Request for Proposal (RFP): Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework for Responsible Use.

Application Guidelines

Request for Proposal (RFP): Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework for Responsible Use.

Issued: Monday, May 25, 2026

Application Deadline: Friday, June 15, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EDT

1. BACKGROUND

Oxfam Canada is a registered charitable organization working to end poverty and inequality through humanitarian assistance, long-term development, and public influencing and campaigning. Our work spans diverse and often fragile contexts and engages directly with communities experiencing poverty, displacement, and crisis.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly embedded in common workplace software and are being used informally by staff for operational, research, communications, marketing, fundraising and administrative purposes. For instance, staff use AI for copy editing, idea generation, data analysis, research, translation and other workplace tasks. Oxfam Canada also has its own AI Chatbot for website engagement. While AI offers potential benefits for efficiency and insight, it also presents significant ethical, privacy, and human rights risks — particularly in contexts involving vulnerable populations.

Oxfam Canada is seeking an experienced agency or consortium to support the development of a fit-for-purpose AI governance structure that enables responsible use of AI while preventing harm, safeguarding rights and privacy, and aligning with our mission and values.

Deliverables must be tailored specifically to Oxfam Canada’s operational realities, risk profile, charitable obligations, feminist principles, humanitarian and development programming contexts, and existing governance structures. Generic or largely boilerplate frameworks, templates, or policy language that are not demonstrably adapted to Oxfam Canada’s context will not be considered sufficient.

For more information about Oxfam Canada, please refer to our website www.oxfam.ca.

2. PURPOSE OF THE RFP

The purpose of this consultancy is to:

• Establish a clear, practical governance framework for the responsible use of AI across
  the organization;
• Identify where AI considerations should be integrated into existing policies and where new, standalone guidance may be required and provide standard template language for these policies that can be adapted by Oxfam;
• Propose roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes related to AI use;
• Ensure compliance with applicable Canadian privacy and data protection requirements,
  while exceeding minimum standards through a human rights-based approach.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

The selected vendor will be expected to undertake the following activities:

3.1 Discovery and assessment

• Review existing organizational policies (e.g., privacy, information security, safeguarding, procurement, ethics, risk management, and resources);
• Identify options for potential uses of AI that advance Oxfam’s overall organizational goals and priorities (to be discussed in a facilitated conversation with Senior Leadership) across organizational work areas;
• Assess organizational risk exposure related to AI use, with particular attention to impacts on vulnerable populations and the climate, using Oxfam International guidance as a starting point. Provide overview of whether the costs of using AI outweighs the benefits and what Oxfam Canada’s AI policy influencing agenda should include;
• Determine through staff engagement (e.g. survey or focus group for instance) what are key current uses of AI at Oxfam Canada.

3.2 Governance design

Recommendations must include practical operational guidance describing how proposed governance processes would function in day-to-day organizational decision-making, including ownership, escalation pathways, approval thresholds, and examples of application in realistic organizational scenarios.

• Develop an AI governance framework appropriate for a mid-sized, globally operating
  non-profit organization;
• Define principles for responsible AI use aligned with feminist values, poverty reduction,
  equity and human rights and environmental sustainability, and supporter privacy;
• Propose a framework and toolkit to help Oxfam determine risks associated with different
  AI tools to ensure we assess risk adequately.
• Define internal roles, responsibilities, and escalation pathways for AI-related decisions.

3.3 Policy integration and recommendations

• Map how AI considerations should be embedded into existing policies;
• Recommend whether a standalone AI policy, a set of AI principles, or another approach
  is most appropriate in the various policy areas;
• Draft any required new policy documents or proposed amendments to existing policies.

3.4 Operational tools and guidance

• Develop practical tools such as:

o AI use decision trees or approval checklists;

o Vendor due diligence and procurement guidance for AI-enabled tools;
o Risk assessment templates for proposed AI uses;

• Provide clear guidance on when AI should not be used, particularly in sensitive
  programmatic or campaigning contexts.

All tools and templates must be implementation-ready and accompanied by instructions for practical use by non-technical staff.

Provide worked examples or case studies demonstrating how the proposed governance framework, risk assessment process, and decision tools would apply to realistic Oxfam Canada use cases (e.g., communications drafting, supporter engagement, humanitarian data analysis, safeguarding-sensitive contexts, fundraising, policy advocacy, or translation).

3.5 Implementation roadmap

• Deliver a realistic, prioritized implementation plan suitable for a 6–12 month horizon aligned to organization’s charitable status and available budget/staff resources;
• Identify resource implications and internal capacity needs.

Recommendations should distinguish between minimum viable governance measures, medium-term governance enhancements, and aspirational or resource-intensive practices. Vendors should clearly identify which recommendations are realistic within Oxfam Canada’s anticipated staffing and resource constraints.

4. OUT OF SCOPE

• Development or deployment of AI systems;
• Board-level governance design or Board training (may be considered in a future phase).

5. DELIVERABLES

Expected deliverables include:

• AI governance framework document;
• Policy integration map and recommendations;
• Draft standalone AI policy (if recommended) and language to be integrated in existing policies;
• Practical tools and templates;
• Implementation roadmap.
• A walk-through session for Senior leadership and AI task force on deliverables

All deliverables should be provided in editable formats.

Deliverables should reflect substantive customization to Oxfam Canada’s context and should not consist primarily of generic industry frameworks, publicly available guidance, or minimally adapted templates.

6. REQUIRED EXPERTISE

Proposals should demonstrate:

• Proven experience in AI governance, ethics, or responsible technology;
• Experience working with non-profit, humanitarian, development, or social justice organizations; experience working with charity business model an asset
• Strong understanding of data protection and privacy obligations in Canada;

• Ability to translate complex technical and ethical issues into practical guidance.

7. TIMELINE AND BUDGET

• Project duration: 3 months from contract signature
• Review and input: Oxfam reviews and provides feedback on draft outputs ahead of final deliverables. Payment schedule will be tied to a phased approach to production of deliverables (e.g. 33% of deliverables met and payment of same amount and so forth).

• Budget range: CAD $25,000–$50,000 (inclusive of all fees, expenses and tax)

8. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Proposals should include:
1. Technical approach and methodology;
2. Detailed workplan and timeline;
3. Team composition and relevant experience;
4. Examples of similar past work (preferably with non-profits);
5. Detailed budget;
6. Two references.

Applicants should include at least one anonymized example of a previous AI governance deliverable, toolkit, framework, decision-support tool, or policy implementation resource that demonstrates the practical nature and quality of their work.

9. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Understanding of the assignment and organizational context;
  • Demonstrated ability to provide practical, operational, and context-specific governance solutions rather than generic AI policy guidance; quality and usability of proposed tools, templates, and implementation supports;
  • Demonstrated understanding of humanitarian, safeguarding, human rights, an feminist risks associated with AI use;
  • Ability to support organizational adoption and operationalization by non-technical staff.
• Quality and feasibility of the proposed approach;
• Relevant experience and expertise;
• Value for money;
• Commitment to ethical practice and conflict-of-interest transparency.

Please Note:

• Any hospitality, incidental, food, travel and other expenses will not be reimbursed.

• In order to be fair to all applicants, late submissions and phone calls or emails to discuss
  the applications status will not be accepted

10. SUBMISSION DETAILS

Delivery of Proposal:

Please submit one (1) electronic copy in PDF format by email to: can.fa.rfp@oxfam.ca by Friday, June 15, 2026 5:00 p.m. EDT. All documents should be combined as one single document.

Proposal Time Limit:

Each bidding firm shall commit that the proposal is valid and accurate for 120 days from the closing date of Friday, June 15, 2026 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Selection Process:

• Oxfam Canada reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal.
• Oxfam Canada will review all applications; the award will be based on a review of the proposals against all evaluation criteria and will not necessarily be awarded on the lowest price offered.
• Additional written materials, to ascertain the qualification of applicant, may be requested.
• Oxfam Canada may negotiate terms with the selected firm.
• This RFP does not constitute a contract or commitment.

Inquiries:

Each firm will be provided with fair access to information, as requested by email.

Respondents should email (please do not telephone) all questions to the attention of the

Procurement Committee at can.fa.rfp@oxfam.ca, by Friday, June 1, 2026 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Liability Insurance

All firms are requested to warrant that the firm does not have any outstanding liability claims that may impact on the future health of the firm. Additionally, the firm must maintain sufficient professional liability insurance, specifically named for the services, including errors and omissions, with a limited of not less than $2,000,000 per occurrence with respect to the services alone and confirm that the firm carries the required insurance as prescribed by the relevant professional regulatory bodies. The successful applicant will provide verified copies of required insurance policies when requested.

Conflict of Interest:

Applicants responding to this RFP may not have any personal or business interest that would present an actual, potential, or apparent conflict of interest with the performance of the contract being awarded.

Distribution of the Invitation for Proposals:

This invitation has been released publicly and by notice to potential applicants identified by Oxfam Canada.

Oxfam Canada is not committed to Applicant’s Expenses:

The application process will not necessarily result in a commitment to signing a contract with the applicant. Oxfam Canada shall not be liable for any expenses incurred by any Applicant for the submission to this RFP.

Successful Applicant:

The successful applicant will be required to enter into an Agreement with Oxfam Canada. The successful applicant will be required to:

• Submit a supplier questionnaire;
• Provide the services for a defined period of time;
• Provide invoices to Oxfam Canada on account of their services, accordingly;
• Provide Oxfam Canada with a GST/HST number for their business;
• Provide proof of liability insurance; and
• Abide by the Oxfam Canada Code of Conduct and confidentiality requirements.

External Factors:

Oxfam Canada reserves the right to withdraw this RFP or terminate the resulting contract within the terms of the contract without penalty. Oxfam Canada programs and services receive funding from various sources and therefore all contracted services are subject to budget constraints.