Category: Uncategorized

Background

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) is experiencing increasing demand for workforce development, upskilling, and industry-aligned training to support the province’s evolving green economy (including clean energy, energy efficiency, and related sectors).

As part of its mandate to enable environmentally sustainable economic growth, econext delivers education and workforce development initiatives that build awareness, develop skills, and strengthen industry capacity.

To advance this work and ensure long-term sustainability, econext intends to develop a comprehensive Education and Training Offerings Business Plan. This plan will guide the design, delivery, and scaling of revenue-generating education and training offerings aligned with industry needs and workforce priorities.

Objective

• To develop a comprehensive, market-informed, and execution-ready Education and Training Offerings Business Plan that enables econext to:
• Generate sustainable revenue through education and training
• Deliver high-impact, industry-aligned programs
• Strengthen workforce capacity in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Position econext as a leader in green economy education and training

Scope of Work

The successful proponent will be responsible for developing a robust and actionable business plan. Key activities will include (but not be limited to):

1. Research and Market Scan

• Assess comparable organizations (especially industry associations) delivering education and training
• Analyze program offerings, delivery models, and pricing structures
• Review econext’s current offerings, pricing, and participant feedback
• Identify gaps, opportunities, and areas for improvement

2. Opportunity and Gap Analysis

• Identify what is working well across the market and within econext
• Identify inefficiencies, gaps, and underperforming areas
• Recommend:
  • Programs to continue, improve, or discontinue
  • New opportunities econext can pursue
  • Payment structures and pricing approaches
  • Marketing and business development strategies
  • Required management and leadership considerations

3. Business Model Design

• Target Market and Value Proposition
  • Define target customers and payment options
  • Willingness to pay and pricing logic
  • Define primary and secondary markets
  • Identify key pain points for each segment
  • Develop clear value propositions for offerings
  • Articulate differentiation from other providers
• Revenue Model and Pricing Strategy
  • Develop revenue generation options, including:
    • Tiered pricing (basic, advanced, executive)
    • Subscription vs cohort vs pay-per-course models
    • Corporate and bulk pricing packages
  • Identify which offerings should be free vs paid
  • Define positioning (premium vs accessible)
• Financial Projections and Unit Economics
  • Revenue projections:
    • Per program
    • Per cohort
    • Annual projections
  • Cost structure:
    • Delivery (trainers, materials)
    • Marketing
    • Administration/overhead
  • Unit economics:
    • Cost per participant
    • Revenue per participant
    • Profit margins per program

4. Product and Program Portfolio Strategy

• Define program offerings and structure
• Identify target audiences for each offering
• Articulate the purpose and outcomes of each program

5. Go-To-Market and Sales Strategy

• Define marketing channels and approach
• Identify required marketing assets
• Develop sales strategy (roles, processes, conversion approach)
• Identify partnership opportunities (e.g., colleges, industry, associations)
• Define lead generation and conversion funnel

6. Delivery and Operations Model

• Define delivery approach (in-person, virtual, hybrid)
• Recommend in-house vs outsourced training model
• Define LMS and delivery infrastructure requirements
• Recommend cohort size and margin optimization strategy
• Define operating model, including:
  • Finance
  • Personnel
  • Resources
  • RACI structure
• Develop a partnership and licensing strategy

7. Risk, Implementation, and Performance Framework

• Identify risks and mitigation strategies
• Develop an implementation roadmap
• Define KPIs and success metrics

econext currently offers education and training courses. Access to our suite of courses and participants’ feedback will be provided.

The proponent will meet with the client biweekly to provide progress updates and address any barriers that arise.

Deliverables and Timing

Deliverables:

• Deliverable 1:  Research findings, analysis, and initial recommendations
• Deliverable 2: Draft Education and Training Business Plan and presentation of draft findings to econext team for feedback and discussion
• Deliverable 3: Final Education and Training Business Plan

Timelines:

• RFP Release Date: May 6, 2026
• Proposal Due Date: May 27, 2026
• Project Start Date: June 15, 2026

RFP respondents are asked to provide their own proposed schedules for the completion of the deliverable, with the understanding that the client is motivated to complete this work as time-efficiently as possible.

Budget:

econext invites proponents to submit a proposed budget for this work. While no fixed budget has been set, value for money and feasibility will be important evaluation criteria. All prices must be in Canadian dollars.

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Knowledge and experience in relation to the work (i.e., business planning, education, and training): Demonstrated ability to meet expectations based on completion of similar projects and/or quality of previous works
• Understanding of the scope and objectives of the project: Demonstrated comprehension of/adherence to the RFP
• Proposed approach/workplan and schedule
• Experience working within Newfoundland and Labrador and/or relevant sectors
• Price: Value of work proposed versus identified costs

Proposal Submissions

The contracting organization for this RFP is econext. A single electronic document is sufficient. The proposal should be no longer than five (5) pages and be concisely worded with clearly described objectives, methods, timelines, and outcomes. The proposal must acknowledge and fully accept the terms and conditions as laid out in this RFP.

The proposal should feature appendices, including (1) a brief description of the respondent’s company and its relevant experience with similar projects, including images of and/or links to similar products/content developed by the respondent, and (2) a description of the relevant work experience of the staff assigned to this project and their respective location.

econext is asking proponents to provide their own cost estimates for this project. Price is just one of the criteria that will be used in the evaluation of received proposals.

Submissions should include detailed budgets that align with the proposed methodology, project components, and timelines.

The electronic copy of submissions should be in DOC and/or PDF format, and sent to Ogaga Johnson, econext’s Director of Capacity Building and Project Management, via email at ogaga@econext.ca no later than 5 p.m. NDT on May 27, 2026. Questions from interested applicants can be directed to the same address.

Terms and Conditions

• All proposals received will be considered strictly confidential.
• The lowest cost, or any proposal, will not necessarily be accepted.
• Proposed costs must be represented in Canadian dollars.
• Applicants must be a company or organization of legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada, with work being undertaken in Canada.
• No payment will be made for the preparation and submission of proposals for this project.
• No fee will be made on the cost of work incurred to remedy errors or omissions for which the consultant is responsible.

econext reserves the right to meet with all or any of the applicants during the proposal evaluation stage to clarify information in the submissions and seek additional details that may be used in the evaluation.