Ference & Company Consulting Ltd.

What Ference & Company Consulting Ltd. does

Ference & Company Consulting Ltd. is a Vancouver-based, privately held Canadian program evaluation and research consulting firm founded in 1980 by Don Ference, who continues to serve as President alongside Principal Beth Garner. The firm provides program evaluation, engagement and facilitation, performance measurement and coaching, business planning, sector strategies, labour market studies, and marketing strategy services to federal and provincial/territorial governments, Indigenous organizations and governments, non-profit organizations, industry associations, and private sector clients across Canada. Its methodology portfolio emphasizes traditional evaluation techniques (process, outcome, and developmental evaluations), comparative analysis, in-depth case studies, and economic impact assessments, with a stated specialization in culturally-responsive Indigenous evaluation grounded in OCAP principles and Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. The firm holds standing offers with multiple government departments and has completed over 800 assignments and over 300 program evaluations across major sectors including agriculture, forestry, health care, social development, and innovation.

The firm's business model is professional services-based with quote-based pricing for engagements and a sales-led go-to-market approach anchored on government standing offers, competitive proposals, direct client relationships, and referrals. Distribution is entirely domestic (Canada), with no global footprint claimed. The firm also maintains a small software asset, the Interactive Business Planner, an online business plan preparation tool used by thousands of Canadian businesses. Revenue is generated across three streams — government consulting contracts, private sector consulting, and non-profit sector consulting — though government contracts appear to constitute the dominant share. The company is independently owned with no disclosed parent company, funding rounds, subsidiaries, or external investors, and operates with a team in the 11-50 employee band.

Name

Ference & Company Consulting Ltd.

Legal name

Ference & Company Consulting Ltd.

Website

https://ferenceandco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ference & Company is a Vancouver-based program evaluation and research consulting firm founded in 1980, serving Canadian federal and provincial governments, Indigenous organizations, non-profits, and private sector clients across major economic sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK), ESG, Sustainability Reporting & Compliance (BPAEAPAM)

Keywords

• Program evaluation
• Research consulting
• Performance measurement
• Business planning
• Sector strategies

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Consulting Contracts: The firm has standing offers with several government departments to conduct program evaluations, representing a significant portion of their revenue from federal and provincial/territorial government contracts.
2. Private Sector Consulting: Consulting services provided to private sector clients including market research, financial analyses, business planning, and marketing strategies.
3. Non-profit Sector Consulting: Evaluation and research services for non-profit organizations across various sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ference & Company is one of Canada's leading program evaluation and research consulting firms, founded in 1980. The firm delivers program evaluations, performance measurement frameworks, engagement and facilitation, business planning, sector strategies, labour market studies, and marketing strategies to federal and provincial governments, Indigenous organizations, non-profits, industry associations, and private-sector clients.

Product overview

Ference & Company is a program evaluation and research consulting firm offering a portfolio of professional services rather than a unified software platform. The core service offerings include Program Evaluation, Engagement and Facilitation, Performance Measurement and Coaching, Business Planning, Sector Strategies, Labour Market Studies, and Marketing Strategies. Additionally, the firm has developed the Interactive Business Planner, an online software tool used across Canada for business plan preparation. These services work together as an integrated consulting approach, with the software product supporting the business planning service line. The firm serves federal and provincial governments, Indigenous organizations, non-profit organizations, and industry associations across multiple sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Program Evaluation Comprehensive program evaluation services examining efficiency and effectiveness of projects, programs and policies, including process, outcome, and developmental evaluations using traditional and innovative approaches such as comparative analysis, in-depth case studies, and economic impact assessments.
• Engagement and Facilitation Engagement and facilitation services helping clients gather diverse perspectives on public policies and research questions through interviews, surveys, focus groups, web-based expert panels, townhall-style events, and workshop facilitation.
• Performance Measurement and Coaching Performance measurement framework development services including theory of change/logic model development and indicator selection, offered as either an à la carte service or coaching approach to build internal capacity.
• Business Planning Business plan and feasibility study preparation for businesses, non-profit organizations, and government organizations, including market research and financial analyses.
• Sector Strategies Sector strategy development services helping government and industry clients identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to specific economic sectors through detailed research, comparative analysis, and stakeholder engagement.
• Labour Market Studies Labour market studies to understand and respond to changing labour market demands, involving economic data analysis, employer surveying, and subject matter expert interviews with statistically sound methods for forecasting future changes.
• Marketing Strategies Full suite of marketing services including primary market research, environmental scans, trend and trade analysis, competitive analysis, target market identification, market entry strategies, distribution/pricing/promotion strategies, and marketing plans including export development plans.
• Interactive Business Planner An online software program used by thousands of businesses across Canada to prepare business plans, developed by Ference & Company.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 800 assignments completed since founding in 1980
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Government of New BrunswickmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration on the 'Making a Living?' 2026 NB Artist Activity and Income Survey to understand how professional artists earn income and spend time on their work. Partnership involves the Government of New Brunswick, artist-serving organizations, and Ference & Company.
• Mawi'ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the 'Making a Living?' survey collaboration supporting professional artists in New Brunswick.
• Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-BrunswickminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the 'Making a Living?' survey collaboration representing Acadian professional artists in New Brunswick.
• ArtsLink NBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the 'Making a Living?' survey collaboration supporting arts in New Brunswick.
• ArtsnbminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the 'Making a Living?' survey collaboration supporting arts in New Brunswick.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nordicity: A Canadian consulting firm providing policy and economic analysis, sector strategies, and program evaluation for cultural, creative, and public-sector clients. Overlaps directly with Ference's sector strategies, arts/culture, and policy research capabilities.
• Goss Gilroy Inc. A Canadian management consulting firm specializing in program evaluation, performance measurement, and policy research for federal, provincial, and Indigenous clients. Directly comparable in service offering, client base, and evaluation methodology focus.
• Prairie Research Associates (PRA Inc.): A Western Canadian research and evaluation firm providing program evaluation, public engagement, and survey research for government and not-for-profit clients. Directly competes in the same standing-offer and RFP-driven evaluation market.
• R.A. Malatest & Associates: A Canadian research and evaluation firm providing program evaluation, labour market studies, and policy research to governments and not-for-profits. Comparable in serving federal/provincial departments with similar evaluation service lines.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG Canada: A Big-4 professional services firm with a Canadian public-sector advisory practice delivering program evaluation, performance measurement, and policy advisory. Competes for larger federal and provincial evaluation contracts where Ference also bids.
• Deloitte Canada: A Big-4 professional services firm with significant Canadian public-sector consulting capabilities spanning program evaluation, performance measurement, and policy advisory. Competes for larger multi-year federal evaluation mandates that Ference also targets.
• Leger: A Canadian-owned market research and analytics firm offering public engagement, surveys, and program evaluation for governments and not-for-profits. Competes with Ference on engagement, surveys, and evaluation mandates.
• The Conference Board of Canada: An established Canadian policy research and applied research organization serving government, non-profit, and private-sector clients. Operates more broadly across economic research but overlaps with Ference on program/policy evaluation and sector strategy work.
• Ipsos Canada: A global market and social research firm operating in Canada, providing program evaluation, public engagement, and policy research services. A broader incumbent competing for the same government and public-sector evaluation work.
• Kantar Canada: A large global research and insights firm with Canadian operations delivering market research, social research, and evaluation services. Competes with Ference on government evaluation, engagement, and labour market research mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ference & Company Consulting Ltd.