Thank you for the question.
It's a good one, because what I think many people may not see or appreciate is that requests for proposals are the reflection of a massive team effort. The Royal Canadian Navy does have a team of individuals who represent the navy and its development and defining of the requirement. However, we work hand in hand with the Department of National Defence, particularly the assistant deputy minister for materiel's team, who are responsible for turning what would be a statement of operational requirement into all of the contractual documents that go out to industry.
In the case of the CSC RFP, because of the procurement approach that's being followed, that team also includes Irving Shipbuilding and the other two key departments in any major procurement for the Department of National Defence, Public Services and Procurement Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
“Consulted”, arguably would be a bit of an understatement. We have collectively had a big team, with their hands dirty, working hard for months and months on that RFP.