REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL- VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – VIRTUAL ASSISTANT RFP      ABOUT FCC    FCC is Canada’s leading agriculture and food lender, dedicated to the industry that feeds the world. FCC employees are committed to the long-standing success of those who produce and process Canadian food by providing flexible financing, AgExpert business management software, information and knowledge. FCC provides a complement of expertise and services designed to support the complex and evolving needs of food businesses. As a financial Crown corporation, FCC is a stable partner that reinvests profits back into the industry and communities it serves. For more information, visit fcc.ca.    RFP CONTACT    Dhruv Bhatt   Procurement and Vendor Manager  Farm Credit Canada   procurement@fcc.ca    RFP SCOPE    The COVID-19 pandemic has led FCC to adopt hybrid work arrangements. As a result, FCC has experienced both turnover and overall growth, leading to an increase in new employees working across Canada both at home and in offices. The current fragmented 'self-service' support capabilities, where employees either need to know which shared mailbox to email, which form to fill out, or which application to launch a request from, is no longer a viable model.  While many of our applications have released Microsoft Teams integrations to make their applications more accessible, they still require employees to know which application to use based on the task they are trying to accomplish.  To provide effective and efficient Tier 0 and Tier 1 support to thousands of employees working in various locations, and on various devices, FCC requires modern capabilities that can support the resolution of employee questions, issues, requests, and searches.  This RFP is intended to identify potential solutions that can provide employees with a centralized location to address their questions, help them find people or documents, or help them achieve their task. We expect the solution to either provide employees with an immediate answer or forward the request to the appropriate team for resolution. FCC is looking for one (1) successful Proponent that will provide a single solution that will help FCC achieve the business needs stated below. The successful proponent will also complete a paid Proof of Concept (POC) of the proposed solution. Pending a successful POC, a full implementation will follow.      For further details, refer to the RFP and Appendix A (RFP Schedule, Evaluation Process, Scope and Proposal Instructions) documents that are uploaded to MERX.    RFP PARTICULARS    All conditions for Proponent participation are included in the RFP documents.  Duration of Contract:  Up to 6 years   Options: Not applicable     Estimated Quantity of Goods or Services:  See RFP for further details.   Timeframe of Delivery of Goods or Services:  Not applicable    RFP SCHEDULE    RFP Release Date:  July 25, 2023  Proponent Questions Accepted Until:  August 11, 2023 at 2:00PM*  FCC Response to Proponent Questions Delivered Before:  August 28, 2023at 5:00PM*  RFP Closing Date/Time:  September 15, 2023 at 2:00PM*    NOTE: All times are CST – Saskatchewan. The above dates are subject to change at the sole discretion of FCC. Any changes to the RFP Schedule will be communicated to all Proponents via amendment on MERX.     RFP PROCESS CONSIDERATIONS    This opportunity is covered under the provisions of Chapter 5 (Government Procurement) of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and Chapter 19 (Government Procurement) of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)  FCC is subject to the Official Languages Act (Canada). Proponents may choose to respond to this RFP in their official language of choice (English or French).  This opportunity notice references a non-binding, competitive RFP, and is not a call for tenders. FCC is not obligated to proceed with the Work described in the RFP Scope and may cancel the RFP at any time. FCC’s procurement process allows for consecutive or concurrent negotiations between FCC and one (1) or multiple Proponents, prior to awarding a Contract.    MERX ELECTRONIC BIDDING SYSTEM    This Request for Proposals (RFP), including any attachments and amendments to such RFP, is available for download by the Proponent on MERX. MERX is a Canadian Public Tenders electronic bidding system accessible at https://www.merx.com. It is the sole responsibility of the Proponent to ensure its compatibility with MERX.  Proponent proposals MUST be submitted electronically through MERX, preferably in a PDF or MS Word file, prior to the RFP Closing Date/Time specified in the RFP. Proposals submitted in other formats, by other methods or through any other means, or after the RFP Closing Date/Time specified in the RFP, may be rejected by FCC.      PRIORITY OF DOCUMENTS    In the event there are any discrepancies between this opportunity notice and the information on the MERX website proper, this opportunity notice shall take precedence. Bidding and Documents are available on http://www.merx.com. Fees may apply; See https://www.merx.com/public/pricing for more information.