Tender Invitation: Governance Review

Overview

As part of an ongoing commitment to good governance, ARMA is seeking a provider to undertake a Governance Review to ensure that the structures in place are fit for purpose and proportionate. ARMA’s current governance structure can be viewed here.

Scope of Work

The successful provider will undertake a Governance Review to assess ARMA’s governance structure, systems and processes to enable the association to effectively and efficiently deliver on its objectives as outlined in its strategic plan.

The Review should consider:

• Currency of the Memorandum and Articles
• Objects of the association
• Membership criteria, categories, rights and admission processes
• Composition, size, tenure, skill mix, training and succession of the Board of Directors
• Office Bearer and other portfolio roles, remit, recruitment and tenure
• Delegation framework (authority and accountability)
• Board role, meeting frequency and decision-making processes
• Quality and timeliness of information to the Board
• Board effectiveness review process
• Company secretarial function
• Strategic alignment of governance structure with mission and strategy
• How long-term goals and values are embedded in governance practices
• Role of Committees and working groups and the overall governance structure of the organisation
• Governance and volunteer/member policies including, for example, data protection and conflict of interest
• Financial regulation, delegation and monitoring, including how these are presented
• Approach to Risk Management
• Project approval and management process
• Assurance and decision making, delegation and safeguarding, especially for large-scale investments or undertakings of significant financial or reputational risk
• Role of the Exec Office
• Governance Survey suggestions including EDI and how best to measure
• Transparency and accountability to members, how feedback is gathered, communication channels and their engagement in key decisions (eg at AGM)
• Stakeholder management, communication and clarity of ownership
• Comparison with good practice in the sector and/or sector standards
• Use of external governance expertise in key areas such as legal

Deliverables

• A Report covering all the items included in the scope of the review
• Recommendations to improve governance with a suggested priority and methods of assessment
• Draft set of Financial Regulations, based on good practice that ARMA could consider adopting
• Draft process to cover oversight of significant undertaking/investments by Exec Office
• Draft policies for any governance areas deemed to be missing or insufficient

Timeline

• Clarifying questions/discussions can be arranged by contacting alasdair.cameron@arma.ac.uk by Friday 21st November
• Proposal Submission deadline: 17:00 Wednesday 26th November
• Anticipated Project kick off: December 2025
• 1st draft report submitted for feedback: Mid Feb 2026
• Final report issued: End February 2026

Budget

Please include a detailed cost breakdown in your proposal. The overall budget for this project is £10,000 (excluding VAT).

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be assessed on:

• Relevance and quality of proposals
• Experience of assessing and recommending optimal governance structures for not-for-profit membership organisations
• Has a proven record of delivering similar projects to time and budget
• Value for money

Submission Instructions

Please submit your proposal to alasdair.cameron@arma.ac.uk by 17:00 Wednesday 26th November.

Please do not provide more than 6 sides of A4 and include the below:

• Organisation profile and relevant experience
• Your understanding of the proposal and your approach
• Delivery team bios and relevant references/testimonials
• Your proposed timeline including milestones and risks
• Your proposed budget