This report contains the findings of the Evaluation of the Qualifying and Testing Services Program of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The David Florida Laboratory (DFL), located in Ottawa, Ontario, is the main mechanism through which the program is delivered. This program carries out specialized activities and services for the assembly, integration and testing (AIT) of space hardware (e.g., satellites and components) on behalf of the CSA and external clients, both in Canada and internationally. The program exists to ensure that mission-assigned technology and entire systems can safely and reliably meet the rigours of space.
The study was conducted between April and September 2014 on behalf of the CSA Audit and Evaluation Directorate by a consortium of firms led by Kelly Sears Consulting Group. The evaluation is a requirement of the CSA five-year evaluation plan, which, in accordance with Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Policy on Evaluation (2009) requiring that all federal programs be evaluated every five years. An Evaluation Consultative Group, consisting of representatives from the CSA (St. Hubert and the DFL) guided the work of the consulting team.
The evaluation involved the following methods: a review of a considerable amount of documentation and literature; the conduct of 44 interviews within the CSA and with external DFL clients; and a benchmarking study of eight other AIT facilities in other countries.