INTRODUCTION
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is the national representative organization of First Nations people in Canada. The AFN represents and advocates First Nations interests for more than 600 First Nations from across the country.
The AFN Social Development Sector is hosting a national in-person event, on Income Assistance (IA), tentatively scheduled to take place on February 6-8, 2024. The AFN is seeking proposals for an Event Planner/Coordinator to provide planning, coordination, notetaking, and reporting services.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the Request for Proposals (RFP) is to select a bidder to provide a high quality of professionalism, integrity and confidentiality in supporting coordination services for the AFN’s national forum on IA.
The event is tentatively scheduled for February 6-8, 2024. The work is expected to commence December 11, 2024, and will be completed by March 31, 2024.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Indigenous Services Canada’s (ISC) IA Program was developed in 1964 to provide financial assistance to First Nations individuals residing on-reserve and in the Yukon to meet their basic needs. The IA Program has never been responsive to the unique needs of First Nations and has largely remained stagnant and unchanged since its inception, only changing to mirror provincial and territorial income assistance rates and eligibility criteria which has resulted in systemic gaps and insufficient funding to meet the needs of First Nations, leading to greater dependence on the program instead of supporting transitions to employment or education.
In 2018, ISC committed to reforming the IA Program with First Nations. Following this, the AFN First Nations-in-Assembly passed Resolution 89/2019, Continuing First Nations Income Assistance Program Reform. In 2022, First Nations-in-Assembly passed Resolution 07/2022, Reform of the On-Reserve Income Assistance Program, validating the First Nations-created policy recommendations. The policy recommendations were submitted to ISC in a Memorandum to Cabinet (MC) in January 2023. The AFN has been working diligently with the Technical Working Group on Social Development (TWGSD) to advocate for First Nations Income Assistance clients, case managers, and First Nations self-determination and self-governance and ensure First Nation’s voices are at the forefront of policy considerations.
SCOPE OF WORK
The work of the Event Planner/Coordinator may include the following:
Preparatory:
- An initial meeting with the AFN Social Development Sector, as well as participation in regular planning meetings to review logistics, communications, etc.
- Provide ongoing logistical support in preparation of the event, including agenda logistics and planning, developing a critical path with milestones leading up to the event, etc.
- Oversee coordination and onboarding of presenters and panelists, including invitations to identified speakers, RSVPs, biographies, presentation materials, etc.
- Support the development of materials and a process to communicate with potential delegates (Save the Date, invitations, microsite content, etc.).
- Coordinate with external contractors (e.g., translation and interpretation, A/V, etc.), including seeking quotes.
- Set up the registration process, in conjunction with the AFN.
During the event:
- Provide notetaking support during plenary sessions (to be supported by AFN notetakers) in-person.
- Coordinate with contractors, speakers, and AFN staff, on-site, to address and mitigate issues as they arise.
Following the event:
- Provide a debrief with the AFN staff to review the event, identify issues and possible solutions for future events.
- Provide a written report from the event that captures the essence of the discussions at the event, as well as highlighting action items and next steps.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
All proposals shall be received by the AFN no later than 5:00pm EST on November 27, 2023. Proposals must be submitted in PDF.
All proposals will clearly identify the name of the proponent and the note “RFP for AFN Event Planner/Coordinator” in the subject line.
Late submissions will not be accepted.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
All proposals shall include the following information:
- Name
- Address
- A summary outlining the background of the proponent’s company, the proposal contents, and any specific exceptions to the stated requirements.
- A description of the proponent’s qualifications, capabilities and experience specifically related to the Request for Proposals.
- A description of the physical and human resources required to complete the activities outlined in the Request for Proposals, including identification of the project team members, if any, and their roles and experience.
- A proposed timeline and methodology that identifies the time and resources required to complete the proposed work.
- A cost breakdown for the proposed services, in Canadian dollars and inclusive of HST.
- The name, title and contact information for three (3) references that have used the services of the proponent.
RIGHTS OF THE AFN
The AFN reserves the right to:
- Reject any or all proposals received in response to this Request for Proposals;
- Enter into negotiation with one or more bidders on any or all aspects of their respective proposals;
- Accept any proposal in whole, or in part;
- Cancel and/or re-issue the modified version of a given RFP requirement at any time;
- Award one or more contracts;
- Verify all information provided with respect to a given RFP requirement, including the right to request a confirmation of the bidder’s legal status and signed documentation; and
- Award contracts without competition for follow-up work, if any, to the selected bidder for a given project requirement.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The AFN will select the Proponent(s) which, in the AFN’s sole discretion, best serves the needs of the AFN. The following is a summary of the general considerations that will be used to determine the Proponent(s) that will be selected:
|
Expertise of Firm/Organization submitting the proposal, including relevance of the proponent’s experience for the project content |
20% |
|
Experience working with First Nations and First Nations organizations |
20% |
|
Proposed Work Plan and Approach, including allocation of time to tasks and activities identified in the proposal |
20% |
|
Total price associated with proposed tasks and activities |
20% |
|
Overall impressions of the proposal |
20% |
TIMETABLE
The following dates are set forth for informational and planning purposes and may be changed at the AFN’s sole discretion.
|
RFP released/posted |
November 6, 2023 |
|
Deadline for questions |
November 22, 2023 |
|
Deadline for proposal submission |
November 27, 2023 |
|
Completion of proposal evaluations |
November 30, 2023 |
|
Final selection |
December 1, 2023 |
|
Expected contract start date |
December 11, 2023 |
The timetable is tentative only and may be changed by the AFN, in its sole discretion, at any time prior to the Proposal Submission Deadline.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Price
Contractors must provide a firm fixed price, including administrative fees, material costs, equipment and HST. Travel will be reimbursed according to AFN policies on top of contract amount.
Confidentiality
Responses to this RFP will be considered as confidential information by the AFN and will be used solely for the purposes of selecting the successful bidder.
Clarification/Questions
Requests for clarification and/or questions regarding this RFP will be responded to within three business days of receipt and must be received by 5:00pm EST on November 22, 2023. Requests for clarification and/or questions should be directed to:
Stephanie Wellman
Director, Social Development
Assembly of First Nations
Email: [email protected]
Responses/Submission
Only those submissions that meet the deadline will be considered. All on-time proposals will be acknowledged.
Responses to this RFP must be received by close of business (5:00pm EST) on November 27, 2023.
Responses must be sent by e-mail to:
Stephanie Wellman
Director, Social Development
Assembly of First Nations
Email: [email protected]