British Columbia Black Advocacy Society (BCBAS)
Black Legal Empowerment Initiative (BLEI) | Catapult Stream - Foundation for Black Communities
5628, Montgomery Place | Vancouver, BC | 2364649779 | info@bcbas.ca | www.bcbas.ca
Request for Proposals (RFP)
Legal Research on Areas of Law Applicable to Black Residents of British Columbia
Issued under the BLEI Catapult Stream Grant | Foundation for Black Communities
| RfP Reference No. | BCBAS-BLEI-RFP-2026-001 |
| Issuing Organization | British Columbia Black Advocacy Society (BCBAS) |
| Initiative | Black Legal Empowerment Initiative (BLEI) |
| Issue Date | April 13, 2026 |
| Proposal Submission Deadline | April 20, 2026 |
| Delivery Period | Two (2) weeks from the award of the contract |
| Submission Method | info@bcbas.ca |
| Contact Person | John Atoyebi, BLEI Project Coordinator |
1. Background & Context
The British Columbia Black Advocacy Society (BCBAS) is a Black-led, community-driven organization committed to advancing the rights, dignity, and well-being of Black individuals and families across British Columbia. Through its Black Legal Empowerment Initiative (BLEI), BCBAS is building a comprehensive, culturally informed legal support ecosystem that provides free legal advice, multilingual interpretation, and community legal education to Black residents of BC, particularly those facing barriers due to language, socioeconomic status, or unfamiliarity with the Canadian legal system.
BLEI is funded through the Catapult Stream Grant of the Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC), a national philanthropic foundation dedicated to investing in Black communities across Canada. This grant supports the development of foundational resources that will equip Black residents of BC with practical, accessible, and culturally relevant knowledge of their legal rights across a broad range of legal areas.
A cornerstone of BLEI’s community legal education mandate is the development of plain-language, community-facing legal guides covering thirteen areas of law as they apply in British Columbia. These guides will serve as the primary educational resource for Black community members engaging with the BLEI hotline, workshops, and online platform. BCBAS is now seeking qualified legal researchers to develop these resources.
2. Purpose of this Request for Proposals
Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), BCBAS invites licensed lawyers, foreign-trained lawyers, and qualified legal researchers to submit proposals to conduct structured legal research and produce written legal guides on thirteen specified areas of law as they apply in British Columbia.
The deliverables produced under this contract will directly serve Black residents of BC by providing accessible, practical, and community-oriented legal information. The research must be accurate, clearly written, and expressly designed for a non-legal audience, with a particular focus on the experiences and circumstances of Black and racialized communities in BC.
3. Eligible Applicants
This RFP is open to the following:
• Licensed lawyers who are currently called to the Bar of any Law Society in Canada and hold a valid practising certificate
• Foreign-trained lawyers who hold a law degree from a recognized institution outside of Canada and have demonstrated experience in legal research and writing
• Paralegals or legal researchers with demonstrable experience in the relevant areas of law and in producing plain-language legal materials
• Law firms, legal clinics, or legal research organizations wishing to submit a team proposal
Preference will be given to applicants who:
• Self-identify as Black or have demonstrated lived experience working with Black and racialized communities
• Have prior experience producing community legal education materials or plain-language legal guides
• Are familiar with the BC legal landscape, regulatory environment, and relevant government and non-governmental agencies
4. Scope of Work & Deliverables
The successful applicant(s) will be required to research and produce one comprehensive written guide for each of the thirteen areas of law listed in Section 5 of this RFP. Applicants may propose to cover all thirteen areas or a subset and should clearly identify in their proposal which areas they intend to cover.
For each area of law, the guide must address all the following components:
• Overview of the Law — A concise, plain-language explanation of the area of law, its core principles, and its relevance to daily life in British Columbia
• Applicability in BC — How this area of law is constituted, governed, and enforced specifically in British Columbia, including applicable federal and provincial statutes, regulations, and key case law
• Relevant Government and Non-Governmental Agencies — A curated list of all relevant agencies, offices, tribunals, commissions, and organizations that Black residents of BC may need to interact with in relation to this area of law, including for each agency:
– Full name of the agency or organization
– Physical address and mailing address
– Telephone number, email address, and website URL
– A plain-language description of what the agency does and who it serves
• How to Access Services — Step-by-step guidance on how a BC resident can access the services of the relevant agencies, including any eligibility requirements, application processes, fees, timelines, and language access options
• How to File a Complaint — Clear instructions on how a BC resident can file a complaint against an agency, institution, or individual in this area of law, including available internal and external complaint mechanisms, relevant timelines, and what to expect from the process
• Enforcing Your Rights — Practical guidance on how Black residents can enforce their rights under this area of law in BC, including available legal remedies, adjudicative bodies, and processes for pursuing claims or appeals
• Key Things Every BC Resident Should Know — A concise summary of the most important legal knowledge a person needs in order not to be unknowingly in breach of or disadvantaged under this area of law; written in plain language and directly relevant to everyday life
• Special Considerations for Black and Racialized Residents — Where applicable, an identification of any documented patterns of disproportionate impact, systemic barriers, anti-discrimination protections, or community-specific resources relevant to Black residents of BC in this area of law
5. Areas of Law in Scope
The following thirteen areas of law are the subject of this RFP. Applicants should propose to cover all thirteen areas. Proposals covering more areas of law, at a competitive cost and with demonstrated quality, will be viewed favourably.
| # | Reference | Area of Law |
| 1 | LOA-A | Immigration and Refugee Law |
| 2 | LOA-B | Family Law |
| 3 | LOA-C | Criminal Law |
| 4 | LOA-D | Human Rights Law |
| 5 | LOA-E | Tenancy / Residential Tenancy Law |
| 6 | LOA-F | Employment Law |
| 7 | LOA-G | Corporate Law |
| 8 | LOA-H | Intellectual Property Law |
| 9 | LOA-I | Civil and Social Justice Law |
| 10 | LOA-J | Agriculture Law |
| 11 | LOA-K | Sports Law |
| 12 | LOA-L | Medical and Mental Health Law |
| 13 | LOA-M | Insurance Law |
6. Timeline & Deliverables Schedules
BCBAS requires that all deliverables be completed within two (2) weeks of the contract award date. Given the urgency of community need, applicants must be prepared to commence work immediately upon award.
| Milestone | Description | Target Date |
| RfP Issued | BCBAS issues this RFP to eligible applicants | April 13, 2026 |
| Proposals Submitted | Applicants submit full proposals, including cost | April 20, 2026 |
| Evaluation & Award | BCBAS evaluates proposals and notifies successful applicant(s) | Within 3 days of the deadline |
| Contract Signed | Successful applicant(s) execute a contract with BCBAS | Within 2 days of the award |
| Work Commences | Researcher begins work on assigned area(s) of law | Immediately on signing |
| Draft Submission | First drafts of all assigned guides submitted to BCBAS | 9 days from the contract commencement |
| Review & Revisions | BCBAS provides feedback; researcher incorporates revisions | Within 2 to 3 days |
| Final Delivery | All final, approved guides delivered to BCBAS | Day 14 from the contract commencement |
7. Proposal Requirements
All proposals must be submitted in writing and must include the following:
7.1 Technical Proposal
• Full name, contact information, and professional profile of the applicant or lead researcher
• Confirmation of professional status (licensed lawyer, foreign-trained lawyer, paralegal, or legal researcher), including Law Society membership and province of call where applicable
• A clear list of the areas of law the applicant proposes to cover from the thirteen listed in Section 5
• A brief description of the applicant’s relevant experience, including prior legal research or community legal education work
• A proposed methodology — briefly describing how the applicant will approach the research, organize the information, and ensure accuracy and accessibility for a non-legal audience
• A proposed work plan showing how the two-week delivery timeline will be met
• Two (2) samples of prior legal research, writing, or plain-language legal materials, if available
• Any relevant language proficiency beyond English that may be useful for serving BC’s Black communities
7.2 Financial Proposal (Cost)
Applicants must include a clear, itemized cost proposal as part of their submission. BCBAS will not consider proposals that do not include a cost. The financial proposal must specify:
• The total amount the applicant is willing to complete the work for (in Canadian dollars, inclusive of all applicable taxes)
• A breakdown of the cost per area of law if the applicant is proposing to cover multiple areas
• The basis of the fee — whether quoted as a fixed fee, per-hour rate, or per-deliverable rate — with sufficient detail for BCBAS to evaluate value for money
• Any conditions or assumptions on which the cost is based
• Preferred payment terms (e.g., 50% on signing, 50% on final delivery)
BCBAS is a non-profit organization operating under a community grant. Applicants are encouraged to submit competitive, community-conscious pricing that reflects the public-interest nature of this work while fairly compensating the researcher for their time and expertise.
8. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
| Criterion | Weight (%) | Max Score |
| Relevant legal expertise and qualifications | 20% | 20 |
| Demonstrated experience in legal research and plain-language writing | 20% | 20 |
| Quality and relevance of work samples provided | 10% | 10 |
| Proposed methodology and ability to meet the two-week deadline | 15% | 15 |
| Competitive and fair pricing | 15% | 15 |
| Knowledge of BC legal landscape and community-facing services | 20% | 20 |
| TOTAL | 100% | 100 |
9. Contract & Intellectual Property
The successful applicant will be required to enter into a written Independent Contractor Agreement with BCBAS prior to commencement of work. Key terms will include:
• All research, written guides, and associated materials produced under this contract will be the sole property of BCBAS upon delivery and payment, and will be used exclusively for the community legal education purposes of BLEI
• The researcher will warrant that all deliverables are original, accurate, and do not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party or plagiarise another person’s work.
• The researcher will maintain the confidentiality of any BCBAS organizational information disclosed during the engagement
• Payment will be made upon satisfactory delivery and acceptance of final deliverables, or in accordance with agreed payment milestones
• BCBAS reserves the right to request reasonable revisions at no additional cost within seven (7) days of delivery
10. How to Submit Your Proposal
Completed proposals must be submitted by the deadline specified in the RFP information block on the cover page of this document. Late proposals will not be considered.
Submissions may be made by:
• Email to info@bcbas.ca with the subject line: “RFP Submission — Legal Research — [Your Name/Organization Name]“
For questions about this RFP, please contact the BLEI project coordinator @ bleiprojectcoordinator@bcbas.ca or 2364649779. BCBAS will respond to queries within two business days of receipt. All general-interest queries and responses will be shared with all applicants to ensure a fair and transparent process.
11. BCBAS Reserved Rights
BCBAS reserves the right to:
• Accept or reject any proposal, in whole or in part, without providing reasons
• Award the contract to more than one applicant, dividing the areas of law among multiple researchers
• Negotiate with one or more applicants prior to final award
• Cancel this RFP at any time without liability to applicants
• Request clarifications or additional information from any applicant without obligation to award
Justice begins with knowledge - and knowledge begins with you.
BCBAS invites you to be part of a historic initiative to put legal knowledge in the hands of Black British Columbians. We look forward to receiving your proposal.
British Columbia Black Advocacy Society (BCBAS) | Black Legal Empowerment Initiative (BLEI)
www.bcbas.ca | info@bcbas.ca | 2364649779