Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Visa application centres

Transcription

1 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Visa application centres Final report Project: Visa application centres Report Stage: Final report Date of submission: October 12, 2017 Submitted to: Director, Fairness Monitoring Submitted by: PPI Consulting Limited a division of BDO Canada LLP 275 Slater Street Ottawa ON K1P 5H Ottawa Toronto Atlantic Canada

2 Table of Contents 1 Introduction Attestation of assurance Project requirement FM engagement and observations Request for proposals 2 phase Activity monitored Documents reviewed Bid open period FM specialist observations Evaluation phase Activity monitored Evaluation phase FM specialist observations Reference documents RFP documents

3 1 Introduction PPI Consulting Limited (PPI) was engaged on October 9, 2014 by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) as the Fairness Monitor (FM) contractor to observe the procurement process related to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada s (IRCC) proposed re-procurement of global Visa Application Centre (VAC) support services. The Request for Proposals (RFP) was originally issued on March 15, 2016 as solicitation number B /C (RFP-1) which was subsequently cancelled in October The RFP was re-issued as solicitation number B /D (RFP-2) on January 12, 2017 with an initial closing date of February 22, The decision to cancel the RFP-1 process was in accordance with the rights of Canada and was made following consultation with legal counsel and the FM Specialist. Solicitation B /D (RFP-2) cancelled and superseded the previous solicitation number B /C (RFP-1). PPI is an independent third party with respect to this activity. We reviewed all of the information provided and observed all relevant activities. We hereby submit our final report covering the activities and monitored observations of the FM Specialist for the procurement process related to solicitation number B /D (RFP-2). This report includes our attestation of assurance, a summary of the scope and objectives of our assignment, and relevant observations from the activities undertaken. 3

4 2 Attestation of assurance The Fairness Monitor hereby provides the following unqualified assurance statement concerning the competitive procurement process for the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada s proposed reprocurement of global Visa Application Centre support services. It is our professional opinion that the procurement process related to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada s proposed re-procurement of global Visa Application Centre support services that we observed, was carried out in a fair, open and transparent manner. John Davis, CEO, PPI Consulting Limited Ian Brennan, CSCMP, FM Team Leader Mairi Curran, FM Specialist Jocelyn Decoste, FM Specialist 4

5 3 Project requirement Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is responsible for maintaining a robust global network of Visa Application Centres (VACs) that provide enhanced administrative support services to applicants through a standardized service delivery approach. VACs were created to address problems of applicant access due to high local volumes or geographical accessibility. VACs play the principal role in the mandatory collection of biometrics for foreign nationals making an application to come to Canada. VACs contractors may also offer assistance to applicants in completing and submitting their applications and can facilitate reliable and secure transfer of original documents between applicants and the IRCC. By using a VACs, applicants benefit from more points of service, extended hours of operation and inperson access that is not available at most overseas IRCC offices. There are currently 135 VACs operating in 95 countries. PSPC and IRCC first consulted with industry through an industry engagement process in order to solicit industry feedback on the VAC business requirements, possible service delivery models as well as the related procurement strategy. 4 FM engagement and observations PPI Consulting Limited was engaged as a Fairness Monitor (FM) to observe the procurement process for IRCC s proposed re-procurement of global VAC support services and to attest to the fairness, openness and transparency of this monitored activity. In accordance with the terms of our engagement, we familiarized ourselves with the relevant documents, observed activities up to the completion of the evaluation phase of the RFP-2 solicitation, identified fairness-related matters to the Contracting Authority and ensured that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate. 5

6 5 Request for proposals 2 phase 5.1 Activity monitored Documents reviewed During the RFP-2 phase, the FM Specialist was provided with the following documents for review: Draft and final RFP-2 documents; Draft and final Evaluation Plan; Clarification questions and answers during bid open period; Amendments; and Correspondence with industry Bid open period RFP-2 was posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on January 12, During the bid open period 21 amendments were issued responding to 255 clarification questions. In amendment 18, dated July 13, 2017, the closing date was extended to August 9, Six responses were received by the submission closing date and time. 5.2 FM specialist observations The FM Specialist reviewed draft and final RFP-2 documents and all draft amendments to RFP-2 including responses to clarification questions. Any requests for clarification by the potential proponents during the bid clarification process were addressed by the IRCC team and by the Contracting Authority and issued as amendments. The same information was provided to all participants via buyandsell.gc.ca. Any observations or requests for clarification made by the FM Specialist were addressed by the IRCC team and by the Contracting Authority. Both the IRCC team and the Contracting Authority were responsive in providing clarification when requested by the FM Specialist. 6

7 6 Evaluation phase 6.1 Activity monitored Evaluation phase The evaluation phase began on August 8, 2017 and was concluded on September 4, The evaluation teams were provided with a training session to go through the RFP evaluator s guidelines prior commencing the evaluation. The mandatory, IM/IT and Security and the operational requirements were evaluated by different evaluation teams. The FM Specialist attended the evaluation consensus meetings, held at the IRCC office in Ottawa, from September 5, 2017 to September 15, The FM Specialist monitored activities by evaluation team members, information gathered, documentation prepared and decisions reached. All fairness-related concerns were satisfactorily addressed. The FM Specialist was present to observe the financial proposal assessment and final ranking of proposals on September 26, The FM Specialist observed the process that was followed by the project team, activities conducted, documentation prepared and decisions reached. All fairness-related concerns were satisfactorily addressed. No fairness-related issues were observed with respect to the communications between the contracting authority and proponents. 6.2 FM specialist observations No fairness-related issues were observed with respect to the communications between the contracting authority and proponents. The mandatory and technical rated evaluations were conducted in accordance with the process defined in the RFP. No fairness-related issues were observed. The financial assessment was conducted in accordance with the process defined in the RFP. fairness-related issues were observed. No The final ranking of proposals was completed in accordance with the process defined in the RFP. No fairness-related issues were observed. 7

8 7 Reference documents 7.1 RFP documents The RFP documents were delivered by Canada via Buyandsell.gc.ca. Documents pertaining to the RFP-2 process for IRCC s proposed re-procurement of global VAC support services (Solicitation # B /D) can be found at: 8

9 Addendum to the Final Report March 31, 2018 Addendum to Fairness Monitor (FM) Final Report dated October 12, 2017 for the procurement of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada s (IRCC) proposed re-procurement of global Visa Application Centre (VAC) support services. This Addendum to the FM Final Report covers the period following the conclusion of the evaluation phase. Contract Award, Communications and Debriefing Six contracts were awarded to two successful bidders on February 22, 2018 and February 27, Along with the notification of awards, regret letters were provided to all unsuccessful bidders on February 23 and February 27, 2018 explaining the results of the evaluation of their proposals. Debriefing letters were sent between March 5 and 8, 2018 to 3 unsuccessful bidders that requested a debriefing. The FM reviewed all regret and debriefing letters. The procurement process conducted conformed to the requirements of the Request for Proposals. All Bidders were treated consistently and fairly. The FM hereby provides the following unqualified assurance statement concerning the notification of award, communications and debriefing of each bidder. It is our professional opinion that the procurement process related to the IRCC s proposed re-procurement of global VAC support services that we observed was carried out in a fair, open and transparent manner. John Davis, CEO, PPI Consulting Limited Ian Brennan, CSCMP, FM Team Leader Jocelyn Decoste, FM Specialist

10 Bob Tibbo, FM Specialist