Date of Request: January 12, 2022
Completed request must be submitted by January 26, 2022 at 5:00 pm Central.
Contact:
Sarah Wetmore
President, GRA
773-791-7406
president@graonline.org
About Our Organization:
The Governmental Research Association (GRA) is seeking a consultant to help reposition the organization for the 21st century. The Governmental Research Association was established in 1914 and is the national association of organizations and individuals professionally engaged in governmental research. The purpose of the Association is to encourage individuals and organizations to engage in governmental research in the general interest. Currently, the GRA has 20 members active in states and cities across the U.S. For more information about the GRA and its members, visit https://graonline.org/.
Problem Statement:
The Board of Trustees of the GRA has raised $20,000 to fund a strategic planning process. There is general consensus among the member organizations that now is the right time to evaluate the GRA as it currently exists and chart a sustainable path forward. However, there is not consensus about where the organization might go and if and how much it should change. We are looking for a consultant with experience in nonprofit strategic and organizational planning to assist the GRA in exploring the options available to it and evaluating the opportunities, challenges and concrete steps necessary to attain each potential future.
Additionally, as an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff, the GRA needs to find a sustainable model to support back office operations so that large and small member organizations can take on the presidency of GRA without straining their own operations.
Consultant:
The consultant will work in consultation with a special Task Force made up of GRA Trustees, members and former GRA officers to oversee a process that evaluates the GRA’s operations and interviews current and past stakeholders in order to develop a comprehensive view of the organization and chart several sustainable potential paths forward. The consultant would meet at least monthly with the Task Force to provide progress updates.
Deliverables:
Prepare a draft executive summary and report with recommendations for the GRA Board of Trustees by June 2022, and present the final executive summary and report at the GRA’s Annual Conference in July 2022.
How to Respond to this RFI:
If you are interested in this project, please provide the following information:
- Name of firm and primary point of contact, title. phone number and email.
- A description of your firm’s experience assisting nonprofit organizations with strategic and organizational planning needs.
- A description of the experience of your firm’s principals and other team members who would be involved in the GRA project.
- Examples of past performance or successfully completed projects for organizations facing circumstances similar to the GRA’s.
- Your ideas for structuring and delivering an effective and achievable strategic planning process for the GRA.
Please submit your response by email to Sarah Wetmore at president@graonline.org. A Word or PDF attachment with the requested information is preferable. Please include “GRA RFI Response” in the email subject line. An email confirmation of receipt will be sent to the designated point of contact.
RFI Timeline:
Responses are due no later than 5:00 pm Central on January 26. The Task Force will conduct interviews with potential consultants the week of January 31. The Task Force may ask one or more respondents to submit a more detailed proposal, including pricing and deliverables, by February 18. It will conduct follow-up interviews to discuss full proposals the week of February 21. The Task Force reserves the right to select none of the respondents to this RFI.
Questions?
Please submit any questions about this RFI by email to Sarah Wetmore at president@graonline.org.
PDF version here