REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL #16-01 RFP QUESTIONS/ANSWERS PART II May 10, 2016

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL #16-01 RFP QUESTIONS/ANSWERS PART II May 10, Q: End of December launch: Our team has found that comparable redesigns, especially ones moving to a completely new CMS, usually require 9 12 months to ensure time for strategic planning, getting audience feedback, design, development and testing. And you also desire an intranet, too. We see that others have already asked about the due date as well, so it's important to know if there's flexibility on launch, or if there are certain aspects that can come online in A: Please refer to the Q&A s posted on on May 5, 2016; Q Q: Availability Clarification: We believe these items below describe developer availability to YOU, and not to DASH customers. Can you confirm? ["Provide telephone support with a two hour response from 7:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday." / "Provide emergency telephone support with four (4) hour response from 6:01 p.m. to 7:29 a.m. EST Monday Friday and on weekends and holidays. (Please state the holidays recognized by your firm.)" / "Provide telephone support with a four (4) hour response from 7 a.m. 6 p.m., Monday Friday, EST"] A: Yes. Available only to ATC. 3. Q: Language translations: Are you expecting manual translations, automatic translations or a combination of the two? A: Please refer to the Q&A s posted on on May 5, 2016; Q Q: Transit Data: What format is the current real time AVL bus information delivered in? A: It is in the format of an API. Another agency that uses Clever Devices as an example: Data available through the API includes: (1) Vehicle locations, (2) Route data (route lists, stop lists geo positional route definitions, etc.), (3) Prediction Data and (4) Service Bulletins. 5. Q. Content: How much of your content will migrate, how much will need editing, and how much will be removed? Will your staff be editing or creating new content, or should we budget for this? A: A majority, to all, of our content will migrate to the new site with editing involved. A very small portion of the content will be removed. We want to design a visually appealing website; one that allows our customers to easily navigate to the information that they need. 6. Q: The RFP notes the need to "Improve business efficiencies." Can we get some examples of where you would like assistance? A: Better brand awareness, higher traffic volume through and across our website, top line location in transit related searches across all search engines, etc. 7. Q: Is it acceptable for out of state companies to bid on this specific project? Do you prefer a local presence? A: Please refer to the Q&A s posted on dashbus.com on May 5, 2016; Q. 11 1

2 8. Q: Is there a MBE or WBE set aside component to this project? A: No. 9. Q: Are you looking for lower cost bids or are you looking for bids that would maximize the budget value? A: We are looking for the best proposer who can provide us with the requirements within the RFP. 10. Q: Who are the key audience groups that will use the new system? A: The DASH customers will be the main users of the DASH website. The ATC employees will be the main users of the intranet. The Marketing and Communications Department (with some help from the Planning and Scheduling Department), will be responsible for the website s content. 11. Q: A) What are your long term (5 year) short term goals (1 year) for the website? A: Long term and short term goals are the same; to provide clear, concise, accessible, and relevant information in a visually pleasing format. 12. Q: What do visitors tell you they like about your site? What do visitors not like about your site? A: Visitors appreciate the fact that they receive important rider information from the integrated Twitter feed on our home page without having to follow us. Website feedback has been minimal. We would like for visitors to easily access route/schedule information and the trip planner without having to navigate too deep into the website. 13. Q: List other websites that you have seen that you really like that have been used as inspiration for this project. Why do you like them? A: Please refer to the RFP, Section C, Statement of Work, Examples of Website Design, page Q: Who are your comparative agencies? For example: would it be other agencies in other states or other organizations? Please list your top three comparatives. A: Please refer to the RFP, Section C, Statement of Work, Examples of Website Design, page Q: How important is security? Are there specific security standards that the new website must meet? A: Please refer to the RFP, Section C, Statement of Work, New Website Goals Chart, page 16, # Q: Who would be responsible for data migration from the old to the new site? A: The award recipient/contractor. 17. Q: How many different templates do you need created for the new website? A: Currently unknown. 18. Q: Who is responsible for hosting the new site? What are your hosting requirements? Are you looking for vendor to host externally and suggestions, or on premises? Would we need to include hosting costs in the pricing? A: Please refer to the RFP, Section A, Instructions to Bidders, 1.3, Purpose, page Q: If on site work is required, would all software and tools be provided? A: On site meetings are required, per the RFP. Additional onsite mechanical or software work will be dependent upon the proposer. ATC cannot define the amount of onsite work to be undertaken. 2

3 20. Q: What is the ideal launch date for this website? A: Please refer to the Q&A s posted on dashbus.com on May 5, 2016; Q Q: Who supports the current site? A: Please refer to the RFP, Section A, Instructions to Bidders, 1.3, Purpose, page Q: Did any external agencies/contractors help in writing any portion of this RFP and will they be permitted to bid? A: No external agencies/contractors assisted in the writing of the DASH Website Redesign RFP # Q: What project management process will work best for this project: waterfall, agile, a hybrid of those, or something different? A: To be determined by the Proposer. 24. Q: How many hours per week are spent on social media? Is the digital marketing or social done inhouse? Is just social media or does it encompass SEO as well as digital marketing? A: About 15 hours a week are spent on social media, which includes composing content, monitoring social media conversations, and responding to comments. All social media work is done in house. The primary goal over the last year has been to increase DASH s social media presence and improve communication with riders via social media by providing timely information that may affect their trip. As DASH s social media presence has grown, the focus has slowly shifted towards digital marketing to attract new riders by utilizing social media advertising. DASH s digital marketing focus will grow even more over the next few months as the new real time bus information becomes available. The goal of the organization is to employ digital marketing to attract more riders to the service and alert them of the availability of real time trip planning since active social media users are the most likely demographic to serve as early adapters and promoters of real time trip planning, especially since most questions about when real time will be available come from social media. 25. Q: Where is the emphasis in the RFP? Is the bulk of it spent on website design or intranet? What is most important? A: The RFP is for the DASH website redesign, intranet and content management system. All are equally important. 26. Q: Where is the emphasis in the RFP? Is the bulk of it spent on website design or intranet? What is most important? A: The RFP is for the DASH website redesign, intranet and content management system. All are equally important. 27. [RFP: Provide a customer centric navigation scheme that improves the ability for users to quickly find and navigate to desired services or information.] Q: Are you talking about navigation services through maps? Can you please elaborate this in detail? A: We want our riders to be able to quickly access the timetable of a particular route/map that they need. It should be prominently displayed, easy to read and quick to respond! 28. [RFP: Provide a site map feature that auto updates to reflect any site adds/changes/deletions.] Q: Are you referring SITEMAP that shows all the working links over the website or something else? 3

4 A: For example, if we change a particular name from King Street to King Street Old Town Metro we want it to update automatically throughout the website so that we do not manually have to find those changes and make them. 29. [RFP: We currently have a Google Transit Trip Planner that utilizes our existing Google Transit GTFS Feed, and would like to implement this on our new homepage in a visually appealing manner along with the Real Time AVL Bus Information System.] Q: We are assuming you need a Trip Planner form on homepage in a visually appealing manner using GOOGLE. I'm assuming you will provide the Real Time AVL Bus Information System API to integrate in the system. It would be great if you can provide any reference related to it. A: Please refer to the current website at as well as the websites listed as points of reference on page 23, Section C, Statement of Work, of the RFP. 30. [RFP: Provide an embedded integration to social media and networking (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) sites.] Q: We are assuming you need to show posts in the system from different social media websites (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and Instagram). Is anything else is required as there are so many features available. A: That is correct. Nothing further is required, at this time. 31. [RFP: Provide a robust calendaring solution to support sub calendars that include events, meetings, holidays, etc. The calendars should allow management from a main calendar and allow for sharing across the website by content/subject matter category.] Q: We are assuming you require a calendar for scheduling events, meetings etc. It would be good if you could provide more detail on this. A: We would like one main calendar that can be accessed and shared. 32. [RFP: Provide site usage and other statistics to allow DASH to analyze and optimize the site based on user behaviors.] Q: We are assuming you need to track each and every action performed on the website with some reporting structures. Please assist. A: That is correct. We want to be able to track user patterns, behavior, etc. 33. [RFP: HTML timetables should update with GTFS data updates, or updates to AVL/ITS system to reduce maintenance costs.] Q: We are assuming you will provide us the API for GTFS data update or updates to AVL/ITS system. A: We will provide the winning contractor with all of the necessary information needed. 34. [RFP: Able to offer language translator options (English, Spanish, Amharic, etc.)] Q: We are assuming you need to integrate Google Translator for the same. A: That is correct. 35. [RFP: Provide a solution to support document collaboration and versioning with check in/checkout capability.] Q: We are assuming to arrange document on the website with history of documents version. For example, the new document will have the version 1.0, and if the user edits the document then it will have the version 1.1.? A: Correct. 4

5 36. [RFP: Provide a solution to allow trained staff to create online forms and surveys that support the collection of information from other users and report results in standard data formats (i.e..xlsx,.csv, etc.)] Q: We are assuming you need to create basic layout forms/surveys to create for the same. A: Correct. 37. [RFP: Allow integration with Microsoft Exchange mailbox calendars to allow information to be pulled into the intranet.] Q: We are assuming to only grab calendar information from a mailbox that shows somewhere in the system. A: Correct. For example, if there is a staff meeting, we would like to be able to have that information pulled from MS Exchange into the Intranet so that folks can see it. 38. [RFP: Provide the ability to create intranet calendars to share special events, project schedules, conferences, holidays, meeting room bookings, training, etc. This feature includes the ability to create department level calendars to track vacations and time off, conferences, meetings, events, etc.] Q: We are assuming that you require a calendar for scheduling events, meetings etc. A: Correct. We would like a calendar we can use to schedule events so that all staff may view it. Not every staff member has access to (Bus Operators), so when they access the Intranet; we want them to be able to view a calendar that includes important dates. 39. [RFP: Support the ability for trained staff to create custom workflows and the ability to monitor status of workflow approvals.] Q: Can you please explain workflow in more detail? What kind of details does it include? A: A progress report on each project. Who is tasked with what on a specific project, has the task been completed, is it partially completed, is more information needed, so on and so forth 40. [RFP: Provide staff the flexibility to determine size and position of page features such as photographs.] Q: We are assuming you need to integrate a system where staff can upload photographs, and the system will determine size and crop accordingly. A: We would like for staff to be able to size a picture without having to be constrained to a specific size. We want the freedom to choose the size ourselves. 41. [RFP: Provide comprehensive site usage statistics in format that can be easily understood by ATC staff to understand how to improve site effectiveness and usability.] Q: We are assuming you need to track each and every action performed on the website with some reporting structures. A: Correct. 42. [RFP: Provide ability to manage DASH s Intranet using the same CMS as is used for the website with the Intranet content being stored in a separate data structure and/or on a separate server from Internet site content.] Q: We are assuming that according to the intranet functionality, the website will work only for a specific server not beyond that. A: The DASH Website/CMS and Intranet will all be hosted on the same server with the possibility of the Intranet being stored on that same server, or another. 5

6 43. [RFP: Integration of ATC employee payroll and benefits information.] Q: Can you please provide more details on this? A: We use the Kronos Workforce Management platform for time management, benefits, etc. ( employees should be able to access their payroll information, benefits, leave, etc. from a link/page to this information on the intranet. Update: ATC is currently integrating an automated time keeping system, and working with Kronos; however, it is not yet finalized as to if Kronos will be the system used. 44. [RFP: Ability to allow third party applets such as widgets to extend the functionality of the site.] Q: We are not quite clear on what kind of third party applets/widgets you need to integrate. A: For example, a social media application that we may want to include down the road should be able to integrate into our website. 45. [RFP: Provide a solution that saves user work such that if user timeouts or is disconnected from the solution content that has already been entered is saved in a draft format.] Q: We are assuming you need to integrate draft functionality if any form needs to be add/edit as user timeout. A: Correct; ability to have the document saved every few minutes so that information is not lost. 46. [RFP: Provide ongoing training tools for new City users or as a refresher to existing users.] Q: We are assuming to provide documentation of how system works. Please assist. A: Correct. If there is an upgrade, etc. we would like to be informed of that and trained, if need be. 6