Venue and Related Services for an International Conference

ADVANCE CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE (ACAN) 1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is a public notice informing suppliers that Canada intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, and invites other suppliers to express their interest by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no other supplier submits a statement of capabilities demonstrating how they meet the set requirements in the ACAN by the closing date stated in the ACAN, the buyer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier. 2. Purpose of the ACAN Venue and Related Services for an International Conference 3. Requirement description Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has a requirement for a conference venue and associated venue services to host the 12th Our Ocean Conference (OOC12). The venue must support plenary programming, simultaneous side events, bilateral and VIP meetings, media activities, exhibitions, meals and networking, refreshments during registration and dedicated program breaks (e.g., coffee, small bites), and professional event production in a secure, accessible and operationally coherent setting. The venue must be available from May 9th to 11th, 2027, including activities planned for May 9th (e.g. opening reception, Youth Leadership Summit, possible side events, possible Ministerial or VIP meetings) and main conference programming on May 10th and 11, 2027. The Contractor must provide exclusive or appropriately controlled access to the required venue spaces, furniture, utilities, base building services and venue coordination for the conference period, including agreed setup, testing, event and teardown periods. The Contractor shall act as the prime contractor for all venue-related services, including venue rental, catering, registration and accreditation support, security services, audiovisual services, event production, event planning, staging, show management, exhibition services and associated conference delivery requirements. The Contractor may engage subcontractors; however, the Contractor remains fully responsible for the management, coordination and performance of all subcontracted services. If other potential suppliers submit a statement of capabilities during the 15 calendar days posting period that meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, DFO will proceed to a full-tendering process on whether the government's electronic tendering service or through traditional means, in order to award the Contract. If no other supplier submits on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, a Contract will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier. 4. Evaluation criteria for assessment of statement of capabilities (minimum essential requirements) Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets the following requirements: 4.1 A conference venue within the Halifax Regional Municipality available from May 9th to 11th, 2027, including setup, testing and teardown periods, capable of hosting an international conference of approximately 2,500 participants. 4.2 A plenary facility capable of accommodating at least 2,500 participants simultaneously, together with the infrastructure required to support professional event production, audiovisual services and livestreaming. 4.3 Within the same venue complex, a minimum of: a. a minimum of six (6) concurrent breakout or side-event rooms, each capable of accommodating at least 50 participants; b. a minimum of ten (10) private bilateral meeting rooms, each capable of accommodating at least 10 participants; c. one (1) secure meeting room for approximately 100 participants; and d. dedicated space for registration and accreditation, media operations, VIP functions, conference management, security operations, exhibitions, networking and delegate catering. 4.4 The capacity to provide or coordinate catering and refreshment services for approximately 2,500 attendees throughout a multi-day conference, including receptions, meals and scheduled program breaks. 4.5 The capability to act as the prime contractor responsible for the management and coordination of all venue-related services, including venue operations, catering, audiovisual services, event production, registration support, security services and exhibition services, whether delivered directly or through subcontractors. 4.6 A secure operating environment suitable for ministers, senior government officials, international delegations and VIP participants, with controlled access to conference spaces and the ability to support security operations. 4.7 A venue location within walking distance of sufficient hotel accommodation capacity to support conference delegates, officials and VIP participants. 5. Trade Agreements The requirement is subject to the following Trade Agreements: Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA); Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA); Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement; Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) 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 (WTO-GPA) 6. Justification for the pre-identified Supplier The pre-identified supplier is the only supplier that we are aware of who offers a product which meets all the Minimum Essential Requirements listed above. 7. Government Contract Regulations exception(s) The following exception(s) to the Government Contracts Regulations is (are) invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) – “only one person is capable of performing the work.” 8. Contract Period The Contract period will be from award to May 11, 2027 inclusive. 9. Estimated Cost The estimated value of the Contract is 3,200,000.00 $ CAD (excluding applicable taxes). 10. Name and Address of the Proposed Contractor Halifax Convention Centre (HCC) 1650 Argyle St. Halifax NS B3J 0E6 11. Suppliers’ right to submit a statement of capabilities Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/goods described herein, may submit a Statement of Capabilities in writing, by e-mail, 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. 12. Closing Date The closing date for a submission of a Statement of Capabilities is November 25, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EST. 13. Requests for information and submission of statements of capabilities Request for information and statements of capabilities must be sent before the date and time indicated in Article 13, to: Contract Authority Manon Paulin, Senior Contracting Officer Procurement and Material Management Fisheries and Oceans Canada Telephone : 438-468-3247 Email : DFO.Tenders-Soumissions.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca