How it works
An agency search that takes an afternoon, not a quarter.
Most searches go wrong in the same two places: the shortlist is assembled from whoever comes to mind, and every agency gets a slightly different version of the story.
01
Build a shortlist
Four to six agencies is the right number.
Browse the directoryFilter by discipline first, then by the things that actually disqualify an agency: sector experience, team size, budget band, whether they deliver in both official languages.
Tick agencies as you go — the shortlist follows you into the RFP builder. Fewer than three and you have nothing to compare; more than six and you'll be reading proposals for a fortnight.
02
Write the brief once
Same questions, same order, for everyone.
Open the builderThe builder covers background, objectives, scope, audiences, budget, timeline, and the requirements that decide bids in this region — official languages, WCAG 2.2 AA and AODA obligations, and security clearance.
It checks the things that quietly sink a process: evaluation weights that don't total 100, a decision date that lands before proposals are due, a budget left blank.
03
Publish your evaluation criteria
Tell agencies how you'll score them.
See the templateWeighting is the single highest-leverage thing in a brief. Agencies write to what you score — publish the weighting and you get proposals aimed at your actual priorities instead of a house template.
It also gives you a defensible record of why you chose who you chose, which matters if you answer to a board or a procurement group.
04
Compare, then decide
Responses come to you, not to us.
Agencies confirm or decline, ask questions at the address you named, and send proposals in the format and length you set. We don't sit between you and the pitch, and we don't take a cut of the work.
If you told agencies there'd be a presentation round, say when. If you promised a debrief to unsuccessful bidders, give one — the Ottawa market is small enough that it comes back around.
Questions
The ones we get asked
- What does it cost?
- Nothing, on either side. There is no paid placement, no sponsored listing, and no commission on work that results from a brief. The site is paid for by clearly labelled Google ads, which have no say in which agencies are listed or in what order.
- Do you take a cut of the contract?
- No. Once agencies have your brief, the relationship is yours. We don't invoice either party and we don't broker the engagement.
- Can I use the template without sending anything through you?
- Yes, and the download is right there on the template page. The point is that briefs get better, not that they go through us.
- How are listings chosen?
- Agencies are researched from public sources and listed regardless of whether they've asked to be. We publish no ratings or scores, and nobody can pay to move up.
- What happens to my contact details?
- They go to the agencies you invite, for the brief you sent. They aren't sold, published, or passed to anyone else.
- Does this work for federal procurement?
- It works for the market-scan and brief-writing part, and the template covers official languages, accessibility and clearance. It is not a procurement platform — if the work must run through a standing offer or supply arrangement, follow your department's process and use this to shape the requirement.
Ready when you are
Start with the directory if you don't know who's out there, or go straight to the builder if you already do.