We are seeking pre-commercial innovative prototypes that can be tested in real life settings and address a variety of priorities within the Government of Canada.
Funding mechanism:
Contract
Opening date:
September 22, 2022
Closing date:
October 21, 2022, 14:00 Eastern Time
Overview
The Testing Stream aims to procure, test and evaluate innovative late stage pre-commercial prototypes.
The purpose of these calls for proposals (CFPs) is to create pools of conditionally qualified innovations that Canada may select from to address a broad range of the Government of Canada organizations' requirements.
Each call includes a Standard Component and Military Component:
Standard component $550,000
Military component $1,150,000
If you meet the eligibility criteria and have a prototype that can respond to one of the problems below, apply now!
Real property
Problem statement
As per the Greening Government strategy, Government of Canada (GoC) departments are committed to implementing net-zero climate-resilient real property portfolio plans to determine the most cost-effective pathway to achieving net-zero, climate-resilient real property operations by 2050. The GoC intends to leverage opportunities in portfolio modernization, which includes sharing facilities, maximizing energy efficiency, and switching to lower carbon fuels.
We invite Bidders to propose solutions that reduce the environmental impact of construction or construction materials as well as solutions related to construction, construction materials, building optimization, or real property management that will help advance the greening agenda. This includes technologies that can prioritize a low-carbon approach and climate resilience with both new construction as well as smaller-scale retrofits to existing GoC facilities.
The relevance of proposed innovations will be assessed according to how they address and resolve the Problem Statement above.
Definitions
Smart-building: Smart buildings are sometimes referred to as 'automated buildings', 'intelligent buildings'. These terms describe buildings that include technologies such as automated systems and intelligent building management systems.
Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials: Construction materials with a reduced lifecycle carbon footprint (from material extraction to end of life)
Energy management: the process of tracking and optimizing energy consumption to conserve usage in a building or other environment. The objective is to determine, achieve and maintain optimal energy utilization without negatively impacting performance or output.
Outcomes (Innovations must meet at least ONE of the following outcomes to qualify under SC4 of the Evaluation Grid)
Real property management
- Technologies that reduce carbon emissions from heating
- Building management and automation solutions that reduce Green House Gas (GHG) footprints and technologies that will enable older buildings to meet heating requirements, without the need for major renovations;
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and smart-building solutions that improve energy efficiency. This can include solutions to manage facilities such as HVAC, energy generation, energy use, as well as solutions that improve performance-based maintenance scheduling;
- Heat pumps to replace traditional heating solutions;
- Energy management solutions for older buildings;
Climate resilient and Biodiversity
- Solutions that retain and restore biodiversity near buildings and surrounding environments.
- Forest fire monitoring, prevention and response solutions to prevent loss of infrastructure;
- Flood monitoring, prevention and response solutions to prevent loss of infrastructure;
- Fire and flood resistant buildings that allow for low-impact deployments of offices, labs, research stations or operations centers in forests, parks, grasslands, coastlines or other sensitive ecosystems;
- Climate resilient buildings including those that could be relocated with minimal site disturbance;
Construction and construction materials
- Low carbon infrastructure construction materials or solutions to reduce carbon dependency in construction;
- Prefabricated building solutions which may include self-sufficient energy generation and storage systems;
- Off-site construction solutions that reduce environmental impact of construction crews. (This may include a modular approach to implementation (i.e. upgrading components vs holistic application)
Energy
Problem statement
As per the Greening Government Strategy, the Government of Canada will transition to net-zero carbon and climate-resilient operations, while also reducing environmental impacts beyond carbon, including on waste, water and biodiversity.
The combustion of fuels to power vehicles or heat buildings represents a major challenge in achieving Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets. Likewise, emissions generated indirectly from the consumption of purchased energy (electricity, heating and cooling) represent significant contributors to GHG emissions. This issue is particularly prevalent in the Canadian North where reliance on diesel, and an insufficient supply of renewable, affordable diesel makes the adoption of cleaner energy solutions more challenging.
We invite Bidders to propose innovations and technologies that provide or facilitate low carbon energy transitions, energy efficiency improvements that reduce the need for investment in energy infrastructure, cut fuel costs, increase competitiveness, lessen exposure to fuel price volatility and improve consumer welfare.
The Government of Canada is also interested in renewable or clean sources of energy from solar, wind, hydro, and biofuels.
The relevance of proposed innovations will be assessed according to how they address and resolve the Problem Statement above.
Definitions
Low carbon fuels: Refers to fuels that have lower carbon intensities and release fewer greenhouse gas emissions over their life cycle than the conventional fossil-based fuel that they replace or are blended with. For example, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Microgrids: includes technologies that can:
- Manage a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid;
- Operate independently of the grid as a self-sufficient energy systems;
- Manage and optimize energy deployment and usage across self-sufficient, self-managed networks
Energy management: the process of tracking and optimizing energy consumption to conserve usage in a building or other environment. The objective is to determine, achieve and maintain optimal energy utilization without negatively impacting performance or output.
Energy management solutions: tools for tracking and reducing energy usage in buildings.
Energy demand management solutions: tools to manage energy load demands during peak demand hours.
Green energy solutions: low carbon intensity fuels, energy storage and electricity generated from renewable sources.
Outcomes
(Innovations must meet at least one of the following outcomes to meet the requirements of SC4 Evaluation Grid.)
Green energy systems and grids
- Holistic energy generation, storage, and transmission systems;
- Microgrid solutions;
- Technologies that reduce carbon emissions from energy generation;
- Hybrid microgrid systems capable of supplying energy to individual buildings to support business continuity during power outages;
- Dynamic control and transient management solutions for microgrids;
- Kinetic capture technologies from hydro-based sources (oceans, river etc.);
Energy management and energy demand management and IT
- Energy Management and energy demand management solutions;
- Green energy solutions;
- Self-sufficient energy generation solutions;
- Data analytics tools to assess energy production, management, and use;
Low carbon fuels and energy storage systems
- Low Carbon fuels and fuel systems such as sustainable aviation fuels, renewable diesel;
- Energy storage systems such as batteries and portable energy systems;
ISC will not accept (out of scope)
- Fuel or battery systems that increase GHG or pollutants; and
- Energy Management Solutions that cannot support the integration of clean and renewable energy sources.
Information Technology (IT)
Problem statement
The Government of Canada (GoC) is committed to greening government operations and supporting departments in adopting clean technology and undertaking clean technology demonstration projects. Green IT (green information technology) is the practice of environmentally sustainable computing.
We invite Bidders to propose innovations that aim to minimize the negative impact of manufacture, operations and disposal of IT equipment. The motives behind green IT practices include reducing the GoC's scope one, two and three greenhouse gas emissions, meeting Canada's commitments in the Paris Agreement, and reducing the amount of e-waste that ends up in landfill.
The relevance of proposed innovations will be assessed according to how they address and resolve the Problem Statement above.
Definitions
AR: Augmented Reality
VR: Virtual Reality
Lifecycle assessment tools: Technologies that assess energy usage, toxicity, and natural resource usage across the lifecycle of a product, from the material extraction through to disposal.
Green chemistry: An approach to chemistry and engineering predicated on the design of chemicals, chemical processes and commercial products in a way that minimizes the creation of toxics and waste.
Green chemistry solutions: Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.
Biodegradable: Means the breakdown of an organic chemical compound by micro-organisms in the presence of oxygen to carbon dioxide, water, and mineral salts of any other elements present (mineralization) and new biomass, or, in the absence of oxygen, to carbon dioxide, methane, mineral salts, and new biomass.
Biodegradable plastic: Biodegradable plastics are a type of plastic that possess heteroatoms along their backbone that render them more susceptible to hydrolytic or enzymatic reactions (Ng et al. 2018). These processes cause the structure to break down into lower molecular weight fragments that microbial cells can assimilate and subsequently mineralize either aerobically or anaerobically.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one of the following outcomes to meet the requirements of SC4 of the Evaluation Grid.)
Software
- Automated data set preparation for greening type analysis (e.g. anomaly removal, QA, filtering, compliance with relevant guidelines);
- Traceability Solutions and tools that improve supply chain transparency. This can include tokens that are added when materials are mined, transported, manufactured, and recycled;
- IT solutions that track and manage carbon output;
- Tracking GHGs from cradle to grave;
- Lifecycle assessment tools including solutions that allow leveraging of sustainable standards. This includes solutions that can evaluate each step of the IT supply chain and propose efficiencies as well as regulatory lifecycle assessment, management, or optimization tools
- E-data management and data storage optimization technologies;
- Solutions to track the amount of metal and material that is reclaimable, or reclaimed, in construction and manufacturing,
- AR/VR Training and maintenance tools to reduce physical training footprint; and
- Digitization Tools for physical space footprint reduction. This includes solutions that allow for the efficient conversion, storage and management of physical records to digital records.
- Digital trust services and technologies to enable the use of digital credentials to make it quicker and easier for organizations and individuals to conduct digital transactions across the economy and society, including:
- Issuing and verifying services
- Digital wallets
- Trust Registries
Hardware
- IT solutions that are designed for reparability and breaking down into component parts for recycling or reuse;
- Biodegradable IT hardware;
- IT solutions that support Green Chemistry;
- Innovations that support Sustainable/Green supply chains by reducing chemicals/plastics, water usage, waste, etc. to create increased energy efficiency in the hardware manufacturing process.
- IT hardware solutions to reduce GHG emissions in manufacturing, transportation, and use.
ISC will not accept (out of scope)
- Solutions that increase the use of plastics, GHG outputs, or carbon footprint.
Mobility and fleets
Problem statement
The Government of Canada (GoC) has committed to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 from its land, marine and air fleets. This includes reducing emissions from the national safety and security (NSS) fleet operated by National Defence, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Coast Guard.
The Greening Government Strategy presents the government's commitments to adopt low-carbon mobility solutions, deploy supporting infrastructure in its facilities and modernize its fleets. This includes adopting environmentally friendly technologies in the areas of fleet procurement, fuel procurement and operational efficiency when available, affordable and operationally feasible. For example, the GoC has committed that 100% of its conventional light-duty fleet are zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2030.
The GoC is interested in testing a range of fleet and fleet management related solutions that can help accelerate its ability to achieve its targets.
We invite Bidders to propose innovations that aim to minimize the environmental impacts of the GoC's land, marine and air operations, including options for innovative, low-carbon vehicles; low-carbon fuels; electric vehicle charging infrastructure; and energy and fleet management solutions.
The relevance of proposed innovations will be assessed according to how they address and resolve the Problem Statement above.
Definitions
ZEVs: Zero Emission Vehicles, including include battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
URN: Underwater Radiative Noise
PM2.5, PM10: Particulate matter of 2.5 or 10 microns or less in diameter
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one of the following outcomes to meet the requirements of SC4 Evaluation Grid.
Fleet vehicles
- Light-, medium- or heavy-duty ZEVs;
- Technologies that reduce the environmental costs of storing and transporting materials;
- Fleet and small vessel electrification (in-board and out-board) solutions;
- Electric or hydrogen powered Autonomous Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS);
- Universal charging stations for drones and land vehicle charging stations;
- Marine off-shore charging stations and marine shore power plug-in stations;
- Large electrified snowplows for use at airports and roads;
- Drag reducing technologies including vessel hull cleaning;
- Hydrogen based fuel systems;
- Alternative Low Carbon Fuels and Fuel cells
- URN reduction technologies;
- Solutions to address non-exhaust vehicle emissions (e.g. tire and brake wear particles, particulates (PM2.5, PM10), heavy metals) for light-, medium- or heavy duty ZEVs;
- materials like bio composites that allow for lighter vehicles/vehicle parts with the same safety and performance requirements;
- tire formulations or characteristics (e.g. materials or dimensions, tire tread etc.) that reduce tire abrasion/tire wear rate; and
- Low resistance vessel coatings
Fleet management
- Intelligent Vessel/Fleet management solutions;
- Sensor technologies to assist data collection for performance baselining (marine) - wave conditions, vessel draft;
- Fleet procurement solutions that assess the lifecycle emission costs (embodied carbon, operational emissions. manufacturing and transport emissions) to inform decisions on green options;
- Digital Twin technologies;
- Hybridization of fleets, e.g. airport trucks, etc. (not operating on public roads); and
- Green Decision Support Systems for Efficient Vessel operations including weather routing systems as well as systems that gain efficiencies through adjustments to drive mode, speed, and trim.
ISC will not accept (out of scope)
- Solutions that aren't related to fleet vehicles, fuels, batteries or fleet management systems.
Waste reduction
Problem statement
As per the Greening Government Strategy, the Government of Canada is transitioning to net-zero carbon and climate-resilient operations, while also reducing environmental impacts beyond carbon, including on waste, water and biodiversity.
The government is taking steps to reduce the environmental impact of waste by:
- diverting at least 75% by weight of non-hazardous operational waste from landfills by 2030
- diverting at least 75% by weight of plastic waste from landfills by 2030
- diverting at least 90% by weight of all construction and demolition waste from landfills and striving to achieve 100% by 2030
In pursuit of its targets the Government of Canada invites Bidders to propose innovations that support the reduction of waste in operational settings.
The relevance of proposed innovations will be assessed according to how they address and resolve the Problem Statement above.
Definitions
Microshedding: When manufactured, washed and worn, synthetic clothes & textiles shed tiny plastic fibers that end up in the environment. Plastic deposited in the environment does not biodegrade: it fragmentizes into smaller pieces. These tiny pieces, called microfibers, are smaller than 5 mm and usually not visible to the naked eye.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one of the following outcomes to meet the requirements of SC4 Evaluation Grid.
- Novel recycling technologies including:
- alternative solutions for hard-to-recycle plastics,
- solutions that support the recycling of air handling unit filters,
- lab waste recycling and reduction technologies
- Supply chains and waste management optimization solutions;
- Sustainable textile innovations; including improving the design of textiles to limit microshedding;
- Technologies to remove microplastics/microfibers from the wastewater streams (e.g. in wastewater treatment plants) before its release in the environment;
- Compact, weather proof, and wildlife proof solutions that allow for the effective cleaning of plastics at the point of collection prior to recycling;
Eligibility and evaluation
Mandatory Criteria (MC)
MC1: Canadian Bidder
The Bidder must meet the definition of a Canadian Bidder. A Canadian Bidder is defined as a Canadian person or entity submitting a proposal on its own behalf and having a place of business in Canada where the person or entity conducts activities on a permanent basis that is clearly identified by name and accessible during normal working hours.
MC2: Canadian Content
80% of the financial proposal costs, the total proposal price to Canada stated in "Section –G Financial Proposal", must be Canadian goods or Canadian services. For the complete Canadian content definition please refer to the Canadian Content Definition A3050T (2020-07-01) at Part 1, General Information, Article 1.5 of the solicitation documents:
- Solicitation for small or medium enterprises
- Solicitation for large business, not-for-profit or academic institution
MC3: Ownership
The Bidder must be the owner of the Intellectual Property (IP) for the proposed innovation, or have a licence to the IP rights from a Canadian licensor for the proposed innovation and not be infringing on any IP rights.
MC4: Problem Statement
The Bidder's proposed innovation, as described and in its intended application, must provide a relevant solution to the outcome(s) described in the selected problem statement.
MC5: Pre-Commercial Status
The proposed innovation must not be openly available in the marketplace, and must not have been previously sold on a commercial basis as of the date of this bid submission. Refer to the definitions of "Pre-Commercial Innovation and Commercial Sales" at Appendix 2 of the solicitation documents:
- Solicitation for small or medium enterprises
- Solicitation for large business, not-for-profit or academic institution
MC6: Previously Pre-qualified Innovation
The proposed innovation or any other versions of the proposed innovation must not have been previously awarded a contract in the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) or its predecessor, the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP), nor under the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) Testing Stream.
The proposed innovation or any other versions of the proposed innovation must not currently be active in a pool of pre-qualified innovations. A previously pre-qualified innovation that is proposed under the current solicitation will be accepted only once the bid validity period for that proposal has expired or the Bidder has withdrawn their innovation from the relevant pool, prior to solicitation closing date.
Bidders may submit multiple proposals, ensuring that each proposal is for a different innovation. The same or similar proposals must not be submitted for different problem statements. If the proposed innovation is similar or identical to an innovation that is currently active in a pool and has not been withdrawn prior to solicitation closing, the following assessment will be used to determine sufficient difference to proceed.
| Pass | Sufficiently Different
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| Fail | Not Sufficiently Different
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MC7: Maximum Funding
The Bidder's Financial Proposal must not exceed $550,000 CAD in the Standard Component, or $1,150,000 CAD in the Military Component, not including applicable taxes, shipping costs, and travel and living expenses, where applicable. Refer to Section G – Financial Proposal.
MC8: Program Eligibility
The Bidder's proposal must be aligned with the mandate of the ISC Testing Stream where Canada procures, through a Contract, the Bidder's Innovation with the purpose of testing it in an operational environment.
The following criteria only apply to small or medium enterprises
MC9: Small Business
The Bidder must be a for-profit person or entity, with 499 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. This calculation must take into account and include affiliated businesses, such as parent companies and subsidiaries that are either in or outside of Canada.
MC10: Bidder Presence in Canada
The Bidder must meet the following minimum requirements: 50% or more of the Bidder's FTE employees have Canada as their ordinary place of work; 50% or more of the Bidder's annual wages, salaries and fees must be paid to employees and contractors who spend the majority of their time working in Canada; and 50% or more of the Bidder's senior executives (Vice President and above) have Canada as their principal residence. These calculations must take into account and include affiliated businesses, such as parent companies and subsidiaries that are either in or outside of Canada.
Stage 1 Technical Evaluation – Screening Criteria (SC)
SC1: Innovation
The proposed innovation must meet one or more of the ISC definitions of innovation below:
- An inventionFootnote 1, new technology or new process that is not currently available in the marketplace.
- Significant modifications to the application of existing technologies/components/processes that are applied in a setting or condition for which current applications are not possible or feasible.
- An improvement in functionality, cost or performance over an existing technology/process that is considered state-of-the-art or the current industry best practice.
| Pass | The proposed innovation meet one or more of the ISC definitions of innovation. |
| Fail |
|
SC2: Operational Readiness Validation
The Bidder must demonstrate that at the time of proposal submission, the proposed innovation is ready for testing in an operational environment, i.e. at minimum TRL 7 per the ISC Technology Readiness Level Scale.
| Pass |
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| Fail |
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SC3: Safety Considerations
The Bidder must demonstrate that they have obtained or possess, at the time of proposal submission, the certifications, licences, and approvals required to safely deploy the proposed innovation, and that it poses no risks to individuals or Government of Canada organizations involved in an operational demonstration.
This is to ensure that a Government of Canada organization and personnel are not exposed to safety or privacy risks during the conduct of the operational demonstration.
| Pass | At the time of proposal submission:
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| Fail | At the time of proposal submission:
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SC4: Scope – Outcomes
The Bidder must demonstrate that the proposed innovation provides a solution to the Problem Statement, and meets one or more of the Outcomes identified in the Problem Statement.
| Pass |
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| Fail |
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Stage 2 Technical Evaluation – Point-Rated Screening Criteria (PS)
PS1: Advance on State of the Art
The Bidder must demonstrate that the proposed innovation improves upon current approaches and state of the art, or current practices relevant to its purpose or application, in a manner that yields competitive advantages.
| 2 points |
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| 12 points |
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| 24 points Minimum |
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| 40 points |
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PS2: Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy
The Bidder must demonstrate a suitable Intellectual Property (IP) strategy, relevant to protect IP generated by the proposed innovation and to protect the Bidder. This criteria also assesses the degree to which the strategy is appropriate to support successful commercialization.
| 0 points | The Intellectual Property (IP) strategy is insufficiently rationalized or substantiated, and is poorly suited for background IP or generated IP as they pertain to the proposed innovation. |
| 8 points Minimum |
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| 12 points |
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PS3: Management Team
The Bidder must demonstrate that they have filled the key roles in the management team with individuals possessing relevant background or skill setFootnote 2, who can support the successful commercialization of the proposed innovation.
- Role A: Company leadership (e.g. CEO, or equivalent)
- Role B: Technology development (e.g. CTO, or equivalent)
- Role C: Commercialization strategy (e.g. Business Manager, or equivalent)
- Role D: Financial management (e.g. CFO, or equivalent)
| 0 points |
|
||||
| 4 points | All roles are identified and possess a background or skill set (education and/or experience) that is relevant to the company's activities or their respective fields, however gaps remain that are unmitigated and have the potential to impede commercial launch and commercial success. | ||||
| 8 points Minimum | All roles are identified and possess, or are supported by, a background or skill set (education and/or experience) that is relevant to the company's activities or their respective fields, and will likely enable them to reach commercial launch. | ||||
| 12 points | All roles are identified and possess, or are supported by, a strong background or skill set (education and/or experience) that would serve well in commercializing the proposed innovation, is clearly relevant to their respective industry, and increases the likelihood of commercial success. | ||||
PS4: Financial Capacity
The Bidder must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources and a credible financial strategy in order to execute their commercial launch plan, without a potential ISC Testing Stream contract.
In determining the credibility of a financial strategy, evaluators consider: funding sources, the amount of secured and unsecured funds, the degree of risk, and whether these risks are reasonable or sufficiently mitigated based on the context of the sector. Credibility, potential risks, and applicability to support launch costs should also be considered.
Financial resources must demonstrate ability to commercialize the proposed innovation.
| 0 points |
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| 8 points Minimum |
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| 12 points | The Bidder has demonstrated they have sufficient secured funds and have a credible financial strategy to successfully commercialize the proposed innovation. |
Stage 3 Technical Evaluation – Point Rated Criteria (PR)
PR1: Innovation Benefits
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the proposed innovation could contribute to the positive economic development of the innovation ecosystem in Canada.
| 0 points | Economic benefits are not identified or are insufficient. |
| 4 points | Economic benefits to the innovation ecosystem in Canada are limited. |
| 8 points | Economic benefits to the innovation ecosystem in Canada are significant. |
PR2: Operational Demonstration Risk Mitigation Strategies
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the Bidder has identified all important risks in the demonstration scenario, and degree to which those risks are addressed with appropriate mitigation strategies.
| 0 points |
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| 4 points |
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| 8 points |
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| 16 points |
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PR3: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Benefits
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the Bidder has sufficient measures to effectively achieve and maintain diversity, inclusivity and gender equity within; their business operations, supply chain, or business ecosystem.
Score levels reflect the number of the following elements the Bidder addressed in their answer:
- Anti-discrimination policies;
- Recruitment strategy and hiring process;
- Training available to educate the Bidder's workforce on diversity and inclusion;
- How diversity and inclusion are factored into Bidder's supplier selection methods.
| 0 points | Policies regarding diversity, inclusivity and gender equity are not identified, are insufficient, or do not appear genuine. |
| 4 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the Bidder is implementing some measures (up to two (2) elements) to achieve and maintain diversity, inclusivity and gender equity. |
| 8 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the Bidder is implementing most measures (two (2) or more elements) to achieve and maintain diversity, inclusivity and gender equity. |
| 12 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the Bidder is implementing all measures (all four (4) elements) to achieve and maintain diversity, inclusivity and gender equity. |
PR4: Commercialization Strategy and Market Risks
This criterion is intended for the Bidder to demonstrate that they have a credible strategy to commercialize the proposed innovation, identifying market risks and providing suitable mitigation strategies for these risks.
| 0 points |
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| 8 points |
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| 24 points |
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| 32 points |
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PR5: Adoption Potential – Features & Benefits, Target Market
This criterion is intended to assess to what degree the proposed innovation's features and benefits are attractive to the relevant target market.
| 0 points |
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| 4 points |
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| 8 points |
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| 16 points |
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PR6: Adoption Potential – Cost to End User
This criterion is intended to assess to what degree the cost of the proposed innovation and the efforts required to adopt it are attractive and relevant for the target market.
The acquisition costs of the proposed innovation include the intended market price, the organizational impact, time and resources required for training and installation, and other direct costs for target market end-user (the customer) to acquire the proposed innovation.
| 0 points | In relation to the acquisition cost and key features and benefits, an unacceptable amount of time and resources are required for the end user to adopt the proposed innovation. |
| 4 points | In relation to the acquisition cost and key features and benefits, a significant amount of time and resources are required for the end user to adopt the proposed innovation. |
| 8 points | In relation to the acquisition cost and key features and benefits, a reasonable amount of time and resources are required for the end user to adopt the proposed innovation. |
| 16 points | In relation to the acquisition cost and key features and benefits, virtually no time and resources are required for the end user to adopt the proposed innovation. |
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the Bidder meets the Outcomes identified in the Problem Statement.
Maximum available points from Stage 2 & Stage 3 : 176 points
Minimum Total ScoreFootnote 3 from Stage 2 & Stage 3 to pre-qualify: 106 points
Pathway to commercialization
Enabling the Government of Canada to buy what it tries – a Pathway to Commercialization for eligible Canadian SMEs
Our new pilot project gives small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to sell your innovation directly to the Government of Canada without competing.
Through the Pathway to Commercialization under ISC's Testing Stream, eligible SMEs can receive commercial contracts based on the successful testing and market-readiness of your pre-commercial prototype. It is important to note that this pathway will only be available to eligible Canadian SMEs, which represent over 97% of all businesses in Canada, a percentage that mirrors past participation in the program.
How will it work?
- Once your initial ISC testing contract is completed, you may be eligible for the Pathway to Commercialization if your innovation is market-ready at technology readiness level (TRL) 9 or above (see other eligibility criteria)
- You will have up to 12 months to be assessed against eligibility criteria to determine if you will be placed on a Pathway to Commercialization source list where government departments can browse and purchase your successfully-tested innovations for up to three years
- Contracts under this initiative will each have a limit of up to $8M
Important considerations
- You must be selling the same innovation from your initial Testing Stream contract
- If you participate in the Pathway to Commercialization, your innovation will no longer be admissible for further testing nor any subsequent purchases contracts under EN578-22ISC5 of the Testing Stream.
- The requirements for commercial contracts will reflect the operational needs of client departments, the nature of the innovation, and will be put in place by Public Services and Procurement Canada, the program's Contracting Authority
How will SMEs be assessed?
A number of criteria will be used as part of the assessment process, including:
- Financial capacity
- Technology readiness
- Certifications
- IP strategy
- Company size
- Scalability
- Innovation test performance
Please read the call for proposals (CFP) for more information on the Pathway to Commercialization.