Request for Proposals: Building a User Friendly Data System for Canada’s International Cooperation Sector

Issued by: Cooperation Canada
RFP Release Date: May 6, 2025
Deadline for Proposals: May 19, 2025

Background and Context

Cooperation Canada is commissioning a sector-wide mapping initiative to generate a data- informed portrait of Canada’s international cooperation sector. This project complements a parallel study on civil society coalitions and networks (focused on the sector’s “architecture”). It aims to understand the composition of the sector, specifically, the organizations themselves: who they are, what they work on, where they operate, and how they are resourced.

The Canadian international cooperation sector is diverse and evolving. It includes non-governmental organizations, not-for-profit organizations, charities, community-based and diaspora-led groups, academic institutions, think tanks, private foundations, and more. The sector has undergone considerable shifts in recent years, shaped by global crises, demographic transitions, changes in funding, and a growing commitment to equity, decolonization, and feminist approaches. This initiative will lay the groundwork for a sustainable, updatable system for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data on the composition of the sector. It represents the foundational step for Cooperation Canada’s efforts to strengthen the sector’s collective capacity, inform future planning, and engage new partners through data.

This work will be supported by an expert advisor with deep sector knowledge, as well as a diverse advisory committee, to ensure that the technical system is grounded in the realities and nuances of Canada’s international cooperation landscape.

Purpose of the Study

This project will deliver a foundational tool to track, analyze, and visualize data about the composition of Canada’s international cooperation sector. Specifically, the consultant team will:

• Build a user-friendly data system (e.g., dashboard, structured database with front- end visualization) to house and analyze baseline data. The system must be fully bilingual (English and French), ensuring that users can navigate, interact with, and interpret the data in either official language.
• Support year-over-year updates and analysis through clear workflows and documentation.
• Deliver a populated dataset covering the period 2015–2025 as a baseline for trend analysis.

This work will feed into Cooperation Canada’s broader efforts to map and strengthen the international cooperation sector and future reporting efforts (e.g., during International Development Week).

Scope of Work

The selected team will:

• Co-design a sustainable, fit-for-purpose system that enables filtering and visualization of sector-level data (e.g. dashboard or structured database).
• Identify and integrate primary and secondary data sources (e.g. CRA filings, StatsCan, GAC databases), with a primary focus on charitable organizations.
• Working with the expert advisor, define and document a typology or taxonomy for categorizing organizations and their characteristics (e.g., by theme, size, geography, equity dimensions).
• Populate the system with a baseline dataset covering 2015 to 2025, using a mix of structured data and coded qualitative metadata where available / possible.
• Collaborate with Cooperation Canada and a sector expert/advisory committee throughout.
• Provide documentation, “how to guides” and training to ensure the tool is user-friendly and sustainable, with consideration on data use and accuracy, as well as the inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Note: This project is expected to deliver a minimum viable product (MVP) that is practical, usable, and has potential for scale over time. The system should be designed with long-term value and low maintenance in mind.

Deliverables

• A Discovery and Implementation Plan that outlines:
  • Data users, needs and use cases
  • Available data sources and constraints
  • Proposed data architecture and system features
  • Other scoping and implementation information as relevant
• A user-friendly, bilingual, customizable, updateable data system (e.g., dashboard or database with front-end visualizations)
• A populated baseline dataset (2015–2025 version)
• A user guide, appropriate documentation to support Cooperation Canada to manage the system, user support tools, etc.
• A training and knowledge transfer session (live and/or recorded)
• A presentation of final product and recommendations (slide deck + 2–3 infographics
  or maps)

Budget for this initiative

Cooperation Canada has allocated a budget of $50,000 to $65,000 CAD (inclusive of taxes) for this initiative. This amount is intended to cover all associated costs, including consultant fees, technology tools or subscriptions, translation/localization for bilingual delivery, travel (if applicable), and other relevant expenses.

Proposals should include a clear and itemized budget that aligns with the proposed work plan and deliverables. Cost-effectiveness will be considered in the evaluation process.

Proposal Requirements

Interested teams should submit a proposal (max. 5 pages) that includes:

• A proposed methodology and data strategy, rationale for the type of system fit for purpose, and overall approach type of system
• A proposed typology or categorization approach to be finalized in collaboration with the Expert Advisor and Cooperation Canada team
• Relevant qualifications and experience, including examples of previous work or portfolio links
• A detailed budget and daily rate (inclusive of applicable taxes and expenses), accompanied by a clear breakdown of tasks and the estimated number of days allocated to each.
• Indication of availability for an Advisory Committee meeting on June 9, 2025.

Team Composition

We welcome applications from teams, firms, or consultants working in partnership. Teams
should bring:

• Technical expertise in building data dashboards or structured data systems using
  tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Airtable, or similar
• Strong design sensibility and usability orientation
• Ability to work collaboratively with non-technical users

Project Timeline

May-June 2025 – Kickoff and Co-design; Attend June 9 advisory committee meeting; Discovery and Implementation Plan

July-August 2025 – System architecture and prototype development; finalize data sources; begin dashboard build

September-October 2025 – Populate with 2015-2025 data; testing and validation with advisory committee

November 2025 – Refinement and documentation; user manual and training materials

December 2025 – Final handover and training session; visual summary and recommendations

February 2026 – Public Launch

Procurement and Equity Considerations

Cooperation Canada is committed to transparent, fair, and values-based procurement processes. All proposals will be assessed on merit by a committee of Cooperation Canada team members, with attention to:

• Relevance, feasibility and quality of the proposed approach, methodology and
  workplan (30%);
• Experience and qualifications of the applicant(s) (30%);
• Cost-effectiveness of the budget (25%);
• Equity and inclusion considerations (15%).

We strongly encourage applications from individuals and organizations that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. This includes consultants from equity-deserving groups, such as Indigenous Peoples, racialized people, women, people with disabilities, members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and others who face structural barriers to access.

Equity considerations will form part of the proposal assessment. This means we will consider:

• How the applicant integrates equity principles in their approach and process.
• Whether the applicant identifies as or includes members from equity-deserving groups; and
• The degree to which the proposal reflects inclusive, participatory, and culturally responsive methods.

Please indicate in your proposal how these considerations are reflected in your team, your proposed approach, and/or your organizational values.

How to Apply:

Please submit your proposal to:

• Andy Ouedraogo, [email protected]
• Subject line: Sector Composition RFP Submission
• By 23:59 P.M. May 19, 2025
• In case you need an extension, please reach out to us.