REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
EXPERT SERVICES IN DEVELOPING AN AI ASSISTED DATABASE OF
ECONOMIC, WORKFORCE, AND LABOUR MARKET DEVELOPMENT
INVESTORS AND FUNDERS
Issue date: February 4, 2026
Closing date and time: February 10, 2026 by 5:00 p.m.
Submit to: contracts-contrats@cedec.ca
Contract period: February 23, 2026 – March 31, 2026
The Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation (CEDEC) is the
federally designated economic and labour market development organization dedicated to
strengthening the economic vitality and labour market participation of the Official Language
Minority Community in Quebec (OLMCQ) through applied research, the creation of public,
private and civil society collaborative economic development partnerships, and policy and
program development.
CEDEC strengthens the contribution of English speakers and the OLMCQ to the economic
development of Quebec, while addressing economic and labour market disparities within the
community. Specifically, it generates tangible economic benefits and impacts for English
speakers, businesses, social enterprises, and communities, all of which contribute to the vitality
of the OLMCQ and the broader Quebec society.
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
This Request for Proposal is issued as part of CEDEC’s Official Languages Economic
Development and Labour Market Participation Applied Research Program.
Building on CEDEC’s 2026–2028 Collaborative Economic Development Roadmap, CEDEC
seeks to establish a structured, intelligence-driven capability to identify, assess, prioritize, and
engage potential sources of investment capital and funding to support the development and
operation of its Public, Private, and Civil Society Collaborative Economic Development
partnerships.
Current funding and investment sourcing for OLMCQ economic, workforce, and labour market
initiatives relies heavily on episodic scans, manual research, and opportunity-driven outreach.
This approach is resource-intensive and limits CEDEC’s ability to act strategically, proactively,
and at scale.
This RFP seeks expert services to design, build, populate, and operationalize an AI-assisted
Economic, Workforce, and Labour Market Development Database of Potential Investors and
Funders that will function as a living platform supporting the development and operation of
CEDEC’s Public, Private, and Civil Society Collaborative Economic Development partnerships
and the Collaborative Economic Development ECOSystem.
CEDEC manages a large and growing body of applied research, policy analysis, program
documentation, administrative data, and external evidence related to workforce development,
labour market participation, economic development, and Official Language Minority Community
vitality. As the scale, interdependence, and strategic importance of this knowledge base have
increased, CEDEC requires an integrated, intelligence-driven system that moves beyond
document storage toward active knowledge mobilization.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) contains specific details and timelines and should be
reviewed carefully prior to submitting a proposal. Every proposal must cover all the service
requirements outlined in the RFP. Incomplete or late proposals will not be considered.
This Request for Proposals is issued as part of CEDEC’s broader effort to refine and implement
the OLMCQ Workforce Development Strategy. It will be undertaken in collaboration with
the Workforce Development and Labour Market Participation Subnetwork of the OLMCQ
Collaborative Economic Development Ecosystem. It is intended to inform and support the
ongoing work of OLMCQ workforce developers who educate, train, and support Englishspeaking
Quebecers in their transition from education to meaningful employment and
entrepreneurship across Quebec.
STATEMENT OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE NEEDS
The purpose of this RFP is to retain a qualified service provider to complete all three integrated
components) of the initiative, described in the statement of work below, by March 31, 2026.
The objectives of the assignment are to:
Establish a standardized, scalable taxonomy and data model aligned with CEDEC
economic, workforce, and labour market development priorities.
Create a high-quality, high-performing, validated database of potential investors and funders
across sectors and geographies.
Embed AI-enabled features that reduce manual work and improve
opportunity-to-funder/investor matching.
Integrate the platform into CEDEC’s operational workflows with appropriate governance and
quality controls.
STATEMENT OF WORK
The successful proponent will be responsible for completing the following three integrated
components. Proponents must demonstrate how their approach ensures logical sequencing,
data integrity, and long-term sustainability.
COMPONENT 1 - CORE TAXONOMY, DATA MODEL, AND FIELD DESIGN
The proponent will design the foundational taxonomy and data architecture that underpins the
database. This component includes:
Review of CEDEC strategic priorities and funding and investment needs.
Design of a normalized, AI-ready data model.
Definition of standardized taxonomy dimensions, including sectors, funder and investor
types, instruments, geographies, and venture stages.
Specification of mandatory and optional data fields, validation rules, and update cycles.
Alignment of fields with compliance requirements, including Official Languages Act Part VII
and M-30 considerations.
Key deliverables include:
Approved taxonomy and data dictionary.
Entity-relationship model.
Field-level guidance and quality standards.
COMPONENT 2 - DATA POPULATION, VALIDATION, AND AI ENABLEMENT
The proponent will populate the database with a critical mass of high-quality, up-to-date and
validated funder and investor records and design and implement relevant AI-assisted features.
This component includes:
AI-assisted identification of priority funder and investor lists across public, private, and civil
society sectors.
Structured desk research and document review.
Extraction and normalization of data from multiple source documents.
Validation and confidence scoring of records.
Configuration of AI models for auto-tagging, classification, and similarity scoring.
Design of explainability logic and human-in-the-loop review points.
Key deliverables include:
An AI-assisted database that can be populated automatically with documented confidence
levels.
AI-assisted tagging and classification engine.
AI-assisted Venture-to-funder/investor recommendation logic with rationale.
SI-assisted documented validation and update process.
COMPONENT 3 - WORKFLOW INTEGRATION, GOVERNANCE, AND
OPERATIONALIZATION
The proponent will ensure the AI-assisted database is operationally embedded within CEDEC
and governed for long-term use. This component includes:
Mapping of CEDEC funding and investment sourcing workflows.
Definition of role-based access, permissions, and use cases.
Development of standard operating procedures and staff guidance.
Design of governance, stewardship, and maintenance models.
Definition of performance metrics and continuous improvement mechanisms.
Key deliverables include:
Documented operational workflows.
User guides and onboarding materials.
Governance and stewardship framework.
Maintenance and continuous improvement plan.
REQUIRED DELIVERABLES
The successful proponent will deliver:
An integrated methodology and work plan.
Component-level technical (AI-assisted) deliverables.
A fully operational AI-assisted funding and investment database.
Documentation covering taxonomy, data standards, AI logic, and workflows.
An executive summary suitable for senior and non-technical audiences.
All deliverables must be provided in English, with clear structure, documented assumptions, and
transparent discussion of limitations.
TIMELINE
All activities and final deliverables must be completed by March 31, 2026.
Proponents must submit a detailed work plan and timeline demonstrating feasibility within this
timeframe.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
CEDEC is seeking proponents with demonstrated and extensive expertise and experience in:
Economic development, finance, and funding/investor ecosystems.
Data architecture and AI-enabled systems.
Applied research and structured desk analysis.
Workflow design and organizational enablement.
Official Languages or comparable public policy environments.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
Proposals must include:
Organizational profile and description of relevant expertise and experience.
Understanding of the assignment objectives.
Proposed methodology and technical approach.
Work plan and timeline.
Project team composition and roles.
Three examples of comparable database or AI-enabled systems.
Detailed budget and cost breakdown.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
Understanding project objectives and scope.
Quality and feasibility of methodology.
Technical and domain expertise and experience.
Integration across components.
Feasibility of timeline.
Value for money.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Proposals must be submitted electronically to CEDEC by February 10, 2026 by 5:00 p.m.
Late submissions will not be accepted.
CEDEC reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal and to cancel this RFP at its
discretion.
As we anticipate a high volume of responses to this Request for Proposals, we are unable to
address questions prior to the submission deadline. Additional information and the
opportunity to seek clarification will be provided to the firms selected to advance to the next
stage of the procurement process.
NEXT STEPS
CEDEC may retain one or more proposals for consideration and conduct follow-up interviews.
Please put RFP: Expert Services in Developing an AI Assisted Database of Economic,
Workforce and Labour Market Development Investors and Funders in the subject line of all
inquiries.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) has been prepared by the Community Economic
Development and Employability Corporation (CEDEC). CEDEC considers the material in this
RFP to be proprietary and confidential. The contents of this RFP must be held in confidence by
recipients and used only to prepare a proposal for consideration by CEDEC.
