The CBSA is seeking a solution that will allow video and audio recordings to be automatically processed to ensure that people and objects other than the requestor of the audio or video files are not identifiable.
Sponsoring department: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
Funding mechanism: Contract
Opening date: August 6, 2019
Closing date: October 16, 2019 14:00 Eastern Daylight Time
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Challenge
Problem statement
The CBSA puts a lot of effort into processing video recordings collected at ports of entry, in order to comply with Access to Information requests. For example, it is common for a person to ask for all video footage at a certain location that contains their image. In order to comply, the Agency has to review the available video from the location, and identify and extract all scenes containing the individual. In addition, before the video footage can be released, it needs to be redacted so that other individuals and objects in the scenes cannot be identified, in order to protect the privacy of others. Given that the audio and/or video processing is in support of an access to information request, the solution does not need to be at a forensic (i.e., court-ready) level.
Desired outcomes and considerations
Essential (mandatory) outcomes
Proposed solutions must:
- allow the processing of digital audio and video recordings, by redacting all instances of all personal identifiable content (for example, faces, name tags, license plate numbers) or retaining only particular information as described by the requestor
- replace the zone of interest with black/white pixels in order to ensure the redacting cannot be undone after the video is released
- replace the zone of interest with silenced audio
- be able to blur the overall scene in order to remove any background private information while maintaining the basic context of the scene.
- minimise manual intervention after identifying initially a particular individual/object in a video feed
- manage a single redacting case from multiple media ingestion through all reviews and final media exports.
- be able to process and store information at a protected B level.
Reference Link:
Level of Security: https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/esc-src/protection-safeguarding/niveaux-levels-eng.html
Safeguarding information: https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/esc-src/msi-ism/chap5-eng.html
Additional Outcomes
Proposed solutions should:
- successfully process between to 60 to 90 per cent of the video content without human intervention.
Background and Context
The current process is largely manual. Video footage is reviewed by employees to identify scenes containing certain individuals and to redact the scenes as needed. Today the redaction process is very manual and involves interacting with more then 50% of the video content most of the time. The process is facilitated by the use of specialized software, but is still very labour intensive. Based upon the available information, it currently takes between four to six hours of work for an Access to Information and Privacy Analyst for the editing and the rendering of one hour of video. The number of requests is increasing rapidly, partly due to increasing use of closed-circuit television systems. For example, from 2017-18 to 2018-19, the number of videos processed by the CBSA more than doubled, while the corresponding effort increased by more than a factor of five to approximately 1,800 person-days. Clients have a legislated right to request access to government information (Access to Information Act) and their own personal information (Privacy Act). Government's Institutions must respond to a request within the legislated timeframe, which is 30 calendar days for both Acts. The legislated timeframe for responding to Access to Information or Privacy requests is 30 calendar days. The Acts permits an institution to extend the time limit to respond to a request beyond the 30 calendar days only under certain circumstances. In 2018–2019, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) received 7,673 requests under the Access to Information Act, and reviewed 1,157,130 pages. The CBSA also received 13,447 requests under the Privacy Act, and reviewed 678,337 pages. Despite record high volumes of requests received, the CBSA responded to 94.3% of access requests and 97.9% of privacy requests within their statutory timelines. The product would help the CBSA to maintain such remarkable results over the coming years. The solution would be useful across a wide range of government organizations, both within Canada and internationally, as many of them collect video footage and are subject to Access to Information legislation.
Maximum value and travel
Multiple contracts could result from this Challenge.
The maximum funding available for any Phase 1 Contract resulting from this Challenge is $100,000.00 CAD (plus tax) including shipping, travel and living expenses, as applicable, for up to 6 months.
The maximum funding available for any Phase 2 Contract resulting from this Challenge is $500,000.00 CAD (plus tax) including shipping, travel and living expenses, as applicable, for up to 12 months. Only eligible businesses that have completed Phase 1 could be considered for Phase 2.
Travel
For Phase 1 it is anticipated that two meetings will require the successful bidder(s) to travel to the location identified below:
Kick-off meeting
Ottawa, ON
Final Review Meeting
Ottawa, ON
Eligibility
Solution proposals can only be submitted by a small business that meets all of the following criteria:
- for profit
- incorporated in Canada (federally or provincially)
- 499 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employeesFootnote *
- research and development activities that take place in Canada
- 50% or more of its annual wages, salaries and fees are currently paid to employees and contractors who spend the majority of their time working in CanadaFootnote *
- 50% or more of its FTE employees have Canada as their ordinary place of workFootnote *
- 50% or more of its senior executives (Vice President and above) have Canada as their principal residenceFootnote *
Application guide
Evaluation Criteria
The official source of the Evaluation Criteria for this challenge is the Government Electronic Tendering System (Buy and Sell) (https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/tender-notice/PW-18-00846769)
In the event of a discrepancy between the information below and the information published on Buy and Sell, Buy and Sell will take precedence.
Part 1: Mandatory and Minimum Pass Mark Criteria
Proposals must meet all mandatory criteria (Questions 1a and 2) and achieve the minimum pass mark for Question 3 in order to be deemed responsive and proceed to Part 2.
Question | Evaluation Schema |
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1 a. Scope Describe your proposed solution and how it responds to the challenge. Include in your description the scientific and technological basis upon which your solution is proposed and clearly identify how your solution meets all of the Essential Outcomes (if identified) in the Desired Outcomes and Considerations section in the Challenge Notice. |
Mandatory - Pass/Fail Pass Fail |
2. Current Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
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Mandatory - Pass/Fail Pass: The Applicant/Bidder has demonstrated that the proposed solution is currently between TRLs 1 and 4 (inclusive), and provided justification by explaining the research and development (R&D) that has taken place to bring the solution to the stated TRL. Fail: The Applicant/Bidder has not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the current TRL is between 1 to 4 (inclusive) including:
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3. Innovation Describe the novelty of your solution and how it advances the state-of-the-art over existing technologies, including competing solutions. |
Point Rated with Minimum Pass Mark The minimum pass mark for this criteria is 4 points. 0 points/Fail: The Applicant/Bidder has not demonstrated that the proposed solution advances the state-of-the-art over existing technologies, including available competing solutions; OR The stated advancements are described in general terms but are not substantiated with specific, measurable evidence. 4 points:
6 points:
8 points:
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Part 2: Point-Rated Criteria
Proposals that do not achieve the overall minimum score of at least 55 points out of a possible 110 points (50%) will be declared non-responsive and given no further consideration.
The overall minimum score is determined by adding the Applicant/Bidder's scores from the following questions together (1b, 3, 4-13).
Question | Evaluation Schema |
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1b. Scope Describe how your proposed solution addresses the Additional Outcomes (if identified) in the Desired Outcomes and Considerations section in the Challenge Notice. If no Additional Outcomes are identified in the Challenge Notice, text entered in this section will not be considered. If no Additional Outcomes are identified in the Challenge Notice, Bidders/Applicants will receive 10 points |
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4. Phase 1 Science and Technology Risks Identify potential scientific and/or technological risks to the successful development of the proof of concept and how they will be mitigated in Phase 1? |
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5. Benefits to Canada Describe the benefits that could result from the successful development of your solution. Applicants/Bidders should consider the potential benefits using the following three categories:
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6. Phase 1 Project Plan Demonstrate a feasible Phase 1 project plan by completing the table. Include:
Note: Phase 1 cannot exceed 6 months and TRL 4. |
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7. Phase 1 Project Risks Identify potential project risks (eg. Human resources, financial, project management, etc) to the successful development of the proof of concept and how they will be mitigated? |
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8. Phase 1 Implementation Team Demonstrate how your project implementation team has the required management and technological skill sets and experience to deliver the project plan for Phase 1 by completing the table. A member of the implementation team can have more than one role. Include the labour rates and level of effort for each member. A day is defined as 7.5 hours of work, exclusive of meal breaks. The labour rates and level of effort will be reviewed as part of the evaluation for Question 10. |
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9. Inclusivity If your business were to receive funding from Innovative Solutions Canada, describe what actions (e.g., recruitment strategy, internships, co-op placements, etc.) might be taken in Phase 1 to support the participation of under-represented groups (e.g., women, youth, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, visible minorities) in the research and development of the proposed solution. Each bidder/applicant in their response to this question must focus only on describing relevant programs, policies, or initiatives that it currently has in place or would put in place to support the R&D effort in Phase 1. Do not provide any personal information of individuals employed by your company or that of your subcontractors in the response below. |
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10. Phase 1 Financial Proposal Demonstrate a realistic financial proposal for the Phase 1 project plan by completing the table. |
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11. Phase 1 Financial Controls, Tracking and Oversight Describe the financial controls, tracking and oversight that will be used to manage the public funds throughout Phase 1. |
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12. Phase 2 Strategy Describe a realistic strategy for the prototype development if selected to participate in Phase 2. Responses should include:
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13. Commercialization Approach Describe your overall commercialization approach for the proposed solution. Responses should include:
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Questions and answers
Please refer to the tender notice for this challenge on Buy and Sell.
All incoming questions regarding this specific challenge should be addressed to SIC-ISC@pwgsc.gc.ca
You can also consult the Frequently asked questions about the Innovative Solutions Canada Program.
A glossary is also available.