Digital Solicitor Document Portal

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

Ronke Niagwan
Procurement Manager
Farm Credit Canada
procurement@fcc.ca

RFP SCOPE
FCC is seeking to modernize how it collaborates with external legal professionals.
In the current state, document exchange is conducted through a combination of email and physical document transfer (i.e. mail). For example, FCC sends new financing and mortgage registration documents to legal professionals by email. When legal professionals complete their transaction, they must then mail the original documents to FCC's Loan Administration Center (LAC). Legal professionals external to FCC often request that documents be returned by email, which is currently refused. FCC currently processes approximately 20,000 transactions a year.
 FCC is looking for a solicitor document exchange solution that could enable the following benefits:

• Increased process efficiency, such as automation of manual activities associated with facilitating handoffs, maintaining document version control, tracking and following up on outstanding tasks, and reduction in physical document processing.
• Enhanced legal professional experience through a convenient and digitally enabled means for sharing and receiving documents, organizing notes, managing a checklist of tasks, maintaining document version control, and executing required tasks (e.g. requesting disbursements and payout statements, transferring funds for disbursement).
• Enhanced security for the transfer and temporary storage of sensitive lending documentation.

 
FCC specializes in financing specifically for the agriculture and food sector. There is also additional process complexity for FCC's Corporate and Commercial (C&C) lending. This includes multiple collateral types captured within a transaction (e.g. real property, personal property, negotiable instruments, quotas, crops, leaseholds, commercial agriculture and non-agriculture real estate) as well as complex stakeholder involvement (e.g. multiple solicitors and guarantors) and multiple jurisdictions (signatories or properties could be from other provinces).

FCC is looking for one (1) successful Proponent that will provide a single solution that will help FCC achieve the business needs stated below. However, FCC reserves the right to award the RFP scope of service to one or multiple Proponents to ensure the success of this solution.
More details of scope included in the RFP document.

RFP PARTICULARS

• All conditions for Proponent participation are included in the RFP documents.
• Duration of Contract:  included in the RFP.
• Options: Not applicable.
• Estimated Quantity of Goods or Services:  Not applicable.
• Timeframe of Delivery of Goods or Services:  Not applicable.

RFP SCHEDULE

• RFP Release Date:  March 11th, 2024
• Proponent Questions Accepted Until:  March 18th, 2024 at 2:00 PM*
• FCC Response to Proponent Questions Delivered Before:  March 29th, 2024 at 5:00PM*
• RFP Closing Date/Time:  April 4th, 2024 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.