RFP Timeline and Process

• Issue Date: January 27, 2025
• Deadline for Inquiries: February 7, 2025
• Proposal Submission Deadline: February 21, 2025
• Anticipated decision date: March 1, 2025
• Expected completion date of work: March 14, 2026

How we Work

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada (Pauktuutit) is the national representative organization of Inuit women in Canada and is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors from across Canada. Our mandate is to foster a greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women, and to encourage their participation in community, regional and national concerns in relation to social, cultural and economic development.

Pauktuutit’s work, grounded in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Principles and our Inuit-specific gender-based analysis (GBA+) framework, spans the following key portfolios: social and economic development, violence and abuse prevention, justice, health and wellbeing.

Our Needs

“We call upon all governments to uphold the social and economic rights of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people by ensuring that Indigenous Peoples have services and infrastructure that meet their social and economic needs. All governments must immediately ensure that Indigenous Peoples have access to safe housing, clean drinking water, and adequate food” -MMIWG Call for Justice 4.1

Food insecurity in Inuit Nunangat is a significant and ongoing challenge. Aboriginal Peoples Survey (2017) notes 76% of Inuit aged 15 and over in Inuit Nunangat experience food insecurity, in contrast to the provincial average of 1 in 8 households at the time.

Historically, food security policy in Inuit Nunangat leave Inuit with little agency to develop their own pathways to food sovereignty, and instead directly enrich and enable large grocery chains owned by southern interests. With almost 200 publications in academic and gray literature since 2011 on the shortcomings and relative successes of Canada’s current northern food security programs, too much research attention is being given to justifying or accounting for a status quo that Inuit already know does not meet their needs.

Pauktuutit is seeking to transform this policy conversation by looking beyond the status quo and exploring and highlighting effective and existing working alternatives in food subsidy delivery and food security funding and programming, particularly as these effective policy frameworks are applied in rural and remote communities with relatively little infrastructure. Additionally, and appreciating the uniqueness of Inuit Nunangat and Inuit historical and colonial context, we invite proponents to think big by either data modelling a unique alternative or reworking current food security funding to more directly support Inuit families, and demonstrate the social and economic impact of new policy that delivers food security benefits more directly to Inuit communities.

Invitation to Vendors

This Request for Proposals (“RFP”) is an open and competitive invitation to suppliers to submit a proposal. This RFP is issued by Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, a not-for-profit corporation funded by the federal government. Pauktuutit reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.

Instructions to Vendors

Proponents should submit their proposals in a single PDF electronic file to Yasmina Pepa, Director of Policy, at ypepa@pauktuutit.ca , and Alex Del Duca, Manager of Social & Economic Development, at adelduca@pauktuutit.ca .

Subject line should indicate “Pathways to Food Sovereignty”. Proposals should not exceed 15 pages.

Proposals submitted in any other manner will not be accepted.

Mandatory Requirements

The proposal must include:

• A brief executive summary;
• A summary of your approach, including proposed tactics and deliverables;
• A summary of your experience in non-profit and Indigenous/Inuit led organizations and/or economic justice/income equality advocacy;
• References for two clients for whom the Proponent has provided strategic planning within the past five years;
• Proposed team members (name, title, biography, relevant qualifications/experience);
• Proposed team structure specific to this account;
• Sample budget and timelines for each

Evaluation Process

Pauktuutit will evaluate and score proposals based on the following rating criteria:

Confidentiality

All information received by the Proponent provided by or obtained from Pauktuutit in any form or connection with this RFP is the sole property of Pauktuutit and must be treated as confidential.

About Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada

Grounded in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ), Pauktuutit partners with Inuit women, communities, and organizations to advocate for and provide guidance to improve the health, economic, safety, justice, and ultimately empower Inuit women to have greater opportunities to thrive.

Vision

Inuit women and our families live in safe, healthy and thriving communities and have access to social, cultural, economic and political advancement.

Values

• We are guided by Inuit Values and Principles
• We are Collaborative
• We are Inclusive
• We are Innovative
• We embrace ethics and integrity

Strategic Priorities

• Amplify the voices of Inuit women and gender-diverse Inuit
• Advance Pauktuutit’s Inuit-specific GBA+ Framework
• Increase Representation of Inuit women in leadership
• Invest in Our Team