Purpose
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) is seeking proposals from qualified individual consultants or consulting firms to assist in the development of an Executive Leadership Development and Succession Plan that will identify strategies and objectives for advancing the organization’s values, mission, services and vision for the future; will develop ways and tactics to achieving them; and will provide tools for monitoring and evaluating through implementation.
About the Organization
OCASI is the provincial umbrella organization for immigrant and refugee-serving organizations in Ontario. OCASI is a registered charity governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Formed in 1978 to act as the collective voice for immigrant and refugee serving agencies, OCASI's membership is comprised of more than 200 autonomous community-based organizations across Ontario.
OCASI champions equity and human rights for im/migrants and refugees through advocacy, collective action, collaborative planning, research, capacity-building, and information and knowledge transfer.
Project Requirements
Scope of the work
The Executive Director position in a non-profit organization is a central element in the organization's success. Therefore, the purpose of this plan will be to ensure that the organization's leadership has adequate information and a strategy to effectively manage OCASI in case an executive departure is sudden or unexpected. The expectation is that the succession program will consist of the following:
- Assessment of the organization’s existing policies and tools related to succession planning for senior management positions
- Development of a succession planning model for the Executive Director and Associate Executive Director
- Recommendations and revision of current policies, procedures, and development of an implementation plan for the succession planning model
Review, Design and Evaluate
- Evaluate Functional Assignments and Staffing Levels: Conduct an assessment to determine the necessary functional roles and staffing levels required to effectively carry out responsibilities.
- Optimize Supervisory Ratios: Examine the current supervisory ratios in alignment with industry best practices and the specific needs of the organization.
- Enhance Organizational Structure: Scrutinize OCASI's existing organizational structure in light of its objectives and service requirements, identifying opportunities for enhancement.
- Recommend Efficiency Improvements: Formulate practical recommendations aimed at enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the organizational structure, providing actionable steps for implementation.
- Revise Risk Management Practices: Evaluate current risk management practices and propose relevant recommendations for improvement.
- Analyze External Trends: Analyze external factors and emerging trends, projecting their potential impact on OCASI, and devise strategies to address these evolving challenges.
- Identify Skill and Training Needs: Identify skill gaps, training requirements, and mentoring opportunities across functional areas to meet current and future workload demands effectively.
- Review Executive Succession Planning: Assess the effectiveness of existing executive succession planning strategies within OCASI.
- Develop Transition Framework: Design a comprehensive framework and processes for seamless orientation, orderly transitions, and exit planning for staff and leadership.
- Create Leadership Development Roadmap: Formulate a strategic roadmap for leadership development, outlining key milestones and objectives.
- Establish Talent Management Program: Plan for the establishment of a Talent Management program to nurture and develop organizational talent.
- Ensure Business Continuity: Execute an organizational readiness assessment to ensure seamless business continuity in times of change or crisis.
- Evaluate Emergency Backup Plan: Review and evaluate the emergency backup plan to guarantee its effectiveness in critical situations.
- Enhance Departure Succession Planning: Evaluate the process for departure-related succession planning and make necessary improvements.
- Benchmark Against Similar Organizations: Compare OCASI with similar organizations and provide recommendations for suitable adaptations based on best practices in the field.
Consultation, Research and Access to Information
Identify the means of consultation to facilitate Organizational review as part of finalizing an Executive Succession Plan, including:
- Conducting focus groups, interviews on an individual basis with members of the OCASI Board of Directors, current Executive Director and key identified staff and stakeholders;
- Considering input through facilitated group meetings with Board members to create consensus regarding a succession plan (including goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics)
- Review and present available related succession plan recommendations and any relevant research and best practices
The successful Firm will have full cooperation and access to information necessary to meet the accountabilities set out in this request for proposal and will respond to reasonable inquiries up to October 16, 2023.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals must include the following:
General Information
The consultant understands that the scope of work requested may be conducted by a single consultant, a consultant firm, or by a partnership of consultants. The proposal should provide the name, title, address, telephone number and email address of each person engaged in the scope of activities.
Furthermore, if a consultant group or partnership of consultants is proposed, the proposal should indicate who will serve as the lead person for the purposes of this RFP and the engagement, and how much time the lead person will dedicate to the project.
Consultant Qualifications
To accomplish the scope requested, the consultant will need to possess the following qualifications:
- Well aware of Non-Profit Trends and able to address Relevant Issues:
- Knowledge of evolving non-profit trends and pertinent issues.
- Showcase proficiency in research, conducting comprehensive reviews, and adept report writing.
- Demonstrated track record of meeting deadlines and manage budgets effectively while delivering plans.
- Expertise in Consultation Services:
- Able to offer consultations both online and in person.
- Develop impactful presentations.
- Collaborate harmoniously with diverse stakeholders.
- In-Depth Understanding of Immigrant and Refugee Sector:
- Understanding of challenges and dynamics within the immigrant and refugee sector.
- Demonstrate familiarity with the Council's mission and objectives.
- Promote Equity and Access for Immigrants, Refugees, and Racialized Communities:
- Advocate for equity and accessibility in services for immigrants, refugees, newcomers, and racialized communities.
- Display a demonstrated capacity to seamlessly integrate equity, access, and anti-racism principles into all aspects of your work.
- Executive Talent Recruitment Expertise:
- Excel in recruiting executive talent, ensuring a diverse and qualified leadership team.
Work Plan
The proposal should contain suggested categories and a description of the activities to be conducted by the consultant in order to complete the requested scope of work, including:
- The specific activities to be conducted at each stage
- A timeline for the activities at each stage
- Milestones and deliverables tied to those activities
- A detailed budget for each stage, along with a proposed payment schedule tied to project milestones and/or deliverables.
- The overall budget should not exceed twenty thousand dollars (Canadian)
References
The proposal should include three client references of individuals who can speak to their experience with the consultant conducting projects of similar scope. Information regarding each reference should include the individual’s name, address, telephone number, and email address.
Previous Work Product
The proposal should include at least two examples of relevant written works similar to the scope of work requested within this RFP (e.g., succession plan, etc).
Proposal Review Criteria
The proposals will be reviewed and evaluated based on the following.
- Qualifications (30 points)
- The consultant has the qualifications needed to successfully complete the scope of work
- The consultant has prior experience working on similar projects
- The consultant has an extensive working knowledge of the immigrant and refugee sector issues and about Council
- The proposal demonstrates an understanding of the project objectives and desired results
- The proposal illustrates an approach to the scope of work that will likely lead to the successful development of an actionable succession plan
- The proposal includes an appropriate process to interact with the Board members, staff as well as other key stakeholders
- The proposal adequately details project activities and milestones or deliverables associated with each stage of the scope of work
- The proposal includes a detailed timeline for each stage, and the work can be completed within the project timeline.
- The proposal includes a detailed budget for each stage of the scope of work
- Proposed costs are reasonable, and the schedule of payments corresponds appropriately with tasks, milestones or deliverables.
OCASI reserves the right to ask for clarifications from shortlisted consultants and will not provide feedback about unsuccessful proposals.
Timetable
- September 18, 2023: Issue Date of RFP
- October 16, 2023: Proponents – Deadline for Questions
- October 23, 2023: Posting of Responses to Questions
- November 3, 2023: Proposal Submission Deadline
- November 27, 2023: Award decision communicated
Proposal Submission
Proposals must be submitted electronically by email addressed to: rfp@ocasi.org.
Please put the following in the subject line: OCASI Succession Plan RFP
All attachments must be in PDF, WORD or EXCEL file format.
RFP Contact
Mohsin Raza, HR Manager
Email: mraza@ocasi.org
