Omega Phi Alpha
Request for Proposal - Strategic Planning Facilitator
Omega Phi Alpha National Service Sorority (OPA) has issued this Request for Proposal for the sole purpose of obtaining proposals from responsible offerers to establish a contract for a facilitator for our strategic planning process.
If awarded, the contract will commence January 1, 2015 or the date the contract is signed by both parties. The performance period will be for one (1) year from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015.
A significant, but not sole basis of award will be that the offerer will commit contractually to provide the specified package of services in accordance with OPA’s requirements.
Background
OPA is a national service sorority (see organization overview in Attachment A, and our website http://www.omegaphialpha.org).
OPA has prepared five year strategic plans in each of the last three five year cycles: Vision 2005, Vision 2010 and Vision 2015. Vision 2015 is available for review by contacting Heather Pritchard at .
We want to build on the positive attributes of the previous plans, creating a plan to more fully meet the needs of the sorority as we move forward. As we wrap up our Vision 2015 plan, it is critical that we continue to build on the success of that plan.
Inquiries
Direct questions related to this RFP to Heather Pritchard at . Offerers must clearly understand that the only official answer or position of the sorority will be the one stated in writing.
Projected Timetable
The following projected timetable should be used as a working guide for planning purposes. OPA reserves the right to adjust this timetable as required during the course of the RFP process.
Event Date
RFP Issued November 16, 2014
Proposals Due November 30, 2014
Complete Evaluation of Proposals December 15, 2014
Complete Contract Negotiations/Execute Contract January 1, 2015
Method of Source Selection
OPA is using a competitive proposals method of source selection, as authorized by their procurement procedures, for this procurement.
An award, if made, will be made to the responsible offerer whose proposal is most advantageous to OPA, taking into consideration price and the other factors set forth in this Request for Proposal. OPA will not use any other factors or criteria in the evaluation of proposals received.
OPA may, as it deems necessary, conduct discussions with responsible offerors determined to be reasonably susceptible to being selected for award for the purpose of clarification to assure full understanding of, and responsiveness to solicitation requirements.
Contractor Requirements
1. The contractor must utilize an established strategic planning methodology.
2. The contractor must be able to communicate effectively through e-mail.
3. The contractor will be considered an independent contractor of OPA and not an employee. As such, the contractor is responsible for all applicable taxes associated with the payments.
4. The contractor will provide OPA with a completed W-9, but will not require the sorority to backup withhold on payments made.
5. The contractor must be able to meet with a project task force, both in person and online, to develop a long term strategic plan for the sorority.
Contractor Responsibilities
1. Work closely with the Project Leader to develop a long term strategic plan best suited to OPA. The plan should include goals and an action plan to achieve those goals.
2. Facilitate the accumulation of information from other members of OPA
3. Participate in all meetings (online, teleconferences, etc) of the task force
4. Report bi-weekly to OPA’s national president.
5. Provide a project status report to OPA’s National Executive Board (NEB) no later than 02/01/15.
6. Provide a draft strategic plan for NEB approval no later than 4/31/15.
7. Provide a final strategic plan for NEB approval no later than 6/15/15.
OPA Responsibilities
1. Provide a Project Leader to manage the project.
2. Provide task force team members.
3. Provide input from other members of OPA to serve as the basis for the plan.
4. Fund approved meetings and other expenses of the task force
Response Format
§ Describe in detail how the service described in this Request for Proposal will be provided.
§ Provide the guaranteed maximum total cost for which you will provide the work described in this Request for Proposal.
§ Provide a proposed timeline for the project and an estimate of the number of hours required to complete the work described in this Request for Proposal.
§ Provide information, which documents your qualifications to produce the required outcomes, including ability, capacity, skill, financial strength, and number of years of experience in providing the required services.
Delivery of Proposals
Proposals should be sent by email to Heather Pritchard at no later than midnight on November 31, 2014.
Attachment A
Overview
Omega Phi Alpha originated as a local service sorority, founded by the Alpha Phi Omega chapter at Bowling Green State University in the 1950s. Over the following 10 years, the name and concept of this local service sorority spread organically to two other campuses but each operated as a local organization. In 1967, the three local sororities came together and formed Omega Phi Alpha National Service Sorority (OPA) as a legal entity. The sorority is founded on the principles of service, leadership, and friendship – principles which OPA strives to develop further in its members, both at the collegiate and alumnae level.
OPA is not a member of the National Panhellenic Council and does not seek to be. It has a much stronger emphasis on community service, a strict no-alcohol policy, and a strict anti-hazing policy. OPA does not discriminate on any basis including but not limited to race, religion, gender, sexual preference, age, marital status, membership in other sororities, or physical handicap. Currently, OPA has 30 active chapters, 1 colony, and 2 alumnae chapters in 19 states.
Organization
The core of the sorority is its 28 active chapters at the collegiate level. Most are chartered on their campus as a student organization rather than a sorority. A few have joined their local Panhellenic Councils at the request of their university administration, who prefer for all Greek letter organizations to have oversight provided by a local governing body. Active chapters are managed by a set of officers who are elected annually. To maintain continuity among chapters, all chapters must have the same core set of officers with the same set of duties. Chapters may decide to have additional officers if they desire.
Chapters are grouped into districts that include 2-4 chapters in physical proximity. During the school year, they are encouraged to have at least one district level activity, to be organized by representatives from each chapter called Active District Officers (ADOs). The largest concentration of chapters is in the southeast United States.
Alumnae are grouped into alumnae regions, which more closely follow state lines. Alumnae do not have activities at the regional level, but participate in chapter, district, and national activities as they desire on an individual basis.
The national organization is led by a set of 10 elected officers who make up the National Executive Board (NEB). The NEB is tasked with both setting the strategic vision for the organization, as well as managing tactical operations. These members are almost always alumnae members, but occasionally include a collegiate member. The NEB meets in person a minimum of three times annually, and relies heavily on technology to work closely together for the remainder of the year. They are assisted by a part time employee, a virtual assistant, who logs the receipt of important paperwork and manages the membership database, among other things.
Many NEB officers supervise several appointed officers who are tasked with specific tactical duties. Most notable of these is the Vice President of Alumnae Relations (VPAR) who manages the Board of Alumnae Affairs (BAA). Members of the NEB are currently elected for 3 year terms in staggered years.
Per our Vision 2015 strategic plan, the NEB will consist of only 5 officers by 2017. Many of the existing officer positions will be shifted “down” a level in the organizational hierarchy. The intent of this is to make the National Executive Board a more strategic body, with their direct reports taking on day-to-day tasks.
The sorority hosts a national convention each summer to provide training, networking, and to conduct the business of the sorority like constitutional revisions and national officer elections. All members, active and alumnae, as well as colonists are welcome to attend. Each active chapter in good standing can cast two votes in official motions. Alumnae control 25% of the total possible votes at convention, which are cast by pre-selected alumnae delegates.
Finances
Omega Phi Alpha is currently a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization. As such, it does not pay income tax. Chapters must provide their financial information to the national Vice President of Finance, who prepares a consolidated return annually for the IRS. As a part of Vision 2015, the sorority applied for 501(c)3 standing from the IRS in August of 2014.
The vast bulk of the national operational budget is funded by active dues, which are $50 a semester. New members pay $50 in pledge fees and an additional $50 lifetime membership fee during their pledge semester. Local chapters assess local dues as well, which vary greatly based on the culture of the campus and the needs of the chapter. The total dues charged to OPA members is typically 50% or less than what the social sorority chapters at their campus charge in dues. Even so, if a pledge or member has difficulty paying dues, she may apply for a dues waiver at the local and national level.
Alumnae do not pay dues or fees. Alumnae are sporadically solicited for donations to the scholarship fund. A major theme of Vision 2015 was to increase alumnae giving; in 2014, we recorded donations of $2,361. In 2009, the donation amount was around $200.
The biggest national expenditure is the national convention. Per the constitution, the national organization pays for half of the travel expense for all voting delegates and full travel for all NEB members. It also pays for shared expenses like meeting rooms, chartered buses, and workshop materials, and occasionally decides to supplement other costs to encourage greater participation among its collegiate members.
Another financial line item of significance is insurance. Both general liability coverage as well as coverage for the sorority’s leaders was added to the budget in 2009. Although this was never an issue until then, universities are increasingly expectation national organizations to provide this type of liability coverage for their chapters. Some of our active chapters were in danger of losing their university affiliation without it.
In 2002 Omega Phi Alpha discovered that the Vice President of Finance who had recently left office had embezzled $50,000 from the organization, leaving the national reserves essentially drained. OPA took legal action, and the money was repaid within five years. In addition, because of a surge of growth and tight control over expenses, the national organization managed to accumulate approximately $250k in reserves in that seven year period. As soon as the embezzlement was discovered, OPA also took steps to protect against future theft by mandating more regular reviews of financial records and by requiring officers with access to our bank accounts to be bondable. These policies are not enforced at the active chapter level, but the risk is far less.
An associated organization is the OPA Scholarship Fund which was established as a separate 501(c)3 organization and is governed by a separate board of trustees. The OPA Scholarship Fund provides an annual scholarship award to an eligible sorority sister.
Communication
The bulk of OPA’s communication takes place electronically, primarily through e-mail and through social networking groups like Facebook. The national website hosts a members-only forum for communication. At various times through the year, active chapters are expected to submit paperwork to provide details of membership recruitment, service program activities, finances, and other administrative details. Required forms are available online and should be submitted electronically to the virtual assistant who logs their receipt and forwards them to the appropriate national officer for action.
All chapters, district, and national leaders utilize alias email addresses hosted by the national website. For example, the Alpha Chapter of the sorority can be reached through . As leaders change over, both at the local and national levels, the webmaster updates the alias email address behind the scenes to resolve to the new leaders’ personal email address. This eliminates the need to distribute new contact information when officers change over.
Four times a year, the national newsletter the Chevron is published. It is available online but is printed and mailed to all alumnae nationwide. All active chapters are encouraged to provide a brief chapter update in each issue, as well as feature articles on specific projects they’ve completed.
Membership
Members in OPA go through several statuses through the course of their life. They usually begin as a “pledge” or “potential new member”, a term which applies while they are completing the requirements to earn their lifetime membership. The pledge period, which usually takes about 10 weeks, begins with recruitment and ends with an activation ritual. Another route to membership begins as a “colonist” when a group of students at a university seeks to form a new chapter at their campus. Colonization requirements are similar to pledge requirements but even more challenging, since the group has no local members or traditions to build upon. All pledges and colonists conceive, organize, and conduct a series of service projects to get hands-on experience with the service part of our principles. They also learn about the organization’s history and policies, and demonstrate that knowledge by scoring at least 85% on the national pledge test. They have a big sister to help them through their pledge period and to continue to be a special presence afterward.
After completing membership requirements and going through an activation ritual, a member is designated as an “active” member during her collegiate years. If she leaves campus (due to graduation, withdrawal, or transfer) she automatically becomes an alumna. A sister may also request alumna status at an earlier date under specific circumstances. If a member needs to step away from the demands of active membership temporarily, she may request a “leave of absence” status for one semester. If a member does not fulfill her obligations as a member, she may move to “disassociated” status, either voluntarily or involuntarily. This is analogous to quitting or getting kicked out of OPA.