Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin 2 D02 X627
01 679 3188

Request for Tender 
for Strategic Plan 2025-2030

Our Mission
To work towards the best end-of-life and bereavement care for all

Our Vision
Is an Ireland where people experiencing dying, death and bereavement are provided with the care and support they need.

Introduction:

Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) is a national charity that addresses dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. Our vision is an Ireland where people facing end of life or bereavement, and those who care for them, are provided with the care and support that they need. The Irish Hospice Foundation is the only national organisation dedicated to dying, death and bereavement. We want to help people have a good death and get better bereavement support.

Founded by Mary Redmond in 1986, IHF began with the aim to extend availability of hospice services across the country, promote awareness of the hospice approach and develop research and education. Learn more by visiting our archives.

Since then, IHF has grown to develop programmes in education, research, and bereavement services. We are bringing hospice principles into acute hospitals, residential care settings and communities to ensure the delivery of compassionate end of life care. Our work aims to ensure that those people in Ireland experiencing dying, death and bereavement will have access to care and supports so they can choose their place of death.

IHF also seek to advocate and promote discussion on a broad range of issues related to dying, death and bereavement, to identify what matters most to Irish people at the end of life and how best to address their concerns.

From advocacy and education to services such as Nurses for Night Care and our Bereavement Support Line, we believe in the importance of dying well and grieving well wherever the place. From advice on thinking ahead and planning for death, to dying and coping with loss, we fund services and provide education, information training and advocacy.

The Assignment

Overview and Objectives

The Irish Hospice Foundation is seeking tenders from suitably qualified consultants to carry out a programme of work to support the Irish Hospice Foundation in developing a new strategic plan during 2024, for the period 2025 -2030. The objective of the strategic plan is to ensure Irish Hospice Foundation vision, mission and key strategic goals align with current needs and emerging trends within the scope of Dying, Death and Bereavement in Ireland. The new strategic plan should reflect the current and predicted future environment within which the IHF will continue to operate to advocate for better end of life and bereavement care and supports.

Scope of the assignment

IHF wish to engage a suitably qualified consultant(s) experienced in strategic planning who can support the process as required and per the agreed timeline.

To support this process, a Strategic Planning committee of two Board members, the CEO (chair) and 3 senior managers has been formed. It is envisaged that the successful tender will work closely with the CEO and the strategic planning committee. A proposed timeline and schedule of work activities has been agreed by the Board and the executive to monitor the development of the strategic planning process.

The strategic planning committee has commenced the data gathering process in preparation for the successful tender. Available data to inform the strategic planning process will include:

• A review of the most recent strategic plan 2020
• Completion of stakeholder engagement interviews
• A review of IHF publications, discussion documents and relevant work in the last 10 years.
• Horizon Scanning document to establish potential gaps and areas of opportunities in the next 10 years.
• IHF Research Strategy (2023)
• IHF Staff engagement and Culture survey (2024)

Tasks and deliverables in the development of IHF strategic plan 2025-2030:

Tasks:

• To facilitate a series of group sessions with IHF staff, Board and potentially external stakeholders (interested / relevant parties) to identify key strategic objectives. We envisage a minimum of:
  • 2 staff away facilitated sessions (half days)
  • External Stakeholder facilitated session (2hrs)
  • Board consultation mid of October (2hrs)
• To propose methodologies which are creative and allow for the organisation to be challenged during the facilitation process. The methodology should allow the identification of where the organisation can add value and impact those people in Ireland experiencing dying death and bereavement across communities in the future.
• To assess and analyse the internal and external environment and evaluate the impact of these changes on IHF and its work programmes, making use of suitable strategic planning tools.
• In examining external environments consideration needs to be given to likeminded organisations internationally and opportunities to benchmark and work collaboratively.
• Complete an analysis of the data gathered by the sub-committee as listed above and include it in the strategic planning process.

Deliverables:

• To provide the Strategic Planning committee with strategic options and rationale to assist them in setting the strategic direction for the next five years.
• To develop a framework and indicators for each objective that clearly sets out what success looks like and how progress can be tracked and measured. This should clearly include measurement and assessment of our impact on the external environment and beneficiaries as well as internal metrics.
• To Prepare a draft strategy document – both a high-level document and a more in-depth draft strategic action plan for discussion with the strategy planning group
• To Draft and present Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030, including an Executive Summary. (Ideally the plan itself should be no longer than 10-15 pages including a one-page summary graphic/diagram, and appendices as deemed appropriate)

Please see full tender document attached below.

The closing date for receipt of three (3) signed paper copies of the tender and an electronic copy to Irish Hospice Foundation is 30th June at 5 pm. Any tenders received after this time and date will not be considered for adjudication. Please leave enough time for postage and emailing to meet the deadline. Any discrepancy found between the electronic and paper copies may mean the tenderer is disqualified from the adjudication.

Tender submissions should be addressed to: Marie Buckley, Executive Assistant, Irish Hospice Foundation, Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin 2 or email to marie.buckley@hospicefoundation.ie