ADVANCE CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE (ACAN)
Title: SUPPORT TO THE CANADIAN SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FOR POISON INFORMATION (CSSPI)
Solicitation Number: 1000262309
1. The Purpose and Explanation of an ACAN
An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows Health Canada to post a notice for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that a goods, services or construction contract will be awarded to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the minimum requirements identified in the ACAN, the Contracting Authority may then proceed to award a contract to the pre-identified contractor.
2. Rights of Suppliers
Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services or goods described in this ACAN may submit a Statement of Capabilities demonstrating how they meet the advertised requirement. This Statement of Capabilities must be provided via e-mail only to the contact person identified in Section 12 of the Notice on or before the closing date and time of the Notice. If the Bidder can clearly demonstrate they possess the required capabilities, the requirement will be opened to electronic or traditional bidding processes.
3. Proposed Contractor
Parachute
300-150 Eglinton Ave E. Toronto
Ontario M4P 1E8
4. Definition of Requirements or Expected Results
Unintentional poisonings are a leading cause of preventable injury and death in Canada, particularly among children and other vulnerable populations. Canada’s five regional poison centres serve as vital resources for both the public and medical professionals seeking guidance on the treatment of poisoning and adverse drug reactions. Together, these centres manage approximately 200,000 cases annually, providing valuable, evidence–based information on exposures to a wide variety of products and substances regulated by Health Canada.
Canada did not have a national poison centre surveillance system until the need was identified in 2013 and 2014 by various authorities. In response, a pan-Canadian task force was established, bringing together the Canadian Association of Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicology (CAPCCT), poison centres, and provincial, territorial, and federal health authorities, along with other key partners, to collaborate on the development of the Canadian Surveillance System for Poison Information (CSSPI).
In 2016, a business case was completed outlining a multi-year implementation plan for the CSSPI program, including the technical development of an automated surveillance application on the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence (CNPHI). Alongside the CSSPI’s implementation and technical development, Health Canada and its partners have been nurturing and expanding the Toxicovigilance Canada Network, while also conducting public outreach and communication activities with the support of partners such as Parachute, Canada’s leading injury prevention organization. Toxicovigilance Canada, led by Health Canada, is a collaborative network of various disciplines and jurisdictions that strengthens the capacity for the timely detection, analysis, and response to poisonings, substance-related harms, and toxic chemical exposures.
With the anticipated rollout of the CSSPI application on CNPHI in 2025-2026, the program will achieve a key milestone: the ability to conduct near real-time surveillance and generate national statistics on poisonings. The CSSPI program will provide critical evidence to support core departmental responsibilities, pan-Canadian toxicovigilance initiatives, and public health efforts aimed at poison prevention, through knowledge translation and outreach activities.
The objective of this contract is to support public outreach and knowledge translation to enhance the impact of the CSSPI program and strengthen the Toxicovigilance Canada Network. Over the next five years, Health Canada requires the services of a contractor to coordinate pan-Canadian outreach and communication activities, build professional capacity and facilitate knowledge exchange across a broad network in Canada, support and coordinate CSSPI face-to-face meetings and toxicovigilance workshops with key stakeholders, and lead the publication of the pan-Canadian annual data reports.
This work aligns with Health Canada’s mandate to help Canadians maintain and protect their health, as well as with commitments outlined in the Minister of Health’s mandate letter to protect Canadians from harmful chemicals.
5. Minimum Requirements
Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a Statement of Capabilities that it meets the following minimum requirements:
1. The bidder’s home organization must have a pan-Canadian mandate as well as significant and recent experience in point prevention and harm reduction activities.
2. The bidder’s home organization must have significant knowledge and experience in knowledge translation and public outreach at the pan-Canadian level.
3. The bidder’s home organization must have significant and recent experience working with Canadian poison center data and medical toxicology and or specialist in poison information.
4. The bidder’s home organization must have an established pan-Canadian network that includes partners and stakeholders spanning federal/provincial/territorial (F/P/T) health authorities as well as NGOs, academia and international partners involved in toxicovigilance, all-hazards prevention and harm reduction efforts.
*Please note – Significant and Recent Experience is defined as minimum five (5) years of experience within the last seven (7) years*
6. Reason for Non-Competitive Award
Section 6 of the Government Contracts Regulations contains four exceptions that permit the contracting authority to set aside the requirement to solicit bids. For the proposed procurement, the following exception applies:
(d) Only One Person or Firm is capable of performing the contract
7. Applicable trade Agreements and Justification for Limited Tendering
This procurement is subject to the following:
• Canadian Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
• Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
• 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
8. Ownership of Intellectual Property
Contractor will own the Intellectual Property.
9. Period of the Proposed Contract
The contract period shall be from the 1st of April 2025 until the 31st of March 2026, with four (4) option periods.
10. Estimated Value of the Proposed Contract
The estimated value of the proposed contract is $300,000.00, including all applicable taxes plus four (4) option years:
Option Year 1 (2026/2027): $300,000.00
Option Year 2 (2027/2028): $350,000.00
Option Year 3 (2028/2029): $300,000.00
Option Year 4 (2029/2030): $300,000.00
The estimated total of the contract including all option years is $1,600,000.00
11. Closing Date and Time
The Closing Date and Time for accepting Statements of Capabilities is the 23th of January, 2025 at 2 p.m. EST).
12. Contact Person
All enquiries must be addressed by e-mail to: Name: Eryn Mathers
E-Mail: eryn.mathers@hc-sc.gc.ca
