Request for Proposal RFP 0226 EDU. Website Development, Support, and Maintenance of NEON Website (

Transcription

1 1/7 Request for Proposal Website Development, Support, and Maintenance of Website ( Proposals Due: 5:00 PM MT on Friday, June 12 th, 2015 AUTHORIZED CONTACT: Contact: The following individual is authorized to receive the submitted proposal and be contacted for questions as designated below: Lori Schmitt Contracts Administrator II, Inc. E Mail: lschmitt@neoninc.org Phone: KEY DATES: Item Date RFP Issued May 28th, 2015 Intent to Submit a Proposal Due 5:00 PM MT, Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 Offerors Questions Due 5:00 PM MT, Friday, June 5 th, 2015 s Answers to Questions Sent By 5:00 PM MT, Tuesday, June 9 th, 2015 Offerors Proposals Due 5:00 PM MT, Friday, June 12 th, 2015 THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING: Invitation and Instructions (pages 2 3) Exhibit A Statement of Work (pages 4 7)

2 2/7 1 Profile The National Ecological Observatory Network (, Inc.) is an independent 501(c)3 corporation funded exclusively by the National Science Foundation to manage large scale ecological observation systems and experiments on behalf of the scientific community. s mission is to design, implement, and operate continental scale research infrastructure to open new horizons in ecological science and education, and to enable ecological analyses and forecasts for the benefit of society. Information on 's mission can be found on 's website RFP Purpose The purpose of this RFP is to find a qualified contractor who can assist with ongoing web development, support, and maintenance services for the website ( 3 Intent to Submit a Proposal After reviewing this RFP, if you intend to submit a proposal, please send an e mail to Lori Schmitt at lschmitt@neoninc.org by 5:00 pm MT, Wednesday, June 3 rd, 2015 stating that your company intends to submit a proposal. The proposals are due by 5:00 pm MT, Friday, June 12 th, Questions Offerors are invited to submit questions pertaining to this RFP. All questions, whether technical or business in nature, must be submitted in writing to: Lori Schmitt Contracts Administrator II Phone: E Mail: lschmitt@neoninc.org The deadline for receiving written questions is 5:00 pm MT, Friday, June 5 th, A written response to all of the questions submitted by all Offerors will be sent to each Offeror who acknowledged their intent to respond to this RFP. 5 Offeror s Proposal Offerors proposals need to include all items listed in Section 6 Submission Requirements below, and must be received by before the deadline which is 5:00 pm MT, Friday, June 12 th, Submission Requirements Offerors are to submit the following information as their response to this proposal: A. Your company s approach/strategy to providing Drupal based website support services, including a description of how you have serviced similar customers in the past. B. A description of your staff capacity and availability, including staff bios whenever possible.

3 3/7 C. Timeline of how soon you could begin work on this project after the contract has been signed. D. A description of your company s level of experience/expertise with the technologies relevant to servicing this contract, e.g. Drupal, LAMP, etc. E. A list of three business customer references with a similar scope to s project, including a contact name, address, and phone number for each so that can contact. F. Pricing information as to your hourly billable rate, estimated travel time, and any other anticipated expenses you would expect to incur. Please limit the proposal package to approximately 10 pages or less. 7 Evaluation may award this proposal without discussion. reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined to be necessary. may reject any or all proposals, accept a proposal other than the lowest priced offer, and/or waive informalities and minor irregularities in proposals received. intends to award to the responsible Offeror whose proposal conforms to this RFP and offers the best value to. With regard to best value, Offerors will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Demonstrated understanding of technologies used in the development, implementation, and hosting of websites including hardware, software, application development and graphic design Recommended approach and ability to deliver services Level of experience with the features, applications, evaluation, and implementation of websites for diverse entities Cost Availability of project resources Input from customer references 8 Award intends to award this RFP by July 30 th, This RFP is being released electronically only, and this version is the only official version for this solicitation. No hard copy of this RFP will be issued. All applicable amendments will be sent electronically. Offerors shall submit responses to this RFP to the following contact prior to the closing time and date of this solicitation. Lori Schmitt Contracts Administrator II Phone: E Mail: lschmitt@neoninc.org

4 4/7 1 Summary Exhibit A STATEMENT OF WORK In the past, has utilized a number of staffing strategies to meet the organization s changing web development needs, ranging from part time utilization of staff to hiring outside firms to design, implement, and maintain the website. Looking back at the results over time, the best results have been obtained by using a hybrid approach, supplementing in house expertise with direction from an outside contractor. The contractor will provide web development, support, and maintenance services for s website ( on an ongoing basis by providing a fixed number of hours on a monthly basis, plus additional services as needed at a fixed hourly rate. It is estimated that the monthly hours would be (actual number to be finalized by the time an agreement is signed). 2 Period of Performance The period of performance shall be from effectivity date of the contract through September 30, 2016 with an option to renew for one additional year. 3 Place of Performance All work shall be performed at the Contractor s facility. 4 Schedule / Milestones Ongoing website maintenance tasks shall take place on a monthly schedule, including design and development tasks as needed. The provider shall conduct a weekly teleconference with the Web Team to coordinate work efforts. Milestone Summary Work Package # Timeline Milestone Description 1 Monthly Drupal base code, modules, and themes updated 2 Monthly, as required Modify and/or extend website functionality 3 Monthly, as required Modify and/or update website design elements

5 5/7 5. Work Requirements A. Work Package 1: Website Maintenance 1. Description and Requirements: The contractor shall review the status of all deployed Drupal base code, modules, and themes on a monthly basis; installing, testing, and deploying relevant updates to keep all sites up to date and secure. 2. Required Meetings, Travel, Telecom, and other Events: The contractor shall conduct a weekly teleconference with the Web Team to coordinate work efforts. 3. Key Personnel: The contractor must have demonstrable expert level knowledge of and experience with Drupal 7 based websites. 4. Inputs: The contractor shall use Drupal s Update Manager and Update Status modules (and/or other agreed upon methods) to identify needed security updates for all installed base code, modules, and themes. 5. Outputs/Deliverables: The contractor shall test, install and deploy security related updates to Drupal base code, modules, and themes on a staging site or certification server prior to production. The contractor shall take into account 1) ensuring Drupal base code, modules and themes lead to universal changes across the site (i.e., not just one page); and 2) ensuring Drupal base code, modules and themes do not conflict with existing elements of the website. The contractor shall then deploy tested/approved updates to s production server and retest. 6. Acceptance Criteria: Detailed in Section 7 on page 6 of this RFP. 7. Schedule: These tasks shall be completed as time allows under the monthly level of effort, unless prior approval is obtained from to exceed the agreed upon monthly hours. 8. Restrictions and Constraints: Programming access to the production webserver is restricted to SSH/TELNET via a VPN connection. The contractor shall only be able to access the server via a provided VPN connection. B. Work Package 2: Website Functionality 1. Description and Requirements: Based on requirements from staff, the contractor shall update functionality of the website through new or modified templates, views, and modules as directed. 2. Required Meetings, Travel, Telecon and other Events: The contractor shall conduct a weekly teleconference with the Web Team to coordinate work efforts. 3. Key Personnel: The contractor must have demonstrable expert level knowledge of and experience with Drupal 7 based websites. 4. Inputs: shall provide requirements for desired new and/or updated website functionality. 5. Outputs/Deliverables: Based on input from, the contractor shall develop, test, install, and deploy changes to Drupal base code, modules, and themes on a staging site or certification server prior to production. The contractor shall take into account 1) ensuring

6 6/7 Drupal base code, modules and themes lead to universal changes across the site (i.e., not just one page); and 2) ensuring Drupal base code, modules and themes do not conflict with existing elements of the website. The contractor shall then deploy tested/approved updates to s production server and retest. 6. Acceptance Criteria: Detailed in Section 7 of this RFP (bottom of page 6). 7. Schedule: These tasks shall be completed as time allows under the monthly level of effort, unless prior approval is obtained from to exceed the agreed upon monthly hours. 8. Restrictions and Constraints: Programming access to the production webserver is restricted to SSH/TELNET via a VPN connection. The contractor shall only be able to access the server via a provided VPN connection. C. Work Package 3: Website Design/Styling 1. Description and Requirements: Based on requirements from staff, the contractor shall update the look & feel of the website through new or modified themes, styles, and CSS as needed. 2. Required Meetings, Travel, Telecon and other Events: The contractor shall conduct a weekly teleconference with the Web Team to coordinate work efforts. 3. Key Personnel: The contractor must have demonstrable expert level knowledge of and experience with Drupal 7 based websites. 4. Inputs: shall provide requirements for desired new and/or updated website design/styling. 5. Outputs/Deliverables: The contractor shall test, install, and deploy all needed functionality updates to themes, styles, CSS, etc. to s production server, ensuring that styling is consistent across the entire site. 6. Acceptance Criteria: Detailed in Section 7 below. 7. Schedule: These tasks shall be completed as time allows under the monthly level of effort, unless prior approval is obtained from to exceed the agreed upon monthly hours. 8. Restrictions and Constraints: Programming access to the production webserver is restricted to SSH/TELNET via a VPN connection. The contractor shall only be able to access the server via a provided VPN connection. 6. Other Requirements All deliverables, processes, plans, data, and documentation developed for as described in this statement of work are the property of and will be provided to by contract end as documented in the contract terms and conditions. Distribution, posting, or usage of the materials must be approved in advance by as documented in the contract terms and conditions. 7. Acceptance Criteria Acceptance of all changes, modifications, and updates to the website will be based on functionality testing and styling review performed by staff and described in the next section.

7 7/7 8. Quality and Audit In order to ensure that monthly work items are completed to s satisfaction, the following workflow shall be used: a. makes a request or presents an issue b. Contractor reviews, providing functionality and styling recommendations c. approves/disapproves* d. Contractor develops and tests functionality e. approves/disapproves* f. Contractor develops and tests styling g. approves/disapproves styling* h. Contractor publishes changes to production environment and tests. i. approves/disapproves styling* *if any step is disapproved by, the contractor will revise/correct until approved. Additionally, emergency support shall: Be available Monday Friday between the hours of 8:00 am MST to 5:00 pm MST Respond to problem requests within 4 hours of receiving the request for service Resolve problem requests within 24 hours of receiving the request for service Communicate effectively with personnel Not be automated beyond typical call intake prompts 9. Furnished Property and Information shall provide the contractor with up to date copies of the website codebase, files, and database. 10. Security Requirements Programming access to the production webserver is restricted to SSH/TELNET via a VPN connection. The contractor shall only be able to access the server via a provided VPN connection. Contractor will be required to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement.