Archived Requests for Funding Opportunities

Request for Funding Opportunties (RFO): Information Technology and Information Management (IM/IT) Training & Support Network for the Voluntary Sector

1. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) is a joint undertaking between the voluntary sector and the Government of Canada. It is a unique opportunity to focus on the voluntary sector as one of the three pillars of Canadian society, equal in importance to the public and private sectors. The VSI had six Joint Tables and four working groups. One of the Joint Tables was the Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT) Joint Table. [Appendix 1 provides further background information about the VSI and the IM/IT Joint Table.]

In 2002, the IM/IT Joint Table completed its work on identifying ways of building the capacity of the voluntary sector through the application of information management and information technology. The IM/IT Joint Table Report identified access to training and technology support as one of the needs of the voluntary sector. Recommendation 2 reads as follow:

Help voluntary organizations make more efficient and effective use of technology by linking existing community-based networks together, providing a central access point to the networks...

Through this Request For Funding Opportunities (RFO), the IM/IT Secretariat of the Voluntary Sector Initiative is seeking to establish a Canada-wide information management and information technology (hereafter "IM/IT") training and technical support network for Canadian voluntary organizations. Proposals are expected to describe an organization's interest in participating in this project and to become a regional IM/IT training and technical support Implementation Team.

It is important that Implementation Teams meet the eligibility requirements of this RFO.

The approved proposal will result in a contribution agreement between Industry Canada and the chosen party.

Duration of the project: September 2003 to February 2005.

Appendix 1 provides further background information about the VSI and the IM/IT Joint Table.

2. PROJECT DEFINITION

The IM/IT training and technical support network is to be established through the selection of regional Implementation Teams that:

1. already provide IM/IT training and technical support to voluntary organizations on a cost recovery basis, within an area including but not restricted to, call center or phone-based technical support, on-site services, online training or other information services, or workshops;
   
   
2. can bring together a network of non-profit or profit organizations that provide some IM/IT training and technical support to voluntary organizations to a broad region within Canada, and who are willing and able to expand these service offerings to other voluntary sector organizations in this region;
   
   
3. ensures diversity of service coverage and network participation by serving at least 3 or more of the following subsectors:
   
   
   • Arts & Culture
   • Environment
   • Faith
   • Health
   • International development
   • Justice
   • Social Services
   • Sport & Recreation
     
     
4. is sustainable now and has a business-like approach to sustaining their new regional network once the federal funding ends.

The IM/IT Advisory Group and IM/IT Secretariat is seeking to fund consortia that attempt to provide regional representation to the voluntary sector at large.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The VSI initiative is concerned that organizations work together for the broader benefit of the sector at large. Some of the thinking guiding this work is provided below.

Transparency and accountability

An organization undertaking work must be accountable to the sector. All work done under the VSI is for the common good of the voluntary sector and organizations must be willing to provide services with the intent of supporting and enhancing this common good. One of the purposes of the VSI is to encourage networking among voluntary sector organizations and to build communities of practice. An Implementation Team is expected to support this core activity through the continuing development of partnerships and outreach. The establishment of a voluntary sector board of governors for guiding the Implementation Team's work (if not already established) or other means for encouraging sector contributions is strongly encouraged.

There is an expectation that Implementation Teams will work closely with the IM/IT Secretariat, the IM/IT Advisory Group and other voluntary sector stakeholders when appropriate. On matters of substantive importance pertaining to access, sustainability, governance, or legal matters, the IM/IT Advisory Group should be consulted.

Sustainability Considerations

There is an expectation that training services will be accessible and affordable to all members of the sector. An Implementation Team is expected to provide a thoughtful consideration of how the provision of services might be sustained after the federal funding ends and the kinds of value-added services that might be developed.

Language and Accessibility

The regional, linguistic and client diversity of the voluntary sector must be represented. Organizations must be able to provide services in both official languages and use standards for web accessibility.

3. PROJECT DELIVERABLES

Two broad objectives are to be met through these deliverables:

1. Expand existing IM/IT training & technical support service offerings to other voluntary sector organizations within a broader region.

2. Cooperate with other Implementation Teams providing similar services in other regions to establish a Canada-wide IM/IT training and technical support network.

To meet these objectives, Implementation Teams must undertake to:

1. Enlarge the network of voluntary sector organizations being served regionally through effective promotion of the network and its goals and objectives.

2. Collect and share information pertaining to IM/IT training and technical support for voluntary sector organizations in their region. This may include, but is not restricted to, maintaining calendars of IM/IT training events, collection and sharing of course description information, creating regional IM/IT training and technical support contact lists, etc.

3. Provide regular communications about regional activities, lessons learned, new resources, expert advice, and other relevant communications via Canada-wide voluntary sector electronic mailing lists.

4. Provide monthly updates and quarterly status reports on IM/IT support activities as per the contribution agreement.

5. Contribute information regarding IM/IT training and technical support to the voluntary sector portal according to supplied templates.

6. Cooperate to establish a model and services for a Canada-wide training network. To enable this, a forum will be held to bring the Implementation Team representatives, the IM/IT Advisory Group, IM/IT Secretariat, and other experts together to determine:

• how the network will work,
• the best operational models for technical support,
• what basic curriculum should be mandatory for training,
• how best to cover all regions of Canada,
• what can be accomplished with current funds available,
• how the network can be auto-financed and made sustainable.

The deliverables decided upon by this forum may include, but are not restricted to:

• Cooperate in developing curriculum and support materials to assist voluntary sector organizations in sound and effective IM/IT planning (eg. for IT/IM needs assessment; planning and budgeting for the introduction and maintenance of new technologies; acquiring and upgrading technology; training of management, staff and boards, etc.).
• Provision of Canada-wide technical hotline services.
• Contributions of IM/IT information to national Voluntary Sector Portal.
• Development of voluntary sector technical "toolkit" or common IT platform services (eg. a database of training materials).
• Partnership with IM/IT firms to provide preferential IM/IT support and services to the voluntary sector.

Expenses pertaining to this Forum will be covered by the IM/IT Secretariat.

4. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Interested parties, whether as individual organizations or consortia:

1. Must be a Canadian non-profit organization. If a consortium, the lead organization must be a Canadian non-profit organization. Commercial organizations interested in participating are expected to work as part of a consortium with the voluntary sector.

2. Must be able to demonstrate a credible and leadership presence in the Canadian voluntary sector.

3. Must have a willingness and/or ability to work cooperatively with other voluntary sector organizations and VSI projects.

4. Must provide a detailed budget of estimated costs (licensing, enhancement) to deliver the project.

5. Lead organization must provide proof of financial solvency and must demonstrate it can receive, manage and account for public funds in a responsible manner, and have the capacity to deliver the service. Please attach appropriate financial documentation.

6. Implementation Teams must be willing to explicitly acknowledge the contribution of the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector Initiative in the work.

7. Implementation Teams, in concert with their partners, must demonstrate that they provide the following IM/IT training and technical support services:

1. Provide a call-center or phone-based service to assist in IM/IT support.
2. Assist voluntary sector organizations throughout their region in acquiring and upgrading equipment.
3. Ensure two-way communication allowing voluntary sector organizations to share information on technology.
4. Provide on-site IM/IT training and technical support where feasible and/or necessary.
5. Provide online training materials and relevant resources.
6. Provide IM/IT workshops appropriate to a range of voluntary sector organizations in their region.

5. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The RFO aims at identifying lead organizations that are willing to act as Implementation Teams as defined above. The IM/IT Advisory Group will evaluate each proposal based on the information provided below, study the quality of the response to each criterium and make recommendations to Industry Canada. The final decision will be made by Industry Canada.

Industry Canada will enter into a contribution agreement with the chosen organizations. The contribution agreement will describe the deliverables and payment schedule for the participation in the network.

Priority for the selection of the lead organization will be given to voluntary sector organizations as opposed to private sector organizations depending on the reach, volume, area, diversity in services provided, clienteles and strength of the delivery model and quality of the training. Private sector organizations could strengthen their proposal by partnering with several voluntary sector organizations.

No proposal will be accepted if the information required below is incomplete or if the proposal was received after the deadline.

All the information required is mandatory. All fields must be complete otherwise the proposal will not be evaluated.

Information can be provided on separate sheets but bidders are requested to follow the order of information as provided.

Proposals must include the following:

1. Descriptive information about the organization(s) as per sections A and B below.
2. A document that clearly addresses the evaluation requirements listed in section C below.
3. The project budget as per section D below.

A. DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION: Lead organization

The following information is mandatory and should be presented in the order given below:

1. Official Organization Name.
2. Addresses (street and/or mailing address)
3. Contract Person(s).
4. Telephone Number(s).
5. Fax Number(s).
6. E-mail Address(es).
7. URL.
8. Description of the Mission of the Organizations (append brochures or related material if required).
9. Incorporation Number (mandatory) and Charity Number (if available). Proof of a legal entity that has been in operation for at least 2 years must be provided. Copy of incorporation papers must be attached to proposal.
10. Years in Operation.
11. Financial Information (Lead organizations must provide proof of financial solvency. Lead organizations must demonstrate they can receive, manage and account for public funds in a responsible manner, and have the capacity to deliver the project. Please attach appropriate financial documentation.)
12. Type of Organization (Please choose all that apply. Demonstrate diversity of service coverage and network participation, i.e. that at least 3 of the partners together can represent 3 or more different service sub-sectors.)

B. DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION: Partner Organizations

The following information is mandatory for every partner organization and should be presented in the order given below:

1. Official Organization Name.
2. Addresses (street and/or mailing address).
3. Contract Person(s).
4. Telephone Number(s).
5. Fax Number(s).
6. E-mail Address(es).
7. URL.
8. Description of the Mission of the Organizations (append related material if required).
9. Proof of Legal Identity (incorporation number for profit organizations or charity number for non-profit organizations).
   

C. RATED REQUIREMENTS

All information is required and should be clearly addressed in the proposal in the order below. The following information must be provided by the lead organization. The IM/IT Advisory Group will evaluate proposals based on the following:

1. Demonstrate your organizations experience in providing IM/IT support & training to voluntary organizations
   
2. Provide a detailed description of the method(s) that your organization(s) use to deliver IM/IT training & technical support to clients. To support this, provide a detailed list of topics, workshops, training packages, or other evidence of you and your partners commitment to IM/IT support.
   
3. Describe in detail your proposed strategy to implement and deliver this initiative to your region. Explain how your organization with your partners and through collaboration with your partners, will expand the provision of IM/IT training and technical support services to the voluntary sector in your region. Please provide a detailed workplan and timetable for this strategy.
   
4. Provide a short description of partnerships developed with other organizations or businesses, including an explanation of their contributions to the project (cash or in-kind; if available at this stage) and indicate their roles and responsibilities in this project.
   
5. Provide an 18 month budget with an estimate of costs for all the organizations within the network to deliver IM/IT training and technical support to voluntary sector organizations. Please provide this according to the supplied template (section D).
   
6. Describe how you expect to sustain your network once federal funding ends.
   
7. Describe how you plan to provide services in both official languages.
   
8. Describe how you plan to service rural areas.

D. PROJECT BUDGET TEMPLATE

6. PAYMENT PROCEDURE

Industry Canada could finance up to 100 percent of the total cost of the project. All payments are made to the organization through a Contribution Agreement. Payment will be made on the basis of documented claims for reasonable eligible costs incurred, to be submitted by the recipient not more frequently than monthly.

Each claim is to be accompanied by all costs being claimed, a brief report of the work completed in support of these costs, and be substantiated by such documents satisfactory to the Minister. Claims shall be certified by an officer of the recipient or by such other person satisfactory to the Minister. Reporting shall be done every three months in an agreed format.

The Minister may make advance payments on account of contributions in cases where it is critical for the success of the project. Such advances will be made in accordance with the Treasury Board Guidelines.

7. ADMINISTRATION

Industry Canada is the Department responsible for the IM/IT Program for the Voluntary Sector Initiative and will administer the Contribution Agreement (CA) with the Implementation Team. The agreement must meet the federal government laws and regulations including but not restricted to the Financial Administration Act.

The Implementation Team has the option to subcontract as required. Industry Canada will have the CA only with the Implementation Team and will hold that organization responsible for any activities it has subcontracted to other parties.

8. PROTECTION OF INFORMATION

All personal information provided in an applicant's proposal for a Contribution Agreement is protected under the provisions of the federal Privacy Act. Organizations successful in the competition should be aware that the data on the number of staff, the objectives and activities of the organization and financial data are not protected under the Privacy Act and might be made accessible to anyone who would request them through the Access to Information Act.

9. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The Implementation Team will hold and retain ownership of all intellectual property rights in the deliverables contemplated by the project. Industry Canada reserves the right of reproduction for any deliverable developed with federal funding under this project.

10. DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

E-mail proposals must be received no later than August 29, 2003 at midnight.

Proposals received by mail or courier must be post stamped no later than August 29, 2003.

11. DELIVERY OF PROPOSALS

Electronic versions of proposals, Sections A, B, C & D are also required. Paper attachments (i.e. registration or incorporation copies) are not required in electronic form but must be mailed to the above address. Electronic versions must be submitted either in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format to: IMIT@ic.gc.ca.

Should you have any questions, please call (613) 990-7233.

APPENDIX 1: BACKGROUND

The Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) is a joint undertaking between the voluntary sector and the Government of Canada. It is a unique opportunity to focus on the voluntary sector as one of the three pillars of Canadian society, equal in importance to the public and private sectors.

The long-term objective of the VSI is to strengthen the voluntary sector's capacity to meet the challenges of the future, and to enhance the relationship between the sector and the federal government and their ability to serve Canadians.

In 2002, the IM/IT Joint Table completed its work on identifying ways of building the capacity of the voluntary sector through the application of Information Management/Information Technology. The Joint Table submitted its report with program recommendations to the Minister of Industry and to the VSI Joint Coordinating Committee. The IM/IT Secretariat at Industry Canada is tasked with project management of this program with actual implementation being shared with the sector.

The IM/IT Joint Table strategy involves five main recommendations:

1. Campaign targeting funders: Encouraging funders to change their policies and procedures to permit IM/IT investments.
   
   
2. Access to IT planning, hardware and software, training and technical support: Giving sector organizations ongoing access to IT planning, expert advice, current hardware and software, training and technical support.
   
   
3. Voluntary sector website/portal: An on-line location for the exchange of information and best practices for voluntary sector organizations and funders.
   
   
4. Funding exchange: A web-based interactive funding service for both funders and organizations seeking funding.
   
   
5. Technology awareness campaign: A campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of adopting and using technology effectively.
   
   

This RFO addresses part of the recommendation # 2.

The IM/IT Joint Table Report identified that one of the needs of the voluntary sector is to have access to training and technology support. The recommendation reads as follow:

Help voluntary organizations make more efficient and effective use of technology by linking existing community-based networks together, providing a central access point to the networks...

To answer this recommendation, Industry Canada is seeking organizations that will participate in establishing a Canada-wide IM/IT Training & Support Network for the voluntary sector.