Call for Proposals – Provision of Travel Agency Services

About Equitas

Based in Montreal and Vancouver, Equitas is the most established and active human rights education organization in Canada. Equitas provides innovative human rights education programs to advance equality, inclusion, respect for human dignity and social change in Canada and around the world. 

With approximately 60 employees based across Canada, as well as partners and participants from around the world, the team travels several times a year.   

 

Context 

Equitas is currently accepting proposals for travel agency services for a period of twelve months (renewable for the same period), to support travel both abroad and within Canada for employees and participants in its various programs.  

On average and outside of the pandemic period, Equitas would purchase between 200 and 300 tickets per year, sometimes with short lead times and in low-traffic destinations. Participants in Equitas programs can come from anywhere in the world, including Haiti and the Caribbean, West and East Africa, North Africa and the Middle East.  

Equitas seeks to develop a strong and trusting business relationship with a travel agency to handle the booking, and purchase of airline tickets as well as travel assistance services.  

 

Guidelines

Equitas is looking for a travel agency that can :  

• Provide temporary itineraries for visa purposes 
• Provide 3 quotes per route to meet our funders’ requirements 
• To be available 7 days a week to respond to emergencies, especially before and during the International Human Rights Training Program (IHRTP), which takes place every year for 3 weeks in June and welcomes participants from around the world.  
• Provide emergency travel assistance services 
• Invoice (estimated or final amount) Equitas per person 
• Accept EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) payments  
• Agree to a maximum of 30 days for payment of final invoices 
• Offer competitive pricing for service fees  
• Offer travel expertise for the destinations visited 
• Offer services in English and French  

 

Proposal submission rules and timeline

Any organization based in Canada with a valid travel agency license may submit a proposal. Equitas will conduct an objective and fair evaluation of the proposals received according to the evaluation criteria listed below.  

The proposal, in English or French, must include:  

• The proposed prices for the various service fees (per ticket, per group purchase, per itinerary, etc.) as well as a justification for these.  
• Maximum response time for a route and reservation request: provide a time frame in hours/minutes. 
• How long the reserved ticket will be held before confirmation: provide a time frame in hours. 
• Cancellation, rebooking and refund policy and procedure for flights. 
• A demonstration of the agency’s expertise and experience in working with organizations whose mission is similar to Equitas’. 
• Accepted means of payment. 
• Discount and rebate programs, if any. 
• Contact information for two organizations to be contacted for referrals. 
• A brief description of the travel assistance services offered in case of emergency.

 

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

• Proposed service fees 
• The quality of the services offered 
• The expertise of the agency in the above-mentioned destinations 
• The availability and reactivity of the agency 
• Hold a travel agency license in one of the provinces of Canada  

 

Contractual agreement 

A contractual agreement will be negotiated following the selection of a winning proposal at the conclusion of this process. The terms and conditions of such an agreement will be subject to review by Equitas’ Finance Department and will include all necessary provisions.  

Contact us

Please submit your proposal by September 5th, 2022. Any questions regarding this call for proposals, prior to submission, can be sent by email to Eloise Gauthier at egauthier@equitas.org