Request for Proposal: Understanding the Needs of Diverse Veteran Populations for Veteran Employment

PART 1. OVERVIEW & IMPORTANT DATES

This Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is issued by True Patriot Love. We invite prospective candidates to submit a proposal for the opportunity to support us to implement Understanding the Needs of Diverse Veteran Populations for Veteran Employment. This RFP sets out the requirements for proposal submissions including information about True Patriot Love, Terms and Conditions, Project Description/ Activities and Deliverables and Submission Instructions. Important dates include:

1. Issue Date of RFP: Monday, August 10th

2. Last Day for Candidate Questions: Monday, August 24th

3. Last Day to Provide Responses to Questions: Wednesday, August 26th

4. Proposal Submission Date: Monday, August 31st (by 5pm EDT) to hr@truepatriotlove.com

5. Proposal Review Date: Tuesday, September 8th

6. Notification of Preferred Candidate & Contract Award Date: Friday, September 18th

7. Work to Commence: Monday, September 21st

8. Work to be Completed: Tuesday, December 15th

9. Budget: Up to CAD $50,000, exclusive of applicable taxes

10. Location: True Patriot Love’s National Headquarters in Toronto, ON. As a hybrid office, we welcome proposals from candidates located anywhere in Canada.

PART 2. ABOUT TRUE PATRIOT LOVE & PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1 About True Patriot Love

True Patriot Love Foundation is Canada’s national foundation for the military community. Since 2009, we have invested more than $62 million into supporting military members, Veterans, and their families, reaching more than 50,000 beneficiaries and over 1,100 community-based programs. By investing in high-impact programs, funding innovative research, honouring service, and advocating for systemic change, we ensure those who served have the mental, physical, and social support they need to live fulfilling lives. We turn national gratitude into life-changing impact.

We are guided by four Strategic Priorities:

• Health and Well-Being: We invest in high-impact initiatives that foster physical and mental wellness for the entire family unit.
• Identity and Purpose: We celebrate the remarkable skills and leadership developed through military service, ensuring Veterans find continued purpose after the uniform.
• Information and Service Quality: We act as a central hub, connecting the community to reliable information and quality services.
• Policy and Advocacy: We amplify the voices of our community to drive systemic change at federal and provincial levels.

2.2 Project Description

As part of the Building a Veteran Ready Canada initiative, funded through Veterans Affairs Canada's Veterans and Family Well-Being Fund, True Patriot Love is working to improve employment outcomes for Veterans, Reservists, and their families by strengthening employer readiness and fostering a more inclusive and responsive employment ecosystem.

While considerable research exists regarding the Veteran population in Canada, there remains a need to better understand the unique employment related experiences, barriers, and support requirements of diverse Veteran populations, including women, Indigenous Peoples, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, racialized communities, and Veterans living with disabilities. This understanding is critical to ensuring that future programs, policies, and employer engagement efforts are informed by evidence and responsive to the needs of those they are intended to serve.

While this RFP is scoped to the populations identified above, applicants should also consider less formalized barriers where applicable, to inform future programming discussions.

As an example, True Patriot Love recognizes that some Veterans face additional barriers to employment, including but not limited to addictions, mental health challenges, or other circumstances affecting transition to civilian employment or entrepreneurship.

True Patriot Love is seeking external support to:

i. Conduct a review of existing research, including the 2021 Census, Veterans Affairs Canada publications, academic literature, and other relevant studies, to identify current knowledge related to the employment experiences and needs of diverse Veteran populations. Importantly, this includes comparisons to employment outcomes for the general Canadian population.

ii. Engage employers and key stakeholders through interviews, surveys, and/or consultations to better understand perceived barriers, opportunities, and support requirements related to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of diverse Veterans within the Canadian workforce;

iii. Synthesize findings to identify common themes, gaps, and emerging opportunities to strengthen employment outcomes for diverse Veteran populations; and,

iv. Develop a final report containing findings, recommendations, and practical considerations for employers, ecosystem partners, and future Building a Veteran Ready Canada initiatives aimed at creating a more inclusive and Veteran-ready employment landscape.

PART 3. TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. Terms of Agreement

The terms of this agreement will commence upon the date in which the contract is awarded and continue until all requirements are met, and deliverables are approved by True Patriot Love, unless terminated earlier. True Patriot Love is under no obligation to extend the scope of the work or engage the approved candidate for any subsequent work.

Additionally, in the event the approved candidate fails to accept the contract award, True Patriot Love reserves the right to accept the next qualified proposal.

1. Candidate Responsibility

True Patriot Love will review all proposals completed and received by the submission date by Monday, August 31st (by 5pm EDT). All interested candidates are responsible for obtaining clarification about the RFP and may do so in writing by email to hr@truepatriotlove.com by Monday, August 24th. Candidates may not directly contact individuals employed by True Patriot Love or on the Board of Directors about this RFP. Responses to candidate questions will be provided in a document that will be sent to all candidates by 5pm EDT on Wednesday, August 26th.

All costs incurred in the preparation of the proposal are the responsibility of the candidate. Additionally, all supporting documentation submitted with the proposal will be retained by True Patriot Love and not returned.

True Patriot Love reserves the right to: not accept the lowest or any proposal submitted; and, to negotiate the cost and work schedule with the approved candidate. The approved candidate will respect True Patriot Love’s privacy policy, and other applicable policies that will be included in the contract.

3.3 Copyright or Ownership

All documents, reports, working papers, or other documents submitted to True Patriot Love shall become the exclusive property of True Patriot Love, and not the property of the candidate.

1. Pricing

The proposal should identify the fees in Canadian Dollars for the work as outlined in Part 4. The activities and deliverables listed are the minimum requirements to be undertaken.

The maximum project budget is up to CAD $50,000, exclusive of applicable taxes. HST/GST, where applicable, will be calculated and added to the stated amounts as part of the original invoice.

1. Insurance

The approved candidate shall, at their own expense, provide and maintain liability insurance. All the insurance shall be primary and not require the sharing of any loss by any insurer of True Patriot Love.

1. Cancellation

True Patriot Love reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time and for any reason, and will not be responsible for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred or suffered by any proponent as a result of the cancellation.

True Patriot Love reserves the right to cancel the contract at its sole and absolute discretion within 30 days’ written notice to the consultant. The approved candidate will be entitled to be paid for all authorized work and expenses up to and including the date of cancellation.

PART 4. PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES

The activities and desired deliverables are presented below. Please note the following:

• The desired deliverables represent the minimum expectations of True Patriot Love.
• Proponents are encouraged to identify additional methodologies, engagement approaches, or value-added deliverables that would strengthen the project outcomes.
• The successful proponent will work closely with True Patriot Love throughout the project and participate in regular project status meetings.

ACTIVITY #1. Conduct an Environmental Scan and Review of Existing Research

Review and synthesize existing research, data, and literature related to the employment experiences and needs of diverse Veteran populations in Canada, including but not limited to:

a. Statistics Canada 2021 Census data and other publicly available demographic data;

b. Veterans Affairs Canada research, reports, and publications;

c. Canadian Armed Forces transition and employment-related research;

d. Academic literature, sector reports, and relevant national and international studies;

e. Existing employer-focused research related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and Veteran employment.

f. Comparative labour market data (e.g., Statistics Canada, ESDC) to contextualize Veteran employment outcomes against the general Canadian population

g. Identification of research gaps and areas requiring further exploration, including any under-recognized populations or readiness barriers (e.g., addictions, mental health, or other circumstances affecting employment readiness) that surface during the review

Desired Deliverables

• Comprehensive environmental scan and literature review.
• Summary of key findings, trends, barriers, and opportunities related to employment outcomes for diverse Veteran populations.
• Identification of research gaps and areas requiring further exploration.
• Recommendations for Canadian employers on best practices to support the diverse Veteran populations outlined in this RFP
• Comparative analysis of employment outcomes (e.g., employment rate, underemployment, income) between diverse Veteran populations and the general Canadian population, where data permits

ACTIVITY #2. Conduct Stakeholder and Employer Engagement

Engage with stakeholders to validate findings and identify practical opportunities to improve employment outcomes for diverse Veteran populations.

Stakeholder engagement may include interviews, focus groups, surveys, questionnaires, and/or consultations with:

a. Veterans from diverse populations, including women, Indigenous Peoples, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, racialized communities, and Veterans living with disabilities;

b. Veteran serving organizations and ecosystem partners;

c. Employers, industry associations, and workforce development organizations;

d. Government and subject matter experts, as appropriate.

Desired Deliverables

• Development and administration of an employer questionnaire and/or stakeholder engagement approach.
• Summary of engagement methodology and participant demographics.
• Analysis of stakeholder and employer feedback.
• Identification of common barriers, opportunities, and best practices related to recruitment, retention, advancement, and workplace inclusion.

ACTIVITY #3. Analysis, Findings, and Recommendations

Synthesize the findings from Activities #1 and #2 to identify key themes, priority needs, best practices and opportunities for action.

Desired Deliverables

• Draft Needs Based Analysis Report for review by True Patriot Love.
• Identification of key employment-related needs and considerations for diverse Veteran populations.
• Analysis of gaps within the current employment ecosystem.
• Best practice recommendations for employers seeking to improve Veteran recruitment, retention, and advancement practices.
• Recommendations for future Building a Veteran Ready Canada programming and ecosystem engagement activities.

ACTIVITY #4. Final Report and Presentation of Findings

Present findings and recommendations to True Patriot Love and incorporate feedback into the final report.

Desired Deliverables

• Final Needs-Based Analysis Report.
• Executive Summary highlighting key findings and recommendations.
• Presentation of findings and recommendations to True Patriot Love and invited stakeholders.
• Final electronic copies of all research materials, engagement tools, datasets (where applicable), and project documentation developed through the engagement.

PART 5. PROPOSAL CONTENT & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

5.1 Proposal Content

Proposals should not exceed six (6) pages, and include the following:

• Confirmation that you have reviewed the RFP.
• A summary of your proposed scope of work.
• A detailed work plan outlining the activities, deliverables, and timelines.
• A detailed budget summary by activity; the total budget will not exceed $50,000 (Fifty Thousand Canadian dollars), exclusive of applicable taxes.
• Relevant qualifications and experience; the proposal should include at least two (2) examples of work similar to the scope of work requested within this RFP.
• References; the proposal should include three (3) references of individuals who can speak to their experience with the consultant in conducting projects of a similar scope. Information about each reference should include the individual/ organization’s name (and contact person), email address, telephone number, and a brief description of the work completed and timing of the completion of the work.
• A statement of the consultant’s understanding of issues of confidentiality as applied to this project and disclosure concerning any real or perceived or potential conflicts of interest.

True Patriot Love reserves the right to ask for clarification from proposals that are shortlisted which may take the form of an interview. Additionally, True Patriot Love will not provide feedback about proposals that are not shortlisted.

5.2 Submission Instructions

All proposals are to be submitted electronically to hr@truepatriotlove.com, citing “RFP-Needs Based Analysis” in the subject line. Proposals must be submitted Monday, August 31st (by 5pm EDT). Any proposals received after this time will not be considered.