Request for Proposal
Project Evaluation Consultant
RFP: 0001
Engagement: Multi-year, part-time consultancy (external / arm's-length evaluator)
Total Budget: CAD $15,000 – $20,000 (all-inclusive of fees, taxes and expenses)
Proposal Deadline: September 15, 2026, 11:59 EST
About NEW
Newcomer Women's Services Toronto (the “Organization”) is a Toronto-based non-profit that delivers settlement, language training, employment, and community programs for newcomer women across multiple service sites. The Organization is delivering a multi-year systems-change project (the “Project”) focused on advancing newcomer women's representation in governance and board leadership.
Project Background
The Project builds evidence on the barriers newcomer women face in accessing board, committee and governance leadership roles, and pilots practical responses. Its five activity streams are:
- Build evidence on newcomer women's governance representation and identify barriers (research, data collection, and an Ontario baseline study).
- Develop board-governance tools, templates and knowledge resources.
- Develop and pilot credentialing and governance-training pathways with a cohort of newcomer women.
- Convene a regional community of practice and pilot referral pathways to board opportunities.
- Evaluate the Project and share knowledge.
This RFP relates to Stream developing a project evaluation plan, conducting the project evaluation, and producing a final evaluation report.
Purpose of Engagement
The Organization is seeking a qualified, independent evaluation consultant (the “Evaluator”) to design and carry out the Project's evaluation in line with the funder's external project evaluation requirements. The Evaluator must be at arm's length from Project delivery and will:
1. Develop the project logic model. A logic model is a graphic that shows the project’s intended results (short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes). It also lists key activities, and the outputs needed to achieve the results.
2. Develop a complete evaluation plan early in the Project;
3. Provide light-touch evaluation guidance and tool design as the Project is implemented; and
4. Conduct the final external evaluation and deliver a final evaluation report near Project close.
Day-to-day performance monitoring and routine data collection are carried out by Project and research staff. The Evaluator designs the evaluation framework, quality-assures the measurement approach, and independently conducts and reports the final evaluation.
Scope of work and evaluation requirements
Evaluation Plan
The Evaluator will develop and produce a project logic model, and an evaluation plan aligned to the Project's objectives, and expected results. At minimum, the evaluation plan must set out:
- The logic model;
- The purpose, scope and intended users of the evaluation;
- Evaluation questions linked to the Project's expected outcomes;
- Performance indicators for each expected result, with baselines and targets where available;
- Data-collection methods and instruments (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups, administrative/participation data, document review);
- Data sources and a data-collection schedule mapped to the work plan;
- A Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) / intersectional lens describing how disaggregated data will be collected and analyzed;
- Ethical and privacy considerations, including informed consent, confidentiality, and secure data handling for a vulnerable participant population;
- Roles and responsibilities (Evaluator, Project staff, research consultant, partners); and
- An evaluation timeline and budget aligned to this engagement.
Final External Evaluation and Report
Near Project completion, the Evaluator will independently conduct the evaluation per the approved plan and produce a final evaluation report. The report must, at minimum, assess:
- What factors influenced the project, including the evaluation?
- To what extent has the project met its expected outcomes?
- Was the project adjusted to better advance objectives? If so, how?
- Can the project be adapted and repeated?
- To what extent were partnerships a success? If not, why?
- What lessons learned are important to consider?
- How can the results be improved for a future project?
Consultant Qualifications
The ideal Evaluator brings:
- Demonstrated experience designing and conducting program evaluations, ideally for federally funded or non-profit projects;
- Expertise in mixed-methods evaluation and in developing evaluation plans, logic models, indicators and instruments;
- Applied knowledge of GBA Plus / intersectional approaches;
- Experience working ethically and safely with newcomers, women, and other equity-deserving groups;
- Independence from Project delivery (arm's-length); and
- Strong writing and the ability to communicate findings to diverse audiences.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals should be a maximum of 10 pages (excluding CVs and samples) and include:
1. Cover letter confirming availability, independence and ability to meet the timeline;
2. Understanding of the assignment and proposed evaluation approach/methodology;
3. Work plan mapping activities and deliverables to the timeline;
4. Team composition and CV(s) of the lead evaluator and any associates;
5. Two relevant references and one anonymized evaluation writing sample;
Detailed budget with fees by deliverable, level of effort, and all-inclusive total
Terms and Conditions
- The Organization may accept or reject any proposal, request clarifications, or cancel this RFP at any time without liability.
- This RFP is not an offer and does not commit the Organization to award a contract.
- All deliverables, data and materials created under this engagement are the property of the Organization; the Evaluator retains no right to reuse participant data.
- The successful candidate must maintain confidentiality, comply with applicable privacy law, and follow the Organization's data-protection and research-ethics requirements.