Introduction and Background

As a key partner in developing the city’s creative economy, Edmonton Screen is mandated to support and grow our local screen industries. We champion talent and production to foster creativity and drive sustainable economic growth for our city.

Edmonton Screen is accepting proposals in response to this Request for Proposal to find a qualified vendor to provide a film and television training program. Our goals for the program are to:

• Foster the growth and development of highly-skilled screen industry talent, creatives, and workers.
• Leverage investment into the training and development of local below-the-line film and television talent.

The objective of this Request for Proposal is to locate a vendor that will provide the best overall value to Edmonton Screen. While price is a significant factor, other criteria will form the basis of our award decision, as more fully described in the Evaluation Factors section below.

Submission Guidelines and Requirements

The following submission guidelines and requirements apply to this Request for Proposal:

• Only qualified individuals or firms with prior experience on projects such as this should submit proposals in response to this Request for Proposal.
• Bidders must include at least three examples of substantially similar projects, providing a summary, live link (if available) and client references for each.
• The proposal should be a single PDF document, not exceeding 20 pages. It must include:
  • Project Plan: A detailed outline of the overall plan and strategic approach, including:
    • Proposed training topics
    • intake process and participant requirement
    • Module structure (format, length, etc.)
    • Evaluation criteria
    • Delivery requirements (locations, equipment, etc.)
    • General program schedule including prioritization of modules
    • Implementation considerations such as scheduling and budget flexibility of primary and additional modules
  • Team: Biographies and roles of all key personnel who will be assigned to this project.
  • Budget: A detailed cost breakdown, including a total fixed project price, hourly rates for all personnel, and an estimated number of hours. The primary budget should include the costs for program design. Program delivery is outside the scope of this proposal, but a secondary budget indicating delivery costs per module should be included.
• The proposed project budget should indicate the overall fixed price for the project as well as hourly rates and an estimated total number of hours.
• Proposals must be received prior to July 15, 2025 to be considered.
• Proposals must remain valid for a period of 90 days.

Purpose

The purpose of this project is as follows:

• To establish a training program focusing on specific below-the-line film and television production skills for the Edmonton region, which will provide more skilled local labour.

Project Scope

Edmonton Screen is looking to develop and implement a training program with the aim to increase training and professional development in below-the-line film and television production skills in the region. We seek to work with local post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders to help bridge gaps between education and professionalization.

For the film and television industry to continue its growth, guest productions, co-productions, and locally-conceived productions need to be able to maximize regional labor hires to remain cost-effective and competitive. Edmonton Screen, as the film commission, is dedicated to equipping the region’s workforce with the necessary practical skills and knowledge. This commitment is fulfilled through various programs that enhance the local industry’s economic impact, and through partnerships with local, provincial, federal programs, educational institutions (particularly post-secondaries), and other stakeholders.

The training program must focus specifically on enhancing production skills in selected job categories. This program will address urgent needs in relation to on-set and on-location production skills (below-the-line job categories) and, therefore, above-the-line and post-production roles are not within the scope of this program. This program focuses on enhancing practical, real-industry knowledge for local individuals in specific entry-level and mid-level roles, rather than the management or keying of specific production departments. In collaboration with post-secondary partners, it aims to transition participants from educational experience and early industry participation into the most relevant production jobs.

Some suggested areas for preliminary training/professional development may include: 

• On set basics
• Production Assistants
• Art Department, potentially including set construction; wardrobe essentials
• Hair and makeup for film/TV
• Script supervision
• Assistant Directors – TADs, 3rds, 2nds
• Production Office PA, Production Co-ordinator
• Production Manager
• Grips
• Electrics
• Production Accountants
• Locations
• Roles and responsibilities within departments and as relate to other departments, production leaders

Program delivery can be provided virtually, in-person, or in a hybrid format. Hands-on workshops, online work modules, and micro-credentialing approaches may be considered. Through an expandable module approach, the program proposal will provide reasonable recommendations that Edmonton Screen can activate in the near term, and add to in the future, especially in collaboration with potential partners. 

The program design should be modular, featuring a practical and expandable implementation plan. This approach will allow Edmonton Screen to implement certain modules immediately while introducing others later, especially through collaborations with future partners. The project must include an implementation plan indicating the priority order for each module, 

Delivery of the training program is outside the scope of this request for proposal, however, priority consideration will be given to the successful proponent of the program design. Therefore, as part of the implementation plan, proponents should include costs for delivery of each module (fixed fee or per participant) and other requirements for delivery of each module.

Deliverables

The following are required deliverables of this project:

• A fully developed curriculum for the film and television training program, which includes 5 primary training modules as well as additional modules that could be added at a later date.
• An implementation plan with consideration for delivery of 2 to 3 training modules within the current calendar year (Phase 1a) and the remaining primary modules in the following year (Phase 1b), in addition to a plan for delivery of future modules (Phase 2).

RFP and Project Timelines

The Request for Proposal timeline is as follows:

Request for Proposal Issuance	June 27, 2025
Request for Proposal Deadline	July 22, 2025
Selection of Preferred Bidder	July 29, 2025
Contract Award / Notification to Unsuccessful Bidders	August 5, 2025
Completion of Program Design	October 1, 2025
Commencement of Programming (Phase 1)	October 2025
Delivery of (minimum) first two modules (Phase 1a)	December 31, 2025
Completion of Primary Programming (Phase 1b)	February 2026

Budget

Edmonton Screen’s budgeted amount for the project will be determined by its evaluation of the proposals and based on an agreement of the exact work to be contracted and delivered, in negotiation with the successful applicant.

Evaluation Factors

Edmonton Screen will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria to determine the best overall value:

• Responsiveness and Understanding: How well the proposal addresses the requirements outlined in this RFP.
• Relevant Experience and Past Performance: Demonstrated success with similar projects and positive client references.
• Portfolio and Quality of Work: The quality and relevance of the work samples provided.
• Cost and Value: The overall cost of the project in relation to the proposed solution and its long-term value.
• Technical Expertise: The demonstrated skill and experience of the proposed project team.

Edmonton Screen reserves the right to award the contract to the bidder that, in its sole discretion, presents the best value and is in the best interest of the organization.

Questions

Please direct any questions you have to [email protected].