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Whether your Association or Not for Profit needs to go to the next level or you’re just starting out, it is always important to define the scope of services required by either your in-house or outsourced company. Though here is the challenge, how do you define that scope, what do you need to look at and is there an easier way?

Office Logistics has put together a template on how to write a tender / scope of services for Association Management. Having this for your Association will help you not miss anything and keep you focused and your in-house or outsourced secretariat on tasks. Ideally the scope of services is like any job advertisement. Here is some of the things you need to consider to write a Tender or Scope of Services:

1. Overall General Category jobs, for example:

• General Secretariat and Administrative Support
• Membership Management
• Board Support
• Event Management
• Financial Management
• Governance and Regulatory Responsibilities

2. Once you have these you would then break each one of these general categories into tasks. For example:

General Secretariat and Administrative Support

• Maintain an office base, serviced with modern communication equipment (phone, internet, computer, printer, photocopier).
• Provision of front-of-office support services including: telephone, fax, mail and email answering services, including a dedicated phone number.
• Provision of a Postal Box and all mail Manage postal communications utilising mail registers.
• Manage email account for member communications and monitor this five days per we
• Respond to enquiries accurately and within a reasonable tim
• Refer messages/correspondence to appropriate office
• Support services for electronic distribution of correspondence to members and other parties (e.g., notice of events, newsletters – not including authoring).
• Manage website content update

Plus so much more. See our scope of services document below for other types of services.

3. In the tender document, also outline some general information about the organisation – you may wish to include your mission or vision (if you have one) to give an idea about what the organisation’s purpose is.

• Always include the number of members you currently have to give an indication of the size of the association
• Also include what activities the organisation organises, e.g. events, newsletters, awards
• How the Board is made up and how often the Board meets
• Current association management arrangements.
• Outline the service commitment expected, i.e. fee structure

4. Be clear on expectation from the provider whether inhouse or outsourced. For example, also work out your process and timelines and how you wish the perspective association management firms to prepare their responses. There is nothing worse then picking somebody to find out the deadlines and KPI’s can not be met.
5. In this day and age it is also important to think about technology and how would you like that to be used in the organisation. Are you currently paper based or even worse, using an excel spreadsheet, and would you like to take it to a more professional system saving time and money.

Sounds like a lot, but when you are clear on exactly what you need, what needs to happen in the association or not for profit, then it will make choosing the right person or organisation easier. Though to really help you Office Logistics has provided a Tender Document Template for you. You can download it by COMPLETING THE FORM BELOW. Then most of the hard work is done for you.

If you do have any questions or need help writing your Tender Document or Scope of Services give us a call on (07) 3806 1220.