Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN):
Organizational Development Consultant on Strategic Renewal using the Leadership Character (LC) Framework
1. Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)
An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community that a department or agency intends to award a contract for goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier, thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed with the award to the pre-identified supplier.
2. Definition of the requirement
Background Information
The RCMP is undergoing a transformational modernization initiative that will require strong individual and collective leadership. Like some of its partner agencies in the Federal Government, the RCMP is adopting Character-based Leadership (CBL), now referred to as the Leader Character (LC) to help develop better leaders, who will demonstrate competence, character and commitment, and who will bring out the best in themselves and others. The LC framework identifies the expected virtues, traits and behaviours needed to optimize individual and organizational performance. This framework is an evidenced-based approach that helps organizations identify and recruit future leaders who exhibit traits of good leaders and have potential to grow. Because this framework aligns with the broader HR modernization strategy and addresses known gaps, the RCMP will be integrating LC into policies, programs and processes to enable a culture of strong, resilient character and sound judgement.
Requirement
The RCMP requires the services of a professor/researcher from a Canadian university with expertise in organizational development and/or strategic renewal to act as an expert and advisor in the implementation of LC within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The focus will be on continuation of LC development interventions, guidance in ongoing embedment of character in RCMP culture, and providing an annual license (lump sum for Intellectual property) to the RCMP for the usage of LC framework over a period of three years (FY 2021-22; FY2022-2023; FY2023-2024).
Leader Character Development Workshops
The RCMP has laid the foundations to prepare for an enterprise-wide awareness period on LC, and to engage RCMP employees and leaders on the importance that character plays in leadership and organizational performance and inspiring them in creating a culture of change and innovation. As such, the Contractor is required to provide strategic advice and guidance to sustain this momentum with interventions to develop and assess leader character at both the organizational and individual level across the organization.
The purpose of these interventions will be to introduce the LC framework to deepen participants’ understanding of how to develop leader character and apply it in their day-to-day practices. These interventions will delve into how character underpins the participants’ physiological, affective, behavioral, and cognitive systems, and any other advancement in the field of leader character.
Interventions will also augment RCMP executives and managers’ ability to understand their role as leaders in building a culture of trust and a workplace environment free of harassment, discrimination, and violence.
Incorporating Character into Learning and Development Curriculum
As part of broader efforts to modernize the RCMP leadership and learning programs and curriculum including the Cadet Training Program, the Contractor will provide counsel to individuals working in support of the RCMPs Chief Learning Officer, on:
The LC Framework and the 11 dimensions of character (courage, drive, accountability, transcendence, humanity, humility, collaboration, temperance, integrity, justice and judgment) and the underlying structure of traits-values-virtues;
Tools, training and practices for greater self and collective-awareness;
How leader character translates into day-to-day corporate duties, as well as law enforcement and national security operations.
These activities will support in building a culture of character within RCMP, as well as sustained organizational excellence.
Incorporating Character into Human Resources Programs
To embed LC into RCMP HR programs and policies, the Contractor will provide counsel to individuals working in the area of Human Resources, on:
How leader character can be brought into the organization through hiring, performance management, recognition, talent management, and leadership development processes;
How leader character translates into day-to-day law enforcement and national security operations.
These activities will support in building a culture of character within RCMP, as well as sustained organizational excellence.
Train the Trainers Certification
As required, the Contractor will deliver LC certification interventions to ensure the RCMP has employees accredited as leader character practitioners. The content would cover the three areas of investment in leader character: awareness, development, and application. Accreditation would follow best practices.
Because the research and practice around leader character is expanding, this would include a renewal accreditation every two years with some basic hurdles around knowledge of the field and evidence of the body of work of the accredited individual.
In addition to the knowledge and expertise gained, the accredited individual would have access to the materials and be authorized to use them (with appropriate citations) in their work. This will be followed-up with supervisory review and guidance of participants by the Contractor. This adheres to best practice in accreditation.
License Fees
Beyond the certification and follow-up measures, the Contractor will provide accredited employees with access to the materials used by the Institute/Business School/University and the employees will be authorized to use them (with appropriate citations) in their work. There would be a license fee calculated on a per person basis to capture the use of the IP. In this way, an accredited individual could then use the materials throughout the organization, and would keep track of the workshops run (and number of people) using the materials. The RCMP would pay a lump sum for a year of usage anticipating 800 managers and executives would benefit annually from LC workshops for FY 2021-2022, FY 2022-2023,and FY 2023-2024.
3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities
(Minimum Essential Requirements)
Any interested suppliers must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that its meets the following requirements:
The supplier must be an institute or business school within a Canadian University;
The supplier must demonstrate that the proposed resource is a university professor recognized for excellence in teaching in the undergraduate MBA, Ph.D. and Executive programs;
The supplier must demonstrate that the proposed resource has a minimum five (5) years’ experience working with the Federal Public Service of Canada as an expert in the implementation of Leader Character and its embedment in human resource and learning & development practices and programs;
The supplier must demonstrate that the proposed resource has a minimum ten (10) years’ experience conducting global research on character with senior business, public sector and not-for-profit leaders and authored books on strategy, strategic renewal, and impact of leader character on the performance of an organization and development of leader character.
4. Applicability of the trade agreement(s) to the procurement
This procurement is not subject to any trade agreement(s)
5.
Set-Aside under the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business
Not Applicable
6. Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement(s)
Not Applicable
7. Justification for the Pre-Selected Supplier
The introduced CBL / LC framework intellectual property rights reside with the authors Mary Crossan, Gerard Seijts, and Jeffrey Gandz from the Western University’s Ivey Business School.
The research team at Ivey developed a robust theoretical framework for leadership character where they posit eleven virtues, or what they call character dimensions. Each of these 11 dimensions (courage, drive, accountability, transcendence, humanity, humility, collaboration, temperance, integrity, justice and judgment) has an underlying structure of traits-values-virtues.
In
Character matters: Character dimensions’ impact on leader performance and outcomes , Crossan, Seijts and Gandz (2015) propose an operational definition of character, a framework that outlines a set of plain-language dimension of character and conducted significant research relating these dimensions to leader performance and outcomes, and the practical implications for leader character development in organizations. In
Elevating leader character alongside competence in selection: A case study of Canada Revenue Agency , Crossan, Coté, and Virgin (2020) provide practical mechanisms to embed Leader Character (LC) into HR practices evidenced to result in organizational excellence, and effect positive change in workplace culture.
As such, the pre-identified supplier meets all of the minimum essential requirements described in this ACAN.
8. Government Contracts Regulations Exception(s)
The following exception to the Government Contracts Regulations is invoked for this procurement under subsection 6(d) Only one person is capable of performing the contract
9. Exclusions and/or Limited Tendering Reasons
Not Applicable
10. Ownership of Intellectual Property
Ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising out of the proposed contract will vest in the Contractor.
11. Period of the Proposed Contract
The period of the contract is from September 30 th , 2021 to March 31 st , 2024.
12. Name and address of the pre-identified supplier
Ivey Business School of Western University
1255 Western Road, London, ON N6G 0N1
13. Supplier’s right to submit a statement of capability
Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services described in the ACAN may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contract person identified in this notice on or before the closing date and time of this notice. This statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.
14. Closing date for a submission of statement of capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is September 24 th , 2021
15. Inquiries and submission of a statement of capabilities
Inquiries and statements of capabilities will only be accepted by email to:
Candice Therien, Senior Contracting Officer
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Candice.therien@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.
The RCMP file number, the contracting officer’s name and the closing date of the ACAN must appear on the outside of the envelope in block letters, or on the cover page of the fax transmission.
RCMP has adopted the Integrity Regime administered by PSPC. As a result, the integrity provisions are being applied in RCMP contracting activities as outlined in this solicitation.
The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.
The RCMP has published its National Procurement Plan. For further information, please see link:
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/rcmp-national-procurement-plan
