Website Redesign and Upgrade Request for Proposal

Transcription

1 tel fax NEZ PERCE TRIBE P.O. Box Agency Road Lapwai, ID Website Redesign and Upgrade Request for Proposal July 15, 2013

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3 Summary and Background Objective The Nez Perce Tribe has set aside funds to redesign and upgrade its website. This will be a concept to completion production. The current website has extensive static information; there is no integrated social or mobile functionality on the main site. Historical Site Role and Statistics The Nez Perce Tribe currently has a web presence that is outdated in appearance, structure and in the presentation of content. An opportunity exists to re-engineer the site to better reflect the Nez Perce Tribe. The main site s current role is to provide basic information to the public and the tribal membership on the organization and its work. The pages with the highest traffic are those dealing with basic tribal information, calendar of events, and job announcements. The site is an important public access point. Audience The current focus of the main site is on providing basic information to the general public at-large and pertinent information to tribal members on events that relate to public events, announcements and tribal involvement. Key Features and Technical Environment This main site is developed in Web Expression and is housed on a separate server with many of the program or department pages developed and maintained in purchased templates. Background The Nez Perce is a federally recognized tribe by virtue of the Treaties of 1855, 1863 and 1868 with the United States government. The Nez Perce (or Nimiipuu; translated in English as We the People or the People ) originally occupied a vast territory estimated at 13 million acres in what is now Idaho, southeastern Washington and north central Oregon. Besides the areas that were exclusively used and occupied by the Nez Perce, the Tribe extended their hunting, fishing, trading and food gathering activities westward down the Columbia River and to the East to the area that is presently the State of Montana. Today, the Nez Perce Reservation contains 750,000 acres and crosses the five counties of Nez Perce, Lewis, Idaho, Latah and Clearwater. Of this land, the Tribe and individual tribal members retain ownership of 85,248 acres. There are two major highways that cross the Reservation, Highway 12 which travels east to west along the Clearwater River connecting Montana and Washington State, and Highway 95 which travels north to south within the State, connecting major cities such as Boise, Lewiston and Coeur d' Alene. The Nez Perce Tribe is governed by the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee (NPTEC), a nine member board elected at-large by the General Council. The General Council consists of the eligible voting members of the Nez Perce Tribe. The NPTEC is recognized by federal, state and local governments and their agencies as a legal and political entity. The Nez Perce Tribal Executive Director is responsible for the administrative departments. This includes the direct supervision of identified Department Managers and Program Directors. The respective Department Managers and Program Directors are responsible for the overall management of the designated branches of tribal government. Page 1

4 Redesign Purpose, Description, and Objectives Purpose The primary objective of this redesign is to update the site to a modern design. The current environment lacks the ability to allow multiple programs, departments to easily and quickly add new information that connects with the rest of the site in terms of navigation and cross-linking. A limited number of users currently have access to add and modify information. The site lacks social media connectivity or the capacity to display dynamic data. The organization would like to add secure log-in functionality to offer staff and tribal members access to information and downloads that are proprietary or sensitive, including a connection to the Tribe s intranet site that is used by staff for various internal purposes. Description For this redesign process, Nez Perce Tribal staff will be responsible for design decisions and new content creation. Nez Perce Tribal staff would also be available to coordinate with the contractor to identify appropriate links and theme modifications and to establish a seamless connection to the Nez Perce Tribe s intranet site. The contractor will be expected to provide design options, site organization advice and recommendations, coding to allow secure logins and overall site security, creation of the functioning site, and transferring the content from the current site to the new one. There are currently, at a minimum, twelve (12) separate top level website domains with multiple sub sites under the main site. Some of these have a completely separate look and feel from the main site as authorized in the development process. Objectives Move the main site into a content management system that will allow many simultaneous staff to instantly update web site content as it pertains to their program or department. Improve the site's functionality and navigability. Since the scope and depth of the information is considerable, the current site suffers from visitors getting lost trying to find information or not able to find what they are looking for. Integrate social media functionality into the redesign, allowing for sharing of and possibly commenting on select pages. A close tie with the organization's Facebook page and Twitter feed is important. Improve the presentation of data compiled by the Nez Perce Tribe by creating visually meaningful representations including streaming media and graphics. Add secure login, user roles, and security role-based page access for certain portions of the site for calendar and shared documents and ensure these logins can persist to sub-sites, particularly the connection to our intranet site. Add newsletter functionality, including a way for visitors to subscribe and unsubscribe themselves. Provide universal search functionality throughout the site. Through Google Calendar or another similar free system, provide the ability for visitors to add Nez Perce Tribal information to their own calendar systems. Create a simplified version of the template for mobile devices. Not all of the site would necessarily need to be offered in a mobile form. Page 2

5 Scope The goal for deployment of this project is February 1, The project will entail several phases leading up to this deadline. The first phase will be the site analysis and design. The design will be reviewed and ultimately approved by the internal web team. In this phase, the following deliverables are expected: A design and layout that facilitates visitors from each of the intended audiences to navigate quickly and easily to information pertinent to them. An overall look and feel that is consistent with the nature of the organization. Recommendations and options for integrating the new site's design and functionality. Design of an Intranet site that allows for Tribal Members to securely log in with a user identification and password to access information intended for Tribal members only. Design of an Intranet site for employees to securely log in with access to electronic forms and an internal routing process through for submission of information that is currently completed in paper format. Recommendations and options for integrating appropriate social media connectivity to the new site. Recommendations for incorporating streaming video and secured sites with calendar and shared documents area. The next phase would be coding and content transfer or creation. This would be approved by the internal web team. The following deliverables are expected: Selection of a content management system appropriate for the needs of the project and able to provide reasons for selecting the particular solution. An audit of the current content from the point of view of the organization's audiences and goals. Restructure the content and identify gaps where new content will need to be created. Search engine optimization taken into consideration in the writing, headers, and Meta tags. Transfer the existing content to the new website and place new content provided to the agency. The final phase would be connecting existing active and dynamic information served by the organization into the site or to give those pages the same look and feel of the new site. The expected deliverables are: Evaluation of integrating the new site's layout and design, secure login functionality to the pages where security is required. Page 3

6 Development Guidelines/Specifications The development environment is negotiable based on cost and site efficiency. Development environment will require use of the following: Tribal design and intuitively organized navigation system. Content management system with an approval-routing feature for maximum security and content verification. Web page design must include the use of css and html with some use of php, javascript, python, or java scripting languages. Web hosting will be installed on virtual servers with various operating systems. The proposal must include the requirements needed for each server or virtualized server such as CPU, memory, storage, database licensing, etc. This design must be transferable to other sub-sites and include persistent login features. Audience The primary audiences for the new website will be: Tribal, state, and federal government officials General public Tribal members Children and educators Secondary audiences for the new website will be: Press Job seekers Policy and legal analysts Staff Resources/Points of Contact The staff support for this project includes: A communications director that provides general oversight of overall communication to the general public and tribal membership, creating and curating content, and overseeing development of the organization's web presence. A project leader that is responsible for providing technical opinions on key decisions and coordination of IT staff. A developer that manages the software applications including the web server, administers the database, and extends the functionality of the system, as needed. Page 4

7 The communications director will be the primary point of contact. The three positions above, along with the executive director, comprise the internal web team. They will be the decisionmakers for the project. It is anticipated that the team will work closely with the contractor to ensure the content and design match the vision of the organization and that the new site integrates seamlessly. Proposal Guidelines and Requirements The primary contact for RFP logistics or questions during the RFP process is Rebecca Miles, Executive Director. Contact should be limited only to the primary contact. Questions may be submitted via or telephone. She may be reached at (208) or Timeline Q&A deadline: August 15, 2013 RFP due date: August 22, 2013 In-person meetings: August 29, 2013 Decision date: September 13, 2013 Project completion date: February 1, 2014 Please submit proposals via . The Nez Perce Tribe reserves the right to reject any or all bids or withdraw this RFP at any time. This RFP gives rise to no contractual obligations, implied or otherwise. By submitting a proposal, the bidder agrees to keep confidential all information provided in connection with the RFP. Qualifications 1. Describe three web redesign engagements your firm has completed that best reflect your work in our sector or most closely address challenges comparable to ours. Describe the role your firm played, the means by which you addressed the project's challenges, and the outcome. 2. Describe the make-up of the team you would deploy to complete this engagement. Identify roles and tasks, and provide brief bios of the primary strategic resources on the project. 3. Provide a company profile. As briefly as possible, describe the essence of what you offer clients, and if you have a mission statement, please include it. Also list length of time in business and core services. 4. What are the primary factors that differentiate your firm from your competition? 5. Describe your firm's philosophy and approach regarding the social dimension. How should social media be integrated into the site experience? How should the site itself participate in social media? Page 5

8 6. Describe your firm's mobile capabilities, both in terms of strategic and technical expertise. How do you determine what mobile experiences are most suitable for our visitor s needs and our goals? 7. How do you ensure that your client's sites make the best use of current technologies and remain relevant to changing user needs and preferences? 8. Describe your firm's project management methodologies and capabilities, including project tracking, information sharing, and accurate assimilation of feedback. How do you ensure transparency, accountability, and mutual understanding between our teams? Proposal Format Please use the following format for proposals to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison can be made: Title Page Client name; proposal for project title; agency name; address, website address, telephone number; and primary contact person and his or her address. Cover Letter Signed by the person or persons authorized to sign on behalf of the agency. Project Approach Describe in detail your proposed approach to completing the project goals outlined above. Specify all deliverables and include a description of each. Qualifications Provide the information requested in the qualifications section of the RFP. Budget and Fees Provide a detailed cost breakdown to include hourly rates by role and any additional fees, including licenses. Page 6