RFP - My Cancer, My Choice Phase 2 National Expansion

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

My Cancer, My Choice - Phase 2 National Expansion

Government Relations, Healthcare Stakeholder Engagement, Communications & Campaign Amplification

Issued by: Save Your Skin Foundation

RFP Issue Date: September 14, 2026

Proposal Deadline: October 5, 2026

Anticipated Campaign Period: November 2026 - February 2027

About Save Your Skin Foundation

Save Your Skin Foundation (SYSF) is a Canadian patient-led organization dedicated to supporting people affected by cancer through education, advocacy, awareness and patient support.

In 2026, SYSF and participating patient organizations launched My Cancer, My Choice, a patient community-led education and awareness campaign focused on helping Canadians understand that, in some cases, choices may exist in how cancer treatment is delivered, and that treatment delivery can affect time, comfort, day-to-day routines and the overall treatment experience.

Phase 1 established a bilingual campaign platform and launched with a strong focus in Quebec, supported by patient and healthcare professional voices, earned and paid media, digital and social amplification, a public service announcement (PSA), and radio outreach.

SYSF is now preparing for Phase 2: national expansion and provincial activation.

Purpose of the RFP

SYSF is seeking an experienced national agency or integrated agency team with demonstrated expertise in:

• Government relations and health policy;
• Provincial healthcare systems and reimbursement environments;
• Healthcare professional and institutional stakeholder engagement;
• Public relations and earned media;
• Paid and digital media strategy and execution;
• Patient and public advocacy campaigns; and
• Bilingual English/French communications.

The selected agency will work with SYSF to develop and execute a coordinated national strategy that is provincially tailored rather than uniformly deployed across Canada.

The agency must demonstrate meaningful national reach and, critically, strong provincial expertise, relationships and on-the-ground capabilities across key Canadian provinces.

Phase 2 Strategic Objective

Phase 2 will build upon the awareness, education, partnerships, creative platform and campaign infrastructure developed during Phase 1.

The objective is to advance appropriate access to and adoption of subcutaneous (SubQ) oncology treatment delivery across Canada while continuing to centre the patient experience, informed treatment conversations and healthcare system sustainability.

Phase 2 will operate through a two-pillared strategic framework: “The Implementers” and “The Changers.” This reflects the significant differences in formulary status, healthcare delivery and institutional adoption between provinces.

Pillar 1: The Implementers: Ground-Level Adoption

In provinces where relevant SubQ treatment options are already publicly listed, the focus will shift from access advocacy toward implementation and uptake within the healthcare system.

Priority audiences may include:

Oncologists | Oncology Nurses | Hospital Administrators | Pharmacy Directors | Cancer Centre Leadership | Health Authorities

The strategy should help address barriers to adoption and demonstrate the potential value of SubQ delivery in areas such as:

• Healthcare system capacity;
• Infusion chair utilization;
• Clinical workflow;
• Nursing and staffing pressures;
• Patient intake and institutional processes
• Patient treatment experience.

The Phase 2 framework currently identifies British Columbia, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces within the Implementers pillar. Quebec represents a particular opportunity, as listing occurred relatively early but uptake and patient intake remain slower.

Pillar 2: The Changers: Policy & Listing Adoption

In provinces where SubQ listing remains pending, delayed or stalled, the campaign will focus on creating an environment that supports policy action and formulary access.

Priority audiences may include:

Provincial Decision-Makers | Health Authorities | Patient Advocates | Healthcare Professionals | Media | General Public

Potential tactics may include:

• Government relations and policy engagement;
• Grassroots advocacy;
• Patient mobilization;
• Letter-writing or other public-action campaigns;
• Earned media;
• Targeted public awareness;
• Stakeholder coalition building; and
• Strategic paid media directed toward priority audiences.

Ontario and Alberta are currently expected to fall within the Changers pillar.

These efforts are intended to complement, rather than replace or duplicate, formal pharmaceutical pricing and listing negotiations.

Provincial Approach

Phase 2 must remain flexible as provincial listing environments evolve. The current working framework is:

Province/Region

Current Direction

Primary Focus

British Columbia

Implementers

Clinical/institutional adoption and system capacity

Atlantic Canada

Implementers

Clinical/institutional adoption and system capacity

Quebec

Implementers

Accelerating uptake and addressing institutional barriers

Ontario

Changers

Formulary access, advocacy and policy engagement

Alberta

Changers

Formulary access, advocacy and policy engagement

Manitoba

Dynamic

Monitor listing; Changers if delayed → Implementers once listed

Saskatchewan

Dynamic

Monitor listing; Changers if delayed → Implementers once listed

The selected agency will be expected to monitor the provincial environment and recommend adjustments as circumstances change. The Phase 2 framework specifically anticipates Manitoba and Saskatchewan potentially moving from Changers-oriented activity to Implementers activity following listing.

Existing Campaign Foundation

SYSF is not seeking to rebuild the campaign from the ground up. A significant creative and communications foundation has already been developed through Phase 1 and should be leveraged wherever appropriate.

Existing resources include:

• Established My Cancer, My Choice / Mon cancer, mon choix campaign branding;
• Bilingual campaign microsite;
• English and French video PSA;
• Radio PSA;
• Existing social media graphics and digital assets;
• Campaign messaging and patient education content;
• Healthcare professional and patient content;
• Existing partner amplification materials;
• Patient organization network
• Existing relationships with healthcare professionals and patient advocates.

The campaign hub already provides information on treatment experience and delivery, patient perspectives, questions for healthcare teams, physician Q&A, opportunities for patients to share their experiences and partner resources.

The expectation for Phase 2 is therefore strategic adaptation, amplification and targeted new content development, rather than wholesale redevelopment.

Provincial Champion Model

A key component of Phase 2 will be the development of a local champion model. Where feasible, SYSF intends to identify within each priority province:

• One healthcare professional/clinical champion + one patient champion

SYSF has existing relationships that can support champion identification and recruitment. The selected agency should propose how provincial champions can be effectively incorporated into:

• Local and regional media;
• Government relations;
• Stakeholder meetings;
• Campaign content;
• Social and digital communications;
• Healthcare professional engagement;
• Opinion/editorial opportunities; and
• Other provincial activation opportunities.

The objective is to ensure the campaign has credible, locally relevant voices available to speak to both the healthcare system and patient experience, rather than relying solely on national spokespeople.

Scope of Work

SYSF is seeking agency recommendations rather than prescribing every tactic. Proposals should outline an integrated strategy addressing the following areas:

• Strategic & Provincial Planning: Develop a national strategy with individual provincial activation plans aligned with the Implementers/Changers framework; identify priority stakeholders, barriers, opportunities, timelines and recommended tactics by jurisdiction.
• Government Relations & Health Policy: Provide provincial GR expertise, stakeholder mapping, policy intelligence, government engagement strategies and direct support for appropriate meetings and advocacy initiatives.
• Healthcare Stakeholder Engagement: Develop strategies to reach oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, cancer centre leadership, administrators and other healthcare system stakeholders, particularly in Implementer provinces.
• Earned Media & Public Relations: Develop proactive provincial and national media strategies using patient and healthcare professional champions, including local media pitching and spokesperson support.
• Paid Media & Campaign Amplification: Recommend and execute an integrated paid strategy capable of generating significant national and targeted provincial reach and impressions, while tailoring audience targeting and messaging to provincial objectives.

○ Channels may include digital, social, search, print, radio, out-of-home or other placements where strategically appropriate.

• Campaign & Content Adaptation: Maximize existing Phase 1 assets while identifying where new or adapted creative is necessary for provincial audiences, stakeholder groups or campaign objectives.
• Grassroots & Patient Advocacy: Where appropriate, develop mechanisms to mobilize patients, caregivers, partner organizations and the public in support of provincial policy objectives.
• Measurement & Optimization: Establish meaningful KPIs by pillar and province and provide ongoing reporting and recommendations for optimization.

Desired Outcomes

While final KPIs will be established with the selected agency, SYSF anticipates measuring success across several dimensions.

For the Implementers, measures may include healthcare stakeholder engagement, institutional reach, clinical champion participation, increased awareness of SubQ implementation opportunities and evidence of progress in adoption or implementation conversations.

For the Changers, measures may include government and policy engagement, advocacy participation, letters/actions generated, earned media, public awareness, stakeholder mobilization and progress toward provincial listing.

Across the overall campaign, SYSF is also seeking substantial visibility and reach, including measurable impressions, earned media reach, digital engagement, microsite traffic and partner amplification.

Phase 1 included targeted digital amplification toward government and hospital audiences, alongside patient stories, media activity and broader social and radio amplification; Phase 2 should build substantially upon this foundation.

Agency Qualifications

Proposals should demonstrate:

• National Canadian capabilities with meaningful provincial presence or networks;
• Strong understanding of provincial healthcare systems and reimbursement environments;
• Government relations expertise across multiple provinces;
• Experience working within oncology and/or healthcare environments;
• Experience engaging healthcare professionals and institutions;
• Experience with patient advocacy and public affairs campaigns;
• Integrated earned, paid and digital media capabilities;
• English and French capabilities
• Ability to rapidly adapt strategy based on changing policy or formulary environments; and
• Demonstrated ability to execute different strategies simultaneously across multiple provinces, rather than applying a single national template.

Proposal Requirements

Interested agencies should provide:

1. Agency Overview & Team: Proposed team, locations and provincial capabilities.
2. Relevant Experience: Examples of comparable healthcare, oncology, public affairs, GR or patient advocacy campaigns.
3. Strategic Approach: Initial perspective on the Implementers/Changers framework and how the agency would translate it into provincial execution.
4. National & Provincial Capabilities: Specific explanation of the agency's presence, expertise and relationships across priority provinces.
5. Recommended Scope & Tactics: Proposed approach across GR, healthcare engagement, earned media, paid media, advocacy and communications. 6. Measurement Framework: Recommended KPIs and reporting approach.
6. Timeline & Workplan: Proposed phases, milestones and key deliverables.
7. Budget: Detailed proposed fees and anticipated third-party costs, including clear separation of agency fees, paid media, production/content development, travel and other expenses.

SYSF welcomes agencies identifying additional opportunities or tactics not specifically outlined in this RFP where they believe these would meaningfully strengthen Phase 2.

RFP Process & Timeline

RFP issued: September 14, 2026

Deadline for questions: September 21, 2026

Proposal deadline: October 5, 2026

Anticipated project commencement: November 2, 2026

Questions and proposals should be directed to:

Jasmine MacGowan | Executive Director Save Your Skin Foundation jasmine@saveyourskin.ca