Request for Proposals: Youth Program Design Consultant
Description
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is seeking a consultant to support the development of an 8-month annual program for youth working on anti-racism. The requirements of this consultancy are described in the section of the Statement of Work (“SOW”).
CRRF supports diversity and encourages proponents to self-identify as company/individual with racialized identities where applicable.
Instructions
a) This RFP and any subsequent agreements related to the subject matter hereof will be governed according to the laws of the Province of Ontario.
b) This RFP is NOT an offer to enter into an agreement with any party but rather a request to receive proposals including pricing from individuals or companies interested in providing the products and/or services outlined herein. Such proposals will be treated by CRRF as offers to enter into an agreement. The CRRF reserves the right to reject any proposals, in whole or in part, and/or to enter into negotiations with any party to provide such products and/or services to the CRRF.
c) The CRRF reserves the right to proportionally scale down its requirement as identified in the attached Terms of Reference and to select (a) preferred proponent(s) based on those reduced requirements.
d) The CRRF shall not be responsible, and will not reimburse any proponent, for any cost or expense incurred in the preparation, submission or presentation of a response to this RFP.
e) The CRRF reserves the right at any stage of the evaluation of the proposals to request proponents to provide clarification, additional information or personal presentation concerning their proposal. The Applicant, however, will not be allowed to modify their proposal once submitted.
f) The obligation of the CRRF to explain its final preferred selection to any proponent shall be limited to said proponent’s proposal. In order to safeguard the confidentiality of information provided by any proponents, the CRRF shall not, under any circumstances, disclose details of any other proposals(s) with the exception of the name of the preferred vendor selected as the successful proponent.
g) Any questions from potential vendors regarding the RFP should be directed to and will be handled by:
Uswah Ahsan, Program Manager, uahsan@crrf-fcrr.ca
h) All enquiries must be in writing to receive a response. A written response to any questions will be sent to all participants.
Questions will not be accepted or responded to if received after July 31, 2pm EST.
i) Information provided verbally will not be binding upon the CRRF. The proponent must have written confirmation from the CRRF for any change or alteration concerning this RFP.
j) The CRRF reserves the right to verify all information provided by a proponent by means of direct contact with the proponent’s prior clients, associates, and personnel. The proponent must agree to provide and release necessary authorizations to verify any of the proponent’s previous experience. Misstatements of experience and scope of prior experience may be grounds for disqualification of a proponent.
k) The CRRF reserves the right to disqualify any proponent if its response to the RFP indicates that the way the proponent provides services may adversely affect the CRRF’s existing business relationships.
l) At any time, the CRRF may cancel this RFP in whole or in part at no cost or penalty to the CRRF. No reason for cancellation needs to be given.
m) The disclosure of information received relevant to the issue of bid solicitations or the award of contracts shall be made by the appropriate Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s officers in accordance with the provisions of the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act.
n) The successful proponent shall be required to enter into a formal contract Agreement with the CRRF based on these Instructions and all other Contract Documents described herein.
o) While it will be a significant factor, the lowest-priced proposal submitted will not automatically awarded the contract. The selection of a preferred proponent will be based on an evaluation of ALL of the proposal requirements and NOT on any single factor.
p) The CRRF reserves the right to request a virtual meeting with a short-listed proponent for alignment assessment.
q) The successful proponent may be awarded additional work.
r) The CRRF reserves the right to implement a ceiling for total hours of work during the consultancy.
About CRRF & Business Environment
a. The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is a Crown corporation that reports to parliament through the Minister of Heritage. It was created in 1996 to reaffirm the principles of justice and equality for all in Canada. The mandate of the Foundation is to facilitate throughout Canada the development, sharing, and application of knowledge and expertise to contribute to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society.
b. Our Mission: The Canadian Race Relations Foundation is committed to building a national framework for the fight against racism in Canadian society. We will do this through knowledge sharing and community support in the pursuit of equity, fairness, social justice, and systemic change.
c. Our Work: CRRF is a valued resource and recognized leader to support or lead efforts and initiatives in the development, sharing and application of knowledge and expertise to contribute to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society by:
- Undertaking research and collecting data and developing a national information repository to further the understanding of the nature of racism and racial discrimination, and to assist business, labour, voluntary, community and other organizations as well as public institutions, governments, researchers, and the public in eliminating racism and racism discrimination.
- Acting as a clearinghouse, providing information about race relations resources and establishing links with public, private, and educational institutions and libraries; Facilitating consultation, and the exchange of information, relating to race relations policies, programs, and research.
- Collaborating with business, labour, voluntary, community and other organizations, as well as public institutions and all levels of government, in instituting and supporting programs and activities; and Supporting and promoting the development of effective policies and programs for the elimination of racism and racial discrimination.
- CRRF funds community organizations that implement anti-racism programs and activities across the country.
- CRRF’s head office is in Toronto, with staff in Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, and Halifax.
You can find further information about CRRF by visiting our website at the following address: www.crrf-fcrr.ca.
Request for Proposal Target Dates
The following schedule summarizes significant target events for the RFP process. The dates may be changed by CRRF at its sole discretion and shall not become conditions of any contract that may be entered by CRRF and the selected Proponent.
- RFP Issue Date: July 17, 2023
- Deadline for Inquiries: July 31, 2023, 2:00 PM EST
- RFP Close Date: August 4, 2023, 2:00 PM EST
- Meetings with Shortlisted Proponents: August 14 to August 18, 2023
- Successful Proponent is Notified: August 31, 2023
Statement of Work
This section is intended to provide Proponents with the information necessary to develop competitive proposals. The Statement of Work (“SOW”) is a general description of the tasks to be done, results to be achieved, or the goods to be supplied.
Overview
The purpose of this consultancy is to support the CRRF in developing a program for youth leaders to build capacity and collaboration on anti-racism work. The Programs and Outreach Department has already launched a pilot version of this program and now wishes to structure it as a recurring program at the CRRF.
Deliverables
The Programs and Outreach Department requires the following deliverables in collaboration with their team:
- High-level program structure and timeline
- High-level program workflow and milestones
- Recruitment process for youth participants and timeline
- Onboarding materials for youth participants at the start of every cohort
- Strategy for building relationships within the youth cohort and with alumni cohorts
- Strategy for sourcing mentors, speakers, and other key stakeholders for the program
- Program evaluation
Project Timeline
CRRF wishes to start work by September 4th, 2023 and complete work by February 23, 2023.
Key Goals & Objectives
Goal: The CRRF aims to have a meaningful and sustainable yearly program for youth leading anti-racism efforts who are seeking capacity and network building support.
Objectives:
- Build a complete and thorough program that is informed by youth needs and the current environment for anti-racism work
- Create tools to ensure program sustainability and risk management
- Be a recognizable support for youth leaders of anti-racism through this program
Scope of Work
Background Resource Provision
The Programs and Outreach Department will provide the hired consultant with essential materials from the pilot phase of the youth program to use as reference when completing their deliverables.
- These materials include but are not limited to:
- Report from the consultation phase of the project
- Feedback report from the pilot event
- Feedback survey results from the pilot event
Language
The Proponent may write their proposal in English or French. However, the working language of the Department is English.
Proposal Guidelines
The proposal should be organized into two (2) components.
Cover Letter
The proponent is required to submit a 2-page maximum cover letter that includes the following:
- The RFP title: “Youth Lab Program Design Consultant RFP” in English or “Consultant pour la conception du programme le laboratoire de la jeunesse” in French
- The primary contact person for this RFP: the individual’s name, email, and optionally a phone number
- A statement confirming the validity of the proposal
- A statement confirming that the proponent does not have a conflict of interest with this RFP, real or perceived
- Explanation of the proponent’s experience and impact developing youth programs
- Explanation of the proponent’s experience working on issues related to anti-racism, equity, inclusion
- Two current or past client references
- If applicable, a voluntary indication of whether the proponent self identifies as having racialized identities. Please note that if the proponent represents a company, the voluntary indication should note whether a majority of members of this company have racialized identities.
- The letter signed by the person(s) duly authorized to sign on behalf of the proponent and bind the proponent to statements made in response to the RFP
Work Plan and Process
The proponent is required to submit an anticipated plan for work that does not exceed four (4) pages. This proposal must include:
- A summary of the proponent’s understanding of the project;
- The proponent’s anticipated process or approach to completing the deliverables set out in the Statement of Work
- A list of software, materials, and other costs that the proponent expects the CRRF to incur in order to complete the deliverables
- An approximate timeline for work to be done between August 2023 and February 2024, including an estimation of total hours of work
Consultant Fee
The successful proponent will be awarded the consultancy agreement and shall be remunerated at the fee of $150 per hour. The CRRF may implement a ceiling for total hours worked at its own discretion.
Proposal Submission
Proponents should submit their proposal by email, in PDF format to Uswah Ahsan at the email uahsan@crrf-fcrr.ca. The Subject line should cite “Youth Lab Program Design Consultant RFP”.