Call for Expressions of Interest Regatta/Event Registration System Rowing Canada Aviron Introduction Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) wishes to secure a partnership with an existing supplier to provide and host an online Regatta/Event registration system for all RCA sanctioned events held across Canada. RCA currently sanctions over 100 on water events each year with participation ranging from 20 to 2,500 plus per event. The system will be able to be fully integrated with the Rowing Canada Aviron Member Registration System and will be available in both official languages (English and French). A leading national sporting organization (NSO) in Canada, Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) is the governing body for the sport of rowing in Canada and a member of the international federation for Rowing, Fèdèration international des societies d aviron (FISA). RCA is a notfor profit organization with a focus on developing world class athletes and a proud tradition of winning medals on the World Championship and Olympic stage. Through our ten Provincial Rowing Associations, 11 Special Associations and 140 Rowing Clubs across Canada, RCA has a membership base of approximately 14,000 active rowers and thousands more who coach, umpire and volunteer. Project Goal and Key Objectives Rowing Canada Aviron and its Provincial Association partners have undertaken a major review of the national membership program and structure and have worked to develop a new system that is considered to be more transparent, fair and equitable for all program participants. The current system has two tiers of membership fees, Sport Rower and Competitive Rower. The Sport Rower fee is based on the recreational or novice rower who does not compete in Regattas and the Competitive Rower fee was for the participant who competes in regattas. This system was deemed to be unfair for the participant who may want to try out or participate in only one regatta. The new system that has been agreed on in principal by our RCA Members, is based on one RCA/Provincial Rowing Association membership fee and an RCA/Provincial fee attached to each RCA sanctioned regatta that a member participates in. In this new model, it is envisioned that RCA would provide to its Regatta Organizing Committees an Event Sanctioning and Regatta registration system to use for their events at no cost to the Organizing Committee (OC). The overarching objectives of this new Regatta Registration system are: 1. Accurate participation data: Accurate, verifiable participant information is needed for government funding (National and Provincial level), potential sponsors and to understand the trends and opportunities for growing the sport. 2. Risk Mitigation: RCA provides liability coverage for all levels of the association, including members and participants. Therefore, accurate, complete and current membership information is essential for risk mitigation. Page 1 of 7
3. Benefits to Members: The fee system is more directly tied to the benefits received by our sports participants and the system enables online sanction approval and verification for OCs. 4. Operational efficiency: The fee system is simple and fair. Payments will be automatically allocated and transferred to the Regatta Organizer, RCA and the PRA at the point of registration. Event set up, membership verification and sanction approval for LOCs will be streamlined. Functional Requirements RCA is seeking a partner/existing supplier who can provide and host a sanctioned event registration system that will: A. Incorporate Event Sanction Procedures Enable an event organizer to set up the registration for their event online and apply for sanction to the appropriate sanctioning approval body (Provincial Rowing Association for province wide events and the National Association and Provincial Rowing Association for National or International Events). Enable the verification of sanction approval and applicable terms and conditions. Enable, for specified events the payment of a sanction Fee. B. Incorporate Event Waivers Enables an event organizer and the governing bodies to incorporate online event waiver forms that are customizable to incorporate the needs for an event waiver as defined by law within the event organizers jurisdiction. C. Verify Membership with RCA and Provincial Rowing Association (PRA) for Canadian participants Verify that registered regatta participants (Canadian) are active (paid) and RCA/PRA registered members through RCA s current online membership system. Verify if a participant is active and in good standing with RCA at the point of entry into an identified RCA sanctioned event. Give ability to notify the Rowing Club of a participant whose membership is invalid and provide 48 hours for validation before rejecting the entry; D. Manage International Entries and Compliance Manage non-canadian entries in accordance with the rules/policies established by various regatta organizers and RCA. E. Regatta and Event Registration Enables participants to register for a range of on-water and other sanctioned events (ie. Indoor rowing, come and try days). Enables the LOC to enter the event and its boats classes into the system for registration purposes and provides support on how to achieve this. Gives ability for participant or club to register for an RCA sanctioned event in the system including all boat classes the regatta offers. Ability to deal with the individual/unique requirements and workflow processes required for a wide range of regattas and specific events within a regatta (ie. Page 2 of 7
Applications to enter, processes for approval, entry capping, event capping, rosters, event line ups, handicapping requirements, etc. Ability to integrate systems to provide for effective and efficient roster management for Rowing Clubs entering a variety of different regattas. Able to deal with entry deadlines, automated deadlines and varying time zones. F. Payment Processing and Payment Flows Online payment capability for all related fees. Ability to collect a fee per participant entered in an RCA sanctioned event and stream that fee into various stakeholders accounts (OC, PRA and RCA). Ability to collect a Sanction fee (for some events) from the OC at the point of entering the event into the system and streaming that fee to the appropriate stakeholder accounts (ie. RCA / PRA). Secure payment processing that is PCI-DSS compliant as defined by the PCI Security Standards Council. Ability to accommodate a range of discount options based on an applicant meeting various requirements (ie. For earlybird registration, for volunteers) or apply additional fees as required for ancillary events, late entry fees, boat rentals, etc. Capacity to deal with specific and sometimes variable tax requirements within different jurisdictions across Canada. G. System Functionality and Reporting Requirements Have a look and feel that is RCA but ability for OC s and PRAs to include logos and other customization easily. Interface is standardized and consistent. Human and site interaction to be intuitive. System functions well across a wide range of Browsers Notification centre and easy 'tie in' and verification process with RCA website for a members only section of the website. Ensure established, standardized reports are generated quickly and will allow some basic customization (e.g. field selection and output alternatives). Broad searching and reporting functionality for the purpose of tracking and recording data, being able to conduct trend analysis (current and longitudinal) based on a wide range of variables (geography, demographic, etc.) Ability to effectively link to other Regatta databases for the purpose of determining event draws and racing systems and produce final results information for regatta participants and sanctioning bodies. Application/API that enables linkages/integration with a range of various regatta management/timing/results systems and other databases (ie. athlete/coach/umpire) as required. Mobile applications that enable registration, payment processing and regatta results notification, etc. H. System Support, Hosting and Recovery Capacity Well defined and strong hosting, support and servicing capacity reputation and reliability of hosting provider is excellent and there are sufficient staff and resources in place to provide timely and effective support to regatta organizers and participants. Qualified system development team to respond to requirement changes in a timely manner. Capacity to provide ongoing and timely system maintenance and updating. Page 3 of 7
Sufficient plan and system in place to ensure hosting needs are met and to ensure minimum system disruption and failsafe disaster recovery and data retention. Ease of use and support documentation are requirements to ensure those with limited capacity/experience may easily learn and use the system. I. Language Requirements Fully functional in both official languages (French/English) Rowing Canada Current Membership Registration System Interface RCA has a current online national member and participant registration system that has been active for four years. The underlying data model is normalized relational and follows established data model patterns where possible. The current Web Registration System (WRS) is running on Window servers with MS SQL server databases and is hosted externally. Renewal of certificates and software licenses is largely managed by RCA. Partner Benefits with RCA may include: Exclusivity as provider to all sanctioned Canadian Regattas and Events Endorsement from the National Sporting Organisation of Rowing in Canada Association with one of Canada s most successful summer sports on the Olympic podium with customizable designation Potential sponsorship association Unparalleled access to RCA s community through its extensive communication channels System Implementation RCA would like the selected partner to begin working on program development February 2016 with a goal to have the system fully operational at the start of the 2017 Membership year April 1 st, 2017. 1. Expressions of Interest (EOI) We seek expressions of Interest from partners that can provide a sanctioned event registration system that meets RCA needs as identified above. Ideally, the term of the partnership would be 5 years from implementation (2017 through 2022) with performance clauses. In providing an expression of interest, please provide a written response electronically in PDF form, on how your organization, including proposed pricing, seeks to become the provider of RCA sanctioned event registration system as described in this expression of interest. Please submit your written response by no later than 4:00pm (PST) on Thursday, January 14 th, 2016. Expressions of interest should include the following: 1.1. Company Profile Page 4 of 7
A company profile with details about the organization, core business activities, insurance/liability provisions, experience with online registration, regatta and/or event management systems, payment systems. etc. Client list and at least two references for your work, and contact details for the individual(s) dealing with the expression of interest process. 1.2. Your Team Designated liaison(s) who would work with RCA on the development and implementation of the partnership and contact information from your organization. Support Team available including capability, responsiveness and experience. Development Team available listing qualifications and experience/expertise. 1.3. Scope of Work Information related to scope of work to satisfy the needs of our users and include details that address each of the functional requirements as stated above, including: Incorporation of Event Sanction Procedures and Fee Payment Incorporation of Customizable Event Waivers Verification of Membership with Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) and Provincial Rowing Association (PRA) for Canadian participants including notification and membership payment provisions Management of International Entries and Compliance Regatta and Event Registration including capacity to deal with; a range of on-water and other sanctioned events; individual requirements and workflow processes required for a wide range regattas and specific events within a regatta; roster management and; entry deadlines, automated deadlines and varying time zones. Payment Processing and Payment Flows including online payment system, PCI compliant/secure payment processing, fee payment at point of entry and for sanction, payment streaming, capacity to provide for discount options and deal with variable taxation requirements. System Functionality and Reporting Requirements including system interface, look and feel, system intuitiveness, notification centre, reporting functionality, capacity to integrate with a range of various regatta management/timing/results systems and other databases and, mobile application System Support, Hosting and Recovery Capacity Official Language Requirements (French/English capacity) Any other Value Added System Components / Capacity the proponent is able to offer 1.4 Pricing / Cost Structure Proposal 1.5 Declaration of Interest Please explain your relationship with any of the Board Directors, employees, contractors or member organisations of RCA. 1.6 Evaluation of Expressions of Interest Page 5 of 7
The key criteria on which expression of interest will be assessed are as follows: Pedigree of the organisation and development capability 15% Quality and detail of the scope of work 20% Hosting Capacity and Defined Service levels 15% Pricing Proposal 30% Related Experience and Capacity to deliver 20% 1.7 Submission of Expressions of Interests Expressions of Interest should be submitted via email no later than January 14 th, 2016 at 15:59PM PST. Please submit your proposals to Rowing Canada Aviron: rca@rowingcanada.org Re: EOI Regatta/Event Management System Shortlisted organizations will be contacted and expected to take part in an interview / portfolio presentation via videoconference the third week of January. 1.8 Terms and Conditions All submissions of expressions of interest become property of RCA subject to the provisions of applicable statutory requirements related to the protection and disclosure of personal information. Entities or organizations submitting an expression of interest are responsible for their own costs and expenses in relating to their submission and RCA is not liable to pay such costs and expenses or to reimburse or to compensate an entity or organization under any circumstance and RCA has no obligation to purchase or acquire any goods or services including in any submission of an expression of interest. RCA, its employees and agents are not liable or accountable for any error or omission in any part of a submission of an expression of interest or response to any questions from entity or organization. Entities and organizations will be solely responsible for ensuring their submission meets all the requirements of this EOI. Information provided by RCA as part of this EOI is proprietary and confidential and is to be used only for the preparation of an entity or organization s submission and is not to be copied or disclosed in any manner, electronic or otherwise, except for the purpose of responding to this EOI. RCA is not obligated or liable in any way whatsoever to an entity or organization except where a written agreement is entered into regarding the supply of goods or services contemplated by this EOI to which such agreement will govern all such obligations and liabilities. It is fundamental condition of this EOI that the receipt and consideration of submissions by RCA that RCA and its respective directors, officers, employees, consultants and agents will not and shall not under any circumstances, including without limitation whether pursuant to contract, tort, statutory duty, law, equity, and any actual or implied duty of fairness or otherwise, be responsible or liable for any costs, expenses, claims, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or suffered by entity or organization arising from their submission and participation in this EOI ( Claims ). By providing a submission, an entity or organization shall be conclusively deemed to waive and release RCA and their respective directors, officers, employees, consultants and agents, from and against any and all Claims. Page 6 of 7
For more information: Please contact Jennifer Parfitt, Manager of Member Services and Club Development for Rowing Canada Aviron at (250) 220-2579 or jparfitt@rowingcanada.org. Page 7 of 7