The Partnership’s Business Model

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (the Partnership) was established by the federal government in 2007 to implement a national cancer control strategy. The Partnership’s priorities are: enhancing prevention, screening and early detection, person-centred care, development of cancer guidelines and standards, research, gathering and analyzing data related to cancer, and enabling quality across the cancer control system

Bringing together cancer experts, government representatives, the Canadian Cancer Society and cancer patients, survivors and their families to accelerate action in cancer control, the Partnership’s collaborative model and approach leverages best practices and encourages and facilitates every jurisdiction in customizing resources and applying knowledge to serve its own population. As an independent pan-Canadian organization, the Partnership is able to work across and with other federal, provincial and territorial healthcare organizations to create greater efficiencies in the cancer control domain.

The Partnership has identified areas of focus across these priorities – these are areas where the Partnership knows it can work with partners to have an impact on the cancer control landscape. Some priorities address very specific areas of cancer control, such as population-based screening, while others target the broader cancer control domain. To achieve this work and advance cancer control in Canada, the Partnership works in collaboration with other organizations on a variety of initiatives that span the cancer control domain.

The initiative selection and resourcing business model of the Partnership involves the following stages. 

1. Identification of work to be advanced (solicited and unsolicited)
2. High Level Evaluation 
3. Decision
4. Resourcing 

The remainder of this document describes the above stages.

Stage 1: Identification (Solicited and Unsolicited)

The three ways the Partnership identifies initiative proposals for high level evaluation are described below.

1)     Solicited Request For Proposals: The Partnership may communicate a request for proposals for evaluation through our procurement processes.

2)     Staff and Advisory Mechanism Input: Staff and / or advisory mechanisms of the Partnership may submit a proposal for evaluation.

3)      Unsolicited Proposals: The Partnership may receive an occasional unsolicited proposal for evaluation.

Stage 2: High Level Evaluation

When an initiative has been identified, management evaluates the initiative using the following high level criteria:

• Fulfill a defined need within the cancer control domain
• Define change and impact on system/patient outcomes
• Demonstrate impact on economic outcomes
• Have high potential to integrate activity across priority areas (Advisory Mechanisms)
• Have partners/cancer control community ready to participate
• Be consistent with mandate for Knowledge to Action
• Have high potential to cross geographic, jurisdictional, and organizational boundaries
• Be uniquely positioned for the Partnership  to add value
• May involve multi-year commitments to achieve system wide impact
• Clear accountability measures for deliverables

Stage 3: Decision

When the high level evaluation stage determines the initiative meets the criteria, a decision is made using the following processes:

• If the initiative was identified through a request for proposal process, the ratings criteria communicated in the request are used by management to evaluate the initiative. RFPs are reviewed by cross-functional committees or groups of advisors
• Senior management evaluates and assesses the initiative (with input from advisory mechanisms if applicable).

Initiative decisions and updates on work progress are communicated quarterly to The Partnership’s Board of Directors through the Enterprise Risk Management Framework.  This framework includes the following:

• Reporting on deliverable progress and financial plans.
• Reporting on adjustments to plans as projects progress.

Stage 4: Project Resourcing

When the Partnership makes a decision to resource an initiative, detailed project requirements are evaluated by management to determine the best resourcing method with input from advisory mechanisms. The resource may include cancer agencies, health authorities, provincial jurisdictions, universities, professional organizations, not for profit organizations, consultant, vendor, or other mechanisms. 

The Partnership is not a grant funding authority.  It provides funding through contractual arrangements.  The Partnership engages into contracts based on our procurement policies which may involve a Request for Proposal (RFP); Request for Quotes (RFQ); sole source engagement or purchase order. There are a variety of contracting arrangements (blanket agreements, funding agreements, project agreements, service agreements and vendor agreements).

Processes are in place to ensure deliverables in all contracts are monitored by project management principles.

Communication of Project Resourcing

The successful proponents for all competitive procurements will be listed in the procurement section of the Partnership’s website this fall.