Request for Proposals

 

A.   Firm’s Background, Experience and Qualifications

 

1. Provide a brief description of your organization including the firm’s history, area of focus and the year that it was first established.
2. Describe the ownership structure of your firm and any related and affiliated companies.
3. Provide your head office location and the location of the office that will service our organization.
4. Describe the qualifications of your firm and its ability to provide investment management services.
5. Provide a breakdown of assets under management and number of clients by type of client.
6. Please provide an overview of your firm’s experience managing not-for-profit investment portfolios.
7. Describe some of the issues, challenges and opportunities in the market today focusing on their potential impact on not-for-profit organizations. Discuss some of the key success factors that our organization should consider in order to address these issues, challenges and opportunities.

 

B.    Portfolio Management Team

 

 

1. Who will be directly involved in servicing our account? Please provide brief bios.

 

2. Provide brief bios for your key service providers and investment decision makers, including their work and educational background as well as how many years they have been with your firm.

 

3. List the total number of investment professionals in your firm (broken down by portfolio managers, analysts, marketing support and traders).

 

4. Please provide information on key asset manager turnover for the last five years.

C. Investment Philosophy and Process

 

 

1. Describe your investment philosophy and style.

 

2. What is your process for determining asset mix, including your current asset mix recommendations?

 

3. Who makes the final security purchase decisions? Please provide details.

 

4. Provide an overview of your research capabilities and services.

 

5. Outline your firm’s investment styles and Buy and Sell disciplines for managing equities, and fixed income

 

6. What is your approach to integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into your investment process.

 

7. Do you offer Alternative investment solutions? If so, please describe.

E. Proposed Portfolio

 

1. Please describe the asset mix as well as the investment vehicle(s) that you would use to manage our investment portfolio.  Please include rationale for choices.

 

2. Please provide comments on our Investment Policy, as well as any changes you would recommend and why.

 

F. Risk Management

 

1. 1. Describe your risk management process for both the portfolio and individual securities.
2. What procedures are in place to mitigate or eliminate potential conflicts?
3. Provide the level of insurance coverage for errors and omissions, torts, negligence for non-performance of fiduciary responsibilities.
4. How does your firm address the issue of “Key Person Risk” within your asset management operation?

G. Portfolio Implementation and Trading

 

1. How will you implement the portfolio?

 

2. What system is in place to monitor, measure and audit the trading function?

 

3. How do you ensure fairness when buying and selling securities for different clients?

 

H. Compliance and Oversight

 

1. Describe how your written code of conduct or ethics is monitored and enforced.

 

2. Please provide an overview of your compliance procedures.

 

3. How does your firm ensure compliance with its investment guidelines?

 

4. List any legal or other regulatory proceedings or investigations that the firm or professional staff have been involved in, in the last 3 years.

 

5. List any associations and regulatory bodies you are governed and /or registered with.

I. Performance

 

1. Provide calendar performance of the mandate vs. the benchmark for the past 10 years.

 

2. Provide compounded performance of the mandate vs. its benchmark (3 month, 6 month, 1, 3, 5, 10 years annualized).

 

J. Fees

1. Provide your fee schedule, inclusive of all and every fee and charge associated with the transition, creation, and ongoing management of this account, including investment management, reporting, and custody. Describe any additional fees and the circumstances under which they are assessed.

K. Reporting and Service

1. Describe the level of client service including meetings and written reports (frequency and level of detail) that would be provided to the Foundation.
2. Describe the firm’s process for evaluating a client’s investment performance and how this is communicated to the client.  Please provide samples of client investment statements and performance reports.

 

3. Is your firm able to provide custodial services?
4. Describe the process to transition the portfolio to your firm, if successful.

L. Other information

 

1. Please provide three specific references that we may contact with similar mandates to ours.
2. Do you provide any value-added services?  Please describe.
3. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your organization or your value-proposition?