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1.0 The Opportunity - Proposal Writer Services

• 
  DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society is seeking qualified, experienced, and talented proposal writers with demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the needs of various under-represented and racialized groups within BC and across Canada.
• The Proposal Writer will lead and coordinate in developing complex proposals to funding procurement predominantly from the Province of BC and the Government of Canada but also from larger grantors. The proposal writer should be capable of producing proposal responses while managing multiple concurrent submissions.

1.1 Service Period

We are seeking a list of qualified suppliers for proposal writing services on an as-needed, when-needed basis. The supplier list will be updated on a yearly basis by providing confirmation of continuance of service provision.

1.2 Scope of Service

This role provides project management and coordination with the leadership team and subject-matter experts, to draft and finalize compelling, compliant, and responsive proposals. Using your superior writing skills, youwill be responsible for producing professionally formatted documents and producing high quality, winning proposals.

As a key part of the business development team, you will work in a high-impact, fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, and work collaboratively across many departments within the organization. The ideal proponent will possess excellent communication skills; outstanding time management and organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks. The proponent will be responsible to provide all direction in their role as project manager in an environment where priorities can change rapidly; and must demonstrate attention to detail with the ability to be thorough and complete.

The Proposal Writer will manage the organization’s response process and resources and also highlight potential opportunities to the leadership team through active scanning of the funding landscape. This position will directly report to the Chief Operating Officer and will work closely with the leadership team to craft winning proposals.

1.3 Qualifications

Qualified proponents should have,

• 5+ years of successful proposal writing experience, with preference given to larger proposals with a scope of $1M+ from Canadian federal departments such as : Immigration, Refugee Citizenship Canada (IRCC); the Employment Social Development Canada (ESDC) ; Women And Gender Equality; Health Canada, etc. as well as BC Provincial ministries such as: Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation; Municipal Affairs Post secondary and Skills Future; Children and Family Development Public Safety and Solicitor General; Social Development and Housing, Worksafe BC and Fraser Health Authority; Ministry of Social Development and Housing and WorkSafe BC, etc.
• Experience collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team as a project manager to ensure milestones are met in the development of complex proposals.
• Demonstrable experience in carrying out background research to support needs assessments/rationale for proposals, the development of theories of change, logic models and results measurement frameworks.
• Demonstrable resourcefulness and access to subject matter experts in the services being procured and/or the opportunity target groups, including ability to facilitate design thinking and scaling of concepts. Demonstrable experience in producing innovative proposals that highlight differentiators for our organization which may include social justice, principles of justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion, and the Government of Canada’s GBA+ approach to public services.
• Project management certification or similar discipline.
• Technical skills to support proposal writing and presentation.

2.0 Demographics We Support

DIVERSEcity is undergoing a new five-year strategic plan which will broaden its mission beyond current servicing demographics to include the broader needs of our community, including skilled workers and those that are not necessarily new to the country.

Our 45-year expertise and success has been honed in providing specialized and innovative service provision to some of the highest barriered groups in the local, LGBTQIA+, disability, survivors of violence, multi-barriered, youth and older adults. Many services target (and are staffed by) the main and emerging newcomer communities in Surrey speaking the following languages, amongst others: Punjabi, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Arabic, Spanish, Farsi, Dari, Somali, Tigrinya, Karen, French and Hindi. A Board of Directors provides governance with majority representation for the community and throughout the Lower Mainland. Specific services are run for and staffed by members of these equity groups: racialized visible minority communities and many who have the experience of being newcomers to Canada. On average DIVERSEcity serves 7,000—10,000 clients annually.

3.0 Approach and Methodology

DIVERSEcity has an established proposal development benchmark proposal process to ensure that it consistently submits the highest quality winning proposals that set it apart from other proponents to create long-term value for the organization. The characteristics of long-term value for DIVERSEcity are:

• A measurable difference in the growth of resilience, self-sufficiency, dignity and hope of clients through client-centered programming that is responsive to clearly defined needs throughout the program lifecycle. This difference is fostered through continuous program learning and improvement informed by client feedback.
• Programming that has been developed using the principles and practices of equity-centered design.
• Measurable commitment to the continuing diversification of DIVERSEcity internal and external stakeholders, including funders, using a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) framework.
• Impact and outcomes-driven work that always takes into account how the work can contribute to: decolonizing systems, systems disruption and change and innovation.
• Consistent demonstration of alignment between business development and DIVERSEcity’s strategic direction.
• Verification of the feasibility, model fidelity, target group appropriateness, credibility, high adoption, cost effectiveness and sustainability of programming.

Consultant proposal writers/managers are expected to deliver their services in ways that are consistent with DIVERSEcity’s benchmarked process and characteristics of long-term value, including using some key internal templates/tools in their work.

4.0 Requirements for RFQ

4.1 Requirements of Submission

The submission must not exceed ten (10) pages (excluding appendices) and must include the following:

• Brief overview of the proponent submitting the proposal
• How the proponent best matches the desired experience and qualifications, emphasizing scope and scale
• Proposed approach/methodology or work plan
• Fee charged for service
• Previous relevant project references that match DIVERSEcity’s proposed areas of service requirements for complex federal and provincial government and grant procurement.
• Appendix A – Any other supporting documentation the proponent feels is relevant.
• Appendix B – Curriculum Vitae (CV) for proponent
• Appendix C – writing samples from successful proposals the proponent has written

4.2 Submission Evaluation

The following criteria will be used in evaluating the submissions.

Criterion Score
Approach and methodology 30%
Demonstrable experience and knowledge in relation to the services and deliverables needed 30%
Proposal Success rate over the last 2 years (2021—2022) 20%
Proposal quality and relevance to opportunity in the writing examples 10%
Price 10%

4.3 Timelines

Activity Deadline

RFQ issued and posted May 15
Proposals due Accepting applications
Analysis and evaluation of proposals to establish shortlist Ongoing as received
Interviews Shortlist Starting May 23
Successful shortlisted proponents will be contacted Starting June 5
Contract signed with successful proponents By June 30

5.0 General

Submissions must be emailed to:
Jonathan Lee, Executive Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer
Email: [email protected]

This RFQ is not a tender and does not commit DIVERSEcity in any way to select a preferred proponent, or to proceed to negotiations for a contract, or to award a contract. DIVERSEcityreserves the right to at any time for any reason reject all proposals, terminate this RFQ and proceed with obtaining the services in some other manner.

Notwithstanding any other section of this RFQ or any practice or custom of the trade or industry, DIVERSEcity, in its discretion, reserves the complete right to at any time and from time to time do any or all of the following:

(a) accept any proposal;

(b) disqualify a proponent from this RFQ;

(c) reject any proposal for any reason, including without limitation if in DIVERSEcity’s view, the proponent does not have sufficient experience performing the services;

(d) reject all proposals for any reason, terminate this RFQ process and if DIVERSEcity elects, obtain or proceed with the services in some other manner, including by conducting a new procurement process;

(e) accept a proposal which is not the lowest cost proposal even if the lowest cost proposal conforms in all respects with the requirements set out in this RFQ; and

(f) not proceed to review and evaluate, or discontinue the evaluation of, any proposal.

(g) DIVERSEcity may, in its discretion, reject any proposal which fails to conform to or includes qualifications to the requirements of this RFQ, which is materially incomplete, obscure, or irregular, which contains exceptions or variations, or which omits any material information required to be submitted. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this RFQ, DIVERSEcity may in its discretion retain any such proposal for consideration and may waive any or all of the foregoing, on such terms and conditions as DIVERSEcity may consider appropriate and consider such proposal in the same manner as proposals that fully conform to the requirements of this RFQ without qualification.

(h) By submitting a proposal, each proponent agrees that DIVERSEcity and its employees, advisors and representatives will not under any circumstances be liable for any claims, whether for costs, expenses, losses or damages, or loss of anticipated profits, or for any other matter whatsoever, incurred by the proponent in preparing and submitting a proposal, participating in this RFQ process or other activity related to or arising out of this RFQ process, including if DIVERSEcity for any reason cancels this RFQ process, rejects any or all proposals, accepts any compliant or non-compliant proposal or breaches any duty of fairness, express or implied term of the proposal documents or other duty to the proponent. Proponents are solely responsible for all costs whatsoever incurred by the proponent in connection with preparing and submitting a proposal and negotiating a contract.

ABOUT DIVERSECITY

Our organization

• DIVERSEcity is a mature, seasoned organization with a longstanding relationship with our funders, partners and stakeholders.
• Our 45-year history as Surrey’s first immigrant settlement organization gives us an advantage in offering holistic, full wraparound support services to provide people with the services they need.
• When the pandemic hit, we pivoted to offer virtual services in everything from settlement to employment, recognizing that our clients need ed our support more than ever before. Today, we offer both in-person and virtual options.
• The need for our services continues to grow as immigration numbers increase, and Surrey remains the fastest-growing city in BC.

At DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society, our free, multilingual programs and servicesin settlement, language, employment, community engagement, mental health and violence prevention provide them with information, skills,and connections for their journey toward success, wellbeing and belonging.

Our social enterprises — DIVERSEcity Interpretation and Translation Services, DIVERSEcity Skills Training Centre and our Language Testing Services — support this work, too.

As a registered charity in Surrey and the Lower Mainland with a 45year history, we value the strengths found in our differences, and our message is clear —Everyone Belongs Here.

For more information about DIVERSEcity, go to dcrs.ca

Our Mission

To inspire belonging in a strong integrated community by empowering newcomers to Canada.

Our Values
Growth; Respect, Intergrity; Compassion

Our Strategic Objectives

• 
  People and Culture - Create an organization that fosters a culture of empowerment and resilience.
• Innovation - Find new ways to operate to increase efficiency and enhance service delivery.
• Profile - Create awareness of our mission both internally and in the community.
• Growth - Focus on meaningful and intentional growth that aligns with our values.

Read our Annual Report online at: dcrs.ca/about-us/our-story