Alice House
Request for Proposal
Alice House Governance Training and Assessment
Issue Date: December 10, 2024
Delivery of Proposal
Electronic proposals can be emailed to [email protected]
Electronic proposals must be a single pdf document.
Closing date and time:
Tuesday, January 14 @ 4pm
Alice House
Request for Proposal
Nonprofit Board Governance Assessment, Recommendations and Training
Introduction
Alice House is seeking a qualified consultant to engage with Board of Directors and the Executive Director to provide an assessment of Board governance and practice and provide tailored training to ensure best practices are followed.
Individual consultants and/or firms with specialized experience in nonprofit Board of Directors governance practices and strong facilitation skills are encouraged to apply.
Terms and General Conditions of Engagement
Terms of Engagement
It is the intention of Alice House to enter into an agreement with the Proponent to provide expert consultation that will culminate in a documented governance assessment and comprehensive governance training.
Acceptance of the Proposal
Alice House reserves the right to waive any informalities or to accept or reject any or all proposals, not necessarily accept the lowest cost proposal, and not accept any proposal that Alice House, in its sole discretion, considers not in its best interest. The Proponent acknowledges Alice House’s rights under this clause and absolutely waives any rights of action against Alice House for Alice House’s failure to accept its proposal whether such right of action arises in contract, negligence, bad faith, or any other cause of action. The acceptance of any proposal is subject to approval by the Board of Directors of Alice House.
Confidentiality
In consideration of the receipt of this documentation, Alice House agrees to maintain the information contained in this RFP in confidence and to not reproduce or otherwise disclose information contained within to any person outside the group directly responsible for the evaluation of its contents. Respondents will be required to enter into a non-disclosure/confidentiality agreement should they be selected for advanced discussions and/or awarded contract.
Conflict of Interest
Bidders must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise from their participation in this RFP process or in performing the services outlined in the scope of work. A conflict of interest occurs when the bidder or any of its employees, officers, or agents has a financial, personal, or other interest that could improperly influence their judgement, objectivity, or performance in providing the services. Failure to disclose such conflicts may result in disqualification of the bidder from the RFP process or termination of any subsequent contract.
Other Terms and Conditions
The Proponent will assume all fees and costs associated with the development of this proposal. Upon hire, the Proponent will conduct all design, project management and facilitation throughout the execution of strategic planning process, fees for such services will be outlined in the proposal. The process shall include collaboration and some components of face-to-face consultation with the Board of Directors in addition to periodic reports to the Executive Director and Governance Committee.
About Alice House
For 41 years, Alice House has delivered excellent service to community through the provision of deeply affordable safe-housing, counselling and wrap around support services for women and children seeking medium to long-term recovery from domestic violence. Over the last 40 years it has grown from the oversight of one coordinator and a small committee to a 10-staff member operation governed by 6-18 members of a Board of Directors.
Key skillsets on the Board of Directors may include expertise in the realm of property management, legal, recruitment, finance, risk, governance, fund development, social work, human resources and other applicable skillsets.
In 2023, the organization welcomed a new Executive Director and experienced scheduled and unscheduled turnover of longer standing board members, alongside the onboarding of new members. Currently, the majority of the board consists of individuals who are serving in governance roles for the first time.
The Board Executive is comprised of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Past Chair (when applicable). General board members serve 4-year terms, renewable twice for a maximum of two terms (8 years). The Board Chair position is a 2-year term. In 2023, the Board implemented constitutional changes, allowing the Chair’s term to be renewed for up to four years, whereas previously, it was non-renewable. No specific term limits have been set for other Executive positions.
There are several committees of the Board, including Finance, Risk & Audit, Board Governance, Fund Development and an Ad Hoc Property Committee.
Alice House is presently undergoing strategic planning process ending in March 2025 (estimated).
The Engagement
Purpose
The purpose of this RFP is to identify a consultant or firm to:
– Conduct a thorough assessment of the current governance structure, policies and practices of the Alice House Board of Directors.
– Provide documented insights and recommendations for improving governance and aligning practices with nonprofit best standards.
– Develop and deliver customized governance training sessions to the collective Board of Directors based on the findings of the assessment and adopted recommendations.
Scope of Work
The scope of work will be broken into two phases: governance assessment and governance training. The preferred proponent will take a practical approach and equip the Board with practical guidance and supporting documentation that easily bridges the gap between theory and practice.
Phase 1: Assessment
In the first phase, the Proponent will review and assess the current governance model/structure, roles, responsibilities, policies and practices of the Board, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of the Board’s decision-making processes, conflict resolution, risk oversight and strategic planning/measurement. While the method for assessment is not prescribed, Alice House encourages participation through interviews/surveys with current board members and Executive Director to gather key quantitative and qualitative data.
Upon completion of the assessment, the Proponent will provide a written report outlining strengths, areas for improvement, recommendations for enhanced governance practices and benchmarking against nonprofit governance best practices.
Phase 2: Training and Development
Based on assessment findings, the Proponent will provide tailored comprehensive governance training which includes governance fundamentals and addresses the specific needs of the Alice House Board. Training should include facilitated discussions on fiduciary duties, board recruitment and engagement, strategic oversight, conflict management and risk evaluation. Training should also equip board members with tools and resources to enhance both governance and leadership roles and provide a method for ongoing self-assessment.
Deliverables Include:
· A comprehensive report detailing findings and recommendations
· Tailored training program including materials (i.e. informational handouts, toolkits, case studies, etc.)
· Facilitation of in-person training sessions outside of daytime business hours, weekends preferred.
Timelines
The following timelines will support Alice House’s goal to ensure board assessment and training is complete in line with the completion of a new strategic plan and fiscal year end in March 2025.
Posting: December
Selection: January
Reference Checks: January
Kick-Off: February
Facilitation: February – March
Proposal Requirements
The following format and sequence shall be followed to provide consistency in proponents’ responses and to ensure each proposal receives fair consideration. All pages should be
consecutively numbered.
• Company profile
• Summary description of experience with not-for-profit strategic plan development and Mission/Visioning evaluation.
• Description of approach to governance assessment and training.
• Understanding of the work to be performed.
• Proposed schedule of work to be performed and coinciding deliverables to be provided (i.e. reports, data, etc.)
• Minimum of two (2) references from previous not-for-profit experiences providing governance counsel and training. References must include contact name, professional title and contact information.
• Names, bio and qualifications of all team members, contractors and sub-contractors that will be assigned to this engagement; the primary contact and/or project manager should be specified.
• Payment terms and conditions.
• Proposal breakdown should be outlined as follows:
Fees
Rate
Estimated Hours
Assessment
Training
Materials
Sub Total
HST
Other Fees (specify)
GRAND TOTAL
Fees described should be all inclusive, including all federal and provincial sales taxes, and represent a maximum cost for the requested work for the entire agreement.
The intended budget allocation for this project is undefined.
Proposal Evaluation
Proponents must meet the following minimum mandatory requirements to be considered for further evaluation:
• Proposal must meet deadline for submission.
• Proposal copy must be signed by a binding authority.
• The proponent must demonstrate experience in non-profit strategic plan development, mission and vision evaluation.
• The proponent must demonstrate the ability to deliver trainings on weekend(s).
• Have sufficient staffing and resources to complete the project within scope, budget and timelines outlined in this RFP.
Proposals that comply with the mandatory requirements will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1. Cost of service.
2. Understanding of engagement.
3. Relevant experience with nonprofit governance.
4. Qualifications of proposed team.
5. Approach to assessment and training facilitation.
6. Adherence to proposed timeline
Contact
Any inquiries regarding this request for proposal should be directed to Jill Trites, Executive Director, at [email protected]. Inquiries will be accepted for three weeks following the release date of the RFP. Responses to inquiries of a material nature will be shared with all qualified proponents.
PROCESS FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION
Electronic proposals can be emailed to [email protected]
Electronic proposals must be a single pdf document.
Closing Date: Tuesday, January 14, 4pm
Contact: Jill Trites, Executive Director
To apply for this job email your details to jennifer.mcnaughton@alicehouse.ca.