Notice of intent 

For

Supply of CradlePoint MB-MC400 5GB Modems and Doors for Transit Fleet

Notice of Intent to Award No.:NOI-2026-0066

Issued: June 5, 2026

1. Notice of Intent (“NOI”)

This Notice of Intent is issued by City of St. Albert (the “City’) for procurements as required by policy and trade agreements in relation to a specific procurement, as detailed below. 

This is a public notice indicating to the vendor community that the City intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre‐identified vendor, thereby allowing other vendors to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a Statement of Capabilities. If no vendor submits a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in this NOI, on or before the closing date specified above, the City may then proceed with the award to the pre‐ identified vendor.

The City has a requirement for the supply and delivery of Sixty-Five (65) CradlePoint  MB-MC400 5GB Modems and Doors  for City use. The purpose of this NOI is to signal the City’s intention to award a contract for these services and/or goods to the vendor identified in this notice.

Before awarding a contract, however, the City provides other vendors with the opportunity to demonstrate that they can satisfy the requirements set out in this NOI by submitting a Statement of Capabilities during the posting period.

If other potential vendors submit Statements of Capabilities during the posting period that meet the requirements set out in the NOI, the City may undertake a public bid solicitation process in order to award the contract to a vendor that meets the City’s requirements. If no other vendor submits, on or before the closing date a Statement of Capabilities meeting the requirements set out in this NOI, a contract will be awarded to the pre‐selected vendor.

2. Description of Procurement

   The supply and delivery of specialized components required to upgrade and extend the lifecycle of the Regional Smart Bus and Smart Fare hardware currently deployed across the City of St. Albert transit fleet.

    

   Historically, the regional smart bus system has demonstrated sensitivity to prolonged data download times, which can result in system failures and associated fare revenue losses. To maintain operational reliability, service continuity, and platform performance both regionally and within St. Albert, this procurement is necessary.

    

   This initiative involves upgrading existing Cradlepoint IBR1700 routers from 4G to 5G capability through the installation of MB-MC400 5G modems, along with the replacement of router doors to ensure secure housing of the upgraded hardware.

    

   This procurement specifically includes the supply and delivery of:

   •     65 CradlePoint MB-MC400 5GB Modems that are compatible and fit inside the CradlePoint IBR1700 router

   •     65 CradlePoint Modem doors to secure modem into existing CradlePoint IBR1700 routers

    

3. Justification of Award

The existing CradlePoint IBR1700 routers installed within the St. Albert Transit bus fleet are designed to support both 4G and 5G capabilities; however, they are currently operating at 4G capacity as supplied. To achieve the required 5G performance, MB-MC400 5G modems must be installed within the routers. Given the high volume and duration of data uploads and downloads associated with the Smart Bus and Smart Fare systems, upgrading to 5G is necessary to ensure reliable, accurate, and timely data transmission, while minimizing service disruptions.

Bell Canada is the original supplier and service provider of the Cradlepoint IBR1700 routers and associated licensing for regional transit agencies, including those in the Edmonton area. Accordingly, a procurement must be conducted through this vendor to ensure system compatibility, maintain platform integrity, preserve warranty coverage, comply with licensing requirements, and obtain consistent regional pricing.

4. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities (Minimum Essential Requirements)

Any interested vendor must demonstrate in a Statement of Capabilities that it meets the following:

• Ability to supply and deliver 65 CradlePoint modems with doors within 90 days of contract award.
• Able to supply and deliver these parts at equal or lesser cost, with no additional fees, including licensing or administration fees.

• Proof of being an authorized distributor of CradlePoint components/hardware, for the specified parts.

   

5. Award Details 

1. Vendor (pre-identified):  Bell Canada

2. Time Frame for Delivery or Length of Contract and Extension Options

The term of the agreement will be in effect until the completion of the Deliverables to the City of St. Albert Transit, 235 Carnegie Drive, St. Albert, Alberta T8N 5A7 Canada.

3. Value: $55,250.00 excluding GST.

6. Deadline for Statement of Capabilities

7. The submission deadline for this NOIA will be specified on the bidding system.

8. Contact Information

To contact the City in relation to this NOI, respondents must initiate the communication electronically through the bidding system. The City will not accept any respondent’s communications by any other means, except as specifically stated in this NOI.

For the purposes of this procurement process, 

Questions related to this NOI are to be submitted through the bidding system only by clicking on the “Submit a Question” button for this specific notice.   

8.  Statement of Capabilities Submission Instructions

If you intend to provide a Statement of Capabilities per these NOI requirements, submit by using “Submit a Question” and adding an attachment in the bidding system.

9. Trade Agreements 

Unless otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable exceptions and exclusions, this procurement is covered by:

N/A