Startup YMM Business Coaching Program
| Location: | Alberta |
|---|---|
| Posted: | Aug 14, 2025 |
| Due: | Sep 4, 2025 |
| Agency: | Government of Alberta |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
|
| Solicitation No: | AB-2025-05415 |
| Publication URL: | To access bid details, please log in. |
Under Threshold Opportunity
Open
Wood Buffalo Economic Development Corporation
Objectives: The primary objective of the Business Coaching Program is to empower local entrepreneurs and SMEs to enhance their business skills, build capacity, overcome obstacles, and achieve their desired outcomes. By offering structured coaching sessions, the program seeks to:
• Guide participants through the startup phase of their business.
• Guide participants through the scale-up and expansion phases of their business.
• Assist participants in understanding their businesses better.
• Identify and address challenges hindering business growth.
• Establish clear, actionable goals for improvement and sustainability.
• Provide ongoing support, direction, and guidance to facilitate progress.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive environment for learning and development.
• Ensure equitable access to coaching by offering in-person support in communities where virtual formats may pose barriers to participation, including Indigenous and rural areas.
• Offer professional coaching that is relevant to the economic landscape of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo (FMWB)
Startup YMM Responsibilities:
• Support the application intake and selection process if needed.
• Check-in with business coach monthly to ensure program alignment and address any concerns or issues.
Business Coach Responsibilities:
• Create a business coaching model that includes a variety of methods of delivery (i.e. group sessions, one on one in person and virtual sessions, sessions hosted across FMWB)
• Review intake forms to assess coaching readiness and initiate contact with participants.
• Process and manage client deposits.
• Schedule and deliver one-on-one coaching sessions, determining how many sessions each type of client will receive
• Establish clear timelines and benchmarks with each participant to guide progress.
• Deliver group coaching sessions.
• Adapt coaching approach based on each business's stage, goals, and scalability.
• Provide tailored, in-session support, tools, and resources.
• The business coach is not expected to provide business assistance outside of scheduled sessions. Support is to take place within scheduled sessions only.
• Connect participants with relevant organizations and resources in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Travel to Indigenous and rural communities to deliver in-person coaching.
• Track attendance, monitor engagement, and flag no-shows or disengaged participants.
• Maintain and update the session tracker weekly; ensure it is current on the last day of each month.
• Submit monthly reports outlining coaching hours, client progress, and any challenges.
• Send post-program feedback surveys to participants and compile results.
• Complete a final program report including client summaries, compiled surveys, feedback, and overall analysis.
• Participate in 30-minute monthly check-in meetings with the Startup YMM Program Manager.
• Allocate time for administrative tasks such as new applicant review, appointment coordination, updating client tracker, and reporting.
• Coordinate and manage refundable client booking deposits using your own payment processing system ($80 per participant). Deposits must be returned to participants who attend their scheduled sessions and complete the feedback form. Any unreturned deposits will be deducted from the final contract payment.
Project Deliverables:
• Delivery of one-on-one coaching sessions, with a clear breakdown of how these sessions are distributed across clients (e.g., number of clients served and average hours per client).
• Coaching sessions may be delivered in a combination of formats and locations, including in-person at Startup YMM, in Indigenous communities, and online, based on participant needs and program objectives.
• Facilitate a portion of sessions in-person in Indigenous and rural communities.
• Facilitation of seven group coaching sessions. These sessions may be delivered in a combination of formats and locations, including in-person at Startup YMM, in Indigenous communities, and online, based on participant needs and program objectives.
• Distribution of post-program feedback surveys to clients upon completion of their sessions.
• Monthly Reports
o Updates on client progress, achievements, challenges, and goals.
o Record of individual client attendance and engagement.
o Number of coaching hours delivered and hours remaining in contract.
o Number of jobs created by clients during the program.
o Number of businesses that moved from home-based operations to commercial spaces.
o Identification of any structural or operational challenges within the program.
• Final Report
o Consolidated KPIs drawn from monthly reports.
o Description of the coaching approach and methodologies used.
o Analysis of each individual participant's progress, achievements, and challenges encountered during the program.
o Highlights of success stories, achievements, skills developed, and positive outcomes experienced by participants.
o Compilation of participant data collected at intake (e.g., demographics, Indigenous or non-Indigenous status, tech-based or non-tech-based business, business type, and industry).
o Analysis of the overall impact of the coaching program on participants' businesses and sustainability, including improvements in business skills, capacity building, decision-making, and business performance.
o Compiled feedback forms
o Recommendations for future iterations of the Business Coaching Program.
o Key takeaways and lessons learned
Budget
The anticipated budget for this project is not to exceed $70,000 inclusive of all travel, accommodation, and administrative costs. Proposals should outline all costs associated with delivery, including travel and accommodations, coaching hours, preparation, reporting, and deposit management, etc.
Timeline:
• RFP Launch: August 14 2025
• Questions deadline August 22, 2025
• Contract Start: September 12, 2025
• Coaching Period: September 2025 – Dec 4, 2026
• Final Reporting: Dec 18, 2026
Proposal Submission:
Please send proposals to corporateservices@fmwb.ca on or before September 4, 2025.
Renewal:
There is potential for contract renewal for a subsequent 5 year term, subject to:
• Satisfactory performance of the vendor
• Availability of funding
• Continued organizational need and program alignment
Renewal is not guaranteed and will be at the sole discretion of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo Economic Development & Tourism.
Selection Criteria:
• Relevant Coaching Experience (35%)
Demonstrated experience delivering business coaching to entrepreneurs and small business owners, including work with Indigenous or rural communities.
• Approach & Methodology (25%)
Proposed strategy for delivering both 1-1 and group coaching sessions, including how coaching will be tailored to varying business stages and delivered across multiple locations (online, in-person, Indigenous communities).
• Capacity to Administer Program (10%)
Ability to manage administrative components of the program, including scheduling, tracking, reporting, and refundable deposit management through own systems.
• Familiarity with the Regional Business Landscape (10%)
Knowledge of the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region and/or experience working in Northern or rural Alberta contexts.
• Reporting & Evaluation (10%)
Clear plan for tracking progress, outcomes, and preparing detailed monthly and final reports.
• Cost (10%)
Overall value and affordability of the proposal in relation to the scope of services offered.
APC Reference #
AB-2025-05415
Category
Services
Posting Date • Time
Aug 14, 2025 • 6:57 am (MT)
Closing Date • Time
Sep 4, 2025 • 4:00:00 pm (MT)
Region(s) of Delivery
Alberta, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
Daily notification on new contract opportunities
With GovernmentContracts, you can:
- Find more opportunities and win more business
- Receive daily alerts for all new bid opportunities
- Get contract opportunities matched to your business
* Disclaimer: Information regarding bids, requests for proposals (RFPs), or requests for qualifications (RFQs) is provided on this website only for convenience and does not constitute official public notice. Persons wishing to respond to or inquire about bids, RFPs, or RFQs should contact the appropriate government department.