OBJECTIVE
Canadian Red Cross (“CRC”) is pleased to announce the initiation of a Request for Information (RFI) process aimed at enhancing our organization's capabilities in managing emergency lodging services and travel logistics. Our organization is dedicated to efficiently managing emergency lodging in commercial facilities, deploying personnel to large-scale events, and overseeing corporate travel. The scope of these services is comprehensive, encompassing hotel reservations, air and ground transportation, and all other aspects pertinent to national and international travel logistics.
Given the critical nature of our operations, these services are available around the clock, 365 days a year. In emergency management scenarios, we operate under tight deadlines, demanding swift reactions and a high-paced work environment. In contrast, our corporate travel management allows for more structured planning with less stressful turnaround times.
One of the key challenges we face involves the management of payment methods related to reservations, the reconciliation of expenses, and ensuring the security of our travellers. Presently, we are collaborating with a corporate travel partner that provides various services and technological tools. Since 2020, our role in emergency lodging for both large and small-scale events have significantly expanded, leading to a substantial evolution in our technological needs and organizational requirements.
Our aim is to enhance our operational capacity, ensure the security of financial transactions, improve data accuracy and reporting, optimize workforce planning, and enhance analytical capabilities. In line with these goals, we are focused on streamlining and automating processes related to emergency lodging, personnel deployment both in Canada and internationally, and corporate travel management.
This RFI is designed with two primary objectives in mind:
- Industry Capability Assessment: To gather information on the industry's current capacity to support our organization in fulfilling its responsibilities, particularly in managing emergency lodging and travel logistics.
- Market Trends and Future Outlook: To acquire insights into current market trends and upcoming developments in the next few years. This information will guide our organization in planning the implementation of new methods and potential improvements in the management and quality of our travel services.
This Request for Information (“RFI”) will enable Vendors to provide sufficient information for CRC to select a shortlist of Vendors to which a Request for Proposal (“RFP”) or Request for Quotation (“RFQ”) may be issued. Vendor does not need to prepare a detailed proposal at this stage. Vendor should provide basic information regarding capabilities and an indication as to how they would approach working with CRC to achieve this RFI’s outlined objectives.
This is an opportunity for interested parties to help CRC better understand a marketplace and/or specific subject matter.
