Electoral Operations Supply and Logistics

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, known as Elections Canada, is seeking supplier feedback through a Request for Information (RFI) to better understand the marketplace’s capacity to support rapid, nationwide logistics and IT operations for federal elections, by-elections, and referendums. This initiative, identified as ECRS-RFI-2026-4161, aims to gather insights on suppliers’ abilities to deliver and support IT equipment, software, telecommunications, secure warehousing, and logistics services across all 500 electoral districts in Canada, including remote and northern regions, often with as little as three days’ notice after an election is called. Suppliers are invited to respond to any combination of service areas—including hardware supply, secure packaging, inventory management, rapid deployment, and telecom solutions such as satellite and cellular connectivity—without the obligation to provide end-to-end solutions. The RFI does not establish a contract, award, or binding obligation, and no incumbent currently performs this work; it serves purely as a planning tool to inform future procurement strategies that may involve integrated, regional, or specialized contracting vehicles. All responses must be submitted by June 25, 2026, via email to supplier@elections.ca and should address the questions in Annex B, with flexibility in format and scope. Materials must comply with Canadian government security policies, particularly the handling of Protected B information, and logistics systems must support pre-labeled, bar-coded, or machine-readable tracking for secure chain-of-custody throughout storage and transport. Equipment must be preserved under controlled environmental conditions to remain operational after unpredictable long-term storage, and packaging must accommodate pallets, monotainers, and individual boxes while adhering to weight and size constraints. Compliance with Buy Canadian and Green Procurement policies is expected in future procurements, though none are enforced in this RFI. There are no evaluation factors, contract clauses, pricing data, or award mechanisms defined at this stage, and no formal security, personnel, or option requirements are attached. The primary point of contact is Ron Shaheen, Contracting Authority, and all submissions will inform, but not bind or qualify suppliers for, future opportunities.