Indigenous Business Capacity for Trades and Services for Construction Projects in Atlantic Canada (E6HAL-250005)

Introduction:

The Government of Canada is committed to reconciliation and meaningful engagement with Indigenous Businesses and Peoples.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is committed to creating more opportunities for Indigenous Businesses and have set a minimum 5% target of federal contracts being awarded to businesses owned and led by Indigenous people.

 Purpose of this RFI

The purpose of this RFI is to gather insights and foster collaboration to improve PSPC Atlantic awareness of Indigenous Business capacity for upcoming construction opportunities in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island; including communities near the Quebec/New Brunswick border).

The objectives of this RFI are as follows:

• Assess market capacity and develop a comprehensive source list to support upcoming construction opportunities in Atlantic Canada.
• Engage and collaborate with Indigenous Businesses interested in working with PSPC to enhance their experience and strengthen their capacity in construction and service-related work across the region. This may include sharing information on Indigenous suppliers’ construction capabilities with Real Property Contracting and other relevant PSPC groups.

This RFI is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a bid solicitation or a commitment to award a construction contract. No contract will result directly from this RFI. Responding to this RFI is entirely voluntary, and whether or not an Indigenous Business responds will not affect eligibility for any future construction procurement.

 Treatment of Responses

• Use of Responses: Responses will not be formally evaluated. However, the responses received may be used by Canada to develop or modify procurement strategies or documents for future construction opportunities. Canada will review all responses received by the RFI closing date, and may at its discretion, review responses received after the RFI closing date.
• Follow-up Activity: Canada may, at its discretion, contact any respondents to follow up with additional questions or for clarification of any aspect of a response.

 Enquiries

This is not a bid solicitation, so Canada will not necessarily respond to enquires in writing or by circulating answers to all potential contractors.

However, respondents with questions regarding this RFI may direct their enquiries to

Contracting Authority: Gary Bryant

E-mail Address: Gary.Bryant@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

Telephone: 782-377-7657

Any respondents that wish to set up an account in SAP ARIBA and require assistance, please contact:

Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC)

E-mail Address: SACAtlantique-PACAtlantic@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

Telephone Voice Mail: 902-426-5677

Indigenous Business Directory (IBD)

The Indigenous Business Directory (IBD) is a searchable directory for identifying Indigenous suppliers in various sectors. It is publicly available, so it can be used by the federal procurement community as well as private industry, municipal and provincial governments.

It is the primary source for the Government of Canada to determine whether there is Indigenous business capacity to fulfill federal contracts. A profile in the directory confirms eligibility for contracts that are limited to Indigenous businesses under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB). It can also confirm that a business contributes to the minimum target of 5% of federal contracts being awarded to Indigenous businesses.

Industry can also use the IBD to search for opportunities to form partnerships, joint ventures, and subcontracting opportunities.

Specific questions on the IBD can be directed to Indigenous Services Canada at REA-IBD@sac-isc.gc.ca. More information on Indigenous businesses and federal procurement can be found here: Indigenous business and federal procurement