Reintegration Services and Indigenous Community Support

An advanced contract award notice (ACAN) is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date and time stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.

1. Definition of the requirement:

The Correctional Service Canada has a requirement for culturally appropriate intervention and services that support Indigenous women offenders. These interventions and services must address the impacts of intergenerational trauma and addictions and enable Indigenous women offenders to develop life skills to better prepare them to contribute positively to their families and communities upon release. These services are needed both within the institutions to support the transition to the urban community, as well as within urban communities to provide ongoing support to Indigenous offenders upon release as one of the greatest challenges for Indigenous women offenders returning to urban centres is identifying traditional Indigenous support and services

The work will involve the following:

1.1 Objectives:

To improve CSC’s ability to reintegrate Indigenous women offenders to urban areas. To acquire the services of Community Organizations for the release planning process. The Contractor must identify and coordinate reintegration support for Indigenous women offenders in urban areas,

1.2 Tasks:

•        The Contractor must provide Reintegration Services for up to one (1) year, for a minimum of 50 Indigenous Women per year who are close to, or

already released (within in 90 days of their release) into the community.

•        The Contractor must consult and provide reintegration support at the earliest stage of release planning with the Institutional Parole Officer for any

woman offender requiring support services into the Edmonton area or other communities identified in the release plan.

•        The Contractor must ensure that they begin release planning with the woman offenders a minimum 2 – 6 weeks prior to their release and continue to

provide services as part of this plan after the offender's transition to their community.

•        The Contractor must develop an individualized release plan for each offender that they are working. This plan needs to ensure that it meets all the

Indigenous women’s immediate basic needs (shelter, food, finances); identify relational and professional supports, identify short and long term

personal goals, including but not limited to, trauma and addictions supports, family reunification; and develop short and long term goals for

independence, including but not limited to, employment, and education.

•        The Contractor must provide reintegration support services in the institution, and the Women’s Healing Lodge, Okimaw Ohci, to support transition

within the urban communities and ongoing support to Indigenous Women Offenders upon release.

•        The Contractor must take a collaborative approach in the development of a release plan to assist in fostering public safety and broadening the

support for the Indigenous woman offender in the community. The Contractor must include a plan for providing continuity of services to the offender

upon their release to an Urban community, even if the community is located a significant distance from the institution where the offender is

incarcerated.

•        The Contractor must identify resources and community contacts that CSC personnel may use when preparing a release plan for the women offenders.

•        The Contractor must communicate and establish reintegration support tasks as requested by the Project Authority, to support the development and

implementation of a release plan.

•        The Contractor must provide assistance with accessing culturally appropriate interventions for addictions, trauma or mental health issues for the

women offenders.

•        The Contractor must provide assistance to Indigenous Women Offenders in skill development for employment and education, housing, family

engagement, advocacy, and mediation, in how to find transportation, in ho and where to obtain identification, in life skills the women may need that

include, but are not limited to, budgeting. A.

•        The Contractor must provide assistance in developing suspension and revocation mitigation plans for the women offenders in collaboration with their

parole officers and reintegration support services providers.

•        The Contractor must provide all the necessary facilities, equipment, and tools to perform the work. When onsite at a CSC Institution, CSC will provide a

workspace to the Contractor for direct service provision to the woman offenders. The Project Authority must authorize any additional support

required by the Contractor.

1.3 Expected results:

The Contractor must provide outreach and engagement services to Indigenous Women offenders, urban community contacts, and CSC personnel, including but not limited to Parole Officers and Indigenous Community Liaison Officers. The Contractor must provide intervention services to CSC women facilities which include Edmonton Institution for Women and Okimaw Ochi Healing Lodge (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan) to support the reintegration of Indigenous Women Offenders in urban centers.

The Contractor must provide services that include, but are not limited to, finding supports to aide Indigenous Women in the areas of trauma or addictions counselling, life skills training and family reconnection. Therefore, the Contractor must give special attention to these requirements during the development of the release plan.

Meetings: The Contractor must attend meetings with CSC when scheduled. The Project Authority will advise as to how, when and where the meetings will be held.

1.4 Performance standards:

The Contractor must perform the work using standards outlined in applicable CSC policies and regulations and in Canadian Law. This includes Commissioner’s Directives and the Correction and Conditional Release Act.

1.5 Deliverables:

1.5.1 The Contractor must collect information and prepare monthly reports on the following activities:

•        Communication and work completed with CSC personnel, which includes but is not limited to Parole Offices, any other community agencies or

services involved with the offender, or both.

•        Services provided to Indigenous offenders once they are released to a community.

•        Community contacts with name and reintegration support services they provide such as addiction counselling, Elder services, education and

employment.

•        An updated list of woman offenders currently working with both in the institution and community.

•        A yearly project evaluation of the Indigenous Women’s Offender Reintegration Program.

The Contractor must submit all reports in English.

1.5.2        Paper consumption:

a.        Should printed material be required, double-sided printing in black and white format is the default unless otherwise specified by the Project Authority.

b.        The Contractor must ensure printed material is on paper with a minimum recycled content of 30% and/or certified as originating from a sustainably

managed forest.

c.        The Contractor must recycle unneeded printed documents (in accordance with Security Requirements).

1.6 Constraints:

1.6.1        Location of work:

a.        The Contractor must perform the work at the following CSC locations or the contractor’s place of business:

•        CSC Edmonton Institution for Women, Edmonton, AB

•        Healing Lodge – Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge, Maple Creek, SK

•        communities to which indigenous women offenders have been released

b.        Travel

The Contractor may be required to travel for performance of the work under this contract. The Project Authority must pre-authorize any travel. Any additional Travel costs (such as hotel and miscellaneous expenses will only be reimbursed for any travel outside of 200 km and the Project Authority must pre-authorize and comply with the National Joint Council Travel Directive.

1.6.2 Language of Work:

The Contractor must perform all work in English. With the Project Authority ‘s prior approval, ,the contractor must deliver services in an Indigenous Language for an offender who speaks the same Indigenous language.

1.6.3 Institutional Access Requirements

Contractor personnel will be escorted at all times by Correctional Service Canada personnel or those authorized by CSC on its behalf. Contractor personnel must adhere to institutional requirements for the conduct of searches by Correctional Service Canada prior to admittance to the institution/site. Correctional Service Canada reserves the right to deny access to any institution/site or part thereof by any Contractor personnel, at any time.

2. Criteria for assessment of the statement of capabilities (minimum essential requirements):

Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets the following requirements:

•        The supplier must be one of the following classifications: Indigenous governing bodies; Indigenous not-for-profit organizations or an Indigenous

community;

Experience:

•        The Supplier must have 5 years of experience, within the last 8 years prior to the ACAN closing date, in the development or implementation, or both, of

projects, programs, resources or services that assist in the successful rehabilitation and reintegration of Indigenous federal offenders.

•        The Supplier must have 5 years of experience, within the last 8 years prior to the ACAN closing date, in assisting Indigenous federal offenders gain

access to community support services prior to being released to rural and urban areas and in planning the Indigenous federal offender’s

reintegration in order to transition to continuity of services;

•        The Supplier must provide two letters of referral that documents the Supplier’s previous experience as a supplier of Reintegration Programs. The

supplier must have 5 years of experience assisting Indigenous offenders with conditional release planning and reintegration to rural and urban

communities - within the past 5 years prior to the ACAN closing date. Provide dates and contract information.

3. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement

This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

4. Set-aside under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business

This procurement is set-aside for an Indigenous Supplier in accordance with the government Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB). Therefore, only suppliers who meet the definition of an Indigenous business, as defined in the PSIB, may submit a statement of capabilities

5. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement(s)

This procurement is not subject to a Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement.

6. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier

There is a limited number of suppliers available to provide reintegration and support services to meet the reintegration needs of CSC Indigenous women offenders.

The pre-identified supplier meets all of the minimum essential requirements described in this ACAN.

7. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)

The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection:

(d) only one person is capable of performing the contract.

8. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons

This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement.

9. Ownership of Intellectual Property

There are no intellectual-property terms in the contract.

10. Period of the proposed contract or delivery date

The proposed contract is for a period of x 1 year, from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.

11. Cost estimate of the proposed contract

The estimated value of the contract is $199,999.00 (GST/HST extra).

12. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier

Name:                Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society

Address:        Edmonton, AB

13. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the goods, services or construction services described in the ACAN, may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this notice on or before the closing date and time of this notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

14. Closing date and time for a submission of a statement of capabilities

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is February 7, 2025.

15. Inquiries and submission of statements of capabilities

Inquiries and statement of capabilities are to be directed to:

Janet Nelson

Regional Procurement Officer

Regional Headquarters, Prairies

3427 Faithfull Avenue

SASKATOON, SK S7K 8H6

Telephone: 306-659-9300

E-mail: 501contracts@csc-scc.gc.ca

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Contract duration

Trade agreements

Reason for limited tendering

A contracting officer can use limited tendering for specific reasons outlined in the applicable trade agreements. The reason for this contract is described below:

• None