Request for proposal - Health Secretariat
1.0 SCOPE
1.1 Title
Seeking evaluator for an evaluation of the five-year flexible contribution agreement (CA) between Health Canada (HC) and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Health Secretariat.
1.2 Introduction
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is the national representative body for First Nations in Canada. There are over 630 First Nations that are currently represented by the Assembly of First Nations. The AFN is designed to present the views of the various First Nations through their leaders in areas such as: Aboriginal and Treaty rights, economic development, education, languages and literacy, health, housing, social development, justice, taxation, land claims, environment, and a whole array of issues that are of common concern which arise from time to time.
The AFN requires the services of a Proposer to conduct an evaluation of the AFN Health Secretariat. The AFN Health and Social Development Secretariat (HSS) is one of many policies areas within the AFN, with the purpose of advocating on behalf of First Nations to support First Nations inherit and treaty rights to health.
In 2009, the AFN HSS entered into a five-year flexible funding agreement with HC’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), replacing the previous yearly agreements. The flexibility of this agreement provides the AFN with the ability to design or integrate new activities and direct resources according to their health priorities. The CA is approximately 30 pages, covering the funding agreement between HC and the AFN for the following authorities: Community Programs, Health Protection, Primary Care, Non-Insured Health Benefits, and Health Governance/Infrastructure Support.
1.4 Objective
The work required will result in the completion of an evaluation of the CA between HC and the AFN and the AFN’s activities, in reaching desired outcomes and/or expected results. The evaluation and final evaluation report will be guided by the Evaluation Plan for the CA between the AFN and HC-FNIHB. Designed in 2009, the Evaluation Plan is a foundation document that provides a basis, or strategy, for conducting evaluation activities related to the five-year agreement and includes all fundamental components of an evaluation plan.
2.0 STATEMENT OF WORK
2.1 Tasks:
The Proposer shall:
- Work with the AFN Health Secretariat to conduct an evaluation of the five-year flexible CA between the AFN and HC.
- Prepare an evaluation report documenting the evaluation of the CA, and providing recommendations.
2.2 Activities:
Specific activities that should be conducted by the Proposer in order to achieve the required tasks are as follows:
- Review the previously developed AFN Evaluation Plan for relevancy and consistency. This will include reviewing the measures of effectiveness, key evaluation questions, key evaluation areas and indicators and data sources. New information may need to be developed or added;
- Review the AFN Reporting Framework and program material, as well as relevant research literature;
- Submit a revised work plan which incorporates the feedback provided by the selection committee;
- Implement the AFN Evaluation Plan to conduct an evaluation of the AFN Health Secretariat and its five-year flexible agreement with HC;
- Collect and review relevant documents including background documents, correspondence, meeting minutes, annual work plans and year end reports, resolution reports, and reports for the Annual General Assembly and Special Chiefs Assembly. The documents will inform the final evaluation report;
- Develop a questionnaire for the key informant interviews via telephone or in-person where possible to obtain feedback from a range of partners and stakeholders;
- Analyze administrative data including budget figures and expenditures;
- Develop final evaluation report; and,
- Prepare a deck for presentation to the AFN HSS Director and Assistant Director, outlining the findings and lessons learned and to receive feedback on the evaluation process.
2.3 Milestones:
A final work plan must be submitted by January 28, 2013. The final work plan will build off of the work plan that was submitted by the Proposer during the RFP process and will include any changes requested by the AFN. The final evaluation report and deck must be submitted to the AFN no later than July 31, 2013.
2.4 Deliverables:
The successful Proposer will meet with AFN’s Health Assistant Director at key intervals. Time is of the essence in this project and the work must be completed within the timelines specified by the AFN. The following is a general description of what will be expected of the contractor:
- Develop and submit a draft and final work plan that meets the approval of the AFN HSS Evaluation Working Group and Evaluation Lead;
- Should changes or revisions be required, the Contractor will submit a revised Evaluation Plan with all suggested changes for approval;
- Develop and submit questionnaire for the key informant interviews to be approved by the AFN HSS Evaluation Working Group and Evaluation Lead;
- Submit bi-weekly (every two weeks) progress reports on the status of work;
- Develop and submit a preliminary findings report outlining the key evaluation findings;
- Develop and submit a draft and final evaluation report, with executive summary, including recommendations; and,
- Prepare and present a PowerPoint presentation on the key evaluation findings, conclusions, considerations and recommendations to AFN Director and Assistant-Director of the HSS. .
To facilitate the work, the Proposer will be provided key documents at the outset of the contract, as well as access to relevant evaluation data and additional documents during the course of the evaluation.
3.0 GENERAL INFORMATION
3.1 Commitment to Participate
The Proposer commits to providing all of the personnel, including sub-contractors, in conformance with the proposed work submitted for consideration to AFN. If, during contract negotiations, the Proposer can no longer provide the professionals proposed, the AFN reserves the right to disqualify the Proposer and cancel this Request for Proposal in its entirety.
3.2 Rights of the AFN
The AFN reserves the right to:
a) in its sole discretion reject any or all proposals in whole or part, without incurring any cost or liability whatsoever;
b) enter into negotiation with one or more Proposers on any or all aspects of their respective proposals;
c) accept any proposal in whole, or in part;
d) reject any proposal where it is determined to be not really competitive, or where the costs is not reasonable;
e) cancel and/or re-issue a modified version of a given RFP requirement at any time;
f) award one or more contracts; and
verify all information provided with respect to a given RFP requirement, including the right to request a confirmation of the Proposer's legal status and signed documentation attesting to its legal ability to enter into a contractual agreement with the AFN.
3.3 Conditions
a) This RFP is for a fixed price contract from January 14, 2013 to July 31, 2013 and dependent on the availability of funding.
b) One electronic copy of the proposal must be received by 12:00 pm EST on Monday, December 3rd, 2012. Proposal must be sent electronically by email to Sarah MacDonald at smacdonald@afn.ca with the subject line, “Proposal for AFN Health Evaluation.” Proposals must be received by AFN on or before the time and date specified. Late proposals will not be accepted or evaluated.
c) Receipt will be acknowledged by return e-mail promptly after proposal receipt but no later than one business day after receipt of the proposal. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to follow up if the Proposer does not receive confirmation by AFN.
d) The proposal must be received as one file in Microsoft Word format or Portable Document Format (pdf).
e) Select Proposers may be contacted to schedule an approximately one-hour phone interview at a mutually convenient time. Interviews, if scheduled, will take place during the week of December 10th, 2012 or at another mutually agreeable time and date.
f) Selection will be completed by or before January 11, 2013.
g) By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, Proposer waives any and all claims against AFN, including its officers, directors, employees, subcontractors, and agents, and assumes full responsibility for all damages, claims, losses, costs, and expenses which Proposer may incur arising from or relating to its proposal, including any errors or omissions in the proposal.
h) Proposer acknowledges that submission of a proposal in response to this RFP does not create a contract between the Proposer and AFN.
i) Any false or misleading statements found in the proposal will be grounds for disqualification or contract nullification, if awarded.
j) The AFN is not liable for any costs incurred by vendors submitting a response to this RFP.
3.4 Additional Inquiries – Inquiries are welcome and should be made to:
Sarah MacDonald
Sr. Policy Analyst
Assembly of First Nations
473 Albert Street, 9th Floor
Ottawa, ON K1R 5B4
E-mail: smacdonald@afn.ca
Telephone: 613-241-6789 ext.287
Facsimile: 613-241-5808
3.5 Rights to Intellectual Property
a) All information, data, and images provided by the AFN will remain the property of the AFN. Proposer will refrain from keep copies or disclosing any of this information, data, and images to any third party without first obtaining the written consent of the AFN.
b) The AFN will have exclusive ownership to the work derived under this RFP.
4.0 SUBMISSION FORMAT
Proposers are to submit their proposed response in the following format:
Title page – Proposer shall submit a one page cover letter on Proposer’s letterhead indicating the Proposer’s acceptance of the terms of the RFP and commitment to the contract, if awarded. The Letter shall include RFP title, Proposer’s name, address, telephone number, fax number and contact person.
Proposer profile – One to two page narrative outlining the capabilities of the Proposer. The narrative must address the requirements listed in the RFP and must relate the expertise, skills, and experience of the Proposer to these requirements. The narrative must show that the Proposer understands the AFN as an organization.
Corporate references – A list of relevant references and related projects.
Previous Work - Provide examples of previous work. Indicate your experience in working with First Nations and your understanding of cultural safety and competency. Please provide specific examples of working in culturally sensitive environments and understanding cultural protocol, as well as your ability to handle sensitive information.
Work plan & critical path – Full details of the actual scope of the work including general approach or development strategy, activity plans with time frames and explanations of how the RFP requirements will be achieved. Time is of the essence and the work must be completed within the timelines noted in this RFP.
Pricing – A one-page pricing statement that includes a fixed price amount for work to be completed. Proposers should indicate the approximate number of hours for the Key Person(s) that is included in the fixed prices.
Authorization - Proposals must be signed by an officer of your firm.
5.0 CONFIDENTIALITY
Responses to this RFP will be considered as confidential information by the AFN and will be used solely for the purposes of selecting a successful bidder. The AFN mail room will date and time stamp this package (or email package) and follow code on code procedures for the RFP.
