Sidereal Stare Mode (SSM) and Track Rate Mode (TRM) examples
Sidereal Stare Mode (SSM) and Track Rate Mode (TRM) examples. Credit: DND.

DND Surveillance of Space 2 Ground Based Optical RFI Amended

The Department of National Defence (DND) has posted an amendment for the Surveillance of Space 2 Ground Based Optical RFI.

The amendment includes the following items;

  1. Publish questions posed by industry and answers provided by Canada;
  2. Publish an update to the English-language RFI document, as the original contained out-of-date information in sections 6.11, 6.12 and 6.13;
  3. Publish a fillable version of the GBO System Cost Structure table.

Q1: Can a US company bid on this requirement under the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy?

A1: The ITB Policy does not pose a requirement that bidders be Canadian companies. Under the ITB Policy, companies that are awarded defence procurement contracts are required to undertake business activities in Canada, equal to the value of the contract. These activities can be directly related to the procurement or indirectly related to the procurement. The decision on the level of direct work that will form a part of any potential Request for Proposal (RFP) is made through a combination of internal analysis and industry engagement. For more information, please consult Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy website at: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/086.nsf/eng/home

Under the ITB Policy, a weighted and rated Value Proposition (VP) applies towards a bid selection. This industry engagement process is seeking information regarding any potential ITB VP associated with this requirement. Please consult the information contained in the RFI regarding questions to industry on VP elements. The October 2, 2018 Surveillance of Space 2 (SofS2) Industry Day ITB presentation provides additional information about the ITB Policy: https://buyandsell.gc.ca/cds/public/2019/03/29/7b8a530eb7265846b66342925f7aeb07/ABES.PROD.PW__ST.B047.E33735.EBSU004.PDF

Should the ITB Policy not be applied, this requirement may be limited to Canadian Goods and/or Services, as per the Canadian Content Policy. For more information on the Canadian Content Policy, please consult the following website: https://buyandsell.gc.ca/policy-and-guidelines/supply-manual/section/3#section-3.130

The applicability of these policies has not yet been determined for the GBO requirement. Canada is seeking additional costing information for the requirement via this RFI; once a decision is made, vendors will be notified via an update to this notice on buyandsell.gc.ca.

About Marc Boucher

Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor & publisher. He is the founder of SpaceQ Media Inc. and CEO and co-founder of SpaceRef Interactive LLC. Boucher has 20+ years working in various roles in the space industry and a total of 30 years as a technology entrepreneur including creating Maple Square, Canada's first internet directory and search engine.

Leave a Reply