Request for Proposal - Operational Review

About this position

Request for Proposal

Operational Review: Ontario Association of Architects

I. Background Information

In response to a recommendation from its Governance Committee, the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) is seeking to undertake an operational review in the first quarter of 2021.

Founded in 1889, the OAA is a self-regulating, not-for-profit organization that is governed by the Architects Act, a statute of the Government of Ontario. The Association is dedicated to promoting and increasing the knowledge, skill, and proficiency of its members, and administering the Architects Act, to serve and protect the public interest.

In keeping with the OAA’s procurement policy, an RFP process is being conducted in order to select and engage an appropriate independent consultant to perform the work of an operational review. The OAA uses a Qualifications-Based Selection process when selecting outside consultants.

This is the first operational review of its kind conducted by the Association and is supported by the OAA’s governing Council.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, OAA operations are currently being conducted remotely.

II. Project Description and Objective

To ensure the OAA is organized, resourced, and administered in an optimal manner, the Association will conduct an operational review. This review will support the legislative mandate of the OAA, along with its vision, mission, and strategic objectives.

The following questions would be answered within the scope of the assessment:

1. What are the strengths within the operations of the Association?
2. Are their processes that could be reengineered to increase efficiency and effectiveness?
3. Is the level of staffing adequate to support the workload? If not, where are the gaps?
4. Is there optimization of staffing and financial resources? If not, what improvements can be made?
5. Are day-to-day operations, particularly in certain areas, working as smoothly as possible?
6. Do the governance principles of the OAA complement the Association’s operations and vice versa? Are there improvements to be made?
7. Are operations functioning in an effective way to support both the OAA’s primary and secondary objectives as set out in the Architects Act?

It is expected that the consultant would provide input into these areas of focus, and recommend refinement as appropriate to achieve the desired outcome.

III. Final Deliverable

The final deliverable will include:

1. A written report that describes in detail the review process and the results of the operational review based on the above criteria.
2. The consultant’s professional recommendations for improvement or change that would further address the objective of the review such that the Association is organized, resourced, and administered in an optimal manner to support the OAA’s legislative mandate, along with its vision, mission, and strategic objectives of Council.
3. A presentation to the Executive Director and Governance Committee that summarizes the review process and recommendations as outlined in Items 1 and 2 above.

IV. Schedule and Timeline

Jan. 11             RFP released

Jan. 22             RFP closed

Jan. 25–29        OAA review and shortlisting of applicants

Feb. 1–5           Scheduling of interviews

Feb. 8–10          Fee negotiation and hiring

Feb. 16             Project commencement

April 30             Draft of deliverables due

May 3–7            OAA to provide comments on draft deliverables

May 14             Revisions to deliverables by consultant as appropriate

May 25             Receipt of final deliverable from consultant

V. Coordination and Reporting to the Client

The proponent will be expected to provide, at their own initiation and undertaking, informal updates via email to designated OAA staff throughout the project until completion. Where required, the proponent must make themselves available for a weekly update phone call.

VI. Budget

A total project budget of up to $70,000 has been approved by the Council of the OAA. This includes consultant fees, expenses, meeting costs, and ancillary costs.

VII. Assumptions and Agreements

Acceptance of the selected proponent is contingent on the successful negotiation of the conditions of this agreement, fees, and scope of service.

The OAA reserves the right to accept or reject any or all responses to this RFP, as well as to reissue the RFP.

The OAA is not responsible for any costs incurred by the applicant in preparation of this proposal.

In case of disagreement in the interpretation of the provisions of this RFP, the final decision will rest with the OAA.

All proposal materials submitted for this RFP will remain property of the OAA.

All deliverables resulting from this RFP will remain property of the OAA, and their use thereafter is at the discretion of the OAA.

VIII. Submission Deadline and Requirements

The submission should include:

1. A brief overview of the applicant (maximum one page);
2. A CV or resumé; and
3. A one-page outline of the approach that will be undertaken for this study, including discussion on how the review may be impacted and/or conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, January 22.

Please send submissions in electronic format to:

Ontario Association of Architects

c/o Kristi Doyle, Executive Director

Kristid@oaa.on.ca

Subject: OAA Operational Review

For additional information or clarification, please contact:

Kristi Doyle, Executive Director

416-449-6898 ext. 212

KristiD@oaa.on.ca

IX. Basis for Award of Contract

The Quality-Based Selection (QBS) method will be used to select the successful applicant. As recommended by the OAA, QBS is a fair and objective process that facilitates the selection of an applicant on the basis of value-based criteria and competence, including consideration of professional qualifications, creativity, and availability, in relation to the scope of work and needs of the client. Following the selection of the applicant on this basis, the scope of service and professional fees are determined. Once agreed upon by the applicant and the client, the contract is awarded.

Applicants will be short-listed based on the recommendations of the OAA’s Selection Committee who will apply the QBS method when considering each application. There is no fee solicitation at this point. The list of three to five qualified short-listed applicants will be selected.

The preferred applicant will be identified following an interview with each of those short-listed, along with the recommendation to proceed with scope and fee negotiation. If the negotiations with the preferred applicant fail to achieve agreement in regard to the fee and scope of work, the process will proceed to the next short-listed proponent in order to negotiate the acceptable fee and scope of work. If not successful, the process will continue to repeat until an agreeable contract can be negotiated.

Ontario Association of Architects (OAA)

The OAA is the licensing body and professional association for Ontario’s architects. Established under the Architects Act, our principal object is to regulate the practice of architecture “… in order that the public interest may be served and protected.” The Association is dedicated to promoting and increasing the knowledge, skill, and proficiency of its members, and administering the Architects Act.