Request for Proposal San Juan County, Utah

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1 Request for Proposal San Juan County, Utah Website Redesign, Development and Implementation Services ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE CONTACT INFO: Kelly Pehrson, Administrator 117 South Main, #202 P. O. Box 9 Monticello, UT Phone: (435) Fax: (435) [email protected]

2 INTRODUCTION San Juan County, Utah is located in the southeast corner of Utah bordering Colorado to the East, and Arizona to the South. The County is one of the most economically under developed in the State of Utah. According to the 2000 census, 50 percent of the 15,000 residents are Native American. Approximately 4,500 residents occupy homes and nearly 3,600 of those own or are buying their homes. Over 1/3 rd of the population are younger than 18 years old. Approximately 60% of the population earns an annual income of less than $50,000/year with an average household income of 35,000 a year. The County government is one of the top 5 largest employers in the region. The County employs approximately 150 employees who oversee the numerous services to its 15,000 citizens. PROJECT SCOPE San Juan County is seeking the services of an experienced website design firm to update, redesign, develop and implement a new County website utilizing existing information on its current website as well as new information, products and features as suggested by the County commission, Management, IT services, and Department heads. The County s existing website contains the majority of the general information that needs to be maintained with improved access and interaction with modern browsers for multiple platforms including desktop, tablet, and phone screen sizes. It needs to continue to include separate pages for its twenty one different departments and include a welcoming home and contact page. The County wishes to continue to be able to have the IT department maintain and publish updates to all pages and allow department heads to continue to be able to update their specific pages. The County seeks the most cost effective way to achieve the project s goals. The County is interested in the respondents ideas for content and approach in achieving these goals and is encouraging them to consider and propose alternative solutions to work with their existing process as well as being forward thinking with modern tools, design, and management methods. PROJECT BENEFITS A redesigned San Juan County web site will be the public face of government for the County. The website should be attractive in nature and highlight regional attractions and focus on the services the County government provides to its residents. The re design will serve as a catalyst to help departments make their services easier to access and improve communication within the County organization and for the public whom which it serves. The website should become the hub of information for visitors, residents and business owners. It will make it easier for those who currently live and work in the County to get the help they need from local government. 1

3 A Web Re design will benefit residents by being the go to place at any time to find the answers to questions about County services. It will save trips to the County seat, reduce phone calls to County employees and will provide up to date County news, a calendar of events and information on all critical local government issues. A secure online credit card payment process will be considered for select fees and services. Consideration will also be given to an automatic notification system available through , PDA and/or phone about emergencies or hazardous conditions. A Web Re design will benefit businesses by providing instant access to County information and regulations, as well as many online permitting and fee payments. Businesses will benefit from the updated look and exposure and publicity to the region. A Web Re design will benefit prospective residents and businesses by offering them a comprehensive profile of the region, including attractive photos, demographics, school information, recreational and cultural opportunities, local organizations and churches, and residential and commercial real estate information. The website should be a marketing tool that conveys the reasons San Juan County is a great place to live and locate a family or business. The user interface, images and copy tone should be consistent with this objective. A Web Re design will benefit visitors by presenting an engaging, enticing view of the County with a PR message of engagement, involvement and enjoyment of the wonderful natural resources of the region. The site will feather into the Economic Development and tourism site which ideally would be developed in concert with this County operations re design effort. A Web Re design will benefit County employees by relieving them of time consuming, redundant requests for information. Instead, they will be able to direct people to details on a Web page or to online applications and forms. The new website will be easy to maintain with users from each department authorized to post, edit and delete specific content. The improved website would support efficient use of County computing resources by connecting the any County intranet and ancillary sites. A Web Re design will benefit service providers who serve both homeowners and business owners planning to remodel or add on to their home or business who need access to up to date information on County planning codes and processes, as well as forms and handouts needed for planning applications and requirements. A Web Re design will benefit the citizens and those who govern the County by providing a platform for digital democracy. Easy access to County meeting agendas, audio files of commissioner meetings, and searchable pdf s. Contact info for commissioners and all County officials easily available from the home page. Consideration will be given for future video and audio streaming. 2

4 PROJECT GOALS 1. Develop a highly beneficial, cost effective, easy to use, interactive and architecturally sound and flexible website that supports the County s needs 2. Create a standardized format and enhanced user experience for all pages, thereby establishing a unified theme but allowing some level of individuality and/or functionality between County functions and departments 3. Create a website that allows multiple users in different departments to have responsibility in managing their information and flexibility for FTP posting as well as potential of future Content Management Systems (CMS) 4. Incorporate design elements that make the website ADA Section 508 accessible, easy to navigate, appealing, functional and searchable 5. Provide a framework and architecture that will permit future expansion and the addition of new online services as the County s budget, technology needs and demand and dictate 6. Provide a secure site that meets emerging industry standard guidelines on privacy and accessibility PROJECT GUIDELINES In preparing their proposals, respondents should consider the following criteria: User Criteria 1. Visually appealing Design of this site is extremely important. The redesigned website should focus on getting site visitors connected to the information they need with ease. In addition, the overall uniqueness and beauty of San Juan County should be conveyed from the initial impression given on the homepage. 2. Common theme Each section of the site should have a unified look and feel that reinforces the County s image. Each section of the site should be visually relate, yet retain some degree of individuality that reflects the service, department or audience being served. 3. Easily updated Once the site has been completed and accepted by the County, the site should be easy to maintain by non technical members of the County s staff. Flexibility must be given to allow the current IT staff to update via FTP and.html edits while offering a CMS for some departments to modify permissions, approvals and roles, including creating and publishing as well as version control as determined by the IT staff. 4. Fast loading pages The website must be designed with a balance of text and graphics so that the average page loads in an acceptable amount of time on the average computer with moderate Internet speeds. 3

5 5. Easy to navigate The site should be easy to navigate, with information grouped and presented in a logical manner. During the initial phase of the project, the successful contractor will be required to develop a comprehensive site map, which shows the strategy for information architecture decisions. 6. Search engine The site should provide a rapid search capability of the entire site, generating results of high relevance to users. It should also be designed with the latest SEO standards to enable natural search results from search engines. 7. Future flexibility The site should include a flexible design template that can easily accommodate the addition of new functionality at a later date. The site must be able to be handed off in.html format to the County if they determine the designers services are no longer needed and be able to use, modify, and update the site themselves. System Operations and Technical Features 1. The website must provide for high speed upload/download response times for low end to high end computers that are used by the average citizen. 2. The site must provide the same level of service to individuals with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disability as to the general public, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act. All proposals must be Sec 508 ADA compliant and include the utilization of W3C Content Accessibility Guidelines with the website development. 3. The site must be accessible and usable with current versions of commonly used browsers including Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome and Fire Fox, across most widely used operating environments including Windows and Mac OS. 4. The site must be designed to be manageable from the existing client infrastructure at the County. 5. All documents, including maps and tables, should be in HTML, Portable Document Format (PDF) or appropriate image format provided by the County to the service provider. 6. The site should include capability for basic e commerce functions that are consistent site wide, including secure online credit card transactions, verification, fulfillment and acceptance as negotiated and determined by the County based on each departments needs. 7. The site should provide a platform for e government transactions, such as business license renewals and payment of water bills, and other interactive forms as determined by the County and each department on an ongoing basis. 8. feedback/contact forms should be offered on the home page as well as on departmental pages. 4

6 9. The site should support the functional use of the County s existing computing resources and its ancillary sites which must be communicated by the County to the those responding to the RFP. Security 1. The contractor must consider the appropriate and secure use of interactive forms for confidential information such as personnel applications and records. 2. The site must be secured from harvesters and any mailing list modules must be secure in compliance with the stated privacy policies of the County. Other Minimum Requirements and Features: 1. Cross referenced information should be hyperlinked from page to page within the website, with the home page link always visible. 2. Graphic files should be relative to the site and provide for quickest loading. 3. It must have capability to maintain an archive of existing and past records, such as agendas, minutes, press releases and newsletters, with version control. 4. The consultants shall assist departments with information design 5. The County will be responsible to provide content for each page or direct the contractors to the appropriate information to fulfill their obligations. 6. The County staff will maintain the information on the site. A system needs to be in place with capabilities for updating information by nontechnical staff. CURRENT SITE ARCHITECTURE The current website is based on one website domain: The content on this domain is currently managed by County IT using Microsoft FrontPage editors. Several staff members have access to the entire website and can add, edit, manage and delete content. No staff members have any formal training in website management and, consequently, the site suffers from a lack of consistency and some out of date content. There are currently approximately 200 pages in the existing website. In addition there are over 2 gigabytes of content hosted by Netfronts. The largest amount of content is made up of meeting audio files. REQUESTED INFORMATION AND PROPOSAL FORMAT Proposals submitted should include the costs of 1. The Base Bid, which must include: Designing and building a responsive site for Desktop, Tablet, and Phone. Migrating content for top level pages for all departments. E commerce solution for online payments. Custom form platform for online application and submission of documents. Events Calender, Site searchability, Hand off of.html sites to the IT department. 5

7 2. Additional recommended which may include: Cost of hosting the Web site, annual maintenance cost, Custom forms, (price per form), migrating content for all existing pages beyond the top level departmental home pages, Online permitting, Archiving (with version control capability), Streaming video of meetings, Emergency notifications, Citizen request/complaint tracking, etc. 3. The proposal should specify the necessary software and hardware, additional communication requirements, integration needs and potential costs necessary to host and maintain the website (e.g., hardware, software, installation, licensing, training, conversion and testing) 4. The proposal should include details on the firm s years of experience related to website design, the names of all principals and the key personnel who would be involved in the project, as well as their roles and responsibilities for the project. 5. The proposal should include the approach and timeline for completion of the project with a delineation of tasks/activities required of County staff. 6. The proposal should include basic training for a minimum of 20 employees, a training plan, and a training timeline. 7. The respondent should provide a list of comparable websites, including those of municipalities and governmental agencies that have been designed by the firm. Each site listed should include the website address, company/agency contact, ing address and telephone number. These companies/agencies will be contacted for references. 8. The proposal will be prepared and submitted at the respondent s sole expense. Proposals will become the property of San Juan County and will not be returned. 9. Submit three hard copies of the proposal and 1 electronic copy by May 14, SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROCESS The following will be used in evaluating the responses. Experience The County will consider the respondents experience in designing websites, and overall understanding of site architecture, navigation, search capabilities and other components of website sign. References will be verified. Value to users The County will evaluate the respondents proposal to add value to users including recommendations on visual appeal, design consistency, features offered, and technical support. Maintenance and upgrades The County will consider how easy the site is to maintain by various users, including non technical staff, and the ease with which additional features may be added later. Investment The County will consider the total cost of ownership of each proposal, including any annual support, license fees, and the effort required to 6

8 maintain the site. Total cost of ownership will also include County staff time requirements to complete the project. Project management The County will evaluate the team and the methodology proposed for carrying out the project. The County reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals, waive any irregularities in the proposal process, and award a contract as a whole or part, as may be in the County s best overall interests. The County will be the sole judge of the suitability of products, services and system designs offered. Top respondents will be engaged for further information which may at the discretion of the County include a request for proposal presentation or interviews via communications technology or face to face. ANTICIPATED CALENDAR REVIEW & APPROVAL PROCESS. (Subject to change at County s sole discretion) April 15 Release RFP on Operational Website Redesign, Development and Implementation Services May 14 last day for submitting RFP response May 18 RFP Review Committee meeting May 25 Top Proposal review and interviews June 1 Complete follow up reference checks and finalize consultant selection June 6 Present contract to Commission for approval OWNERSHIP AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 1. All screens, graphics, domain names, content and the look and feel of the site developed will be the property of San Juan County, UT, together with all layered Photoshop files and any other type of source files, which would be necessary for the County to update or change the design of the site. 2. All intellectual property developed in connection with the website will be owned solely by San Juan County, UT. 3. In developing the website, the contractor will not infringe or violate the copyright and other intellectual property rights of third parties. 4. All applicable copyright notices will be displayed on the website. 5. The logo of the contractor may be used discretely on the website only by approval of the County. 7

9 COUNTY S RESPONSIBILITY 1. A County representative will be designated as a project lead for the website re design project as a liaison with the contractor to monitor all technical aspects and assist in administering the contract. 2. The County will be responsible for providing the contractor with the specific information on the content of the website. 3. The County will furnish acceptable use images with associated intellectual property rights which are cleared for the purpose of the website or pay for additional 3 rd party services to secure such photos, or request this service in the contract specifically as an additional line item in the bid. 4. The County IT department, management, and departmental representatives will be available as necessary to answer questions and provide resources. 8