External communication may take place between project team members and the following parties:
• Individuals within Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation or other departments and the SIO who are not directly involved in the Project and have not executed confidentiality undertaking specifically for the Project.
• Interested Parties, Respondents and Proponents.
• The general public and the media.
External communications is conducted according to the following protocol:
1. All the requests for communication from external parties are directed to the Project Director or the Contact Person. Communication is only to take place between external parties and the Project Director or the Contact Person.
2. With respect to communication within the Government of Alberta and SIO, the Project Director determines and documents the appropriate information to release on the need-to-know basis. If confidential information is deemed necessary for a particular individual, the Project Director ensures that a confidentiality undertaking is executed by such individual prior to releasing the confidential information. All communication external to the project team but within the Government of Alberta and SIO is documented by the Project Director.
3. Individuals other than the Project Director are not authorized to release any information with respect to the Project to Interested Parties, Respondents, Proponents, the general public or the media, unless otherwise explicitly specified.
4. Communications with Respondents/Proponents are conducted only through the Contact Person. All communications with Respondents/Proponents are documented. Unless specified in the RFQ/RFP, individual meetings or discussions with Respondents/Proponents are not allowed.
5. All requests for communication from the general public or the media are directed to the Project Director, who notifies appropriate personnel in Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation and if necessary, other departments and the SIO to determine whether or not a request is granted. All requests are documented, along with the decision to grant the request or not, and any information released to the requester.