Request for Proposals Inclusion Works ’15 ~ “Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair”

Reply to…

Subash Biswal, CFBO

Aboriginal Human Resource Council

708 - 2nd Avenue North Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 2E1

sbiswal@aboriginalhr.ca

aboriginalhr.ca

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction .............................................................................. 3

Background ................................................................................ 3

Overview of Inclusion Works ’12 ................................................. 4

Budget ....................................................................................... 5

Contractor Tasks ........................................................................ 5

Proposal Terms .......................................................................... 7

Proposal Requirements ............................................................... 7

Proposal Evaluation .................................................................... 8

Proposal Submission ................................................................... 8

AHRC Rights ............................................................................... 8

Contract .................................................................................... 8

RFP and Project Schedule ........................................................... 9

Appendix 1: Program Architecture (Inclusion Works ’12) .............. 9

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair 3

Introduction The Aboriginal Human Resource Council (AHRC) is asking for proposals to manage and

coordinate the 6th Annual National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair, a component of the

Council’s annual signature event Inclusion Works. On May 11-14, 2015 the Council will

hold Inclusion Works ’15 in Toronto. Employers participating in the recruitment fair

will have an opportunity to interview and make job offers to the Aboriginal graduates

selected for this event. A contractor is required to coordinate and manage this event

component.

For this proposal the Council is seeking a company with experience and expertise in

both Aboriginal recruitment and in managing recruitment fairs.

By October 3, 2014 proposals are to be submitted to:

Subash Biswal, CFBO

Aboriginal Human Resource Council 708 - 2nd Avenue North

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 2E1 sbiswal@aboriginalhr.ca

Proposals will be titled: “Inclusion Works ’15 ~

“Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair”

Background The Aboriginal Human Resource Council was formed in 1998 as a national non-profit

organization. Today, as a thriving social enterprise, we are a national Canadian

based organization with a mandate to advance the full participation of Aboriginal

Peoples and Indigenous Peoples in the economy.

Our products, services and networks are designed to help large organizations

understand the value of inclusion while advancing workplace strategies. Our

partners build workplaces of inclusion that position them as employers-of-choice for

Aboriginal workers, while building partnerships that work with the Aboriginal

community. Our programs also help members of the Aboriginal community obtain

essential skills, design a career path and connect to employers.

We pursue our mandate and conduct our business through connections, partnerships

and mutually beneficial solutions that build bridges between the business, union,

Aboriginal talent, educational institutes, government and Aboriginal communities.

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair 4

We have a proven track record as an ISO 9001:2008 accredited organization, we are

proud to deliver service excellence and leadership in Aboriginal workplace inclusion.

Our primary market is middle and senior managers working in larger companies as

well as education, government, labour and Aboriginal organizations. We have

customers in Canada and international markets. Many of our clients work for

organizations that have invested in the Council as partners through our Leadership

Circle partnership program. These Leadership Circle partners are the companies for

whom this national Aboriginal recruitment fair is being organized.

Overview of Inclusion Works ’15 & Recruitment Fair

The date and location for Inclusion Works ‘15 has been set for May 11-14, 2015 at the

Sheraton Centre Toronto located at 123 Queen Street W, Toronto, ON.

Inclusion Works ‘15 has set high standards to bring participants and attendees first-

rate interactive engagement, presenters and information that will help transform their

workplace into a dynamic driver of Aboriginal employment and economic growth.

Inspiring keynote thought leaders will join the cast of experts to captivate

participants’ attention, challenge thinking and advance insights into the business case

and opportunities for success through inclusion. A new Awards Luncheon will be

hosted on 14th May to recognize companies and their inclusion practices. An overview

of the program architecture is attached as Appendix 1. This is a preliminary program

overview and subject to refinement.

Recruitment Fair

The National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair was first launched in 2009. This event

provides ‘career candidates’ with a life-changing leadership skill-build and

recruitment fair. The event will bring together top Aboriginal post-secondary

graduates (engineers, nurses, marketers, accountants, HR practitioners, writers,

trades people, etc.) from all parts of Canada, together, to meet with leading

employers of inclusion that want to hire them.

Inclusion Works ‘15 will feature an on-site recruitment fair similar to the format used

in past years. The contractor will also help organize pre-event webinars to connect

our employer partners with the career applicant pool. These webinars are educational

forums to provide more information on industry and company profiles and

opportunities (ie financial sector, technology sector, mining sector etc.). The Council

will offer webinar opportunities to mentor the candidates and familiarize employers

with candidates in the weeks leading up to the event.

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair 5

We expect up to 30 employers to participate in the National Recruitment Fair. The

contractor will work with the recruitment fair personnel from each company to

address issues and concerns. We will work with the contractor to use technology (ie

webinars) to better prepare recruiters for a productive event.

Budget Interested parties are requested to submit a budget for this project indicating fees and expenses to undertake the required work in the range of 20-25k plus applicable taxes. The travel expenses to and from IW ‘15 in Toronto will be paid by the Council.

Contractor Tasks The following tasks would be required by the contractor in order to effectively manage

and coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair component of Inclusion Works

‘15 which will be held in Toronto from May 11-14, 2015 at Sheraton Centre.

Prepare employer and candidate profiles;

Implement the communication strategy and practices to effective reach career

candidates and employers;

Engage employers (i.e. LC partners who sign for Recruitment Fair Booths ) to

determine their needs as to candidates’ skills and experience requirements

and/or job requirements;

Screen the candidate pool by downloading resumes, interviewing the

candidates via short phone interview;

Create a pool/database of Aboriginal candidates (screening in a general pool of

candidates that meet the selection criteria);

Make final selection of graduates (i.e. those identified to participate in the

recruitment fair based on employers’ job/profile needs and review of

applicants selected by the employers);

Advise graduates and employers as to final selection decisions;

Assist with employer participation in the recruitment fair (logistics, preparation

etc);

Develop recruitment fair timetable, plan and agenda;

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair 6

Liaise with graduates and employers to ensure that the event is well

coordinated;

Develop a booklet containing the names and credentials of all graduates that

have been “screened in”. (i.e. this includes those that have met the general

selection criteria as well as those ultimately chosen to attend the recruitment

fair and participate in interviews). This proprietary material is intended for

Council employer partners.

Work with employers and graduates to schedule interviews on the day of the

event

Attend the event (be on-site for the recruitment fair).

Organize and attend webinars for mentoring the selected candidates

Coordinate travel plan of candidates with Flight Centre, council’s travel

consultant

Organize and attend an orientation/skill build session for candidates (on the

day prior to Inclusion Works recruitment fair). This will consist of interview

skill-building information and other related “career success” programming (e.g.

motivational speaker, “dress for success”, tips etc.);

Provide support to graduates and employers on the day of the recruitment fair;

Conduct post telephone interviews and a web survey with employers and

graduates to ensure that their experience with the recruitment fair met their

needs;

Produce a final report with recruitment fair results.

Participate in a post event de-brief

As to project scope, it may be anticipated that the following targets will be achieved:

300-400 -- general pool of Aboriginal candidates from across the provinces and

territories

20-30 -- employers participating in the recruitment fair

Approximately 50-100 Aboriginal career candidates will participate in the

recruitment fair

It will be noted that the Council has held national Aboriginal Recruitment Fairs at each

of Inclusion Works since 2009. It has information about the success factors of these

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair 7

fairs which it will share with the contractor selected for this project. The objective is

to build on previous successes and strategies.

Proposal Terms In submitting your proposal, your company is implicitly agreeing to the following terms:

Use of Vendor Response in Contract – Any part or parts of the selected vendor’s proposal may be used in, attached to, or referenced in the final contract. In addition, any correspondence between AHRC and the selected vendor may be used in, attached to, or referenced in the final contract.

Confidentiality – This RFP, in its entirety, is considered confidential. The information contained within the RFP is for the exclusive use of AHRC and the vendor who has received it. Any other use or distribution is prohibited without written authorization from AHRC. AHRC will only use the information in this proposal for the purposes of the selection process and will not distribute this information to any other parties without the express written consent of the proposing vendor.

Full Responsibility – The vendor agrees to act as the prime contractor for the delivery, implementation, and support of the project.

Proposal Requirements To facilitate ease of evaluation by our evaluation team, and to ensure each proposal receives full consideration the following information is requested. Submissions will be made by email in pdf format and must include, but are not limited to, the following components:

Phases and specifications outlined in Contractor Requirements above.

Description of work plan and critical path: Full details describing the general

approach or development strategy, with time frames and explanations of how

the RFP requirements will be achieved.

Identified risks and risk management plan.

Project management methodology.

Description of the contractor’s work in related areas.

Clear evidence of an understanding of the goals and challenges of a national

event/national recruitment fair.

Team profile: An overview of the team’s services and relevant experience.

Project Costing: A breakdown of the costs associated with the project, for

example: labour, equipment, materials/supplies, subcontracts and

assignments, travel, taxes and incidentals.

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair 8

Proposal Evaluation We will review incoming proposals using the following evaluation framework

Understanding of our needs (10%)

Company information. Provide a description of your company and key team

members involved to deliver the work for the event and identify contingency

plans if key team members become unavailable (20%)

Methodology – including work plan, timelines, methodology, identified risks and

risk management plan (25%)

Related experience. Provision of three projects completed by the contractor.

Projects will be rated based on relevance budget and reference check. Project

summaries should not exceed one page and should include the client name,

phone number and email address (35%)

Financial proposal (10%)?

Proposal Submission

By October 3, 2014 an electronic copy of the proposal must be received by:

Subash Biswal, CFBO

Aboriginal Human Resource Council

708 - 2nd Avenue North

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 2E1 sbiswal@aboriginalhr.ca

AHRC Rights The Aboriginal Human Resource Council (AHRC) reserves the right to:

reject any or all proposals received

accept any proposal in whole or in part

verify any or all information provided in the project proposals

Contract

The contract to be entered into between the preferred vendor and AHRC shall be

finalized with the vendor by the AHRC and shall contain AHRC standard terms and

conditions. If, in the opinion of AHRC, it appears that a contract will not be finalized

with the preferred vendor within ten days, negotiations with other vendors submitting

responsive proposals may be undertaken. The RFP and the proposal shall form part of

the contract.

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair 9

RFP and Project Schedule RFP Issue Date September 22, 2014

RFP Closing Date October 3, 2014

Expected Date of Contract Award October 10, 2014

Event promotion to Candidates and Employers October – January

Continue to invite applications from Aboriginal graduates January to February 2015

Continue to work with companies to identify their job

postings/graduate needs

January to March 2015

Last day for grads to apply for Recruitment Fair Feb 28, 2015

Intensive matching of grad applications with company needs March 1-March 20, 2015

Final selection of Candidates Outside date of April 3, 2015

Webinar for mentorship and employer showcases March and April, 2015

Selecting, finalizing and coordinating career candidates and

employers

April 2015

Inclusion Works May 11-14, 2015

Follow-up with companies/Candidates June 19, 2015

Contract wrap up June 26, 2015

Empowering Performance Preliminary Program

Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto May 11 to May 14, 2015

Monday, May 11

Time Activity

1 pm - 2 pm Registration for Grads

2 pm - 9 pm Leadership Skill Build and Ice Breaker Dinner for grads only President’s Welcome –Kelly Lendsay, President and CEO, Aboriginal Human Resource Council

Tuesday, May 12

Time Activity

7 am - 12 pm Recruitment Fair set-up

7 am - 10:30 am Exhibitor set-up

7:15 am - 8:45 am Registration for Grads and Recruiters

8 am - 9 am Breakfast for Grads and Recruiters

9 am - 12 am Grad Skill Build Session

11 am - 4 pm Registration for Delegates

11 am - 4 pm Employer Showcase and Internet Café Open

12 pm - 1 pm Luncheon for Grads and Recruiters

12 pm - 1 pm Bagged Lunch in Employer Showcase (for all who are not involved in Recruitment Fair)

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair

1 pm - 2:30 pm Showtime! Video Screening & Discussion

2 pm - 4 pm Local Schools and ASETS Visit Employer Showcase

2 pm - 5:30 pm Recruitment Fair Interviews

2:45 pm - 4:30 pm Onsite Concurrent Interactive Cultural Learning Sessions (choose 1 of 3)

2:45 pm - 4:30 pm Optional Visit Employer Showcase for Delegates

6:30 pm - 9 pm Spring Festival

Wednesday, May 13

Time Activity

7:15 am - 4:00 pm Registration

7:30 am - 8:30 am Breakfast in Employer Showcase / Internet Café

8:30 am - 9:00 am Opening Prayer / Welcome / Greetings Empowering Performance at IW’15 Thought Leader: Kelly J. Lendsay, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Human Resource Council

9:00 am - 9:45 am Opening Plenary

10 am - 11 am Concurrent Management Learning Sessions (choose 1 of 4)

11:15 am - 12 pm Plenary

12 pm - 12:30 pm Networking time in the Employer Showcase

12:30 pm - 2 pm Lunch and Thought Leader

2 pm - 2:30 pm Networking Time in the Employer Showcase Area

2 pm - 5:30 pm Recruitment Fair Interviews

RFP – Manage and Coordinate the National Aboriginal Recruitment Fair

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Concurrent Management Learning Sessions (choose 1 of 4)

3:30 pm - 3:45 pm Transition time between sessions

3 pm - 4:30 pm Local Schools and ASETS Visit Exhibit Area

3:45 pm - 4:30 pm Concurrent Management Cracker Barrel Sessions (choose 1 of 4)

6 pm Delegates on their own for dinner and evening

Thursday, May 14

Time Activity

7:30 am - 12 pm Registration

8 am - 9 am Breakfast in Employer Show-Case Area / Internet Café

9 am - 10:15 am Management Learning Sessions (choose 1 of 4)

10:15 am - 10:30 am Transition time between sessions

10:30 am - 11:30 am Plenary - Thought Leader

11:30 am - 12 pm Visit Employer Showcase and Networking Break

12 pm - 2:30 pm Luncheon and Inclusion Awards Presentations

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Closing Plenary Thought Leader

3:30 pm - 4 pm Wrap-up, Employer Show-Case Draw for Prizes and Closing Prayer Wrap-Up: Kelly J. Lendsay, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Human Resource Council