Digital Services Program Guide

This program guide was prepared to assist in the completion of an application to be a Digital Service Provider for the Digital Services Program. Before starting the application process, read this guide to ensure a clear understanding of the Digital Services Program objectives and eligibility criteria. For your application to be considered, you must provide all the required information as stated in this guide.

The Digital Manitoba Initiative (DMI) was created by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce to focus on developing avenues to make digital adaptation more accessible to companies and organizations in Manitoba. With the goal of delivering meaningful initiatives for businesses across the province, DMI programs empower businesses to get the training, tools, and expert advice they need to transform their operations and thrive in today’s market. 

The Digital Services Program pairs businesses owned and operated in Manitoba with vetted Digital Service Providers who work with them to deliver a Business Technology Assessment, Cybersecurity Audit, or Digital Legal Services. Participating companies receive a final report including actionable recommendations or legal documentation (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, or End-User-License Agreement). DMI covers 100 per cent of the cost of a pre-established scope of work outlined in the statement of work signed prior to service delivery. The Digital Services Program does not cover costs relating to the implementation of recommendations or additional services that are out of scope of the program. 

• Applicant (s) include businesses applying for the Digital Services Program who have not yet been approved.

• Program Participant (s) refers to applicants who have been accepted into the Digital Services Program.

• Digital Service Provider(s) refers to vetted experts who work with Program Participants to deliver the Business Technology Assessment, Digital Legal Services, or the Cybersecurity Audit.

• Program Agreement refers to an agreement signed at the end of the application form outlining the terms and conditions the Applicant is bound by if their application is accepted for the Digital Services Program.

• Program Agreement refers to an agreement signed at the end of the application form outlining the terms and conditions the Applicant is bound by if their application is accepted for the Digital Services Program.

• Eligibility Criteria refers to the list of standards all Applicants, including service providers, must meet to apply for the Digital Services Program. Participants must remain eligible from acceptance in the program until completion.

• Statement of Work (SOW) refers to a document outlining the details and timelines of the project created by the Digital Service Provider, approved by DMI and signed by the Program Participant.

 i.   The Business Technology Assessment

The Business Technology Assessment (BTA) is designed to give a clear understanding of the current state of the Program Participant’s business infrastructure and where next steps in technology investment could increase their competitiveness in the digital economy. Program participants are paired with a Digital Service Provider who will analyze their organization to understand the technology requirements and provide a roadmap to assist in change. Participants receive a final report with actionable recommendations. Service Providers who deliver the BTA are experienced, strategic technology professionals who have led technology teams and have served as agents of change through digital adoption.

Business Technology Assessment includes:

• A current state analysis of the participant’s information technology (IT) through business and industry research, stakeholder interviews, and analysis of their technical environment and operations.
• Identification of a future desired state of the participant’s IT.
• A formal report to the participant identifying the findings and recommendations that the participant should consider actioning to achieve their desired state. The final report will be written and delivered in plain langue and include the following:
  

• Executive summary detailing business impact and recommended action
• Methodology
• Identification of critical, high, medium, and low items
  
• Process and timeline
  

• Report review with participant’s management team.

This service is conducted remotely unless otherwise discussed and agreed upon by the service provider and participant. The service provider must be agnostic and non-prescriptive in relation to technology recommendations.

Out of Scope

• The procurement and implementation of recommendations from the report.
• Troubleshooting and technical support.
• In-depth business analysis and business cases that may be necessary to fully support investments and implementations.
  

Process and Timelines

• Onboarding meeting between DMI representative, digital service provider and program participant led by the digital service provider who will provide an overview of the BTA and answer questions. During this meeting a kick-off date will be set.
• The Digital Services Provider conducts the assessment and develops and delivers the report to participant.
• The DMI representative conducts offboarding with participant which includes a short survey and exit interview.

 ii. Cybersecurity Audit

The Cybersecurity Audit is designed to provide a detailed view of your organization’s specific vulnerability to cyber-attacks and gives you a plan to implement better technology, procedures, and training to protect your business. The audit helps participants better understand how to implement measures that improve their ability to protect sensitive information and stop data breaches before they happen. Service providers who deliver cybersecurity audits through the DMI are experienced cybersecurity professionals.

The Cybersecurity Audit includes:

• Onsite scan at the participant’s main office.
• Data gathering through questionnaires.
• Technical infrastructure and compliance scan of the on-premises IT infrastructure based on participant’s needs.
  
• Governance review including interviews with staff and/or managed service providers to better understand the participant’s IT environment.
  
• Final report including remediation steps and recommended actions.
  

This service is conducted both onsite and remotely. The service provider must be agnostic and non-prescriptive in relation to technology recommendations.

Out of Scope

• Vulnerability Assessment.
• Penetration Test (pen test).
• Implementation of any recommendations.
  
• Social engineering.
  

Process and Timelines

• Onboarding meeting between DMI representative, digital service provider and program participant led by the digital service provider who will provide an overview of the cybersecurity audit and answer questions. During this meeting a kick-off date for the audit will be set.
• The Digital Services Provider conducts the auditand delivers the report to the participant.
• The DMI representative conducts offboarding with participant which includes a short survey and exit interview.

 iii. Digital Legal Services

The Digital Legal Services stream provides participants with access to legal counsel who will recommend, draft, and finalize one of three documents for their website/online platform. The cost for these services is covered by DMI.

The Digital Legal Services includes:

• Website Terms of Use: Terms of Use are important unilateral contracts that inform customers of the appropriate uses of your website and provide important protections for your business, including setting out intellectual property ownership, limiting liability, and specifying that any disputes be settled according to the law of a certain jurisdiction.
• Website Privacy Policy: Website Privacy Policies are used to fulfill an organization’s accountability obligations under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”), which requires that organizations provide specific information to customers about their information handling practices. The availability of such information plays an important role in obtaining meaningful consent. See our article Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more information about the importance of these documents.
• End User License Agreement (EULA): End-User License Agreements grant customers a license to use your software and set out the terms of that use. They are important for protecting against the alteration or redistribution of our product, among other things. They can dictate who owns the data customers input into the software and grant licenses that may be crucial to an organization’s ability to provide the services their software promises and to utilize data to improve their products.

All meetings are conducted remotely, starting with the onboarding meeting with legal counsel. Based on an initial review of the program participant’s current digital services and online presence, legal counsel will recommend which of the aforementioned documents is most appropriate and/or necessary.

Out of Scope

• Legal advice that falls outside of the purview of the 3 documents detailed above.

Process and Timelines

• Onboarding meeting between DMI representative, digital service provider and program participant led by the digital service provider who will provide an overview of the legal services delivered through the program. During this meeting the appropriate document will be recommended and a date set for when the participant will receive the first draft.
• The program participant receives the first draft, reviews the draft and answers any questions the legal counsel might have and/or provide comments.
• Legal counsel finalizes the draft and provides the participant with the completed document and instructions to post on their website or upload to their software as a service (SaaS) platform.
• The DMI representative conducts offboarding with participant which includes a short survey and exit interview.

Service Providers are required to certify that they meet all the following eligibility criteria at all times while conducting services on behalf of the Digital Manitoba Initiative. This includes from the time of application submission to delivery of the final product to the program participant and DMI. Service Providers must inform DMI of any change in their eligibility while working with DMI.

The Service Provider must:

• Be a member in good standing with your local chamber of commerce and the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce Or be prepared to become a member upon approval of their application.

• Be owned and operated in Manitoba i.e. is a business incorporated under the laws of Manitoba, with controlling shares held by a Manitoba resident;

• Be registered and in good standing with theManitoba Companies Office companiesoffice.gov.mb.ca;

• Have a minimum of 5 full-time equivalent employees** A full-time equivalent (FTE) employee is defined as receiving a T4 Statement of Remuneration Paid slip from the Applicant. One FTE is defined as at least 30hours/week of paid labour. Part-time employees must be included as fractions of 1 FTE based on average labour hours compared to typical hours for 1 FTE employee.

• Have been operating in Manitoba since April 1, 2021, or earlier;

• Be a business that respects human rights codes, labour, environment, and anti-corruption standards, as well as engages exclusively in legal activities;

• Not be a government organization or body (other than an Indigenous entity or body)or an entity in which a government organization or body (other than an Indigenous entity or band) owns equity interests;
  

• Not be a business in which equity interests are held by any current member of the Government of Manitoba, Parliament of Canada, or any current member of the Senate of Canada other than a business whose equity interests are publicly traded;
  

• Not be a business that promotes violence, incites hatred, or discriminates on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability, nor does it trade with countries proscribed by the Government of Canada;

• Not be a business that directly or indirectly promotes sexual exploitation or disseminates media content that is sexually explicit;

• And, not be a business that has been determined to have pled guilty to or been convicted of tax evasion or a criminal offence.
  

DMI reserves the right to validate the Eligibility Criteria by seeking supporting information and documentation from the Applicant or Service Provider at any point; this includes from application submission to delivery of final work product by the Digital Service Provider.

If DMI determines that the Service Provider no longer meets the Eligibility Criteria, DMI reserves the right to terminate their participation in the program. Service Providers whose agreements are terminated will be responsible for paying any and all costs incurred up to that point in time and any costs in the future associated should they be working with one of the program participants.

The Digital Services Program is designed to help small to medium sized businesses in Manitoba increase their digital capacity. All participants have applied, been screened and accepted to the program by the DMI team. Participants are required to certify that they meet all the following eligibility criteria at all times – from application to service completion.

The Program Participant must:

• Be a Sole proprietor whose owner is a Manitoba resident OR is a business incorporated under the laws of Manitoba, with controlling shares held by a Manitoba resident;

• Be registered and in good standing with the Manitoba Companies Office;

• Have invested a minimum of $3,500 investment in digital technology since April 1, 2021;

• Have a minimum of 5 full-time equivalent employees if applying for the Business Technology Assessment or the Cybersecurity Audit OR a minimum of 2 full-time equivalent employees if applying for Digital Legal Services;

• Have been operating in Manitoba since April 1, 2021, or earlier;

• Be a business that respects human rights codes, labour, environment, and anti-corruption standards, as well as engages exclusively in legal activities;

• Not be a business that has a class of shares publicly traded on a stock exchange (in Canada or outside);
  

• Not be a majority or wholly owned subsidiary or branch or sales office of a national or multinational corporation;
  

• Not be a government organization or body (other than an Indigenous entity or body)or an entity in which a government organization or body (other than an Indigenous entity or band) owns equity interests;

• Not be a business in which equity interests are held by any current member of the Government of Manitoba, Parliament of Canada, or any current member of the Senate of Canada other than a business whose equity interests are publicly traded;

• Not be a business that promotes violence, incites hatred, or discriminates on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability, nor does it trade with countries proscribed by the Government of Canada;
  

•  Not be a business that directly or indirectly promotes sexual exploitation or disseminates media content that is sexually explicit;

• And, is not a business that has been determined to have pled guilty to or been convicted of tax evasion or a criminal offence.

As part of the application process, Service Providers who apply will be asked to provide the following two documents:

• Proof of staff (T4 Summaries, deductions for the Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance premiums, and income tax from remuneration or other amounts). Do not upload personal T4 Statements and blackout any personal information such as your SIN number. Proof of staff documents will be deleted after being reviewed by the DMI assessment team. Review our privacy policy for more information.

• Manitoba Companies office file summary. The Companies Office file summary can be found online at companiesonline.gov.mb.ca. Please note that there is a five-dollar fee to access your file.

DMI reserves the right to validate the Eligibility Criteria by seeking supporting information and documentation from the Applicant or Service Provider at any point; this includes from application submission to delivery of final work product by the Digital Service Provider. As part of the eligibility determination process, DMI reserves the right to ask for additional supporting documentation such as but not limited to:

• Assurance that the Applicant is in good standing with regard to all federal, provincial, territorial and municipal laws and regulations;

• Corporate documents as the DMI deems necessary (e.g., articles of incorporation, corporate by-laws and related instruments);

• Documents confirming numbers of full-time equivalent employees, such as T4 Summaries, deductions for the Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance premiums, and income tax from remuneration or other amounts the Applicant pays to employees;

• Confirmation that any person including any consultant or in-house lobbyist who lobbies on its behalf to obtain acceptance into the Digital Services Program is required to be registered pursuant to the Lobbying Act is registered pursuant to the Act;

• Confirmation that the Applicant has not, nor has any person on its behalf, engaged any person (other than an employee) for the purposes of obtaining DMI funding and paid, or agreed to pay, that person a commission, contingency or success fee or any other consideration (whether monetary or otherwise) that is dependent upon the Applicant's acceptance into the Digital Services Program from DMI;

• Assurance that no Member of the Legislative Assembly will benefit from the non-repayable service delivered via the Digital Services Program.

Applicants must submit their Digital Services Program applications through the DMI application portal. Applications submitted in an alternate format will not be accepted or processed. Applicants may only submit one Digital Service Provider application form per company. Should there be technical difficulties accessing or using the web-based system, Applicants should contact DMI through the contact form on www.digitalmanitobainitiative.com or by emailing dmi@mbchamber.mb.ca

Applicants will be asked to submit the following information through the DMI application portal:

• General business information

• Manitoba Companies Office file summary. To access your Companies Office file summary, log in or create an account, and select Certificate of Status from the Main Menu. Search your business name, click on it, and click the View File Summary Button. Note: there is a $5 fee to access your file summary. Download the file summary and upload it while completing the application form. https://youtu.be/EKXwvIZjSpY

• Proof of staffing [T4 Summaries, deductions for the Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance premiums, and income tax from remuneration or other amounts]

• Brief written summary outlining why the applicant is qualified to deliver the service stream selected.

• Application: The applicant creates an account to complete and submit their Digital Service Provider application form via the DMI portal. Applicants will be notified via email within5-10 business days if their application has passed the initial screening round or if it has been rejected.

• Screening Interview: Following confirmation that the applicant has passed the initial screening round, they will be asked to participate in a 15-minute interview on Microsoft Teams with a DMI representative to assess their capacity, confirm alignment with the program’s intent, and confirm they meet all Eligibility Criteria. Please note this is not confirmation of final approval of the application and does not constitute a commitment on part of DMI to approve the application and accept the Applicant into the program. Applicants will be notified within 5 – 10business days via email of their acceptance into the program or rejection.

•  Approval: Approved applicants receive an email with instructions on next steps including a link to book their onboarding meeting with the DMI Program Manager and a list of requirements to get them set up in the DMI system along with their contract. Although approved by DMI, Digital Service Providers are not agents, partners, or employees of DMI.

• Onboarding Meeting: The initial onboarding meeting will take place on Microsoft teams. During this meeting the Program Manager will explain the program service delivery, reporting requirements, and answer questions.

• Service Delivery: Once the onboarding meeting has been completed, the service provider is ready to be matched with suitable program participants, in line with the service provider’s expertise. DMI does not guarantee that all approved service providers will be matched.

• Participant Approval: The participating company submits their application form, has their screening interview, and is approved. After notification approval the participant is paired with an approved Service Provider and signs a statement of work attached to their account and they are able to book their onboarding meeting with their designated Service Provider.

• Onboarding meeting: The Service Provider is sent the onboarding meeting invite from DMI along with the participant’s signed SOW. During the 30-minuteonboardingmeeting the Digital Service Provider will explain their service delivery process, set deadlines or kick-offs, and next steps while answering any questions. 

• Service Delivery: The Services Provider works with the participant to deliver the services as outline in the statement of work. During service delivery, the Service Provider is must provide DMI with weekly progress reports. All services must be completed within three months of the onboarding meeting.

• Service Delivery Completion: Once the work product is delivered to the participant, they will complete exit survey and 15-minute exit interview with DMI representative. The service provider may be contacted for questions at this time.

Service Providers agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth and must act in compliance with the guidelines governing the Digital Services Program as set out in this Program Guide.

Service Providers agree:

• To participate fully in the Digital Services Program, be reasonably available to the program participant (client) and support their efforts to enable completion of the work product by a pre-determined, agreed upon date OR within 3 months of service onboarding meeting.

• To provide DMI with a regular/recurring availability schedule to enable onboarding meetings with participants via Calendly.

• That the Digital Services Program will only cover expenses agreed per the fee schedule for pre-approved work product (assigned assessments) and charged directly to DMI.

• To act in compliance with guidelines governing the Digital Services Program as set out in the Program Guide. Should DMI determine that the applicant or Service Provider is not in compliance with all terms and conditions as set out in the program guide and any additional instructions or conditions as stipulated by DMI during the period of eligibility, the agreement may be terminated by DMI at its sole discretion.

• To maintain eligibility as outlined in the Eligibility Criteria from the time of application until Digital Services Program completion is confirmed by DMI.

• To inform DMI of any change in eligibility asoutlined in the Eligibility Criteria. Should the applicant or Service Providerno longer meet the eligibility requirements, their participation in the DigitalServices Program will be terminated.

• That DMI may disclose any information submitted in the application to its funding bodies or to outside entities, subject to applicable restrictions associated with privacy, confidentiality, and security for the following purposes:

  1. To reach a decision on the application;

  2. To support transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement; and

  3. To respond to requests made under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

• That any information (including personal information) obtained in confidence from any Third Party by the Service Provider and provided to DMI under the terms of this Agreement, will be marked as "confidential" by the Service Provider and they shall ensure it was disclosed to DMI with the consent of the Third Party. DMI shall ensure that any disclosure of the Third-Party information is done in compliance with all legal requirements relating to personal information and Third-Party confidential information.

• Shall indemnify the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and DMI from any claim or cause of action arising from injury, damage, or death sustained in carrying out this Agreement.

• To note that this Agreement does not create a partnership, agency or joint venture and the Service Provider shall not represent itself as an agent, partner, or employee of DMI or the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce in carrying it out.

• To not in any way authorized to make a promise, agreement, or contract or to incur any liability on behalf of DMI or the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

• To note that the submission of the application does not constitute a commitment on the part of DMI to accept the Service Provider as an approved service provider to the Digital Services Program. In accordance with the Program Guide, acceptance to the program will be confirmed via email notification upon approval of the application followed by an onboarding meeting.

Should DMI determine that the Service Provider is not in compliance with all of the terms and conditions as set out in the Program Guide and agreed to in the application form, the agreement may be terminated by DMI, at its sole discretion.

DMI may disclose any information submitted in this Application within the Government of Canada or to outside entities(e.g., Canada Revenue Agency, Digital Advisors), subject to applicable restrictions associated with privacy, confidentiality and security for the following purposes:
‍
a.     To reach a decision on the Application;
b.     To support transparency, accountability and citizen engagement; and
c.     To respond to requests made under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Any information (including any personal information) obtained in confidence from any Third Party by the Applicant and provided to DMI in the application process will be marked as "confidential" by the Applicant and the Applicant shall ensure they are responsible for and represents and warrants to DMI that they have obtained the consent of the Third Party. DMI shall ensure that any disclosure of Third-Party information is done in compliance with all legal requirements relating to personal information and Third-Party confidential information. The Digital Services Program falls under the laws of the Government of Canada and therefor any information may be disclosed to the Government of Canada and subject to any ATIA requests.

All enquiries regarding applications for the Digital Services Program must be sent in writing to dmi@mbchamber.mb.ca

DMI retains the right to make public announcements and to publish the names of funding recipients. DMI may request permission from Service Providers to feature success stories derived from program support for DMI communications purposes.