Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Request for Proposals Feasibility Study for a 911 and/or Enhanced (E-911) System In the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

November 12, 2010

2 RFP Information Sheet RFP Title:

Feasibility Study for a 911 and/or E-911 System in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

RFP #:

FES-NL 2010.PS01

Issue Date:

November 12, 2010

Questions Deadline:

December 20, 2010

Closing Date and Time: January 14, 2011 Proposal Label: Feasibility Study – 911/E-911 Submit to:

Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador 25 Hallett Crescent P.O. Box 8700 St. John's, NL A1B 4J6 Tel: (709) 729-1608

Inquiries and Communication:

[email protected]

3 Table of Contents Section 1

Introduction

Page

Intent ............................................................................................................................................4 Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador ……………………………………..4 Emergency Management Environment in Newfoundland and Labrador ………………………….4 Status of 911 in Newfoundland and Labrador ………………………………………………………..5 Project Background and Goals ………………………………………………………………………...6 General Definitions ………………………………………………………………………………………6 Summary of Key Deliverables ………………………………………………………………………….7 Section 2

Instructions to Proponents

Proposal Submission …………………………………………………………………..………………. 7 Inquiries and Communication ……………………………………………………………..………….. 8 Proposal Content .………………………………………………………………………………..……. 9 Proposal Acceptance ……………………………………………………………………………..…… 9 Disclosure and Confidentiality ………………………………………………………………………… 9 General Terms and Conditions ……………………………………………………………..…………10 Evaluation ………………………………………………………………………………..………………10

4 Section 1 INTRODUCTION Intent On November 21, 2008 Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador (FES-NL) issued a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) seeking qualified consultants to conduct a review of the feasibility of establishing a province-wide Enhanced 911 (E-911) system in the province. The EOI resulted in 13 responses from private consultants. In Newfoundland and Labrador it is estimated that 40% of the population has basic 911 service (for the Labrador portion of the province, 34% of Labrador’s population has basic 911 service). At the present time, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is interested in exploring how best to expand access to basic 911 for all citizens and to identify opportunities to provide E-911 services where circumstances make it possible. Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador Fire and Emergency Services-Newfoundland and Labrador (FES-NL), created in the spring of 2007, is tasked with the implementation of an emergency management strategy designed to develop and maintain a modern and robust emergency management system in the province, in collaboration with agency partners and stakeholders, in planning against, preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies, disasters and fires. The mandate of the agency is to develop and maintain a fire and emergency management system in Newfoundland and Labrador to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from fires and other major emergencies and disasters, and includes the development of a Business Continuity Plan for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The agency has a current staff complement of 25. FES-NL is headquartered in St. John’s and operates regional offices located at Clarenville, Grand Falls-Windsor, and Deer Lake. FES-NL anticipates opening a satellite office in Labrador in the near future. The vision of FES-NL is a province where citizens, communities, partners and governments are prepared to deal with, respond to and recover from fire, emergencies, and disasters to protect the province’s people, property and environment. Emergency Management Environment in Newfoundland and Labrador The environment in which emergency services are delivered in the province is both complex and simple. In Newfoundland and Labrador, basic 911 services are currently available in three areas of the province: (1) North East Avalon, (2) Corner Brook / Bay of Islands, and (3) Labrador West (Labrador City and Wabush). FES-NL acknowledges that due to the distribution of the population in the province unique challenges exist in remote and isolated areas, in particular, in the Labrador region of Newfoundland and Labrador. The North East Avalon 911 service is operated by St. John’s Regional Fire Department while the remaining two systems are operated by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. For areas in which basic 911 services are not available, local response to any given emergency is dependent upon individuals’ knowledge of emergency services within their geographic area, recognizing of course the travel distances required to access these services, and most importantly, knowing the various

5 telephone numbers to use within their communities when the need arises. This simple system is working reasonably well as a local response to an emergency and is the most immediate and efficient approach available at this time. There are a number of emergency service providers involved in the delivery of emergency services in Newfoundland and Labrador primarily police, firefighters and ambulance operators. The provision of policing services is delivered by two forces, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The provision of fire protection services throughout the province is dependent upon a volunteer firefighting force of approximately 6200 volunteer firefighters and a paid firefighting force of 280 firefighters. These firefighters are located in approximately 300 fire departments (some paid, some volunteer and some composite departments) found throughout Newfoundland and Labrador’s approximately 280 municipalities, 180 local service districts and 130 unincorporated areas. The provision of fire protection services falls under municipal jurisdiction; fire departments are therefore owned and operated by their respective town, although it is acknowledged that the level of funding available to fire departments from municipal coffers varies widely across the province. In fiscal year 2010-2011, the government allocated $1,000,000 for special assistance funding (firefighting equipment) and $2.5M in municipal capital works funding (fire trucks) for the province’s fire service. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the ambulance system is comprised of 22 community based operators and 28 private ambulance operators with an approximate budget of $28M. Hospital based ambulance systems cost approximately $8M for a total $36M. As of January 2010 medical oversight now exists for all hospital, community and private operators under a new system. Furthermore, Primary Care Paramedics are employed in all ambulance operations in the province. Status of 911 in Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador does not have a province-wide 911 system. The existence or lack thereof of such a system is a topic of considerable public interest. Over the past number of years, there have been various media reports calling for the development of a province-wide 911 system, however, what is not clear is whether the public is asking for a province-wide 911 system or an enhanced 911 system, or whether the difference between the two systems is understood by the general public. 911 is the basic, universally recognized phone number to call for help in emergencies. E-911 refers to “enhanced” 911 services whereby the system automatically identifies the precise location from where an emergency call originates, and may further identify address-specific information for emergency responders (for example, whether an occupant of a household uses oxygen, is blind or physically impaired, etc) and other information such as road or access impediments and nearest water supply for firefighting. The resolution to the questions as to whether or not the Province can and should implement a 911 or E-911 system across the province is a complex matter. Government is not yet at a stage where a decision can be finalized. Further exploration and review is warranted before advocating the need for proceeding on this initiative and a feasibility study will assist government in making a decision in this regard. Furthermore, in order to properly receive and respond to emergency calls, the organizations involved in the fire and emergency services field would likely need significant upgrading and enhancement. Resolving this issue would be the subject of future work and would

6 not be addressed in this feasibility study. That said however, the current state of readiness of the first response community to integrate with an already existing 911 system can and should be explored within this feasibility study. Project Background and Goals FES-NL recognizes that in seeking to address its mandate to develop and maintain a modern and robust emergency management system in the province, it must explore and resolve the 911/E-911 issue. There are many challenges associated with this including, but not limited to, the geographic make-up of Newfoundland and Labrador, technological incompatibility amongst emergency response providers, lack of or inaccurate civic addressing in rural and urban areas, and differing levels of emergency response that exists throughout the province to an emergency situation depending upon proximity to police, fire, and ambulance services (local capacity). Following the Call of Expressions of Interest in November 2008, a Committee of Deputy Ministers was struck in February 2009 to oversee this initiative. This Committee of Deputy Ministers includes the Departments of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs; Municipal Affairs; Justice; Innovation, Trade and Rural Development; and Health and Community Services, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, as well as the Women’s Policy Office. The Deputy Ministers Committee is tasked with: x making a recommendation regarding the selection of the proponent to be awarded the feasibility study; x providing advice and guidance throughout the feasibility study process; x reviewing all work product of the proponent; and x analyzing the feasibility study results and formulating a recommendation(s) for a provincial 911/E-911 system for government’s consideration. The Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer of FES-NL is the Chair the Deputy Ministers Committee. The proponent will report to this Deputy Committee via the Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer of FES-NL. The Committee of Deputy Ministers now seeks a qualified proponent to conduct a feasibility study of a 911/E-911 system for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. General Definitions x “Closing Time” means the date and time on which proposals under this RFP are due and must be received as specified herein; x “Form of Agreement” means the final contract embodying all contract documents, terms, conditions and obligations; x “Letter of Acceptance” means the document issued to a Proponent stating an intent to enter into a contract pending satisfactory receipt of all conditions precedent to the contract as required by the RFP; x “GNL” means the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; x “FES-NL” means Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador; x “Province” means the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

7 Summary of Key Deliverables The scope of work for the feasibility study includes, but is not limited to: 1. Assessment of existing infrastructure, technological and organizational resources that currently exist; 2. Assessment of the state of readiness to build a 911 system across the province and assessment of the state of readiness to pilot an E-911 system with a view to: identifying integration/expansion opportunities that may exist for the provision of basic 911 services including the compatibility of local initiatives to expand/integrate service delivery bases, and piloting an E-911 system in one or more areas of the province; 3. Identification of necessary regulatory and legislative requirements; 4. Identification of required financial resources including developmental, operational and maintenance costs; 5. Identification of a governance model for a provincial 911 or E-911 system and possible funding mechanisms; 6. A literature review of the effect of an operationalized 911 system on public expectations for service/response times; and 7. A differential analysis of the unique challenges associated with the delivery of 911 or E-911 service in remote or isolated areas of the province with particular attention to the Labrador region. The tasks identified above are a guide for the study and any additional deliverables other than those listed should be noted by the proponent in their proposal. Furthermore, during the conduct of the feasibility study, stakeholder consultation is required. Potential stakeholder consultation groups include, among others, the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Fire Services, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, the Province’s two police forces, ambulance providers, regional health authorities, and current basic 911 operators. Section 2 INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPONENTS Proposal Submission The Proponent must provide one (1) proposal package containing ten (10) complete hard copies and one (1) complete electronic copy (Adobe Acrobat Format) of the Response to the RFP. Facsimile or electronic only proposals are not acceptable and will not be considered. Proposal packages must be received in full no later than 4:00 p.m., NST on or before the closing date specified on the RFP Information Sheet. Proposals received after that time will not be considered and will be returned unopened to Proponents. Proposals must be signed by an authorized representative of the Proponent. Unsigned proposals shall not be considered and will be returned. The Proposal must be delivered to Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador at the address specified on the RFP Information Sheet. All proposals must remain valid and open for acceptance up until 180 days. Proponents are solely responsible, and without recourse to GNL or FES-NL, for any expenses they incur in preparing and submitting an RFP and for its participation in the RFP process. The Province

8 and FES-NL shall not defray nor be liable for any reason for any expenses incurred by Proponents in responding to this RFP. All compliant proposals and accompanying documentation submitted prior to the Closing Time are considered the property of FES-NL and will not be returned. Inquiries and Communication All inquiries and other communications with GNL officials with respect to this RFP are to be directed ONLY to the email address: [email protected] Written inquiries and requests for clarification will be accepted up to December 17, 2010, 4:00 pm NST. Inquiries and requests for clarification received after this date will not be addressed. Verbal information or representations shall not be binding upon GNL or FES-NL. Only written changes, alterations, modifications or clarifications approved by FES-NL are binding. In order to be valid all such changes, alterations, modifications or clarifications shall be issued in the form of addenda and all such addenda shall become part of this RFP. All addenda that have been issued in relation to this RFP will be available on the Government Procurement website at www.gpa.gov.nl.ca/availabletenders.stm, or by contacting Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador. Proponents are responsible for ensuring that they have received all addenda pertaining to this RFP and shall be deemed to have received same through their submission of a proposal in Response to this call. Information pertaining to FES-NL obtained by the Proponent as a result of its participation in relation to this RFP is confidential and must not be disclosed by the Proponent except as authorized by FES-NL. FES-NL may, during the assessment period, request a meeting with a Proponent to clarify points in the proposal. Demonstrations of any or all proposed solutions may also be requested. No changes by the Proponent to its proposal will be permitted after the RFP Closing Time. The Proponent shall be responsible for any expenses incurred related to this requirement. Once a Proponent has been selected to conduct the feasibility study, official communication between the Proponent and the Deputy Ministers Committee will occur regarding the schedule for presentation of preliminary findings, presentation of interim findings, and production of a draft report. A Final Report must be submitted by November 30, 2011. Other communication will occur via the Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer, FES-NL as deemed appropriate. Proposal Content ALL PROPOSALS MUST ADDRESS THE CONTENT OF THE RFP. Compliant proposals are those that clearly demonstrate a thorough understanding of the RFP, and its stated goals and key deliverables.

9 FES-NL will disqualify proposals that do not demonstrate this understanding and that do not include a clear, concise and comprehensive action plan to gather the information that is requested in the feasibility study. Responses must specifically address how the proponent intends to meet the key deliverables identified in the scope of work. Proposal Acceptance GNL reserves to itself the unfettered right to reject any or all Responses received in response to this RFP and is not bound to accept the highest ranking or any Response. GNL may elect to cancel this RFP at any time with or without cause and no liability shall accrue to GNL as a result of its exercise of its discretion in this regard. The proposal of the successful Proponent will form part of any resulting agreement by attachment and incorporation by reference. Claims made in the proposal will constitute contractual commitments. Any provision in the proposal may be included in the resultant agreement as a direct provision thereof. Any agreement resulting from this RFP shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Any agreement issued pursuant to this RFP shall be issued in the name of the Proponent exactly as that Proponent’s personal or corporate name is stated in the RFP document. Funds payable in Canadian Dollars for goods and services delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be paid only to the Proponent who is so listed as party to this Agreement. Disclosure and Confidentiality Documents and other records in the custody of or under the control of FES-NL or its representatives shall be subject to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act SNL 2002, c. A-1.1 (ATIPPA). Subject to the limitations of the Act, all responses to this RFP and other documents and other records submitted by a Proponent in connection with this RFP will be considered confidential and financial and other proprietary information will not be disclosed. It should be noted that while the ATIPPA permits members of the public to access records in the custody and control of the GNL, disclosure of that information may be limited if it would be harmful to the business interests of the Proponent (ATIPPA, s. 27). Accordingly, the Proponent is encouraged to: 1. Clearly identify those portions of the Proposal for which disclosure to others would significantly harm their business interests, and 2. Be prepared to justify that determination in the event of a request for access to such information pursuant to an ATIPPA request. The Proponent, its employees, and any sub-contractors will be expected to comply with and abide by all provisions of the ATIPPA. In addition to the ATIPPA, the Proponent, its employees, and any sub-contractors will be expected to comply with and abide by all applicable privacy legislation, including but not limited to, federal privacy legislation such as The Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

10 In this engagement, the Proponent will have access to confidential information, perhaps including personal information, received from GNL and may be storing, manipulating or accessing the confidential information on the Proponent’s own information technology resources. To emphasize the need for appropriate measures to ensure the confidentiality of such information, the individual resources of the successful Proponent may be required to sign a government oath of secrecy document. As well, in the event that the successful Proponent does not use information technology resources provided by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador but rather stores, manipulates or accesses confidential information on the Proponent’s own information technology resources, the successful Proponent will be required to sign a document entitled “TERMS OF USE - Security of Government Information on Information Technology Assets of Contractors”. Materials and documentation gathered during the conduct of the feasibility study, in any and all formats, become the property of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and will be turned over to Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer of FES-NL at the same time as the Final Report. Distribution is strictly prohibited. General Terms and Conditions This procurement opportunity is subject to the provisions of The Atlantic Procurement Agreement and the Agreement on Internal Trade. Information on these Agreements may be obtained by visiting http://www.gpa.gov.nl.ca/. In the event of any discrepancies between the RFP, the proposal submitted or the resultant agreement, the agreement will govern, followed by the RFP and then by the Response submitted. The successful Proponent must be in good standing with the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC) or its equivalent in the jurisdiction where the Proponent organization is located and provide a certification letter to this effect prior to receiving any payments for this contract. If the Proponent is a corporation, the organization must be licensed to conduct business in its own jurisdiction and shall include a certificate of good standing for that jurisdiction. Evaluation The successful proponents will be selected according to the below noted evaluation criteria and grid; the successful proponent may not necessarily be the lowest bidder. 10% Brief outline of proponent’s experience doing this type of work 40% Detailed work plan with approximate timelines and identified work phases 30% Detailed cost breakdown of all costs including travel 20% Proponents understanding of the project Proponents scoring less than 75/100 will not be considered. At the discretion of the Committee of Deputy Ministers, a short list of proponents may be developed and short listed proponents could be interviewed to determine which overall proposal will deliver best value for the study in the opinion of the Committee. Short listed proponents will be responsible for all costs associated with participating in these interviews.