Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Port Authority issues call for proposals for project work on Export profile

The Prince Rupert Port Authority is looking to create a comprehensive profile of the flow of export trade through Northern British Columbia, posting a call for submissions from qualified proponents to highlight the supply chains that bring goods from across the north to the Prince Rupert gateway for export.

The project submitted to the BC Bid website this month notes that the successful consultant will work with PRPA, Northern Development Initiative Trust and other organizations to identify annual export volumes (in tonnes preferably) from northern B.C., broken out by sub-regions, industries, commodity, destination, and mode of transportation.

Identification of exports will be done through literature and secondary data review, primary data collection, which is to be used in a written report and development of a microsite to display the data in an intuitive manner that leverages the use of infographics and other visual tools.

Towards the finished project, the work of the consultant will include:

Primary data collection will include interviews (and other means as seen fit) from variety of sources including economic development agencies, industry, and other key stakeholders to develop an understanding of the export supply chains in northern BC and to fill gaps in current literature and data sources. Consideration must be given to confidentiality when a limited number of exporters in a sub-region may identify an individual exporter.

Amalgamation of exporters within a commodity category may be required to protect the confidentiality in these cases. Research from literature and secondary data review, and primary review will be used to create the report and microsite.

The vast expanse of Northern British Columbia will serve as the
scope of interest for an upcoming export profile report for the
Prince Rupert Port Authority

(BC Gov't map)

The scope of the North to explore includes pretty well every community and industry or resource north of 100 Mile House to the Alberta and Yukon borders.


The report will also provide a high-level quantification of import (e.g. project cargo) and export volumes associated with major projects in northern British Columbia. Commodities identified through the research will fall into sub-groups, which will be identified in the final report.

Sub-groups may be:

Domestic (Canada, classified as an export location for the purposes of this project)

Trans-border (U.S. only)

International (broken out by Asia and non-Asia destinations).

The final report should ideally include quantified export volumes by mode of transportation (e.g. train, truck or aircraft) from each sub-region and for each commodity, reflecting supply chains from origin to destination 

For cargo leaving Canada by vessel, the quantification of export volumes by port of exit – broken down by each sub-region and commodity – would also be beneficial.

When the report all comes together, the Prince Rupert Port Authority will be looking to have received a document that provides for an understanding of current export levels and supply chains across Northern British Columbia.

In addition to the report, the consultant will prepare data tables with details on the export flows from subregions, including export levels on a commodity basis for each region, export destinations and mode of transportation.

The overall elements for the document will include:

A public facing database such as a website with an interactive map will also be prepared, informed by the data tables. In addition to the above, all data used to support the creation of all materials which will be shared with the Prince Rupert Port Authority, and Northern Development Initiative Trust

The analysis and insight from the study are expected to inform various agencies and organizations about commodities being produced and exported from Northern BC to support increased exports from the region.

The outcomes from the study will help economic development agencies in northern BC identify export operations and supporting supply chains in their area as well as potential growth opportunities

The information gained from study will allow organizations to support increased exports from northern BC sub-regions through existing export and economic development programs.

The timeline for the project starts with the selection of the preferred proponent at the end of August, the Port has some benchmark dates in place as the project moves forward.

The contact person at the Prince Rupert Port Authority is Manpreet Toor, Administrative Assistant, Public Affairs and Sustainability 

The completion date for the work set for January 31, 2021



Those with an interest in the project can explore the full prospectus for the project from the BC Bid website.

For more notes on the Prince Rupert Port Authority and port operations see our archive page here.

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