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Request for Proposals: Calgary Economic Development corporate strategy

Request for Proposals: Calgary Economic Development corporate strategy

November 25, 2021

Research & Reports Strategy

Calgary Economic Development invites qualified firms to submit a proposal for the development of Calgary Economic Development’s 2023-2026 Corporate Strategy.

Calgary Economic Development’s 2023-2026 Corporate Strategy will set the strategic direction of the organization for the next four years. In a constantly changing world we need to ensure that Calgary Economic Development remains relevant and nimble, pivoting easily when changes arise while also reaching desired targets and outcomes. To this end, this strategy is intended to be flexible and actionable across all departments within the organization.

We look forward to working with an organization with diverse experience in stakeholder engagement that understands global trends and their impacts within Calgary’s local economy.

Proposals must be submitted via email by 16:00 MST, January 4, 2022 to: Kate Koplovich, Senior Manager, Strategy

Questions must be submitted via email by December 13, 2021 to: Kate Koplovich, Senior Manager, Strategy

Download Request for Proposal

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you able to provide a copy of the existing strategic plan for Calgary Economic Development and any feedback on structure, content, or framework (likes, dislikes, lessons learned)?

This information and access to the plan will be made available during the discovery phase with the successful proponent. For information on publicly available information on Calgary Economic Development’s progress and priorities, please review our Annual Reports on our website.

The RFP mentions leveraging existing internal research, what internal research is available?

Specifics of this work will be made available during the discovery phase with the successful proponent. For Calgary in the New Economy, for example, this includes research on the identification of trends, jurisdictional analysis, scenario development, and stakeholder engagement. Some of these outputs of Calgary in the New Economy work would be inputs into the corporate strategy.

How is the Calgary in the New Economy economic plan currently being evaluated (in terms of progress)? Are you able to provide that evaluation matrix and any progress reports?

There are a series of key performance indicators and data used to measure the success of Calgary in the New Economy’s four focus areas. You can download the 2020 Annual Report on our website to learn more about what some of those metrics are.

It should be noted that Calgary in the New Economy is not Calgary Economic Development’s four-year corporate strategy, it is the city’s economic strategy. Calgary Economic Development’s work feeds into and supports the achievements of Calgary in the New Economy. The four-year corporate strategy will need to consider how the organization’s goals and objectives fit into the city’s economic strategy.

Our understanding is that this engagement will have two final deliverables, an updated strategic plan and a final report, is this a correct assumption?

Details on deliverables and outputs of the work are included on page six of the RFP document, specifically Section 13: Deliverables where the expected outputs of this work are outlined.

The RFP mentions objectives, metrics, targets, change management strategies and implementation plans. Normally, we see these elements present in an Operational Plan. Can we confirm that this engagement will include both Strategic AND Operational Plan?

We are looking for a strategic plan that details Calgary Economic Development’s strategic direction over the next four years, as well as tools, resources, and/or processes for the operationalization of the plan. The rationale for this is our commitment to a ‘living strategy’ and the desire to use the four-year corporate strategy to drive decision-making and the way our organization works every day. We do recognize that operationalizing the strategy may extend beyond the delivery date of the final strategy and are open to considering proposals that outline future operationalization support beyond the scope of this current RFP.

Are you able to confirm the elements Calgary Economic Development would like to see in the strategic plan?

We expect the proponents to use their subject matter expertise to tell Calgary Economic Development which elements are vital to an effective four-year strategic plan. That said, as an economic development agency, we will not be revisiting the mission, vision, and values of our organization. We will finalize the strategic plan elements during the discovery phase of the work.

In the discovery phase would Calgary Economic Development allow a survey to be distributed to internal and/or external stakeholders?

Yes, if it was deemed an important part of the data acquisition plan.

As part of the SWOT portion of current state analysis, does Calgary Economic Development require a competitive analysis of similar strategic plans?

We expect the proponents to use their subject matter expertise to conduct a SWOT analysis. If this requires competitive analysis of similar strategic plans, please include.

Do you require the development of a formal project charter? If so, do you have mandatory template to follow?

We expect the proponents to use their subject matter expertise to provide their perspective on key activities to develop a four-year corporate strategy. There is no formal requirement to develop a project charter. That said, if this is an important part of developing an effective strategy, please include.

What is your desired governance structure for the engagement? Can you provide a desired structure with the roles/responsibilities, level of engagement, and member details?

The immediate project team will be the Strategy team at Calgary Economic Development, consisting of approximately 4-5 individuals. We expect the proponents to use their subject matter expertise to advise on the best governance structure for engagement beyond the immediate project team.

Will multiple versions of the final deliverable need to be developed, varying based on audience (steering committee vs. internal vs. public)?

Multiple versions of the deliverables will be developed internally by Calgary Economic Development. The audiences for the final deliverable will be confirmed with the proponent.

What level of collaboration does Calgary Economic Development prefer?

While cadence and scheduling of meetings will be determined at the onset of the project with the successful proponent, we expect this to be a highly collaborative process, leaning on the side of heavy collaboration.

Can Calgary Economic Development provide a list of internal and external stakeholders to interview during the discovery phase of the project?

There are several departments within Calgary Economic Development that will need to see their work as part of the corporate strategy. This includes departments such as:

· Business Development,
· Research & Strategy,
· Corporate Projects,
· Creative Industries,
· Marketing & Communications,
· Human Resources,
· Finance.

Please see our website for more about some of these stakeholders.

Appropriate external stakeholders will need to be identified with the proponent at the onset of the project and may include but are not limited to: The City of Calgary administration and City Council, Team Calgary partners, the Calgary Economic Development Board, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, civic partners, business community, governments at all levels and potential and existing investors.

We expect the proponent to provide the number of interviews to be conducted based on their expertise and available budget.

Are you okay with SurveyMonkey as a survey tool, or is another survey tool preferred?

If SurveyMonkey is deemed the best tool to collect the required data, it would be acceptable. Calgary Economic Development does not have a preferred survey tool.

The RFP requests that the “relevancy of past projects (work from 1 – 2 projects must be provided).” Would Calgary Economic Development like us to include reference contacts for these projects (the name and contact information of contact at the project)?

Please include information on past projects such as:

· Name of project,
· Year of project (for relevancy),
· Description of what the client was asking for and/or challenge that needed to be solved,
· Description of work done,
· Description of deliverables and/or outputs.

References would be appreciated but not required for consideration at this time.

Could you please clarify the work that you would like us to provide from relevant past projects? As by the nature of the work that is being requested, prior clients regard full reports as proprietary and confidential.

Work should be an accurate representation of the types of outputs you have created for similar projects that demonstrate your experience and what we may expect in terms of deliverables and quality of work should yours be the successful bid. These examples are meant to be illustrative and can be scrubbed of any specific data that would identify the client or any specifics/proprietary information related to their work. Case studies describing similar work done for clients and the outcomes would also be acceptable.

Related to the assessment of the past/current CED strategy, what specific question(s) are you looking to get answered? What are you asking us to evaluate? Can you share that strategy outline with us before we submit a proposal?

The current state assessment of the current/past Calgary Economic Development strategy will enable us to determine how our organization delivered on the previous four-year corporate strategy. This assessment may include:

· Achievement of stated strategic priorities and objectives,
· Performance measurement against key metrics,
· Key considerations going forward in planning the next strategy,
· Strengths and weaknesses.

Please note that these are just some considerations for the assessment. Initial conversations with the selected proponent will determine any additional considerations that may arise to best support the development of the new strategy.

What are your current expectations for local and/or in-person engagement during this planning process? Would the preferred proponent have Calgary-based personnel?

We are looking for the proponent best suited to deliver this project. Regardless of where personnel are located, we expect proponents to have a deep knowledge of Calgary’s context (e.g., organizations within, governments, businesses, community, etc.). Calgary Economic Development will accommodate remote work but are also open to on-site work dependent on COVID-19 guidelines at the time.

Related to the current strategy, who does Calgary Economic Development see as their key stakeholders? What are the metrics they use for evaluating Calgary Economic Development? Are there benchmarks?

Calgary Economic Development has numerous key stakeholders, including but not limited to: The City of Calgary administration and City Council, Team Calgary partners, the Calgary Economic Development Board, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, civic partners, business community, governments at all levels and potential and existing investors.

Please see the link to Calgary Economic Development’s 2020 Annual Report, which provides detail regarding the metrics used to evaluate performance.

What strategies for the city have been most effective and by what measure? Would you please share how those measures are defined?

One recent example of a successful city-based initiative is Calgary’s Greater Downtown Plan, and in particular the Office to Residential Conversion Incentive Program to alleviate Calgary’s downtown vacancy challenge. This initiative has been successful thus far in part due to the collaboration between government and the business community in Calgary.

What are the current criteria for evaluating investment choices? For example, does foreign direct investment attraction (FDI) have its own outreach/marketing budget that is measured based on conversions from prospect to a site win?

This is information we will be able to share with the proponent whose bid is successful during the discovery phase.

In our breakdown of fees, should we include breakdown of total labor hours and labor cost by task?

A breakdown of total labor hours and labor cost by task is not necessary. Please ensure you do include a cost breakdown of outputs/deliverables.

How many documents/sources are there to review in the current strategy and documents related to existing internal/external research? CED's annual business plans are mentioned on pg. 7 of the RFP; is the review of recent annual plans included?

There will be between 10 to 20 documents to review that may include but are not limited to:

· Previous Annual Reports,
· Trends and scenarios within our economic strategy, Calgary in the New Economy which are in the midst of being pressure-tested,
· Previous annual business plans for each department within Calgary Economic Development.

As outputs, what is the expectation of a ‘living structure’? Are these to be provided by the proponent within scope of this engagement, or specific recommendations of what to use based on the strategic plan developed?

We expect the tools, processes, and resources to be developed within the scope of this engagement for operationalization. Support with use of the tools is beyond the scope of this RFP.

Condition 19.a. indicates IP rights assignment applies to “a proposal.” Is it intentional to claim unlimited IP rights to materials included in response to this RFP, especially proprietary models, methods, techniques, etc. as requested for this proposal?

We do not intend to claim IP on proprietary models, methods, techniques, work plans, and work products from other clients within submitted proposals.

For Approach and Deliverable content criteria number 1.f. “Ability to communicate narrative from analysis in an engaging way for different audiences (external and internal).” What is the most appropriate way to demonstrate this for evaluation?

This can be demonstrated in several ways as indicated in the question. However, Calgary Economic Development will leave the development of any communications narrative to the successful proponent as they will be best suited to do so, leveraging past experiences and expertise.

What is the approval process for the strategy once the draft (i.e., is it approved by the board and/or city council)?

The project timelines do not include the approval process and therefore do not need to be accounted for in the proposal submission. Details of the approval process will, however, be shared with the successful proponent.

Has Calgary Economic Development collected any data regarding client and/or citizen feedback on perceived effectiveness of the organization?

Calgary Economic Development collects client feedback as one input into its balanced scorecard. We track favourable impressions of Calgary Economic Development.

Please see our website for details on our 2020 Balanced Scorecard results.

Who are the ultimate decision-makers on Calgary Economic Development 's strategy? Will this be approved formally by the board, and are there other stakeholders that need to be engaged in final approval?

There are specific stakeholders that will need to be engaged in the final approval process, including the Calgary Economic Development Board of Directors. Details regarding the other stakeholders will be shared with the successful proponent.

Do you have internal design capacity at Calgary Economic Development to align any resources with your brand guide, or would you be hoping for us to leverage our design team for those purposes?

While there is some internal design capacity at Calgary Economic Development, all materials should be delivered to Calgary Economic Development in such a way that they could be used immediately for business development purposes and do not require extensive manipulation and editing by Calgary Economic Development staff.

What is the basis for payout? Will it be possible to have some percentage (e.g., 20-40%) of the contract paid out in advance, with additional payments given based on deliverables/progress/monthly? Or is this strictly a pay-on-final-delivery process?

This work will not be done on a pay-on-final-delivery payment model. Typically, we do progress payments but are open to discussing an appropriate payment schedule with the successful proponent.

The RFP suggests Calgary Economic Development staff are willing to contribute time to the project. How much time (hours or percentage), over what period), and how many / which staff would be available to do so?

Calgary Economic Development staff are willing to contribute time to the project as noted above in the question. Specific details regarding the amount of time can be flexible, based on what the successful proponent recommends in accordance with the project roll out and budget allocation.