Request for Proposal Addendum # 2 February 5, 2014 RFP 14-WDS-0128

Transcription

1 The Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning Request for Proposal Addendum # 2 February 5, 2014 RFP 14-WDS-0128 Issue Date: January 28, 2014 Closing Date: February 12, 3:00:00 p.m. (local time) Submit Proposals To: Perian Tebbutt, Manager Purchasing Services Employee Services Building Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning 299 Doon Valley Drive Kitchener, ON N2G 4M4 Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning Page 1 of 6

2 All work described within this addendum forms part of the RFP and is to be included in the submitted documents and noted therein.. Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning will not be held responsible for any effects caused by exclusion of any kind of this document within the contract. Description: 1. Section shall be deleted from the RFP. 2. Question: The scope describes the creation of a website that houses online learning. Can you clarify is part of the project working with the curriculum developer to actually create the online learning objects, or will the College be providing all learning objects in ready-to-deploy state (compliant, for example, with SCORM or xapi) that will merely need to be included in / uploaded to the web portal/learning management system selected by the successful vendor. Answer: The vendor will be working with the curriculum developer but it will be the vendor who will modify the materials in a format that is ready for uploading to the website. 3. Question: If, in fact, the vendor is to provide e-learning development services, can you comment on the scope of the material to be composed? A good measure of this might be: projected total running time (i.e., course duration in hours), number of quizzes/evaluations to be included, number of modules/units of instruction, etc. [Note: Such insight greatly affects pricing.] Answer: The curriculum development is being created by Conestoga s curriculum developer. The vendor should have experience in the field of adult learning and Essential Skills to recommend materials. In preparing the materials for the website the vendor may need assist the curriculum developer with the layout or design of the material. Content is completed by the curriculum developer at Conestoga College. 4. Question: Has the curriculum developer for the College who will be involved with this project developed for online environments before? Answer: No the curriculum developer has not been involved with developing curriculum for an online learning environment. 5. Question: To what extent will instructional design/learning architecture services be required specific to the online environment from the successful vendor? Answer: This will be a significant aspect of the vendor s role. No other IT supports are place at Conestoga to guide the process. 6. Question: If e-learning content is to be composed by the vendor, what are expectations regarding audio narration of the learning objects (yes or no)? Answer: Audio narration is not a requirement. 7. Question: Is there any call for simulations or scenarios as part of the service offerings provided by the vendor? Answer: Yes Page 2 of 6

3 8. Question: What are expectations regarding the ability of learners to access this website on mobile (smart phones and tablets) devices? Answer: Yes the expectation is that the curriculum will be available on these modes of delivery. 9. Question: Section Stage 2 point c states: The developer will also be required to make modifications throughout the development based on the pilot period and from stakeholder recommendations in a timely manner. Regarding the pilot period, how much of the site is expected to be completed for the pilot period, how much of the initial content will be loaded, what are the goals of the pilot period and how long do you expect the pilot period to last? Answer: - During the pilot we anticipate that the web site will host only parts of the curriculum and participants will access paper as well as web based materials. - Feedback regarding curriculum and ease of website will continue throughout the pilot and throughout the project. Pilot phase is staring Feb June Question: Section Stage 2 point states: Outline a sample production schedule with anticipated outcomes. In addition, within the sample production schedule include the annual costs over the two years as well as a quarterly breakdown of costs. Answer: We do not expect the production of the site to take two years. I can breakdown maintenance costs for the two years. But generally we breakdown payment based on completed milestones versus every 3 months. We also often work out payment schedules with our clients to best suit their needs. Does Conestoga have any requirements for how payment breakdowns need to be laid out? - Costs need to be split over two fiscal years the first deadline is March 31, 2014 and again by March 31, Conestoga is interested in working with the vendor to meet the fiscal requirements of the funder. 11. Question: The total budget is listed at $180,000. Is that for development of the site content/resources as well? Answer: The total budget is for web development and resources, curriculum content is not included in the $180,000. Expectation is that the developed curriculum will be posted/integrated on to the developed website. 12. Question: Are the users of the site assigned accounts and does the content on the site require a login to access? Answer: Users will be assigned accounts, log-ins will be required to track useage and user profile. 13. Question: Are the self-assessment tools going to be online tools or PDFs/documents that users download? If the self-assessments are online tools, should the results of the assessments be tracked (by user login for instance)? Answer: Self-assessment tools should be automated with an informal assessment of user s skill level and/or self-directed questionnaire. Page 3 of 6

4 14. Question: Will Conestoga be producing all of the content or does content need to be produced by the selected vendor? Answer: The vendor will be request to augment and integrate additional resources to supplement and integrate with the developed curriculum. 15. Question: What levels of access are required for managing site content? Are there just generic editors or will workflows be required, such as content producer, content reviewer/publisher, etc. Answer: Yes, we will require different levels of access to include content editing, group level reporting and individual learner access. 16. Question: Are there any technology requirements/restrictions/preferences, such as open-source vs. proprietary systems, development language such as PHP, ASP.net, hosting requirements such as Linux, Windows, etc? to be laid out? Answer: None at this time. 17. Question: What is Conestoga page count for website(s) in scope? Answer: This is still in development. 18. Question: Is Conestoga looking for a firm to develop a self-assessment tool or integrate content into an existing self-assessment tool? Answer: To develop a self-assessment tool 19. Question: Can Conestoga provide examples of other sites that are similar to what you are looking for? ESOT, Canadian Plastics Sector website. Answer: These are examples of websites and demonstrate an example of selfassessment. The plan is for Conestoga to expand on curriculum and level of ES activities. 20. Question: Is Conestoga looking for content migration? If so, how many pages and what types of content? Answer: Yes, and still in development. Unable to provide estimate at this time. The vendor will be required to be flexible as the pilot has not begun and curriculum is in development. 21. Question: Is this a website build or an app build, or both? Answer: Both 22. Question: If it's a site build: Does Conestoga have a CMS currently? If yes, does Conestoga wish to stay with the current CMS or change? If no, does Conestoga have a preferred CMS in mind, ex open source, java-based, etc? Answer: No this will be a standalone website linked to Conestoga s web. 23. Question: Does Conestoga have an idea about how many tools and/or types of tools it wishes to have built? Page 4 of 6

5 Answer: This will be negotiated with the successful vendor, vendor is expected to help guide the process with the available funding and timelines. The vendor will be required to the lead in the development and content expertise for web development. 24. Question: Are there any third party systems that we must integrate with (CRM etc) and what level of integration is required? Answer: No 25. Question: Is the successful vendor responsible for leading the development of selfassessment tool processes, or are we adapting existing materials for online use? Answer: YES 26. Question: We support the latest versions of Firefox and Chrome, and IE 8+ and test against ios and Android mobile devices. Do you foresee any instance where we would be required to build for other browsers/platforms? Answer: NO 27. Question: Will this be a standalone product or will it be worked into the College's existing digital infrastructure? Please provide as much detail as possible about the environment. Answer: Standalone 28. Question: What does the approval process look like for tools/prototypes etc? Answer: This will be agreed upon by College partners including Conestoga College, Bow Valley College, Douglas. Branding and marketing will be required to be reviewed by Office of Literacy and Essential Skills. 29. Question: In terms of quoting the project given the current information, we're leaning toward proposing a budget for the website/app and each tool separately. Is this acceptable? Answer: Yes, the total funding for this project will not change. 30. Question: Given the limited information provided today, we would like to propose a separate budget for a thorough Discovery phase, which would help steer a clear path for the project. Is Conestoga open to such a proposal? Answer: The discovery phase will be required as part of the full proposal and the successful vendor will be required to complete this initial phase. Vendors are required to anticipate the discovery phase as part of their development costs and should submit a budget reflecting such expenses. 31. Question: Is content already developed. If so, can we see it? If not, will all content be developed prior to the project start date? Answer: Not all content will be developed however, a framework is completed and available to the successful vendor. 32. Question: Does Conestoga have a technical team that will be involved in the project and, if so, to what capacity will they be involved? Also, what languages are they comfortable with (php, ruby, etc?) Page 5 of 6

6 Answer: The successful vendor will be the technical team, and web developer expertise. 33. Question: Does Conestoga expect to receive two years worth of support within the proposed budget, or does Conestoga expect a separate budget for ongoing services? What services does Conestoga anticipate it will require support for? Answer: Scope of the project for the web development will end March 31, A budget supporting the maintenance of the website for a period of up to one year post this date is anticipated. 34. Question: Is part of the scope to provide a Learning Management System (LMS) allowing users to complete courses, take tests/quizzes and other online learning functionality? If yes, do you have an approximate number of users that would use the LMS? Answer: This is a LMS and number of users, it is public and undetermined. The system during the project phase will be required to support a minimum of 250 users. In the project budget costs this should include maximum number of users access at one time. 35. Question: Will you be hosting the site internally? Or are you open to hosting with the selected vendor? Answer: We are hoping to host with the selected vendor. 36. Question: Who's the target audience for this site? Can we assume audience are in Canada or it will be used for the international students overseas? Answer: The audience is intended in Canada 37. Question: Would the college provide all content (audio, video and text resources) or the vendor would be involved in content writing as well? Answer: Content writing for some video and audio. 38. Question: What types of reports on system use and learner progress might be needed? Answer: These would be available to the system administrator only. Page 6 of 6