S4-6 RFP – Economic Development, Marketing & Website Services 2026-2027

Issued by: Sylvite Four-Six Regional Development Partnership (S4-6)
Engagement Period: April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027
Geographic Scope: Communities and First Nations within approximately 90 km of the Jansen area, Saskatchewan
Website: https://www.s4-6.ca/
Contact Information:
Sylvia FitzGerald, Executive Director (S4-6)
executive.director@s4-6.ca
Bid #: S4-6-RFP-EDMW-2026-01
Proposal Deadline: Firms are asked to express their interest, including a preliminary cost estimate, by January 20. Full proposals are requested by February 13. Early submissions are strongly encouraged. ________________________________________
1. About S4-6
Sylvite Four Six Regional Development Partnership (S4-6) is a regional collaboration of municipalities and First Nations advancing community priorities including housing, childcare, labour and training, infrastructure, emergency services, and economic development. S4-6 focuses on investment readiness and business attraction, including Foreign Direct Investment where appropriate, and delivers practical, community-level outcomes across economic development, marketing, and digital platforms. Proposals should demonstrate alignment with participating communities’ strategic economic development plans, including integration with Indigenous economic development priorities where applicable. Proposals should also demonstrate how proposed activities advance investment readiness, FDI attraction, marketing, and digital platform objectives, regardless of CanExport funding. S4-6 may assign additional aligned duties, and proponents may propose additional initiatives with clear, measurable outputs.
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2. Purpose of this RFP
S4-6 seeks qualified consultants to deliver implementable economic development, marketing, and website outcomes that advance investment-ready sites, business growth, workforce alignment, and new investment opportunities.
• Investor-ready sites
• Business expansion and attraction
• Workforce-aligned development
• Greenfield FDI projects (new facilities, new infrastructure, new jobs)
• Advance S4-6’s broader economic development, marketing, and website initiatives
This RFP is NOT for:
• Stand-alone assessments, strategies, market research, or recommendation reports
• Meetings, workshops, or consultations without defined outputs, follow-through actions, or solutions
Proponents must demonstrate capacity to:
• Work directly with communities and partners to implement actions
• Deliver tangible, measurable outputs
S4-6 may award:
• One integrated firm, or
• Two firms (Economic Development & Marketing / Website & Digital Platform)
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3. Scope of Work & Required Outputs
Funding-Dependent Scope Adjustment
Responsibilities and deliverables outlined in this RFP are subject to adjustment depending on the success and level of CanExport funding. Firms must demonstrate flexibility to adapt the scope of work—prioritizing FDI-focused outcomes when funding allows—while ensuring ongoing advancement of S4-6’s broader economic development, marketing, and website initiatives, maintaining measurable outputs in all scenarios.
A. FDI-Focused Economic Development & Community Implementation
Objective:
Advance investment-ready sites and businesses and support workforce-informed opportunities addressing regional labour, housing, and sector gaps. While these activities emphasize FDI outcomes, all efforts should also support S4-6’s ongoing economic development priorities, including business growth, workforce alignment, and community engagement, regardless of CanExport funding.
Activities & Tasks (Implementation-Focused) Include:
3.1. Investment-Ready Sites & Development
• Identify, validate, and package industrial, commercial, mixed-use, housing-enabling, and adaptive-reuse sites in collaboration with municipalities and First Nations.
• Prepare investor-ready site and lot profiles suitable for external investor marketing, including:
• Servicing, zoning, and permitting summaries
• Identification of applicable incentives (e.g., tax abatements, land pricing, zoning flexibility.
• Circulate finalized investor-ready site briefs to S4-6 and approved investment partners for investor outreach and maintain internal community records, ensuring site profiles remain up-to-date regardless of FDI funding status.
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3.2. Sector-Specific Investment Initiatives (FDI-Focused)
• Develop and implement sector-specific FDI initiatives aligned with S4-6 priorities and CanExport objectives.
• Priority sectors may include: Housing (modular, RTM, multi-family), Construction/Trades, Agri-Food Processing, Mining & Industrial Supply Chain, Healthcare/Childcare, and Professional & Personal Services.
• For each selected sector:
• Define target markets, investor profiles, and value propositions for external investors and operators
• Implement investment-advancement activities that move opportunities toward investor decision points
• Conduct targeted outreach to investors, developers, operators, and partners (regional, national, or international)
• Facilitate investor and business matchmaking, including supplier linkages and preliminary partnership discussions
• Advance site and business readiness by aligning specifications and offerings with investor requirements
• Consider workforce availability and skills both in relation to advancing FDI opportunities and to support broader S4-6 regional economic development and business growth objectives.________________________________________
3.3. Business Readiness & Expansion
• Deliver sector-focused, action-oriented workshops designed to prepare local businesses and projects for investment attraction or expansion, producing tangible outputs (e.g., pitch materials, expansion plans, partnership pathways).
• Provide targeted one-on-one or small-group support to businesses pursuing investment, partnership, or expansion opportunities.
• Prepare investor case briefs using site- or business-specific data that clearly outline opportunities, risks, and next steps for investors.
• Apply an Investment Readiness Checklist to identify gaps and improvements needed to advance opportunities toward investment.
• Support co-developed regional initiatives that directly advance investment, sector, or workforce readiness linked to FDI.
• Maintain an outreach log documenting investor and partner engagement and follow-up actions.
Metric / Performance Indicator
Investment-Ready Site & Lot Profiles Minimum 15 profiles, prioritizing FDI-ready sites; additional profiles may be completed as capacity allows.
Sector Investment Actions 2–3 priority sectors with minimum 1–2 implemented actions per sector, scalable based on firm capacity.
Business Readiness Toolkit Pitch decks and expansion templates used by a minimum of 6 businesses with flexibility for fewer businesses if firm demonstrates quality outputs
Workshops
Minimum 4 workshops delivered with documented post-workshop actions

Investor Case Briefs Minimum 3-5 customized briefs prepared and issued with readiness gaps identified
Investment Readiness Checklist Checklist applied to a minimum of 8 sites or businesses
Regional Initiative Actions 3–4 co-developed initiatives per year with documented outcomes
Investor & Partner Outreach
Outreach log documenting minimum 30 investor or partner contacts with follow-ups

B. FDI-Focused Marketing, Promotion & Content Delivery
Objective: Position S4-6 as a regional investment intermediary by clearly communicating FDI opportunities, workforce advantages, and community value to investors, partners, and prospective workers.
Activities & Tasks Include:
All marketing and promotional activities should emphasize FDI messaging and investor engagement, while continuing broader S4-6 marketing, workforce, and community initiatives regardless of funding.
• Develop FDI- and S4-6-aligned messaging reflecting mandate, services, and regional value proposition.
• Create and update community profiles highlighting investment opportunities, workforce characteristics, housing availability, and business gaps.
• Design and deliver targeted workforce and livability campaigns supporting FDI attraction (e.g., labour availability, skilled trades, career pathways).
• Coordinate professional photography to support investment, workforce, and community marketing.
• Develop and manage regular social media content featuring investor, business, workforce, and community stories.
• Produce and distribute core marketing materials to support investment promotion and outreach.
• Support communities in FDI storytelling and investor-targeted showcases.
• Provide promotion and marketing support for S4-6-led events, as assigned.
• Produce short-form video content supporting investment and workforce narratives.
• Track outreach and engagement data to refine messaging and measure effectiveness.
• Ensure consistent visual identity and tone across all materials.
Deliverable Metric / Performance Indicator
Community Profiles Profiles updated for all participating communities
Workforce & Livability Campaigns Minimum 2 targeted campaigns delivered
Professional Photo Library Minimum 150 high-resolution, categorized images
Social Media Content Regular posting schedule with engagement metrics tracked
Marketing Materials Core materials produced and distributed; downloads or requests tracked
FDI / Investment Pitch Deck Minimum 1 updated deck presented to at least 6 target investors
Event Promotion Support Promotion and marketing support provided for S4-6-led events, as assigned
Video Content Minimum 4 short-form videos produced and distributed
Outreach Data Tracking Responses, inquiries, and engagement tracked for all campaigns
Brand Consistency Visual identity and tone applied consistently across all materials

C. Website Development & Digital Platform
Objective: Deliver a photo- and video-forward, FDI-ready digital platform supporting investment promotion, data sharing, and ongoing updates.
Activities & Tasks Include:
Website and digital platform activities should support FDI-ready content and investor navigation when applicable, while continuing to serve broader economic development, marketing, and community engagement objectives irrespective of CanExport funding. Proponents must demonstrate flexibility to shift
• Redesign the S4-6 website to clearly communicate mandate, services, benefits, and FDI opportunities.
• Publish funding programs and business/investment resources relevant to investors and communities.
• Build community profile pages with investment, housing, childcare, and business data.
• Develop an interactive map linking communities, investment sites, and listings.
• Integrate news, events, board bios, success stories, and progress updates.
• Embed multimedia content produced under Section B.
• Configure email newsletter signup, templates, and integrations (execution optional).
• Enable social media sharing across site content.
• Ensure mobile optimization and responsive design.
• Implement a member portal supporting renewals and expense claims.
• Provide Content Management System (CMS) training for staff to independently update content
• Implement analytics dashboards and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Deliverable Metric / Performance Indicator
Redesigned Website Mobile-responsive, investor-focused; 99% uptime
Community Profile Pages
All member communities live with text, images, and data

Interactive Map Investment sites, communities, and listings live; engagement tracked
Multimedia Content
Up to 150 images and up to 15 videos embedded across site

Email Newsletter & Campaigns Track subscribers, open rates, and click-throughs
Social Media Integration All pages shareable; engagement metrics tracked
CMS Training Minimum 2 staff trained to update content independently or sufficient staff to manage ongoing updates effectively
Member Portal Renewals and expense claims enabled; 70-80% member adoption target
Analytics Dashboard Monthly reporting on traffic, engagement, and inquiries
Email & Newsletter Setup Signup forms, templates, and integrations configured (execution optional)

Other duties deemed aligned by S4-6 may be assigned during the contract period. Proponents must demonstrate flexibility to shift priorities and scale activities based on funding availability, ensuring deliverables are met and FDI-focused objectives are emphasized when possible, without compromising ongoing economic development, marketing, and website outcomes.________________________________________
4. Intellectual Property
• Ownership: S4-6 retains full ownership and unrestricted access to all data, reports, materials, content, and intellectual property produced. No additional fees may be charged for access, reproduction, or use
5. Results & Performance Expectations
• Deliverables measured by implementation and tangible outputs, not activity volume
• Quarterly progress reports documenting performance indicators as outlined above
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6. Proposal Submission Requirements & Evaluation Criteria
Submission Requirements:
Firm Overview & Team Experience
• Description of the firm, team roles, and relevant expertise.
• Evidence of prior experience implementing FDI initiatives, regional economic development, marketing campaigns, and website or digital platform projects.
• Specific examples demonstrating measurable outputs and tangible results, including timelines for achieving objectives.
• Experience working with municipalities, First Nations, or regional economic partnerships, highlighting Indigenous engagement where applicable.
Scope of Work Alignment
• Clearly identify which sections of the Scope of Work (A: Economic Development, B: Marketing, C: Website & Digital Platform) the firm proposes to deliver.
• Explain how proposed activities advance FDI, economic development, marketing, and website objectives, with explicit links to S4-6’s deliverables table.
Detailed Workplan & Timelines
• Provide a specific, actionable plan showing how the firm will achieve the deliverables listed in the RFP.
• Include milestones, deadlines, and expected outputs for each activity, clearly linking tasks to measurable KPIs (e.g., number of investment-ready site profiles, workshops, marketing campaigns, multimedia content, website updates).
• Identify tasks that may need to be scaled or adjusted depending on funding availability, and propose contingency or alternative approaches.
Deliverables Matrix & KPIs
• Include a table summarizing all proposed deliverables, metrics, and timelines.
• Demonstrate how success will be measured for FDI, economic development, marketing, and website initiatives.
Budget & Resource Allocation
• Provide a budget that clearly links costs to deliverables and proposed outputs.
References & Past Performance
• Provide at least three references for relevant projects.
• Disclose any prior projects where outputs were not met or terminated prematurely and describe lessons learned.
Communication & Responsiveness
• Include expected response times for project communication and reporting.
• Demonstrate capacity for regular progress updates
Evaluation Criteria:
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following:
• Alignment with S4-6 Mandate and Objectives: Demonstrated ability to advance FDI, economic development, marketing, and website initiatives in line with regional and CanExport priorities.
• Specificity and Measurability of Deliverables: Clarity of proposed outputs, KPIs, and timelines, with a realistic plan for achieving them.
• Implementation Capacity: Evidence that the firm can deliver on the proposed plan, including team expertise, past project success, and resources.
• Flexibility & Funding Adaptability: Ability to adjust activities and scale deliverables based on funding availability, while ensuring measurable outcomes across all initiatives.
• Execution Plan Quality: Realistic, detailed workplan with milestones, metrics, and timelines that demonstrate a path to successful outcomes.
• Relevant Experience: Demonstrated track record in FDI, regional economic development, marketing campaigns, and website/digital platform delivery.
• Regional & Indigenous Engagement: Evidence of partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and culturally appropriate approaches in prior projects.
• Budget Alignment: Proposed budget is realistic and clearly linked to deliverables, KPIs, and outcomes.
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8. Funding Context
This initiative may be supported by CanExport Community Investments. All activities and costs must comply with federal eligibility and reporting requirements. If CanExport funding is not secured, S4-6 may prioritize core economic development, marketing, and website activities, while FDI-specific initiatives may be reduced, phased, or reprioritized. Firms should propose deliverables that are scalable and adaptable, ensuring measurable outcomes in all funding scenarios.
9. RFP Disclaimer
S4-6 is not obligated to accept any proposal submitted. Issuance of this RFP does not commit S4-6 to award a contract or to pay any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of proposals. S4-6 reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or to negotiate with any respondent.