• MINISIS Inc. is the only vendor able to update and support code changes to the core database management systems. Any changes required by a third party or client would need to have certification, licensing and independent software vendor status already established with MINISIS Inc.
4. Applicability of the trade agreements to the procurement
This procurement is subject to the following trade agreements:
Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
Canada–Chile Free Trade Agreement
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
Canada–Colombia Free Trade Agreement
Canada–European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
Canada–Honduras Free Trade Agreement
Canada–Korea Free Trade Agreement
Canada–Panama Free Trade Agreement
Canada–Peru Free Trade Agreement
Canada–Ukraine Free Trade Agreement
Canada–United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement
World Trade Organization–Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO–GPA)
5. Justification for the pre-identified supplier
The iMISACS application is a custom-built online SaaS solution that was created by MINISIS Inc. The application contains millions of records from the past 35 years, with unique processes and handling of LAC’s AV collection. This contract is to support, host, manage and update all aspects of the application (DBMS, Case Tool, Application, Web interface layers). MINISIS Inc is the only vendor worldwide that can support the iMISACS application. The application was constructed using the MINISIS unique proprietary HDBMS and related web tools. MINISIS is the only vendor that can edit, update code, and provide enhancements to the core and existing application. Ultimately, it is the only entity best suited to provide the support necessary to keep iMISACS running and thereby upholding this specialized unit of LAC. MINISIS has provided the support and the hosting and software updates for the hosted solution. It is the only vendor that can deliver the necessary support and software code updates to provide real-time access to the AV technical details and the descriptive, work order and storage/vault details housed in the application. The original MISACS application was constructed by LAC in the 1980s, and a recent modernization of the application to the iMISACS SaaS solution was conducted in 2022.
6. Government Contracts Regulations exception(s)
The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d): "only one person is capable of performing the contract."
7. Exclusions and/or limited tendering reasons
The following exclusions and/or limited tendering reasons are invoked under the following:
• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) – Chapter 5, Article 513, 1(c)(i)
• Revised World Trade Organization–Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO–AGP) – Article XIII.1.b.ii
• Canada–European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) – Article 19.12.1.b.ii
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – Article 15.10.2.2.b.ii
• Canada–Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) – Article Kbis-09.1.c
• Canada–Colombia Free Trade Agreement – Article 1409.1.1.b.ii
• Canada–Honduras Free Trade Agreement – Article 17.11.2.c
• Canada–Panama Free Trade Agreement – Article 16.1.b.2
• Canada–Peru Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) – Article 1409.1.b.ii
• Canada–United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada–UK TCA) – Article 10.13.1.b.ii
• Canada–Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) – Article 10.13.1.b.ii
8. Ownership of intellectual property
All copyrights and intellectual property pertaining to the iMISACS application are under the ownership of the solution provider MINISIS Inc. LAC owns the data used within the application and hosted solution, and must be in a position to obtain a copy of this data upon request within 40 days from MINISIS Inc.
9. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date
The proposed contract is for a period of three (3) years from January 19, 2024, to January 18, 2027. and the irrevocable option to extend the term of the contract by up to two (2) additional one-(1)-year periods under the same conditions.
10. Cost estimate of the proposed contract
The estimated value of the contract, including option periods and optional services, is $1,550,150.00 (plus applicable taxes).
The contract value is contingent on the number of task authorizations and may be less than the estimated value of the contract.
11. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier
MINISIS Inc.
504-1166 Alberni Street
Vancouver, BC
V6E 3Z3
Canada
12. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities
Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.
13. Closing date for a submission of a statement of capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is October 31st 2023 , at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
14. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities
Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to:
Cristel St-Louis
Strategic Procurement Advisor, Financial Services and Procurement Branch
Library and Archives Canada / Government of Canada
Cristel.St-Louis@bac-lac.gc.ca
