The OBA’s vision is that Ontario leads with well-informed and skilled beekeepers, healthy and plentiful honeybees raised in Ontario, a prosperous beekeeping industry as well as a widespread appreciation for honey and for the critical role that honey bees play in agriculture.
Although the mandate of the OBA is to ensure a viable and sustainable beekeeping industry, it is a very small Not For Profit Organization. It has limited resources and a small administration staff who manage the membership enrolment, the Ontario Bee Journal (OBJ) subscription service, and others such as the OBA’s Insurance Program, the Annual General
Meetings, Spring Meetings, and the other benefits of OBA memberships. As a result, revenue is routinely balanced by expenses and funding is rarely available to expand OBA membership offerings, improvement OBA of infrastructure such as its website, provide living wages to staffs, etc.
Therefore the OBA has been looking for new and creative solutions about how the OBA can both increase and create sustainable revenue streams. The goal is to develop, establish, and sustain an innovative new method(s) to market and sell OBA and TTP recommended beekeeping tools, equipment, and merchandise with an initial focus on its existing merchandise line. The OBA as a result initiated a formal Request for Information (RFI) process in February to obtain market information and capabilities from vendors and other interested parties on how they may implement a plan(s) to meet the OBA’s goals and objectives. While the request was issued for information and planning purposes, the OBA did not commit to contract for any supply or service. The formal RFI announcement was posted on the OBA’s website, www.ontariobee.com, for detailed review. If a solicitation for contract is released, it will also be distributed thru the OBA’s website.
The information the OBA was and is seeking includes how it can develop, establish, and sustain innovative new methods to meet its Goals of;
Sustaining and developing the OBA Brand as a reliable source of information and recommendation for pertinent, Ontario related beekeeping training, tools, and equipment,
Developing sustainable OBA funding in part from OBA merchandise sales,
Increasing revenue generation for the OBA from merchandise sales,
Increasing the number of locations where OBA merchandise may be purchased,
Increasing the volume of OBA merchandise sold, and
Increasing the number of pertinent OBA merchandise offerings.
The formal RFI announcement detailed how responses must meet the OBA’s objectives and challenged responses to be creative and innovative while meeting required milestones. RFI responses were requested to be submitted no later than the 4th of March 2024 and interested parties who may be able to develop, establish, and sustain innovative, new methods to market and sell Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA) and Technology Transfer Program (TTP) recommended beekeeping tools, equipment, and merchandise were encouraged to reply to the official Request for Information (RFI) by the required submission deadline.
