Research · Evaluation · Strategy

Evidence That Drives Decisions

A Canadian consultancy delivering research, evaluation, facilitation, and strategy to government, Indigenous, non-profit, community, and private sector clients. We listen first, tailor always, and stay attuned to what your organization actually needs.

700+
Successful Engagements
20+
Years of Practice
9
Practice Areas
Objective Research and Evaluation Inc.
Who We Serve

Sector Expertise Across the Spectrum

Every sector operates under different accountabilities, funding realities, and governance structures. We adapt our methods to fit yours, bringing the same rigour to a federal program evaluation as to a Nation-led research study or an association member survey.

Government

Municipal, provincial, and federal engagements grounded in public accountability and procurement standards.

  • Program & policy evaluation
  • Public consultation
  • Corporate & departmental planning
  • Performance measurement

Indigenous Nations & Organizations

Nation-led and organization-led work grounded in self-determination, cultural safety, and Indigenous data sovereignty.

  • Community-owned research & evaluation
  • OCAP® and data governance protocols
  • Nation & organizational planning
  • Economic & business capacity analysis

Non-Profit & Charitable

Board-ready strategy, funder-grade evaluation, and governance support for organizations of every size.

  • Strategic & operational planning
  • Outcome measurement for funders
  • Governance & board development
  • Organizational capacity building

Community & Social Development

Place-based processes that surface local assets, address real needs, and strengthen community systems.

  • Community needs assessments
  • Collective impact facilitation
  • Asset-based community development
  • Social & neighbourhood planning

Post-Secondary & Education

Institutional planning and evaluation for colleges, universities, school authorities, and training providers.

  • Institutional strategic plans
  • Program review & evaluation
  • Student & learner outcome studies
  • Accreditation support

Health & Human Services

Evaluation and planning across primary care, mental health, continuing care, and social service systems.

  • Health program evaluation
  • Population & public health research
  • Service integration planning
  • Quality & accreditation frameworks

Philanthropy & Funders

Strategy, granting design, and impact measurement for foundations and funding intermediaries.

  • Foundation strategic planning
  • Grantmaking model review
  • Portfolio impact measurement
  • Board & trustee facilitation

Associations & Member Bodies

Planning, governance, and member research for professional associations, regulatory colleges, and unions.

  • Member needs & satisfaction research
  • Association strategic planning
  • Governance & bylaw review
  • Sector & workforce studies

Private & Corporate

Applied research, labour market analysis, and social impact measurement for business and industry.

  • Labour market & workforce research
  • Social impact & ESG measurement
  • Community investment strategy
  • Stakeholder engagement
What We Do

Full-Service Research, Evaluation & Strategy

Nine integrated practice areas. Engage us for a single deliverable or draw on the full range across a multi-year partnership.

Research

Rigorous primary and secondary research designed to answer the questions that actually shape decisions.

Survey designKey informant interviewsFocus groupsEnvironmental scansLiterature reviewsSector benchmarking

Program Evaluation

Credentialed evaluation practice that satisfies funders, informs improvement, and demonstrates real outcomes.

Developmental evaluationFormative & summativeLogic modelsTheory of changePerformance measurementKPI dashboards

Facilitation

Decision-centred facilitation that moves groups from discussion to clear, documented commitments.

Board & staff retreatsStakeholder consultationsPublic engagementWorkshop designConsensus buildingEquity-aware facilitation

Strategic Planning

Board-ready plans that are ambitious, actionable, and measurable, with accountability built in from the start.

Vision, mission & valuesStrategic pillarsBoard retreatsImplementation roadmapsOperational planningAnnual review cycles

Collective Impact

Backbone support for multi-sector initiatives that need shared direction, common measurement, and sustained alignment.

Common agenda developmentShared measurementBackbone supportPartner alignmentSystems mappingCross-sector convening

Community Development

Community-centred processes that surface local assets, address real needs, and build lasting local capacity.

Needs assessmentsAsset-based developmentEngagement strategySocial needs analysisCapacity frameworks

Project Management

PMBOK-aligned delivery adapted for the public and non-profit context. On scope, on time, on budget.

Planning & scopingRisk managementBudget & timeline controlChange managementStakeholder reporting

Organizational Development & Design

Structure, roles, culture, and change, grounded in industrial and organizational psychology and applied to real operating conditions.

Organizational designRole & competency frameworksChange managementCulture & engagementTeam effectivenessLeadership developmentWorkforce planning

Governance Support

Practical governance work that strengthens board effectiveness and clarifies the line between board and staff.

Governance reviewsBoard developmentPolicy frameworksGovernance transitionsExecutive performance review
Ways to Engage

Three Ways We Work With You

Not every organization needs the same thing. Some need the work done. Some need their people equipped to do it themselves. Some just need a trusted thinking partner. We meet you where you are, and we are happy to move between modes as your needs change.

Mode 01

We Do the Work

Full delivery of the engagement, end to end. You get a finished product built to your context, with your team involved exactly as much as they want to be.

  • Complete research and evaluation studies
  • Facilitated planning processes and retreats
  • Board-ready plans, frameworks, and reports
  • Managed projects with defined deliverables
Mode 02

We Build Your Capacity

Training, coaching, and hands-on skill transfer so your team can carry the work forward independently. The capability stays with you when we leave.

  • Evaluation and measurement training
  • Facilitation and engagement coaching
  • Tools, templates, and toolkits for your team
  • Side-by-side mentoring through a live project
Mode 03

We Advise and Guide

Consultation and advisory support levelled to your organization's maturity, capacity, and appetite. Expert judgement when and where you need it.

  • Strategic and methodological advice
  • Critical friend and peer review
  • Executive and board-level guidance
  • On-call retainer advisory support

Most engagements blend all three. We scope the mix with you at the outset and adjust as the work evolves, so you are never paying for support you do not need or missing support you do.

Our Difference

Attuned Practice

Most consultancies arrive with a method and fit your organization into it. We arrive with questions and build the method around what we find.

Careful listening is not a soft skill in our practice. It is the mechanism that lets us design approaches that actually fit, catch issues before they become problems, and adjust in real time as circumstances shift. It is what our clients tell us sets us apart.

Listen

We start by understanding your context, pressures, history, and what success genuinely means to you.

Observe

We pay attention to what is said and unsaid, reading dynamics, capacity, and readiness as we go.

Tailor

We design an approach built for your organization, not a template adapted at the margins.

Respond

We adjust as conditions change and surface emerging issues early, before they become obstacles.

Deliver

We produce work you can act on, defend to your board and funders, and sustain over time.

700+Successful Engagements

Over twenty years and more than seven hundred engagements spanning all nine of our practice areas, we have built a working knowledge of what succeeds and what stalls across sectors, organizational sizes, and governance models. Every recommendation we make is grounded in evidence-informed best practice and tested against that experience, so you benefit not only from the research, but from the pattern recognition that only comes with volume.

The Firm

Depth of Bench.
Breadth of Practice.

Objective assembles the right team for each engagement, drawing on senior consultants with advanced credentials in evaluation, research, planning, facilitation, and organizational development.

Senior-Led Engagements

Every project is directed by a senior consultant. Clients work with the people who do the thinking, not a rotating cast of juniors.

Credentialed Practice

Our work is anchored in formal professional standards, including Credentialed Evaluator designation with the Canadian Evaluation Society.

Capacity Left Behind

We build client capability into every engagement, so your team can sustain, adapt, and extend the work long after we finish.

National Reach

Based in Calgary with active engagements across Western Canada, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada, delivered in person and remotely.

Credentials Across Our Team

The qualifications our consultants bring to client engagements.

PhD-Level Researchers Credentialed Evaluator (CE) PMP Certified Strategic Planning Professional (SPP) Prosci Change Management MBA Industrial & Organizational Psychology
700+
Successful engagements
20+
Years of continuous practice
9
Practice areas
9
Sectors served nationally
Engagement Options

Two Ways to Work With Us

Some organizations know exactly what they need delivered. Others want expert capacity on hand as priorities emerge. We support both, and many clients use each at different points.

Option One

Retainer Packages

Pre-purchase a block of consulting hours and draw on any of our nine practice areas as needs arise, with an allocation plan we build together.

Best when priorities are evolving, needs span multiple areas, or you want expert capacity available without a new procurement each time.
Option Two

Custom Project Quotes

A scoped, fixed-fee proposal built around a defined deliverable, timeline, and budget, tailored to exactly what your project requires.

Best when you have a defined mandate, an RFP or procurement process, a board-approved budget, or a firm deadline to meet.

Retainer Packages

Purchase a block of hours and draw on any capability across the firm. We begin with a discovery consultation and co-design an allocation plan that maximizes impact for your organization.

Starter

Foundation

40 hours

For a focused, single-objective engagement or an organization beginning to build its evaluation practice.

  • Discovery consultation & allocation plan
  • Draw on any capability area
  • Assigned senior consultant
  • Monthly progress reporting
  • 6-month validity
Enquire
Most Popular
Growth

Momentum

100 hours

Sufficient capacity for a full strategic plan, a comprehensive evaluation, or a blended program of work.

  • Everything in Foundation
  • Facilitated planning workshop included
  • Dedicated engagement director
  • Bi-weekly progress meetings
  • Integrated evaluation framework
  • 12-month validity
Enquire
Enterprise

Impact Partner

200+ hours

A sustained partnership for complex, multi-year mandates requiring embedded strategic and analytical support.

  • Everything in Momentum
  • Embedded multi-consultant team
  • Board & executive presentations
  • Staff training & capacity transfer
  • Priority scheduling
  • Custom terms & multi-year options
Enquire
How it works. Select a package and we schedule a discovery consultation to understand your mandate, pressures, and timelines. Together we build an allocation plan mapping your hours to the capabilities that will deliver the greatest benefit and impact.

Custom Project Quotes

For defined mandates, we build a scoped proposal with clear deliverables, milestones, and a fixed professional fee. No package required.

Scoped to Your Project, Priced With No Surprises

Every custom engagement begins with listening. We work to understand the problem behind the request, then propose an approach sized to your mandate, your timeline, and your budget reality.

  • Fixed professional fee
  • Defined deliverables & milestones
  • RFP & procurement responses
  • Transparent day and hourly rates
  • Multi-phase & multi-year options
  • Optional add-ons priced upfront
  • Single or multi-consultant teams
  • In-person or fully remote delivery
How a Quote Comes Together
  • 1
    A short conversation about what you need and why it matters now
  • 2
    We shape an approach tailored to your context, capacity, and timeline
  • 3
    You receive a written proposal with scope, deliverables, and fixed fee
  • 4
    We refine together until the fit is right, then begin
Request a Quote
Get in Touch

Let's Discuss Your Mandate

Every engagement begins with a conversation.

Whether you are preparing an RFP, scoping an evaluation, planning a board retreat, or exploring a retainer arrangement, we would be glad to talk through what you need.