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Services
Parks, Culture and Recreation Planning
dmA specializes in the preparation of Master Plans, Feasibility Studies, Marketing Studies and Management Reviews. We have worked with municipalities in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Alberta and the United States, to prepare over 300 Master Plans, Feasibility Studies, Organizational Reviews and Strategic Plans for recreation, culture, parks and open space. We have also worked closely with YM-YWCAs, community colleges, Conservation Authorities and the private sector to prepare needs assessments, long-range plans and policies for these services.
Library Studies
Master plans, strategic plans and feasibility studies for library boards and organizations is a major part of our practice. We have prepared long-range plans for facilities and services and strategic plans to address changes such as new technology. We have also worked with architects to prepare detailed design and financial plans for new branches. In addition to our planning studies, we have completed management studies focused on partnerships, staffing and organizational structure, Board roles and responsibility and funding.
Management Reviews and Organization
dmA is committed to helping organizations develop viable, efficient and effective service delivery systems. We have worked with clients to restructure after amalgamation, to identify training strategies, to confirm core service areas, and to develop new staffing structures and job descriptions.
We have been retained by provincial agencies and professional organizations to undertake research, prepare policy positions and deliver training on public private sector partnerships, performance measures, best practices for facility management and alternative service delivery.
We have also negotiated a number of operating and cost-sharing agreements between municipalities and other service providers such as YMCAs.
Strategic Planning
Our clients have often been forced to respond to government restructuring, downloading, and reduced funding. Faced with these challenges, municipalities and public agencies reconfirmed their mission, reviewed goals and objectives and established action plans to achieve a desired future. Principals from dmA were frequently called upon to facilitate a strategic planning process for this purpose.
Training
dmA has designed and implemented training and professional development programs for government and professional organizations in our core areas of practice. Our staff are skilled facilitators who design and deliver training for organizations in transition. Our commitment is to bring expertise gained from work with an extensive but focused client base to training programs that will strengthen organizations and contribute to the skills and competencies of staff.
Alternative Service Delivery
dmA works with clients to identify new service delivery approaches and to evaluate their appropriateness. We have prepared terms of reference for partnership searches, assisted clients to evaluate alternative service delivery and prepared cost-benefit analysis comparing various delivery options.
Customized Projects
Most of dmA's clients are familiar with and use a standard proposal process in which Terms of Reference for a project are distributed and we respond with a proposal. Some of our clients come directly to us for services, particularly for short term, small budget items involving only a few days of our time. A few clients use a retainer process, finding that their familiarity with our work and knowledge of the level of expertise they will receive provides immediate "just on time" support.
Some examples of these "small projects" include:
- Preparation of Terms of Reference for public/private partnerships
- Preparation or Critique of Terms of Reference for master plans, feasibility studies
- Facilitation of staff/community committee's developing or revising policies
- Ongoing advice on the implementation of major projects
- Preparation of operating budget for major new facilities
- In-house training
- Peer review of plans to identify areas in need of updating or improvement
- Identification and selection of other consultants
- Ongoing advisors to clients who want to do much of the planning work in-house
- Community survey instrument preparation, coding, report preparation
We have provided clients and potential clients with sample RFP's, information on "who's doing what" and ideas or budget estimates for specific studies-Phone call/letter-No Charge-We Would Love to Hear From You.
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