Project
Request for quotation for consulting services, for creation of a new 5-year organizational strategic plan
Budget
$25,000-$40,000 CAD
Project timeline
January 2024 – Summer/Fall 2024 (flexible)
Deadline for quote submission
January 12, 2024
Notification of successful bid
No later than February 23, 2024
Purchaser
Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights
501 - 240 Bank Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 1X4
Contact
Lesley Hoyles, Director of Operations
Email: lesley@actioncanadashr.org
Phone: 613-319-5164
Project Overview
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights is embarking a process to develop its new strategic plan for 2024 – 2030. We are a seeking an experienced consultant or team of consultants to design and facilitate a participatory strategic planning process with Action Canada’s staff and Board of Directors that will build on our achievements, refine our strategic framework to effectively respond to a rapidly changing context, and support the health and sustainability of the organization into the future. The work of the consultant(s) will be supported and guided by a Strategic Planning Working Group comprised of Action Canada Board and staff members.
Background
About Action Canada
Established in 2014 following the merger of three of Canada’s leading sexual and reproductive health and rights organizations[1], Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights is a progressive, pro-choice charitable organization committed to advancing and upholding sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada and globally.
Over the past ten years, Action Canada has grown from a team of six people based in Ottawa to a team of 28 people working across Canada. In 2018, we also opened an office in Geneva with a team of seven to support the work of the Sexual Rights Initiative, a global feminist coalition for which we are a partner and host the secretariat. We have worked tirelessly to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights through policy advocacy, public engagement, frontline service provision, health promotion, and cross-sectoral movement building. We are firmly established as the national voice for sexual and reproductive rights in Canada, as a strategic advisor in global and national policy-making processes, and as a valued member of a broad range of social justice coalitions.
As we sunset our 2019-2024 strategic plan, we are taking stock of the growth of the organization, the lessons we have learned, and the positive impact we have made in people’s lives. We are also reflecting on the current state of sexual and reproductive rights amidst a context of concurrent global crises, ascending anti-democratic sentiment, and growing inequality. Looking to the future, Action Canada recognizes the urgent need to refine its strategic framework to meet the moment we are in and to guide our internal and external work for the next five years.
Project Scope
The successful consultant will develop a new five-year strategic plan for Action Canada. Activities include (but are not limited to):
- Review of the current strategic plan, mission, vision, and values
- Design of a participatory process that engages staff, Board, and external stakeholders (as relevant) to develop Action Canada’s new strategic plan which includes (but is not limited to):
- Context analysis
- Problem identification
- Theory of Change
- Strategic goals
- Success Indicators
- Evaluation methods
- Participatory engagement process which could include:
- Focus groups comprised of staff and Board members
- Strategic meetings with staff and board
- Key informant interviews
- Stakeholder mapping
- Facilitate in person and/or virtual strategic meetings
- Draft the strategic plan based on the outcomes of the strategic planning development processes
- Validate the strategic plan with key stakeholders (as identified through the planning process)
Project Specifications
The ultimate goal of the project is to develop a new, comprehensive five-year strategic plan for Action Canada that includes clear goals, objectives, strategies, and performance indicators.
In collaboration with the Strategic Planning Working Group, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Director, the consultant(s) will develop a program of activities to review the current plan, to assess the landscape in which Action Canada is working, to engage key stakeholders, and to ultimately develop a final plan to drive Action Canada’s work over the next five years.
Work will begin in February 2024 after the selection of a consultant. Timeline for delivery of the strategic plan is somewhat flexible (summer/fall 2024) depending on the proposed project plan. Most meetings will take place virtually, but there may be opportunities for one to two in-person meetings in Ottawa. Costs for travel required by Action Canada for these meetings will be covered by the organization.
Requirements
- Demonstrated experience developing strategic planning processes with mid-size non-profit organizations;
- Demonstrated experience in grounding strategic planning processes in feminist, anti-racism and anti-oppression principles and practices;
- Consultants must be based in Canada or highly familiar with a Canadian context.
Additional Assets
- Experience in measurement and evaluation in strategic planning, with insights into the outcomes of previous projects.
To Apply
Please submit a proposal of a maximum of four pages (not including CV), that must include the following:
- A description of how you would undertake the above-mentioned activities, as well as any additional activities, within the timeline and budget;
- A description of previous contracts and experience that have prepared you for this project, and how you have grounded your previous work in feminist, anti-racist and anti-oppressive principles and practices (and if you wish, how your lived experience contributes to that goal);
- Proposed budget for the project (within the proscribed range);
- A sample strategic plan as an exemplar of the types of plans you have created;
- Contact information for at least one previous client for whom you have undertaken similar work.
Please submit your proposal by email to Lesley Hoyles, Director of Operations and project lead, at lesley@actioncanadashr.org, by 11:59pm ET on Friday, January 12, 2024.
Should you have questions about the RFP, you may also reach out to Lesley at the email above. Please note that Action Canada’s administrative office will be closed from December 20 to January 3 inclusive, so questions will not be answered during that time.
Consultants selected for an interview will be contacted no later than February 9, 2024.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria and weighting:
[1] Canadians for Choice (formerly CARAL), the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (formerly Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada) and Action Canada for Population and Development
