Response to Web Design & Development RFP Questions

Transcription

1 1. Most responses will offer Open Source Software (OSS) as the Content Management System (CMS). While our organization is fluent in OSS (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla etc.) we have developed our own CMS that offers a much lower total cost of ownership than OSS. It s delivered as a service (SaaS). Question is the Bank open to using a proprietary SaaS platform if it provides you and your staff with access to all site information/data as well as control over the website and ability to easily edit and update all aspects of it? Answer: RIIB is interested in a cost-effective solution that preserves flexibility. Correspondingly, we would be open to a proprietary solution if adopting it (a) would be costeffective, and (b) would not materially constrain future options. If you propose a proprietary solution, please provide an analysis of the costs and benefits of both options; also, please provide a brief assessment of any resulting constraints. 2. Related to that is hosting. As our software is delivered as a service (SaaS) we need to ensure that it is hosted in a secure data centre to not only be able to deliver a high level of service, but to protect it against viruses and other issues OSS is subject to. Is the Bank open to external hosting? Answer: Yes, RIIB is open to external hosting. RIIB is interested in exploring hosting options, generally. We expect to consider seriously the trade-offs between costs and benefits, including functionality, reliability, and data security. If possible, please provide an assessment of the costs and benefits of hosting options. For a proprietary solution, please provide a SOC-2, Type 2 report, ISO series and/or CSA STAR certification. RIIB realizes that it could have separated the aspects of the RFP. We prefer an integrated solution, but we would consider the possibility of unbundling separable components, such as website functional design and website hosting. 3. Our organization has a Canadian and US operation. Does it matter to the Bank where the proposal originates from or where the work is done? Answer: RIIB does not have a preference regarding where the proposal originates or where the work is done. RIIB will, however, require a few onsite meetings with the selected vendor. 4. We noticed that all the sections of the given website are redirecting to so we are assuming that our scope of work is to redesign the website. Please confirm. Answer: Yes, the scope of work is to redesign the website. Note that the name of the agency changed in The name was the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency (RICWFA). The name is now the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB). The name was changed because the mission of the agency expanded. So an element of the redesign will be an incorporation of new and planned programs. In most cases, the new programs will be administered by RIIB and will resemble current programs. In one or two RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 1

2 cases, the programs will be administered by third parties. For each of these two programs administered by a third party, the RIIB website will provide basic information plus a link to an external website. RIIB recently completed an exercise to revise its visual identity. We can supply a Graphics Standards Manual, digital files of logos and other art, as well as information regarding color palettes and fonts. 5. Does RIIB have a technology or CMS preference? We are planning to develop the website using Drupal as a Content Management System as you have not mentioned any specific preference in RFP document. Please confirm. Answer: RIIB does not have a preferred platform. We would require a platform that is secure, easy to use, flexible, feature-rich and easily updated. 6. Would content migration be the responsibility of the selected vendor? Answer: Yes, the selected vendor would be responsible for content migration. 7. For hosting, are you looking for new hosting provider for your website? Can we provide our own hosting services? Answer: See the response to question Are there existing branding guidelines for the website? Are there new branding guidelines that agency has that s expected to be built into new website? Answer: See the response to question Are there any new features that you want implemented in the new website, as we did not find any new feature mentioned in the RFP document? We are assuming that the new UI design with existing features is the scope of work. Please confirm. Answer: At this point, there are no new features required within the RIIB website. As discussed in the answers to other questions, the website will support new programs, some of which will have different operating models than current programs. 10. Approximately how many visitors does the site receive per month (or other applicable time period)? Answer: RIIB s current web manager may have this information, and a request has been made by RIIB. Should RIIB receive this information before the submission deadline, RIIB will supplement this response. Qualitatively, traffic is light. Currently, our potential customers mainly include RI s municipalities, school districts, and other quasi-public entities. RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 2

3 11. What is the maximum number of simultaneous users the current site sees? Answer: Few. See the response to question Where is The RIIB website currently hosted? Answer: The current RIIB website is hosted by Artinium in Warwick, RI. 13. If it can be disclosed, what are your current total annual hosting/licensing fees and associated services provided? Answer: We pay approximately $100 per year for hosting and approximately $1000 per year for maintenance services. Those services are fairly modest. 14. Are there gaps where the hosting services provided do not meet current needs and if so what are they? Answer: With the rebranding of the Agency and the expansion of RIIB s programs, multiple improvements to the website are necessary. RIIB is seeking recommendations regarding potential upgrades to create a user-friendly platform. RIIB is seeking a provider that is more full-service and highly accessible. 15. While not mentioned explicitly in the RFP, it is assumed that the site has to be designed to be accessible (i.e. ADA Compliant). Is this a correct assumption? Answer: Yes. RIIB is a quasi-governmental agency and as such must comply with ADA regulations. 16. Items 9 and 10 under The RIIB's primary programs list Efficient Buildings Fund and Brownfields Remediation Revolving Fund respectively. These do not currently exist under the Programs menu on the current site. Are these new programs? Can they be considered to follow a similar pattern/design to the other programs and their content? Answer: Yes. The Efficient Building Fund is a new program with established funding, rolled out in December. We are taking applications. The Brownfields Remediation Fund is a potential new program, dependent on an EPA grant, for which we have applied. These two programs will follow the same general pattern as the other established programs. One of the reasons why we need a CMS is so that we can quickly add programs as they are implemented. In most instances, the customers are governmental entities municipalities, school districts, and quasi-public agencies; sometimes the customer is a private utility. In all of these programs, the funding is some combination of state and federal money supplemented by proceeds from debt offerings. Future customers may include individuals and private entities. RIIB is also developing two additional programs where the customers will not be government entities. A Commercial Property-Assessed Clean Energy program (C-PACE), RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 3

4 which will provide loans to businesses, is in active development and is expected to be rolled out in early In this program, the funding will be entirely supplied by private entities. A similar Residential Property-Assessed Clean Energy program (R-PACE) may also be developed and rolled-out, perhaps in late 2016 or early Again, the funding will be provided by private entities. Each PACE program will likely be hosted on a separate website. With respect to these two programs, the RIIB website would contain only marketing information and link to the external sites. Currently there is no plan for RIIB to interface directly with private customers. But the proposed architecture should not impede evolution in that direction. 17. The Annual Report section of the current website has PDFs for Annual reports from 2000 through It is assumed creation and management of these reports is not in scope for this effort and that they are simply another piece of content for the site managed through the CMS. Correct? Answer: Correct. Creation and management of the Annual Reports are not in scope for this RFP. These files are examples of managed content. 18. Same question as #6, but for the Financials page and corresponding PDFs. Answer: Please review response to question Is the Vendor expected to submit a preliminary Statement of Work alongside the RFP response or only if selected for the engagement? Answer: Only if selected. 20. Is there a preferred CMS, or a preference for (or against) open source CMSs? Answer: See response to question Is there any existence of dynamically generated data, or the need to visualize dynamic data in the future site? Answer: There is no apparent need for dynamically generated data. 22. Is there a proposed budget for the project already in place? Answer: RIIB does have a draft budget for this project. But our primary interest is to develop a site that is highly functional and secure. We strongly prefer a cost-effective solution, but we have the flexibility to expand the budget for design features that have commensurate benefits. Note that RIIB is a quasi-public agency. While we must adhere to certain process guidelines for procurement, we are independent of the budgeting process of the state of RI. Meanwhile, RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 4

5 RIIB has adequate financial resources. Material expenditures will be reviewed and approved by RIIB s Board, as required. 23. Who (or which roles) on the RIIB team will be responsible to shepherd the design process or propose navigation or information architecture; alternatively, is there someone who is in charge of the user experience on the RIIB team? Answer: RIIB s staff is small, currently 8. RIIB has designated staff to be responsible for the oversight and approval of the various components of the website design and implementation. This group includes the Executive Director and the Senior Advisor responsible for program development. 24. Is the Request for Proposals open to any and all firms that can meet the requirements as listed in the RFP? Or are submissions restricted to firms that currently have service agreements with the State or have pre-qualified as Vendors? Answer: The RFP is open to all vendors that meet the requirements. There are no vendor restrictions like those described. 25. Does the Bank expect the awarded firm to spend a significant amount of time on-site? Or can most of the work be done off-site/remotely? Answer: RIIB does not expect the awarded firm to spend significant time onsite, but we require a few onsite meetings with the selected vendor. Thus, most of the work can be performed off-site / remotely. 26. Does the Bank have a preference regarding specific CMS/platform technologies? Answer: See response to question What CMS does the current RIIB website ( use, if any? Answer: WordPress. 28. Is there currently an incumbent firm providing the Bank with Website Design and/or Development services? If so, will the incumbent be bidding on this project, and can you release the firm s name? Answer: Essentially, no. There is no firm providing such services at this time on this central website. As discussed in the answer to question 4, a design firm was engaged to create a new visual identity. This firm provided some feedback on website design but was not engaged for this purpose. Separately, as discussed in the answer to question 16, the program administrator for the C-PACE program is developing a website dedicated to that program. 29. Has a budget already been approved for this project? RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 5

6 Answer: See response to question Is there an estimated budget range for this project? Or do you have any information regarding previous budgets for similar projects? Answer: See response to question In recent years, what has the RIIB spent annually for the maintenance and hosting of its current website? Answer: See response to question Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this? Answer: See response to question 3. In addition, the successful bidder must comply with all Federal and State requirements for providing services in the United States and the State of Rhode Island. All things being equal, preference will be given to a local vendor, if for no other reason than convenience. 33. Whether we need to come over there for meetings? Answer: See response to question Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? Answer: See response to question Can we submit our proposals via ? Answer: Please refer to the Request For Proposal for submission requirements. 36. What is your budget range for this project? Answer: See response to question How many vendors have been included in your RFP process? Answer: Since RIIB is a quasi-government organization, the RFP was posted on our website and on the State of Rhode Island Purchasing website. Any qualified vendor can respond to the RFP. 38. Are you expecting this development to be completed onsite or remotely? What is your expected onsite travel needs? Answer: See response to question 25. RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 6

7 39. Is RIIB looking at any preferred CMS products at this time? Do you have any preferred platform (.NET, Opensource or other)? Answer: See response to question Does RIIB wish to own the CMS and any ecommerce software licenses directly? Or do they wish to have the implementation vendor procure, own and manage the software license for the client? Answer: Given what we currently know, RIIB would prefer to procure and own the software licenses. But we are open to discussion and analysis of this issue with the selected vendor. 41. How many content authors will be accessing the system? How often per day, week or month will these users be updating content? Answer: We hope for a process in which numerous authors may draft content but such content will be finalized by one staff member. We would prefer to limit access to this one person and a designated back-up. We expect to update some content at least weekly but no more frequently than daily. 42. Will the content authors be located in only in the USA or other international locations? Answer: Content authors will only be located in the USA. 43. Will all content authors have access to all the sites? Or will some content authors only have access to specific sites or specific pages within these sites? Answer: Given what we currently know, we d expect the person(s) responsible for maintaining content to have access to all sites except those managed separately for the C- PACE and R-PACE programs. 44. Do you have roles for content authors today? Creators, editors, approvals, etc? Answer: No. The current process is not adequately staffed or well-controlled. 45. What is your volume of traffic today? Monthly? Yearly? Answer: See response to question 10. RIIB is interested in an option to access this data through the development of a new website. 46. What is their current hosting server size for your web and DB servers? Answer: See response to question 10. RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 7

8 47. What percentage of the existing content that will need to be migrated to the new website? Answer: Some of the existing content may require editing by us. With that caveat, substantially all of the existing content will need to be migrated to the new website. 48. Who will be managing this content on going? Is all of the content written by in-house staff, or are external contributors every responsible for providing content? Answer: RIIB staff will be writing substantially all content. In rare cases, external contributors may provide content that must be reviewed, edited, and approved by RIIB staff. Our intent is to have one central point of control. 49. Who will be writing new copy for the website? Page copy? Instructional and help text? Error messages? Other? Answer: Content that pertains to RIIB s programs will be taken from the current website or written by RIIB staff. Content that pertains to use of the website should probably be written by the website designer. We assume that such instructional and help text and error messages are integral to the look and feel of the site. 50. How many people are involved in the editorial cycle and what roles do those people play? Writer, editor, copy editor, graphics creator (for charts), legal approval, manager approval, etc.? Answer: Not many. Content is not highly dynamic, at least not currently. Much of the material supports established programs. Some of it presents periodic financial reports. The most dynamic material currently reflects our rapid institutional change and program development -- posting of RFPs, of draft program regulations, and of other legally required public notices. 51. Will there be a web publishing model or process of approving content before it is displayed on the site? Can you describe this process? Answer: There will be a process, but it is yet to be developed. 52. How do workflow requirements change based on the source of the content or the target section of the site? Answer: This is yet to be determined. 53. Is there any content that is automatically added to your site (such as a live news feed or harvested content)? Answer: No, not currently. RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 8

9 54. Do you have any videos or heavy media that will take up data space or effect download performance? (Large files, video, animation, etc.) How many of these types of files do you have today? Will you see large files increasing greatly in the future? Answer: No, not currently. RIIB may, however, wish to integrate some large videos and/or media in the future. 55. Today you do not have security requirements for website content. In the future will there ever be a need for secured content? Answer: RIIB does not generally interact with private customers either individuals or businesses. As a result, we do not store sensitive private information. In fact, much of our web content is subject to the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act. Furthermore, for planned future programs that will involve individuals or private customers, data security will be handled by respective program administrators on separate websites. Thus, there are presently no formal security requirements for website content. That said, we would not want RIIB s website to be vulnerable to malicious attack. So the selected vendor should provide for enhanced security. 56. Will this site need to be multi-lingual? If so, how many languages will be required? Answer: No. 57. Who will be translating the web content? Answer: N/A. 58. What is the current process for archiving or removing content from the site for any reason? Answer: RIIB s current vendor does not provide archiving and manages removal of content. RIIB will seek guidance from the selected vendor for archiving options and would like the appropriate staff to be trained by the vendor regarding content removal. 59. Has the new information architecture the basic site map and content for the new site structure been decided? Answer: No. Content will include information on current programs, financial reports, etc. as well as future programs, reports, etc. So, much of the current content may survive but, in general, content will evolve organically. Architecture can change to meet our needs for functionality. 60. Has a full audit been performed on the current content to determine what needs to be moved to the new system? Will some content be dropped from the site? Answer: No, there has been no such audit. Some content may be dropped if it is very outdated. RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 9

10 61. Does the content have any tagging today? How is content tagged? What fields are tagged (e.g., company, topic, industry) and what terms are used in each category? How is the taxonomy managed right now? Answer: No. RIIB is open to proposals that include tagging and may work with the selected vendor on this issue. 62. Who will be approving the design? How many people will be involved? Answer: See response to question Will they be using existing photography or will new photos need to be taken or procured? Answer: Ideally, a combination. 64. If we are using existing photography do have the source files, so we may re-size them to fit a new design layout? Answer: See response to question How many resources will need to be trained and to what level? Answer: RIIB has not yet finalized this decision. The staff does not have extensive experience in web design and maintenance; therefore, the proposal should include training. It seems likely that at least two staff members will need to be trained. 66. Can this be a train the trainer session or will we need to have multiple training sessions? Answer: Train the trainer sessions may be acceptable; however, an analysis of staff capabilities should be conducted. 67. Are all the trainees located in one location or off-site? Answer: At this time, all staff members work in one location. 68. Do you require developer trainer on the new CMS system or only content editing training? Answer: RIIB will likely only need content editing training. 69. Are there any third party sites that will need to be integrated? Answer: As discussed elsewhere, there is a site in development for RIIB s C-PACE program. There may be a similar site for a future R-PACE program. These need to be integrated in the sense that there will be introductory materials on the RIIB website with nearby links to these external sites. RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 10

11 Also, RIIB s other programs generally involve close partnership with state government, including the RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Office of Energy Resources (OER). As necessary, RIIB s site should include links to these other organizations. 70. Can we leverage any search tool for this new development or is the vendor required to implement something specific for this implementation? Answer: We are not aware of any restriction. 71. Does RIIB have any stand-alone mobile applications? Answer: No, RIIB does not have any stand-alone mobile applications. RIIB Response January 15, 2016 Page 11