Research services in support of machine technical translation

The National Research Council Canada is seeking specialized research services to support the development of a state-of-the-art machine translation solution for F-35 technical and maintenance manuals under a sole-source acquisition justified under Government Contracts Regulations subsection 6(d), which certifies that only one entity possesses the unique expertise required. The contract, issued as an Advance Contract Award Notice with solicitation number 26-58099, is pre-identified for the University of Ottawa due to the unparalleled experience of a specific researcher in natural language processing for technical translation, terminology modeling, and adherence to Canadian government bilingual standards. The project entails conducting a comprehensive literature review, analyzing existing terminological resources, extracting and managing terminology from domain-specific corpora, designing a validation and evaluation methodology, and developing a terminology demo using surrogate data—all aimed at enabling accurate, reliable, and context-aware translation of highly technical military documentation. The deliverables include a Literature Review Report, a Terminological Workflow and Evaluation Methodology Report, a Terminology Demonstration, and contributions to the Final Report submitted to the Department of National Defence. Performance must be completed within the National Capital Region, primarily at the University of Ottawa, with the contract period running from the award date through March 31, 2028. The contractor must possess a PhD in translation terminology and at least 15 years of post-doctoral experience in NLP for translation, in addition to 15 years of translation experience and 10 years focused on terminological solutions, all demonstrated specifically within Canadian government contexts. The individual must also be certified under the Controlled Goods Program by November 30, 2026, due to the handling of classified defense-related data. All intellectual property developed under the contract is owned by the Government of Canada on national security grounds. Submission of the Statement of Capabilities is mandatory but non-competitive; proposals must be emailed by July 30, 2026, to the Contracting Authority, Marie Josée Lachance, with no page limits or formal structure required. No contract price has been disclosed, as this will be negotiated post-award, and no invoicing, payment office details, or logistical requirements are specified. The procurement intentionally bypasses competition to ensure continuity of specialized knowledge critical to the Future Fighter Capability Program.