Government of Canada awards contracts to help modernize immigration and citizenship services

GATINEAU, QC, July 21, 2023 /CNW/ - Canada continues to receive unprecedented interest from people around the world who want to come here to work, study and build lives with their families. To improve that experience, the Government of Canada is modernizing its immigration platform to help ensure Canada remains a destination of choice.

The Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, and the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced that the Government of Canada has awarded 2 contracts, with a combined initial value of $85.4 million, to develop the new Client Experience Platform, which will provide clients with a more user-friendly interface to access Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) programs and services. Once fully implemented over the next few years, the new platform will provide the tools and capabilities needed to offer a seamless client experience, enable IRCC to personalize services to clients, and replace outdated client-facing portals and tools.

A $10.5 million contract has been awarded to Salesforce Canada Corporation, a software-as-a-service publisher that will provide the core technology, licensing, support and maintenance for the platform. This 5-year contract has options to be extended by 15 additional years. Another $74.9 million contract has been awarded to Accenture Inc., a systems integrator that will provide services as needed to support configurations, customizations and implementation of the new platform. This 2-year contract has options to be extended by 5 additional years. Accenture Inc. is committed to setting aside 15.1% of the annual contract value for Indigenous participation, with various direct and indirect benefits.

Salesforce Canada Corporation and Accenture Inc. will support IRCC in designing, implementing and maintaining the new platform. Work will begin later this summer, with initial implementation to a subset of clients anticipated in fall 2023.

Quotes

"Our government is procuring what is needed to continually improve how we deliver programs and services. Completion of this competitive procurement process for the Client Experience Platform marks an important step towards better meeting the needs of Canadians and clients of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada."

The Honourable Helena Jaczek
Minister of Public Services and Procurement

"Procuring this new client platform is an important step in our efforts to build a stronger immigration system for Canada for years to come. It will be key to providing clients with a simpler, more consistent, intuitive and transparent experience as they embark on one of the most significant changes in their lives."

The Honourable Sean Fraser
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

• Budget 2021 included critical investments to support the modernization of IRCC's business. Funding of $827.3 million over 5 years will enable IRCC to develop and deliver a more modern digital platform. This secure, stable and flexible platform will help improve application processing and support for applicants.
• On January 19, 2023, the Government of Canada launched a request for proposal for the Client Experience Platform that was open until March 28, 2023.
• IRCC is moving forward with early procurement of the Client Experience Platform to accelerate benefits to clients and partners.
• The Government of Canada is currently conducting a separate procurement process to procure the Case Management Platform, which will complement the Client Experience Platform and manage application processing. It is anticipated that this procurement process will be completed in spring 2024.
• IRCC is working to build a stronger immigration system that will focus on people, families and communities, and address labour shortages, while being flexible enough to respond to global humanitarian crises and help those who need it most.

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SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

Olivier Pilon, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Helena Jaczek, 613-323-6621, [email protected]; Media Relations: Public Services and Procurement Canada, 819-420-5501, [email protected]; Bahoz Dara Aziz Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Sean Fraser, [email protected]; Media Relations: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 613-952-1650, [email protected]