Request for Proposal (RFP) - Evaluation Consultant

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) Evaluation Consultant Needs Assessment for New Toronto Courthouse & Toronto Regional Bail Centre A. Purpose of RFP Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) is seeking the services of an Indigenous Evaluation Consultant to support ALS in working in collaboration with the New Toronto Courthouse (NTC) and Toronto Regional Bail Centre (TRBC) and other relevant stakeholders to lead, coordinate...

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Evaluation Consultant

Needs Assessment for New Toronto Courthouse & Toronto Regional Bail Centre


A. Purpose of RFP

Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) is seeking the services of an Indigenous Evaluation Consultant to support ALS in working in collaboration with the New Toronto Courthouse (NTC) and Toronto Regional Bail Centre (TRBC) and other relevant stakeholders to lead, coordinate and conduct an assessment of how the Gladue Courts can better incorporate how the Gladue Courts in those locations are incorporating Gladue principles and Indigenous justice approaches in their practices and how that work can be improved.


B. Background: Aboriginal Legal Services

The mission of Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) is “To strengthen the capacity of the Aboriginal community and its citizens to deal with justice issues and provide Aboriginal controlled and culturally based justice alternatives.”

ALS offers six distinct but related programs – Indigenous Courtworkers; Indigenous Justice; Gladue; Direct Legal Representation (in non-criminal matters); test cases, inquests, and commissions; and victim rights.


C. Scope of Work

• ALS and the consultant/s, following discussions with stakeholders, will develop the parameters for the needs assessments. There will be three assessments and each will address a different set of needs and thus will take place over time.
• The first area to be examined will look at the Gladue Court Committee structure. There will be two aspects to this assessment.
• The first is an assessment of how many Gladue Stakeholder Committees are required for the new court structure.
• The second is an assessment regarding the need for additional structure and regular input from the Indigenous community and the best way to gather such input. These discussions will involve current identified Gladue Court stakeholders and also, importantly, Elders and traditional teachers, representatives of Indigenous organizations, and other individuals with concerns around Indigenous justice issues in Toronto.
• This work can begin as soon as the consultant is selected for the project and should take approximately three to six months to complete. Once new structures are in place for a year or so, the consultants will do follow-up interviews to see if the new processes are working as envisioned.

An Operational Assessment of the Gladue Courts

The second aspect of the needs assessment will be to see how the new court structure is working. The consultants will meet with members of the Gladue Stakeholder Committee(s) but also with Indigenous people going through the courts and those working with Indigenous people involved in the criminal justice system.


An Assessment of How the Gladue Courts Can Better Incorporate Gladue Principles and Indigenous Justice Approaches

• The Gladue Courts will regularly meet in a circle format – the courts are built to accommodate this. It is also anticipated that sentencing circles, led by Traditional Teachers, will become a more integral part of these courts.
• The third assessment requires the consultant meet with members of the Stakeholders Committee(s), Elders and Traditional Teachers, members of the Indigenous Committee and Indigenous people participating in the court. The consultant will look to innovations that are in place in Indigenous courts in the rest of the province and the country and elsewhere in the world. The result of this needs assessment will be recommendations for new approaches to justice.
• The needs assessment process will be iterative and continue through the project. Once the first assessment is completed and changes made we will assess the impact of those changes. The changes may be specific to the day to day functioning of the courts and may also include changes to the Gladue Court Committee as well as reviews of the innovations to the way in which the Courts administer justice.

Determine and Choose an Option

• As outlined in the Needs Assessment Section above, there will be a number of opportunities for the various Gladue Committees to discuss options with the consultant/s and to choose particular courses of action.

Implementation

• The responsibility for the implementation of the recommendations from the needs assessments will rest with the Gladue Stakeholders Committee(s). These Committees will likely meet monthly and subcommittees may well be constituted to focus on implementing the recommendations. ALS is a member of all of the committees and will also have role in ensuring that recommendations are adopted and, if not, that a clear rationale is provided for why the changes did not occur.

Knowledge Sharing

• The final needs assessments will be posted on Aboriginal Legal Services’ website where previous evaluations of Gladue Courts can be found.

Key Activities/Deliverables:

• Plan meetings and network with stakeholders, partners and
• Indigenous communities and Indigenous people experiencing the justice system.
• Create and issue surveys and other engagement tools to solicit feedback as it relates.
• Analyze data and statistics and generate reports to identify key issues to inform recommendations.
• Coordinate committee meetings, materials, and other logistics as required.
• Develop final report on findings and recommendations.
• General records management.

E. Timelines
Project Start and Duration: May 2022 –September 2022
Contract End Date is March 31, 2025

F. Additional Information

• Terms and timelines for payment will be negotiated in the contract for services and based on receipt of written invoices for services completed.
• Contract position, no benefits entitlements and the Consultant is responsible for their own CRA tax reporting.

G. Applicant Qualifications

ALS is interested in a candidate with:

• Considerable experience in leading and managing evaluation projects with Indigenous communities.
• Experience with planning, admin and logistics and IT management.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Exceptional time management capabilities.
• Strong and demonstrated relationships and connections to Indigenous communities.
• Knowledge of Indigenous justice matters and working knowledge of Gladue.
• Previous work with Toronto's Indigenous communities would be a considerable asset.

H. Application Requirements
Individuals are required to submit a 1-3 page outline of your proposed approach, your interest and experience highlights along with a resume and cover letter detailing your relevant work experience to lindsay@aboriginallegal.ca - subject line should read: “Indigenous Evaluation Consultant”


I. Selection Criteria
The selection of the successful proposal submission will be based on the individual’s ability to demonstrate through their outline, resume, cover letter, and references the ability to meet the selection criteria, qualifications and contract specifications. The contract will be awarded to individuals who demonstrate capacity in carrying out the objectives of the initiative.

• ALS may ask respondents to provide clarifications on their submission
• ALS reserves the right to negotiate with the selected candidate
• ALS reserves the right to waive irregularities and reject any or all applications ALS reserves the right to make no award
• Information shared with any candidate for the purpose of this proposal is confidential.
• All liabilities for the costs of proposal preparations are the responsibility of the bidders

​For Additional Information please email: lindsay@aboriginallegal.ca​