REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
Reference Number: RFP002
FOR THE PROVISION OF: A Branded Merchandise Program
To:2023 WPFG Host Society Inc.
457 Main Street
Winnipeg Manitoba
February, 2022
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - RFP002
WPFG 2023 Host Society would like to offer branded merchandise for sale that will promote the Games and raise funds to be used in hosting the Games.
EVENT BRIEF
The World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) is a biennial athletic multi-sport event, open to active and retired law enforcement and fire services personnel throughout the world. The Games are hosted in a different country and region of the world every two years.The 2023 WPFG Host Society inc. is responsible for planning, coordinating and delivering the 2023 World Police & Fire Games which includes 60+ sport competitions and 20 + community and cultural events for 8500+ athletes coming from over 50+ countries to compete in the second largest participating sporting event in the world.
Thousands of the world’s best and brightest Police, Firefighters and Law Enforcement professionals will set their sights on Winnipeg as we host the 2023 World Police & Fire Games from July 28 - August 6, 2023. More than 8,500 athletes from across the globe, 150 media, hundreds of VIPs, 500 officials and thousands of visitors will join us for the 10-day event which will be the largest participation sport event in Manitoba’s history.
The 2023 WPFG is scheduled to host between 60+ competitive sports throughout Winnipeg and the surrounding area. These sports range from traditional multi-sport events such as Soccer, Ice Hockey, and Tennis to Police and Fire specific events such as Police Service Dogs, Stair Race and the Ultimate Firefighter. These competition events will be hosted at both single and multi-sport competition venues, with the focus on delivering the best sport technical and athlete experience.
PROPOSAL INTRODUCTION
Vendors are invited to submit proposals for the provision of the Services and Materials as specified in this RFP, Scope of Services.
This RFP will be conducted with the objective of maximizing the benefit to the 2023 World Police & Fire Games, while offering Vendors a fair and equitable opportunity to participate.
Vendors are advised to pay careful attention to the wording used throughout this RFP. Failure to satisfy any term or condition of this RFP may result in an unacceptable Proposal.
All Proposals must be provided in English.
OBJECTIVE
The WPFG 2023 event requires merchandise to be designed, produced, purchased and resold to increase awareness and appreciation of the Games, and to profit from these efforts. The goal is to partner with an organization that will provide an all encompassing program. This includes helping to determine what goods are to be created and sold to represent these Games, sourcing the merchandise for the best value, purchasing and re-selling the goods throughout various channels. We would like to offer as varied a product line as possible, and wide availability locally, nationally, and Internationally which would include an online store and the ability to purchase goods in person at one or more physical locations. The WPFG 2023 would earn a portion of all profits or sales proceeds based on the negotiated structure.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
The 2023 World Police & Fire Games requires a wide variety of apparel and other merchandise items all branded to reflect the Games in Winnipeg in the summer of 2023.
All goods must be of high quality so as to be consistent with the image and spirit of the Games and the organizations behind them. Procurement and delivery / arrival of products shall be determined by mutual agreement between the vendor and the Games Host Society.
Ideally, The merchandise program should begin in July 2022 and continue until August 30, 2023. The main sales period will be summer of 2023 and, more specifically during the Games. A smaller offering may be launched in summer 2022 with the full line developed and offered closer to Games time. All merchandise designs and samples must be approved by WPFG 2023 before production to ensure adherence to brand standards and quality expectations.
Items to be sold in the merchandise program could include the following with a final list of products to be developed in partnership with the vendor of choice:
- T-shirts: Men’s, Women’s, Unisex, sizes from S-XXL
- Hoodies: as above
- Ceramic Mugs
- Insulated Travel Mugs
- Water Bottles
- Sports Jerseys: unisex, sizes from S-XXL. Must be a hockey jersey and one other sport
- Sports Equipment: soccer ball, soft ball, hockey puck, one other sports equipment item
- Hats - baseball caps, toques
- Stuffed Bear Toy: branded with a sports jersey
- Mittens / Gloves
- Scarves
- Sling Bag
- Buffs / Gaiters
- other exciting ideas!
Inventory Requirements - the successful bidder will bear all inventory risk and will be fully responsible to source the goods, pay for the inventory and manage quantities. As much as possible, the goods should be made either locally, within Manitoba, or in Canada. Excess inventory will be managed by the bidder and may only be disposed of using methods approved by the WPFG 2023 Host Society.
Sales and Distribution Requirements
The successful bidder MUST offer the following:
- Creation and management of an online store that will offer goods for sale worldwide.
- The bidder will be responsible for fulfilling and shipping orders in a timely fashion using quality transportation to insure goods are not damaged during shipping.
- At times, the WPFG 2023 may wish to offer the merchandise to select groups or individuals at a discounted price so discount codes will be required to manage this. The levels of discounts and subsequent profit sharing impact would be negotiated.
- Sale of goods at a physical retail storefront in Winnipeg before and during the games. At least one location must be provided.
- One other temporary physical store or booth located at an agreed upon location during Games time.
- The WPFG 2023 Host Society may at times wish to purchase goods at wholesale or with other negotiated terms for a variety of distribution needs (ie. employee or volunteer gifts). The bidder must propose a method to manage this.
The successful bidder MAY offer the following:
- Working with other retailers to offer WPFG 2023 branded merchandise for sale in other physical retail stores and on other online retail platforms. This involves offering goods at wholesale prices.
- Ability to create temporary or “pop-up” booths or stores at various locations during games time. These locations could be competition venues, the athletes village, ceremony or trade show locations.
- Merchandise may also be sold at other events that the WPFG 2023 marketing team attends to promote the games.
Wholesale and retail prices will be agreed upon by both parties. The bidder will manage all collection, reporting, and remittance of taxes including GST and Provincial sales taxes as they apply to the goods sold.
Reporting and Profit Distribution Requirements - The bidder would be required to report to the WPFG 2023 Host Society at least quarterly but preferably monthly. These reports must include: an itemized list of all merchandise sold including quantities of each type of merchandise item, sales dollars collected per item and as a total by product category, discount codes used and total dollar value of discounts given, cost of goods sold and profits by product category. The ‘Items Sold Report’ must also be separated by wholesale and retail sales. The retail sales must be categorized to indicate location of the sale as online, for each specific storefront or pop up location. The reporting must clearly show the calculation used to determine the WPFG 2023 Host Society’s share of the proceeds based on the agreed upon method (likely profit sharing or % of sales). The report must be accompanied by payment of the calculated amount owing to the WPFG 2023 Host Society. The amounts will be due within 30 days of the date of the report, paid via direct deposit, or e-transfer.
Please also recommend new ideas for the merchandise program based on your own experience and include any new items in the pricing portion of your submission.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The proposal submission must include:
- Name and reference number of the Request for Proposal being addressed;
- Introductory letter of intent;
- Names, functions and experience of staff assigned to the project;
- Name of the primary contact person;
- Proposed methodologies and detailed timeframe for all project elements as outlined in the categories above;
- Complete pricing/budget with breakdown;
- Company profile including qualifications, relevant experience and list of current references;
- If available, please provide an example of a sales and profit/commission report.
All materials provided in the submission will become the property of the 2023 World Police & Fire Games.
All proposals must submit pricing of the services that clearly outlines the profit sharing or commission structure proposed. If possible, please provide sample photos of any goods or online store format being proposed.
Any proposals that include goods or services to be offered on a “Value In Kind” basis should be outlined in the submission. An estimate of the valuation of any in kind donations should also be included.
EVALUATION
The Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the completeness and suitability of the response for the WPFG 2023.
Evaluation of submissions will be based on the following criteria:
Previous experience 20%
Ability to fulfill mandate/technical requirements 30%
Creativity and uniqueness in approach 10%
Proposed Fee for Services 20%
References 10%
Local/Manitoba presence 10%
Total 100%
2023 World Police & Fire Games reserves the right to reject all or any proposals.
DEADLINE
Any questions or requests for clarification should be submitted by 12:00 noon CST on Friday, February 18, 2022. Questions must be submitted via email to: Grant Warren: Director, Marketing & Communications at gwarren@wpfg2023.com. Questions submitted and answered may be shared with other parties confidentially to ensure all those involved have the same information.
Proposals must be received by Friday, February 25, 2022 4:00 pm CST
Please submit your proposal to:
Grant Warren
Director, Marketing & Communications
2023 World Police & Fire Games
800-457 Main Street
Winnipeg, MB R3B 1B5
Email: gwarren@wpfg2023.com
Thank you for your interest in becoming part of this exciting event. All those who submit a proposal will be informed as to whether it has been accepted. The successful proposal will form part of an agreement outlining the goods and services to be provided.
