Radio frequency-free wireless communications for secure access

*Please note the ISC Website will be available on September 21, 2023 at 10:30 EDT* This Challenge Notice is issued under the Innovative Solutions Canada Program (ISC) Call for Proposals 003 (EN578-20ISC3). For general ISC information, Bidders can visit the ISC website: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/101.nsf/eng/home Please refer to the Solicitation Documents ( https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/tender-opportunities/tender-notice/pw-2...) which contain the process for submitting a proposal. Steps to apply: Step 1: read this challenge Step 2: read the Call for Proposals : https://canadabuys.canada.ca/en/tender-opportunities/tender-notice/pw-2... Step 3:

propose your solution here : https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovative-solutions-canada/en/radio-f... Challenge title: Radio frequency-free wireless communications for secure access Challenge sponsor: Shared Services Canada (SSC) TAB: Maximum contract value and travel Multiple contracts could result from this Challenge. Phase 1: • The maximum funding available for any Phase 1 contract resulting from this Challenge is : $150,000.00 CAD excluding applicable taxes, shipping, travel and living expenses, as required. • The maximum duration for any Phase 1 contract resulting from this Challenge is up to 6 months (excluding submission of the final report). • Estimated number of Phase 1 contracts: 5 Phase 2: Note: Only eligible businesses that have successfully completed Phase 1 will be invited to submit a proposal for Phase 2. • The maximum funding available for any Phase 2 contract resulting from this Challenge is : $1,000,000.00 CAD excluding applicable taxes, shipping, travel and living expenses, as required. • The maximum duration for any Phase 2 contract resulting from this Challenge is up to 18 months (excluding submission of the final report). • Estimated number of Phase 2 contracts: 3 This disclosure is made in good faith and does not commit Canada to award any contract for the total approximate funding. Final decisions on the number of Phase 1 and Phase 2 awards will be made by Canada on the basis of factors such as evaluation results, departmental priorities and availability of funds. Canada reserves the right to make partial awards and to negotiate project scope changes. Note: Selected companies are eligible to receive one contract per phase per challenge. Travel No travel is anticipated in Phase 1. Project meetings will be conducted via video conferencing. Kick-off meeting All communication will take place by telephone, videoconference, and Teams. Progress review meeting(s) Any progress review meetings will be conducted by videoconference or teleconference. Final review meeting All communication will take place by telephone, videoconference, and Teams. Challenge Statement Summary Shared Services Canada (SSC) is seeking a solution to provide secure high-speed wireless internet access using Radio Frequency-Free (RF-Free) wireless networking technology in secure GC offices and secure operational environments. Problem statement The challenge is to provide RF-Free wireless networking technology solutions to securely transmit high-speed data in secure GC offices and secure operational environments with ZERO interference where radio waves and wireless access are prohibited, restricted, and/or limited. Examples of environments include: • Secure Government of Canada (GC) buildings and offices; • Hospitals; • Military Operational Environments; • Underwater Communications; • Airplanes; • Underground facilities (Subway, trains); etc. The vision is to provide SSC and the Government of Canada (GC) with new RF-Free wireless networking solutions that offer wireless high-speed connectivity in secure operational areas where radio waves and wireless access are currently prohibited, restricted, and/or limited. Providing secure operational areas with secure wireless access would improve operational responsiveness and the morale and working conditions of those employed in such environments. SSC also sees the potential for this technology to be implemented in non-secure operational environments, such as offices and personal workspaces, including those of GC staff. These solutions could be used to provide RF-Free wireless networking technologies alongside or in place of traditional RF wireless equipment with the potential to implement more reliable and responsive networks that can be securely managed to protect the information of departments, agencies, and Canadians. Desired outcomes and considerations Essential (mandatory) outcomes The proposed solution must: 1. Be Radio Frequency Free and utilize other available wireless channels for transmission (for example, but not limited to Free Space Optical communications and Li-Fi) 2. Be capable of Full Duplex bidirectional transmission (transmit-and-receive data streams) 3. Be a fully networked wireless communication technology 4. Be able to service secure closed environments (such as workstations and cubicles) 5. Be able to service open-air secure environments (such as airfields and tactical Forward Operating Bases) 6. Be easy to install and maintain 7. Not be intercepted by external users and/or devices (Interception Free) 8. Not interfere with external users and/or devices (Interference Free) 9. Have a maximum of 30 milliseconds latency 10. Have a minimum or similar Data Transfer speed of 1 Gbps Additional outcomes The proposed solution should: 1. Be able to Multicast multiple Data streams per Access Point 2. Support a large number of users simultaneously 3. Offer ruggedized and weather-proof version (e.g., rain, fog, snow) 4. Provide military-grade security [military grade ciphers TDES (Triple Data Encryption Algorithm) or AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and SSL (Secure Socket Layer) through 128-bit encryption; 5. Be ready to be used in mission critical communications 6. Be comparable and/or better than traditional RF-Based wireless communication technology in terms of speed, reliability, distance coverage, power efficiency, and ability to scale for multiple users 7. Be more energy efficient than traditional RF-Based wireless Communications 8. Have a lower or comparable implementation cost than existing traditional RF-Based Wireless Communications 9. Be able to be used in Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Communications Background and context SSC continuously assesses technology trends and developments to ensure it builds and adjusts a GC network that is responsive to current and future needs. SSC aims to update its capabilities in how it delivers network or connectivity services to partner organizations to support modern enterprise networks that are secure, fast, reliable, and meet the increasing demands of a digital government. A high-performing and resilient enterprise network is key to realizing a digital government and to providing digital services to public servants and Canadians. SSC provides the network infrastructure, and operational and security services to ensure that government departments and agencies have reliable and secure networks that allow service delivery to Canadians. The secure infrastructure SSC also provides safeguards information, assets, and services in accordance with GC policies. SSC is required to provide a reliable and secure network that can accommodate user demand and mobility while remaining secure and accessible from any location and at any time, to anyone that needs to access them. Secure areas have specific wireless restrictions and prohibitions; despite these restrictions, SSC is interested in pursuing technologies that can overcome these restrictions. Definition(s) Mission critical: Any telecommunications or information system that is defined as a national security system (FISMA) or processes any information the loss, misuse, disclosure, or unauthorized access to or modification of, would have a debilitating impact on the mission of an agency. (Mission Critical – NIST) Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Communications: Automated data transmission and measurement between mechanical or electronic devices. The key components of an M2M system are: Field-deployed wireless devices with embedded sensors or RFID-Wireless communication networks with complementary wireline access includes, but is not limited to cellular communication, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, WiMAX, wireless LAN (WLAN), generic DSL (xDSL) and fiber to the x (FTTx). (Gartner IT Glossary) Contract duration The estimated contract period will be 12 month(s). Trade agreements No trade agreements are applicable to this solicitation process Contracting organization Organization Group, PSPC Address 10 Wellington Gatineau, QC, K1A 0S5 Canada Contracting authority PSPC Phone (343) 596-6165 Email TPSGC.PASIC-APISC.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca Address 10 Wellington Gatineau, QC, K1A 0S5 Canada