Introduction
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is a national advocacy organization that works to advance the collective aspirations of First Nations. The AFN hosts at least two Assemblies each year where mandates and directives for the organization are established through resolutions directed and supported by the First Nations in Assembly, (elected Chiefs or proxies from member First Nations). The AFN is also guided by an Executive Committee consisting of an elected National Chief and Regional Chiefs from each province and territory.
To date, gathering data on First Nations homelessness has not been done in a consistent way that respects the First Nations principles of OCAP® (ownership, control, access, and possession of the data), First Nations’ data sovereignty which in an element to their Inherent right to self-determination, nor their rights to define homelessness in their own way. While some disaggregated data does exist related to First Nations homelessness in urban communities that conduct point-in-time (PiT) counts, there is little data to represent the nature and extent of homelessness on community. The work resulting from this RFP is intended to gather preliminary data and determine the feasibility of the First Nations On-Community Homelessness Data Collection Methodology.
Objective
The objective of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to select a bidder (“Proponent”) to successfully coordinate, implement, and provide oversight for the five-month pilot (April 2026 – July 2026) of the First Nations On-Community Homelessness Data Collection Methodology. This will involve working with regional partners and local staff to deploy the survey, determining the methodology’s feasibility, and advancing AFN Resolution 79/2019, Action Plan for First Nations Homelessness On and Off-Reserve, by gathering preliminary data to identify service gaps and individual experiences of homelessness on-reserve. The First Nations On-Community Homelessness Data Collection Methodology created two tools which are in the form of surveys, community experiences tool and individual experiences tool, to cater to the diverse needs and resources of First Nations communities. The community experiences tool is designed for use across multiple First Nations or a region. The individual experiences tool is a more comprehensive approach that aims to capture the unique experiences of homelessness in First Nations. The Proponent will work with participating First Nations to deploy the community experiences tool through this pilot project.
Key deliverables include refining the tools, developing and delivering training materials on procedure for distributing the community experiences tool, providing weekly technical troubleshooting and oversight during the 3–5-week field administration, and compiling preliminary data insights and lessons learned to inform future readiness of the tools. The Proponent will work with regional partners to identify First Nations with the capacity to administer and/or respond to the survey.
The selection process will focus on identifying a Proponent who can demonstrate required experience in facilitation, training, coordination, data collection software, and preliminary data compilation and analysis. Crucially, the successful bidder must exhibit a high standard of professionalism, integrity, and discretion and be capable of producing key deliverables like training materials (webinar slide deck, implementation toolkit, OCAP® consent walkthrough), lessons learned, community briefs, and a 1-page advocacy infographic.
The Proponent will submit a proposal outlining their capabilities to manage the coordination of the First Nations On-Community Homelessness Data Collection Methodology. All submissions will be scored based on criteria and percentages listed on page 5. The consultant who meets the criteria with a scoring of 75%-100% will be invited to an interview to further understand their capabilities.
Background
First Nations are consistently overrepresented amongst people experiencing homelessness in urban data collection efforts and no comprehensive data exists on the number of First Nations people experiencing homelessness overall. Currently, the data that is available has substantial limitations and is primarily pan-Indigenous. First Nations have the right to define what homelessness means to them under their own worldviews, and by extension, the ways in which it is documented and enumerated, as well as the ways in which the data is owned, controlled, accessed, and possessed (OCAP ® principles).
To advance Resolution 79/2019, the AFN initiated a collaborative engagement process to examine options for developing an approach and a tool that could be used by First Nations or regions to enhance data collection on the experience of homelessness in communities, while also providing guidance for partnering with urban centers to modify the urban point-in-time consent process to enable the sharing of information on First Nations members experiencing homelessness. This led to the development of a First Nations On-Community Homelessness Data Collection Methodology, a tool that enhances data collection on the experience of homelessness in First Nation communities both at the service-level and individual experiences.
The tool will be implemented in alignment with the OCAP® principles and is ready to be piloted in 3–6 regions, each with 2–3 participating communities, to reflect geographic, demographic, and jurisdictional diversity. The AFN is looking to launch a pilot project using the First Nations On-Community Homelessness Data Collection Methodology tools to generate credible, culturally grounded, and distinctions-based data on First Nations homelessness. These tools are designed for First Nation communities to use and adapt to support data collection related to homelessness. The proponent will facilitate discussion on the methodology and coordinate with First Nations which tool is best suited for their needs, describe the process of employing them, and outline tips for implementation.
The aim is to provide a range of options for First Nations to develop a local methodology that aligns with their unique circumstances and cultural values. The Proponent will work with participating communities to tailor an approach that is consistent that can also serve as a foundation for a consistent regional approach. By sharing methodologies and findings, First Nations can collaborate to address homelessness at a broader level, while still respecting and acknowledging the unique circumstances of each community. This balance between individual community needs and regional consistency can lead to more comprehensive and effective strategies to address homelessness. Participating communities will contribute to helping improve and refine the AFN Methodology going forward.
We invite qualified individuals and organizations to submit a proposal focused on facilitating the training, coordination, and oversight necessary for the successful implementation of the survey with participating First Nations.
Scope of Work
Project Requirements
These are detailed tasks/actions and the requirements that the Proponent must meet.
|
Phase |
Title |
Timeline |
Proponent tasks & deliverables |
|
1 |
Project Kick Off |
April 2026 |
|
|
2 |
Design and Preparation |
April 2026 |
|
|
3 |
Site Setup, Training, and Engagement |
April 2026 |
|
|
4 |
Survey Deployment |
May – June 2026 |
|
|
5 |
Analysis and Policy Use |
July 2026 |
|
Proposal Submission Instructions
All proposals shall be received by the AFN no later than 5:00 p.m. (EST) on March 20, 2026.
All proposals will clearly identify the name of the proponent and the note “RFP for Piloting of a First Nations On-Community Homelessness Data Collection Methodology” on the sealed envelope or email subject line to [email protected].
Individuals shall indicate whether they identify as Indigenous and what Indigenous community acknowledges their membership. Corporate entities shall do the same for the ownership of the entity and for those who will conduct the work under the Indigenous criteria.
Late submissions will not be accepted and will be returned unopened without exception. The use of the mail or courier services for delivery of a bid will be at the risk of the bidder.
Proposal Submission Requirements
All proposals shall include the following information:
- Qualifications/Experiences: Provide a description of the proponent’s capabilities/experience specifically related to the AFN’s homelessness advocacy and research. This section will include credentials, relevant past and current experience, knowledge of OCAP principles, knowledge of homelessness data collection, knowledge of software/technology for digital surveys, and experience working with First Nations.
- Methodology: Approach to the scope of work, a timeline for activities, management approach, work statement and schedule. Include a statement and description of the physical and human resources required to complete the work (summary of work e.g., research, writing, stakeholder or regional representative engagement or other), including software and intellectual material.
- A statement and description of the physical and human resources required to complete the (summary of work e.g. research, writing, stakeholder or regional representative engagement or other) work including software and intellectual material.
- Project Organization: Identify the composition of the proposed project team, if any, including:
- Project team members;
- Description of the roles of the team members; and
- Level of experience of the team members specific to homelessness.
- Client References: the names of three (3) references which have used the services of the bidder. References to include the client name, title, contact information.
- Cost Breakdown: The Proponent shall provide a detailed cost breakdown for the proposed services, showing the total cost for the performance of all services, expenses, materials, deliverables, and software/hardware costs (if applicable), to be used for completion of the work. Total cost shall be in Canadian dollars and inclusive of HST.
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
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:
| Overall Experience and Demonstrated Results | 20 |
| Capacity to do the work | 20 |
| Price and quality of price | 10 |
| Indigenous Organization / Individual | 10 |
| Management of the work | 20 |
| Knowledge, training and application surrounding the principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP®) | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
Timetable
| Description of Deliverables | Due Date |
|---|---|
| 1. Work plan | Apr 03, 2026 |
| 2. Refined tools | Apr 10, 2026 |
| 3. Training materials | Apr 24, 2026 |
| 4. Survey schedule | May 01, 2026 |
| 5. Raw data sets | Jun 19, 2026 |
| 6. Analysis products | Jul 10, 2026 |
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, printing of draft concepts and HST.
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
All on-time proposals will be acknowledged.
Requests for clarification and/or questions regarding this RFP should be directed to:
Kalyne Beaudry
Senior Policy Analyst
Assembly of First Nations
50 O’Connor Street, Suite 200 Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2
Telephone: (613) 249-0977
Facsimile: (613) 241-5808
Electronic Mail: [email protected]
Responses/Submission
Only those submissions that meet the deadline will be considered.
Responses to this RFP must be received by the close of business day at 5:00pm EST on March 20, 2026.
Responses may be sent by mail or courier to:
Kalyne Beaudry
Assembly of First Nations
50 O’Connor Street, Suite 200
Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2