Air Cushion Vehicle Replacement Fleet
Fairness monitor final report: November 22, 2023
Addendum to final report: Not applicable
Submitted to: Director, Fairness Monitoring Program
Submitted by: Samson
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Attestation of assurance
The fairness monitor (FM) hereby provides the unqualified assurance statement below concerning the procurement process for the Air Cushion Vehicle Replacement Fleet up to and including the issuance of the advance contract award notice.
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 Auditeur
Chartered Accountant
Certified Internal Auditor
Certified Information Systems Auditor
Certified Fraud Examiner
Fairness Monitor Team Leader and Specialist
Partner, Audit and Advisory Services
Samson
Patrice Prud'homme
Certified Internal Auditor
Certified Government Audit Professional
Fairness Monitor
Project requirement
Samson was engaged on October 12, 2022, as an FM to observe the procurement process for the Air Cushion Vehicle Replacement Fleet, issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), on behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCF), as part of solicitations F7013-220301/A, B and C. Samson is an independent third party with respect to this activity.
This report covers the activities of the FM, during the request for information (RFI) phase, the industry engagement (IE) activities and the issuance of the advance contract award notice (ACAN) from June 10, 2022 to September 18, 2023.
The objective of this project is to find a suitable supplier for the replacement of CCF's aging Air Cushion Vehicle fleet. The fleet is currently composed of 4 vehicles:
- 2 commissioned in 1998
- 1 commissioned in 2008
- 1 commissioned in 2014
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
- 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 appropriate procurement activities (the RFIs and related amendments, the related questions and answers process and the ACAN)
- identified fairness-related matters to the contracting and technical authorities
- ensured that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate
Industry engagement phase
An RFI was posted via buyandsell.gc.ca (F7013-220301/A) on June 10, 2022 to assist with identifying information on existing Air Cushion Vehicle and proven designs, and understanding market availability of applicable and suitable technical solutions to help shape the procurement strategy. The RFI closing date was June 21, 2021. Four vendors showed interest in this procurement process.
A second RFI was published via buyandsell.gc.ca (F7013-220301/B) on October 24, 2022, as a continuance of its IE by conducting additional activities (one-on-one sessions) which will help inform the procurement strategy and technical requirements. The closing date of the second RFI was December 9, 2022.
Four vendors participated in Industry one-on-one sessions starting on December 15, 2022, and ending January 18, 2023, to engage a dialogue regarding CCF's proposed requirements. The FM reviewed the 2 RFI documents and feedback provided by interested respondents on questions of interest posed by PWGSC and CCF.
The FM participated during the one-on-one sessions. The FM reviewed all answers to questions raised by vendors during one-on-one sessions to ensure that fairness considerations were satisfactorily addressed.
No fairness issues were identified.
Advance award contract notice
Following the close of industry one-on-one sessions on January 18, 2023, Canada investigated Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV) designs capable of meeting CCF's high level mandatory requirements. Based on industry feedback obtained through its engagement activities, there was only 1 viable supplier with a mature and proven ACV design identified at the conclusion of the RFI phase of the project.
On September 18, 2023, Canada issued an ACAN with a closing date of October 3, 2023. The FM reviewed its content to ensure all fairness considerations were addressed.
No fairness issues were identified.
Reference documents
Documents related to the solicitations F7013-220301/A, B and C are available on CanadaBuys or through the project office.
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