This Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is an invitation by the University of Ottawa (the “University”) to prospective Proponents to submit non-binding proposals for the provision of an e-commerce solution as further described in Part 2 – The Deliverables (the “Deliverables”).
Founded in 1848, the University is located in the heart of the nation’s capital, with a population of over 45,000 students, teachers and support staff. It is the largest bilingual (English-French) university in the world, and has the largest law school in the country. It was also ranked among Canada’s top 10 research universities.
For information related to the University, please visit the University’s website http://www.uottawa.ca/en
1.2 Type of Contract for Deliverables
The selected Proponent(s) will be requested to enter into negotiations for an agreement with the University for the provision of the Deliverables set out in Part 2 of this RFP. It is the University’s intention to award the RFP to a single solution presented in one (1) proposal.
The Preferred Proponent shall be required to enter into a written agreement (the “contract”). The term of the contract is intended to be for a five (5) year period, with the option to renew the contract for one additional period of three (3) years, at the sole discretion of the University. The Proponent must be available from February 2019 to undertake the contract.
1.3 No Guarantee of Volume of Work or Exclusivity of Contract
The University makes no guarantee of the value or volume of work to be assigned to the Successful Proponent. The Agreement to be negotiated with the selected Proponent will not be an exclusive contract for the provision of the described Deliverables. The University may contract with others for the same or similar Deliverables to those described in the RFP or may obtain the same or similar Deliverables internally.
1.4 Trade Agreement
Proponents should note that procurements are subject to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), but that the rights and obligations of the parties shall be governed by the specific terms of each particular tender call. For further reference, please see the following websites:
CFTA: https://www.cfta-alec.ca/
CETA: http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/ceta-aecg/index.aspx?lang=eng
1.5 Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
The University is committed to maintaining the dignity and independence of all its employees, its students and the University community. The University is committed to complying with the objectives of the accessibility legislation and in doing so, seeks to ensure that persons living with a disability enjoy free and unhindered access to the University’s programs, goods, services, facilities, residences, communications, events and employment opportunities. See https://www.uottawa.ca/respect/en/understanding-the-law. This commitment involves anyone acting on behalf of the University to meet the University’s obligations under the accessibility legislation. The policy applies to all sectors of the University, including administration, services, teaching and research, and establishes specific standards on Customer service, information and communications, employment, procurement as well as all physical and virtual environments.
1.6 Environmental Sustainability
As an academic and research leader in areas that contribute to environmental sustainability, the University recognizes the importance of reducing the size of the University’s ecological footprint and is committed to integrating environmentally responsible practices into our teaching, research, administration and operation.
All suppliers of the University are encouraged to provide their products/services in an environmentally responsible manner designed to (a) make efficient use of natural resources; (b) minimize waste; (c) minimize toxicity; (d) use renewable or recycled materials; (e) contain reusable parts or reusability; and/or (f) protect indoor and outdoor air quality.
In keeping with the University’s effort to reduce ecological footprints, The University uses a Merx portal for accepting proposals digitally. For instructions on submitting proposals, please refer to the Submission of Proposal section in the RFP. For information on Merx, please refer to https://www.merx.com/
This Request for Proposals (“RFP’’) is an invitation to prospective Proponents to submit Proposals for an externally hosted e-commerce solution for the University in accordance with this RFP as further described in PART 2 – THE DELIVERABLES. The selection of the Preferred Proponent will be made in accordance with the evaluation process defined in this document.
The University is seeking proposal submissions for replacing the current aging technology and lower the complexity and support effort level for IT service at the University.
2.1 Project Overview and Objectives
Founded in 1848, the University is located in the heart of Canada’s capital. It is the largest bilingual (English-French) university in the world. Our advances in social sciences, health, science and the humanities make the University a unique place to learn, grow and excel. The University has approximately 45,000 students and 10,000 administrative and academic staff and it is actively looking to broaden its international exposure and the e-commerce platform will play an important role in that regard.
Currently, there are many e-commerce solutions in use across the Campus. While it is hard to estimate the number of sites needed in the future, the University has 10 faculties and roughly 50 services that could potentially all setup and maintain their own site. Any chosen solution would need to allow for a seamless transition from one site to another and ensure that the User experience is optimal. Most of the current sales are done through credit card transactions and it will remain a preferred payment method.
The University currently has an aging e-commerce corporate platform that is struggling to meet all the needs and requirements for this fast evolving sector and the University community. The initial deployment phase will focus on replacing the central software and will also include some proof of concept with some faculties and services. As a second phase, the project will look to consolidate current e-commerce solutions when applicable. A description of the current landscape of e-commerce at the University is provided later in this section.
As the University has limited technical resources to work on this type of project, we are looking for a predominantly ‘out of the box’ SaaS solution with limited effort required by the University to integrate on premise systems and endpoints.
