Quarterly / Seasonal Newsletter Archives

Ever wonder how we win new business and contracts through competitive bidding?

If you want a peek behind the scenes, the secret is in the Request for Proposal (RFP) process! An organization (“the Buyer”) may post its RFP documents on a website (such as MERX, Biddingo, etc.) or invite preferred companies to bid.

Interested parties (“Proponents”) respond with a business proposal. The RFP texts specify the proposal contents, format, due date, scope of work, legal terms, conditions, contract duration and all other requirements.

Some RFPs are very precise, while others are quite vague or contradictory. Some are short, while others are hundreds of pages long. The secret is to read the RFP text very carefully, many times, to find out exactly what is required. Even the best business proposal in the world will be rejected outright if it is submitted just one minute past the deadline, submitted in the wrong format, or – alas – delivered to the wrong address. Just one deficiency or minor missing detail may result in disqualification or a much lower score.

Next, we ask ourselves, is this work for us? Do we want to do it? If the answer is YES, a team is formed and work on our responsive business proposal begins. The deadlines are usually extremely tight, so the scope of work (as we understand it) is quickly divided into tasks and assigned to team members.

If directives or explanations in the RFP text are not clear, our designated team leader directs questions to the Buyer’s contact person designated in the RFP. Often, the question period has a cut-off date, so we must be careful to ask all questions before this deadline.

Answers to questions and other amendments are usually, but not always, provided to all registered Proponents in a document called an addendum. An addendum may significantly (and suddenly) change the original scope of work, so each one must be read very carefully.

After our painstaking teamwork, our final proposal is delivered to the Buyer as instructed for evaluation.

The Buyer’s internal proposal evaluators review all accepted proposals, which means the evaluators may be reading hundreds of pages in a very short period of time. Proposals are scored and ranked according to the Buyer’s stated criteria in the RFP text. A winner is picked and – it’s ASP!

By Debbie Ciccotelli, Director, Strategic Innovation

In preparing for the start-up of new security operation at Calgary International Airport, a mobilization team was established under the leadership of James Catney.

Although the mobilization team involved many players from Finance to HR to Resource Planning, I would like to focus on a few key players who were actively involved in executing the plan from a recruitment, training and operational preparedness perspective, namely Sean Gallagher, David Ramlagan, and Noman Butt.

These three individuals temporarily put their life on hold and invested the time and effort to ensure a successful contract transition under challenging timelines. Over the past two to three months, the mobilization team and in particular, these three individuals have worked around the clock. It was impressive to watch them work together and support each other to meet the challenging goals and timelines of this contract transition.

They took the meaning of commitment, teamwork and team spirit to a whole new level.

Sean Gallagher was responsible for recruitment of the new YYC team. He screened and interviewed hundreds of applicants, from incumbent employees to new hires in record time. Recruitment efforts were further complicated by mandatory pre-deployment requirements consisting of Transportation Clearance/RAIC, Security Guard Licence, AVOP licence, etc. Sean also actively supported and participated in Resource Planning/Scheduling and Onboarding activities.

David Ramlagan was responsible for development and delivery of all Orientation, Training and Onboarding sessions. This was a particularly complex process, as it involved gathering all source documents, familiarizing himself with the site, duties and systems for various functions ranging from Access Control, Terminal and Airside and Dispatch and then developing and delivering training sessions. Patrol, SOC.

Noman Butt assumed the role of Interim Operations Manager, and, as such, was responsible for confirmation of posts/positions with the Airport Authority, gathering and updating Post Orders and SOPs, preparation of various reports, plus numerous logistical aspects from office space fit-up to Pass Control and Parking arrangements, uniform distribution, etc., as well as assistance with onboarding activities.

Mobilization is the critical period which is fundamental to successful implementation and sets the tone for effective, long standing relationship across the airport. A successful mobilization is one of the most exciting times in the life of a contract. It is the time when we meet our new client team, establish relationships, introduce our style and most importantly, welcome new people to our team. The best laid plan can only be achieved if the right people are in place to execute.

Kudos to everyone involved for their remarkable efforts and the successful launch of our Calgary International Airport operation; we have proven to our client that ASP has the professional capacity, expertise and commitment to transition a large and complex operation in record time and to demonstrate that we are a premium security service provider that will meet and exceed their requirements.

Debbie Ciccotelli,
Director, Strategic Innovation

We have recently welcomed a new member to the head office Human Resources Team, Theresa Schulin.

OSR Agent Mariam Yalda received an Eye on Safety Award from GTAA, Corporate Safety and Security for going above and beyond while performing her OSR duties.