Strata Management Proposals and RFPs: A Council's Guide

Hiring or switching strata managers starts with one document that most councils undervalue: the strata management proposal. It is the firm's written offer to run your building, and a good one lays out scope, fees, out-of-scope rates, and how the firm will take over without dropping a ball. The problem is that no two firms format their proposals the same way, so a council staring at three PDFs often ends up comparing a low number in one against a big number in another and calling it a decision. The fix is a simple request for proposal, or RFP: give every firm the same short brief so their answers line up, then judge them on the same terms. Here is how a Sea to Sky council runs that process from first email to the appointing vote.

Why run an RFP instead of just picking a firm

A referral from a neighbouring council is a great starting point, but a referral is not a quote. Running a short RFP does three things a single conversation cannot. It forces every firm to price the same scope, so your comparison is real. It surfaces the out-of-scope rates that quietly drive the true annual cost. And it produces a paper trail that protects the council: when an owner later asks why you chose this firm, "we ran a competitive process and here are the three proposals" ends the conversation.

You do not need a procurement department to do this. An RFP for a small or mid-size strata is a one-page brief and a request for a like-for-like response. The goal is fairness and clarity, not bureaucracy. If you have already read our companion piece on how to choose a strata management company in BC, the RFP is simply the mechanism that gathers the evidence you need to make that choice.

What to put in your RFP

Keep the brief short. Firms manage many buildings and a tight, specific ask gets a tighter, more specific answer. Include:

• Your building's basics. Strata plan number, number of units, unit types (townhouse, apartment, bare land), year built, and location on the corridor. A firm's fee for a 12-unit Squamish townhouse strata is not its fee for a 90-unit Whistler apartment building.
• Current situation. Whether you are self-managed and hiring for the first time, or leaving an existing firm. Note any live issues: a capital project, an insurance claim, a Civil Resolution Tribunal file, or a depreciation report due.
• The scope you want quoted. List the core services so every firm prices the same thing: bookkeeping and financial statements, budget preparation, AGM and council meeting attendance, bylaw administration, contractor coordination, and owner and resident correspondence.
• What you want to see returned. Ask specifically for the base fee, a full out-of-scope rate card, a transition plan, proof of BC Financial Services Authority licensing, insurance details, and two or three references from comparable buildings.
• A deadline. Two to three weeks is reasonable and tells you something about who can meet a date.

What a good proposal contains

When the responses arrive, a strong proposal answers four questions clearly. Weak proposals leave one or more of them vague, and vague is expensive.

• Scope of services. A specific list of what the base fee covers, not marketing language. "Comprehensive management" means nothing. "Monthly financials, one AGM, up to X council meetings per year, bylaw enforcement, 24/7 emergency line" means something.
• Fees. The monthly or annual base management fee, stated plainly, and what it is tied to (flat fee versus per-door). A flat fee with a defined scope is the easiest to compare and the hardest to pad.
• Out-of-scope rates. The rate card for everything outside the base scope: extra meetings, capital project management, insurance-claim handling, special-levy administration, and document production for sales. This is where the real annual cost lives. Our guide to strata management fees explained breaks down which of these are normal and which are red flags.
• Transition plan. How the firm will take over: records transfer, bank signing authority, contractor handoff, and the timeline. A firm that has done many transitions will describe them in detail. A firm that waves this away has not thought about your first 60 days.

How to compare apples to apples

Once you have three or four proposals, build a one-page comparison grid so the council reviews them side by side rather than one at a time. Score the things that actually differ:

Filling this in usually collapses the "which is cheapest" question. A firm quoting a low base fee often carries the highest out-of-scope rates, so a building with an active capital project or a chatty council that meets monthly can end up paying that firm the most. Convert each proposal into a realistic annual estimate using your building's actual meeting count and known projects, then compare those totals. Cheap on paper and cheap in practice are rarely the same firm.

Local presence deserves weight on the corridor. A manager who can be in Squamish, Whistler, or Pemberton the same day handles a burst pipe or a bear-attracted garbage issue differently than one dispatching from the Lower Mainland. Factor travel and responsiveness into the score, not just the fee line.

Shortlist, interviews, and references

Narrow to the top two proposals and interview them, ideally with the whole council on a short call or in person. Ask each to walk through their transition plan, name the actual person who will manage your file, and explain how they handle an after-hours emergency. Then check references: call the strata councils the firm listed and ask what surprised them, good or bad, in the first year. References rarely say a firm is terrible, but the tone and the specifics tell you plenty.

If one of your finalists is your current manager and you are weighing a renewal against a switch, our guide on switching strata managers in BC covers the notice period, records transfer, and clean-handover mechanics so you can price the true cost of moving.

The vote to appoint the winning proposal

Appointing a strata manager is a council decision, made by a majority vote at a properly convened council meeting and recorded in the minutes. Our council meeting guide covers convening the meeting correctly. Record the motion cleanly: the firm selected, the fee, the term, and who moved and seconded. That minute is your authority to sign the management agreement and your protection if the decision is ever questioned.

Before signing, read the management agreement against the winning proposal and confirm they match. The contract, not the sales PDF, is what governs. Look for a defined scope, a one-year initial term moving to month-to-month, and a clear notice clause both directions. If the agreement quietly reintroduces per-door fees or vague out-of-scope charges the proposal did not mention, raise it before you sign, not after.

Next step

If your council is drafting an RFP or reviewing proposals, we are happy to submit one and to help you read the field, even the parts of a competitor's quote you are unsure about. We have written and answered a lot of these for Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton buildings, and we will give you a clear, like-for-like proposal with our scope, fees, and out-of-scope rates all on the table. Reach out and we will send a proposal built around your building, no obligation and no pressure.