ART WINDSOR-ESSEX
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – NO: AWE202501
DATED: SEPTEMBER 2, 2025
PROPOSAL HIGHLIGHTS
QUESTIONS:
Received no later than 5:00 P.M. on September 12, 2025
CONTACT NAME
Thomas Boucher, Manager of Operations
CONTACT E-MAIL:
tboucher@artwindsoressex.ca
PROPOSALS DUE:
Received no later than 5:00 P.M. on September 29, 2025
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS
This request for proposal (RFP) is issued on behalf of Art Windsor-Essex (AWE) which is the sole point of contact during the procurement process.
Proposals must be received via email by no later than 5:00 P.M. on September 29, 2025, addressed to: Thomas Boucher, Manager of Operations, tboucher@artwindsoressex.ca.
If additional information is required to interpret the requirements outlined within this document, emailed questions must be received by Thomas Boucher no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 12, 2025.
No information will be provided verbally, or by any other person will be considered binding. All respondents should use this document and its attachments as the basis for their proposal at this time. Also, all applicants will be provided a copy of submitted questions and answers.
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
RFP Contact: Direct any questions regarding this competition to Thomas Boucher, tboucher@artwindsoressex.ca, with the subject line “Expression of Interest – AWE Feasibility Study and Facility Plan”.
Consultants and their representatives are not permitted to contact any employees, officers, agents, elected or appointed officials or other representatives of AWE, other than the RFP Contact, concerning matters regarding this RFP.
Submissions by email: One (1) electronic copy in .pdf, .doc or .docx, excel format, which includes the RFP name and closing date, are to be forwarded to: tboucher@artwindsoressex.ca. The preferred file formats are .pdf, .doc, and .docx. Submissions should not exceed 35 MB. Consultant submissions will receive confirmation of email receipt to Consultants via an automatic email message.
PROPOSAL FORMAT
Proposals must be submitted in writing and should be in the format set out in Appendix B. Consultants may provide additional information beyond that requested in the RFP for consideration. Any such additional information may be considered by AWE at its sole discretion. While innovative proposals are encouraged, consultants should also provide a proposal in accordance with the base requirements of this RFP. AWE reserves the right to make an award based on any alternative/innovative proposal.
CONSIDERATIONS
This request for proposal (RFP) does not commit Art Windsor-Essex to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this request or to produce or contract for services or supplies. Art Windsor-Essex reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this request, to waive minor irregularities in the procedure, to negotiate with any qualified source or to cancel in part or in its entirety, this RFP, if it is in the best interests of Art Windsor-Essex to do so.
Disclosure of any possible conflicts of interest that may result from the award of this contract, or services provided under this contract must be declared in the proposal.
AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSAL
Proposals may be amended by Art Windsor-Essex in response to a need for further clarification, specifications and/or requirement changes. Proposals may be amended after receipt by Art Windsor-Essex by submitting a later dated proposal that specifically states that it is amending an earlier proposal. No proposal may be amended after the opening date unless requested by Art Windsor-Essex. Proposals may be withdrawn by the Proponent, only in entirety and by a written request to Art Windsor-Essex.
INTRODUCTION
Art Windsor-Essex (AWE) is seeking proposals from consultants to facilitate a Feasibility Study and Facility Plan between October 2025 and March 2026. The Feasibility Study and Facility Plan will identify how our leased footprint must transform to support the transformation and longer-term sustainability of our organization. The Facility Plan will act as a guiding document identifying short, medium and long-term actions that will bring our current building into alignment with our vision for the future. The Facility Plan may inform the scope and milestones for a capital campaign in the next five years, and lead to a detailed architectural plan followed by implementation.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Art Windsor-Essex (previously known as the Art Gallery of Windsor) has been in its current location at 401 Riverside Drive East since the building opened in 2001. A purpose-built 77,550 square foot facility designed by R&P and Moffat Kinoshita, the gallery saw minimal renovations in the first decade of its operations, except for retrofits to better manage roof and glass sealant leaks, the installation of a new ‘green roof’ to reduce energy costs, and HVAC system improvements. The gallery became a tenant of the building in 2012, brokering the sale of the building to the City of Windsor and negotiating a 49-year lease, and transitioning out of receiving annual grants from the City. Under the lease agreement, the City of Windsor supports utility bills, facility cleaning, repairs and maintenance, landscaping and security, with a commitment to maintain the building to Class A museum standards. In 2016, the City of Windsor opened the Chimzcuk Museum on the main floor – a civic museum which moved into the space after $5.7M of renovations took place on the main floor to remove elements such as a gift shop, café, auditorium to create more spaces for temporary exhibits. The gallery currently occupies 45,000 square feet between the mezzanine level (currently staff only), and the 2nd floor and 3rd floors of the building (largely public and gallery space with the exception of storage and other back-of-house elements). The gallery’s 15,000 square feet of presentation space on floors 2 and 3 is accessible for public visitation via elevator access from the main floor.
As AWE has been in the facility under the current arrangement for approximately 10 years, the gallery would like to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study and facility master plan to review AWE’s use of our current leased footprint. The gallery would like to determine how it may improve the occupancy and use of our leased footprint, and general operations, to best meet the needs of community members, artists, and other stakeholders over the next two decades.
The study should take into consideration how AWE could advance its operational resilience via earned revenue opportunities – both within, but not limited to, the confines of the gallery’s leased footprint. This will require consultation with multiple stakeholders in Windsor-Essex who may be interested in engaging in mutually beneficial partnerships with AWE.
ABOUT ART WINDSOR-ESSEX
Art Windsor-Essex (AWE), formerly known as the Art Gallery of Windsor, is one of Ontario’s longest-standing public art institutions. Established in 1943 as the Willistead Art Gallery of Windsor, AWE has evolved into a dynamic cultural hub committed to showcasing Canadian and Indigenous art, supporting regional artists, and engaging the community through exhibitions, education, and outreach.
AWE’s permanent collection includes nearly 4,000 works and continues to grow, reflecting the diversity and creativity of artists from Windsor-Essex and across
Canada. The gallery receives support from the City of Windsor through the afore-mentioned lease agreement and receives operating and project funding from a number of cultural and governmental organizations. The gallery’s funding is sustained through a combination of public grants (large portion), private donations (smaller portion), and earned revenue (smallest portion). The gallery also maintains an endowment fund, with approximately 5% of its annual interest currently allocated to support ongoing operations.
Over the decades, AWE has undergone several transformations, including becoming an independent institution in 1960, relocating to multiple sites, and finally settling into its purpose-built facility. In 2022, the gallery rebranded from the ‘Art Gallery of Windsor’ to become ‘Art Windsor-Essex’ to better reflect its regional identity and the inclusive vision outlined in its 2021–2025 strategic plan.
ABOUT WINDSOR-ESSEX
Windsor-Essex is located on Anishinaabe Territory, and Waawiiatanong is the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, comprised of the Ojibway, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. Today the Anishinaabe of the Three Fires Confederacy are represented by Bkejwanong.
Windsor-Essex is one of Ontario’s most diverse regions. Nearly 18% of the population identifies as a visible minority, with the largest groups being Arab (26%), Black (19%), and South Asian (17%). Approximately 4.4% of residents self-identify as Indigenous, slightly above the provincial average. The region is also home to a vibrant immigrant population, with 23% of residents born outside Canada and over 15,000 newcomers settling in the area between 2016 and 2021. After English, the most spoken languages at home include Arabic (11,295 speakers), Mandarin (3,390), Punjabi (3,365), and Spanish (3,355). Windsor-Essex ranks among the top regions in Ontario for the proportion of residents whose mother tongue is a non-official language.
Windsor-Essex played a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad, serving as a terminus for thousands of freedom-seekers escaping slavery in the United States. Windsor-Essex is also known as Canada’s automotive capital, with deep ties to Detroit. The region’s industrial growth was shaped by major labour movements, cross-border trade, and manufacturing innovation. Windsor-Essex is also a fertile agricultural zone with a rich farming tradition. The region is home to North America’s largest vegetable greenhouse cluster, with over 3,500 acres of greenhouse operations.
SCHEDULE
The anticipated schedule of events related to this RFP are provided as targets only.
• RFP release date: September 2, 2025
• RFP closing date and time: September 29, 2025
• Short-listed consultants contacted for interviews: October 1, 2025
• Consultant selection and negotiation: October 13, 2025
• Deadline for project completion: March 25, 2026
Best efforts will be applied to meet these dates - however, dates may change. Where dates change, notice of those changes will be provided to all Consultants.
SERVICE CONTRACT
The supply of any services pursuant to this RFP shall be acquired under a mutually acceptable contract. AWE reserves the right to negotiate any and all purchase terms and conditions (including price) with any consultant at its sole discretion. Consultants (and/or its employees and agents) may be required to sign supplemental confidentiality agreements prior to accessing any documents or files from AWE.
EVALUATION PROCESS
AWE reserves the right to keep evaluation details and consultant rankings confidential. Consultants may be requested to participate in an interview/presentation with AWE in connection with this RFP.
AWE reserves the right to select a short-list of consultants who may be subject to a further evaluation and/or negotiation process.
Competitive negotiation may be part of this RFP process.
AWE may conduct reference checks independent of the client references provided by the consultant.
AWE’S objective is to select the consultant able to provide the best overall value and service solution. Consultants are advised that the evaluation process is subjective in nature. AWE’s intention is to consider, at its sole discretion, each proposal on its merits, without regard to the rules or principles of competitive bidding or other legal duties, including without regard to whether a proposal is compliant with this RFP.
Consultants will be judged based on the evaluation rubric outlined in Appendix C.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
This RFP is not intended to, and shall not, create any binding obligation on AWE to purchase all or any of the Services, or to enter any related service contract. Consultants are advised that AWE intends to conduct a flexible procurement process, not subject to the laws of competitive bidding.
Without limiting the generality of the above paragraph, AWE reserves the right, at its sole discretion at any time and for any reason, to:
• Reject any or all proposals (including, for greater certainty, the lowest cost proposal)
• Accept any proposal or any combination of proposals received
• Accept a proposal in whole or in part
• Clarify a proposal where, in the sole judgement of AWE an error or mistake is apparent
• Accept any non-compliant proposal where the non-compliance is, in AWE’s sole judgement, not material
• Reject any non-compliant proposal
• Accept or reject any conditional proposal
• Accept any alternative or innovative proposal
• Negotiate any aspect of any proposal (including price) and/or any purchase terms and conditions
• Cancel this RFP at any time for any reason (with or without commencing a new RFP or other similar process in its place)
Proposals may be withdrawn or amended by consultants at any time by written notice to AWE, prior to AWE and a Consultant signing a formal contract.
CONFIDENTIALITY
This request for proposal (RFP) is for the sole purpose of soliciting proposals to meet the needs of Art Windsor-Essex. Under no circumstances is this document to be forwarded, copied or made public, in whole or in part, without the pre-approved written consent of Art Windsor-Essex. Upon completion of the RFP process, vendors are asked to destroy the original and all copies of this document.
All information provided by or obtained from AWE in any form in connection with this RFP either before or after the issuance of this RFP:
• is the sole property of AWE and must be treated as confidential;
• is not to be used for any purpose other than replying to this RFP and the performance of any subsequent Agreement for the Deliverables;
• must not be disclosed without prior written authorization from AWE; and must be returned by the consultant to AWE immediately upon the request of AWE
Proposals will be accepted in confidence, as they contain financial, commercial, scientific, technical and/or labour relations information, except as may be otherwise provided herein. The confidentiality of such information will be maintained by AWE, except as otherwise required by law or by order of a court or tribunal, or by regulatory order of the Government of Ontario.
Consultants are expected to refrain from making any public announcements or news releases regarding the Services without the prior written approval of AWE.
