REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Explore Ontario s Land Trusts Accessible Website and Guide Background The Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA) is a not-for-profit, charitable organization, registered in 2002, with a mission to strengthen land conservation across Ontario by building and supporting a strong land trust movement. OLTA accomplishes this mission by supporting and enhancing the effectiveness of land trusts through training and educational programs; by promoting networking and helping to ensure land trusts implement a set of national standards and practices; by delivering financial granting programs to support direct land conservation efforts on the ground; and by promoting the land trust movement to the public and other stakeholders. For more information about OLTA and land trusts, please visit www.olta.ca. Land trusts provide a range of benefits to the communities they serve. They own and manage conservation lands that provide opportunities for passive recreation such as hiking, birding and quiet enjoyment and engage the public through educational programs, stewardship initiatives and more. As community-based organizations that hold lands "in trust" for the public, land trusts have an obligation to be as inclusive as possible and to explore ways to engage and inform all citizens, regardless of their abilities. This need is only heightened by the aging demographic of those involved with the land trust movement. By creating a promotional website detailing the range of activities, amenities and educational events land trusts offer, we can collectively extend the reach of our community, and share the benefits of conservation properties and programs with a greater demographic. A website that presents OLTA members collectively also demonstrates the impact and accomplishments of the land trust movement throughout Ontario. In partnership with the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, OLTA is delivering an initiative called Naturally Accessible - Discovering Ontario's Land Trusts to educate and train Ontario's land trusts and other conservation partners on their obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and to work with them to promote and grow accessible recreational, outdoors and educational opportunities offered to the public through their conservation properties and programs. As part of this initiative, we have surveyed our land trust member organizations to determine what properties, events or programs they wish to promote to the public, and any accessible features that they may offer for people with disabilities. OLTA is now seeking the services of a web developer to build and host a website showcasing the public opportunities of Ontario s land trust community. This site must conform to Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. The consultant will work with OLTA to design and launch this website, including the RFP Website developer 1
functions and features necessary to ensure it is both user-friendly and accessible to people with a range of disabilities. Deadline The deadline for receipt of proposals is: 1:00pm EST Friday, December 15, 2014. Contact For further information about this RFP or details of the project and/or OLTA more generally, please contact Kate Dykman by email at kate.dykman@olta.ca. All questions submitted will be compiled and responses provided to those contractors who received or expressed an interest in the RFP, according to the Timeline in section 1.2. Section 1 Scope of Work 1.1 Project Components The consultant will work with OLTA staff members to design and construct a website promoting OLTA member land trusts. This site must conform to Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. OLTA s current website uses a WordPress platform, but we are open to other potential solutions. The following description outlines both the functions and general presentation of the proposed website. This information is based on existing interactive maps and the data we have collected and wish to display. Necessary Website Components a. Member Directory OLTA has approximately 30 local land trusts which are described on the website. They will be displayed in a list format, and each land trust will have a separate webpage with consistent content, including but not limited to: contact information a description of their area of interest (the region they work in) information, including photographs, on two properties they own or manage, including the property s trails and amenities available to the public (the website design should support the ability to list and describe additional properties in the future) a short description of a limited number of annual events held by the land trust b. Member Map The Member Map will provide a visual display of trail or feature access points for two properties for each land trust. OLTA will add more access points over time as we gather data from our members. OLTA s existing Member Map displays Geographic Information System (GIS) shapefiles of each land trust s area of interest, displayed as coloured polygons on a static map image. OLTA has these shapefiles to share with the contractor if desired. c. Search Functions RFP Website developer 2
The website will provide an accessible search function to locate land trust properties by the permitted activities and by proximity to an address. A complementary map-based navigation to find land trusts, for users without visual or dexterity limitations, would be a desirable feature of the new site. However, map-based navigation is not a mandatory requirement. d. Multimedia Functionality OLTA intends to add captioned sound and video media content to the website in the future, therefore the contractor shall incorporate the necessary accessibility functionality into the design of the website to enable this development. e. Responsive Design Many people with disabilities are able to use the accessibility features of their mobile devices to enhance their web browsing experience. The accessible website should be designed so that it is responsive and usable by individuals with popular mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets. OLTA understands that support for accessibility standards varies across the mobile device platforms and operating systems, f. Two Requirements Workshops OLTA has developed initial requirements for the website, these are illustrated in the wireframes attachment (Schedule C) which is part of this document. The wireframes are not intended to suggest a final design or to constrain the contractor from proposing creative and accessible solutions for the website. The contractor will facilitate two four-hour workshops with OLTA to explore and finalize the requirements. These workshops should be scheduled at the beginning of the project, about 1 week apart to allow for any staff work needed between workshop sessions. OLTA staff/volunteers will document revised wireframes for the contractor within a week of the workshop dates. g. Website Accessibility Testing The contractor shall allow up to four weeks following completion of the draft website for OLTA staff/volunteers to conduct accessibility testing of the website before proceeding to the final stages of development. The draft website will contain some initial representative content so that the testing can confirm the accessibility of both the navigation and the content. The contractor must incorporate this testing period into their project plan and remain available for questions, consultation and potential remediation while OLTA performs this early accessibility evaluation of the website. h. Consultation and Training The contractor will consult with OLTA to review the content and branding material for the project. This will include two in person meetings with OLTA staff members and RFP Website developer 3
volunteers, and consultation by phone necessary for key decision making throughout the website development process. It will also include one day of training for OLTA staff member(s) to be able to edit and update all website components, and up to 10 hours of additional technical support following the launch of the website to remediate website deficiencies. 1.2 Timeline The following are anticipated timelines and dates, subject to change: RFP distributed and posted November 26, 2014 Deadline for Question Submission December 3, 2014 Q & A Document Provided December 5, 2015 Deadline for RFP responses December 15, 2014 Selection of successful applicant December 22, 2014 Completion of website and downloadable resource guide May 1, 2015 1.3 Budget Submissions should provide a full breakdown of costs, including a per diem or hourly consulting rate plus all applicable taxes and disbursements, if any. Recognizing the grassroots, charitable nature of our organization, it is hoped that the consultant will be in a position to offer some of their time as an in-kind contribution. Section 2 - Selection of Applicants 2.1 Proposal Content Requirements Proposals must reference past performance, technical approach (how the applicant(s) proposes to perform the Scope of Work), project personnel, fee for proposed services. Please include the following information in a concise proposal: Applicant Experiences and Abilities Section 1 Applicant Profile - Experience and qualifications of the applicant(s) - Resume - Two (2) references - Two (2) example websites (publically accessible URLs) designed and developed by the contractor that meet the WCAG 2.0 AA requirements (AODA Web Accessibility Requirements) Work Plan and Deliverables Section 2 Work Plan and Deliverables - Proposed scope of work - Description of how this approach will fulfill the goals of the project RFP Website developer 4
Budget and Fees Section 3 Budget and Fees - Budget reflective of the activities with HST - The total price quoted must include all labour, materials and equipment (if any), disbursements and any/all operational costs and fees associated with the services. OLTA shall not be responsible for any additional costs - Please include daily and/or hourly consulting rates for key personnel 2.2 Selection Criteria The selection of the successful applicant will be based on the following criteria: - Completeness and quality of the proposal in addressing the Scope of Work, including understanding of our sector - Experience, knowledge and competency of the applicant - Cost and value of services provided, including any in-kind contribution - Ability to meet timelines OLTA is not obligated to accept the lowest, or any, application. Section 3 Other Terms and Conditions 3.1 Financial Arrangements An overall anticipated cost for the project should be clearly detailed and specified with a breakdown of the individual elements. Unless otherwise agreed upon, payment will be made upon submission of a detailed invoice upon completion of the agreed upon work. 3.2 Conflict of Interest OLTA reserves the right to reject submissions from respondents who, in the opinion of OLTA, may have a conflict of interest in relation to the services described in this RFP. The determination of a conflict of interest will be at OLTA's sole discretion. 3.3 Applicant's Acceptance of Terms and Conditions Each applicant, by submitting a proposal, signifies that the applicant has read, completely understands, and accepts the terms and conditions of this RFP in full. 3.4 Proposal Submission Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to admin@olta.ca. The deadline for receipt of proposals by OLTA is: 1:00pm EST December 15, 2014. RFP Website developer 5
Receipt of your application will be acknowledged by e-mail within one business day of submission. Should you not receive such an acknowledgement, it is your responsibility to contact OLTA to confirm receipt. RFP Website developer 6
Schedule A Responsibilities of the parties: OLTA To provide all logos, content and photos necessary to present the individual land trusts and their properties and trails To participate in two requirements workshops which the contractor will facilitate. The workshops will be four hours in length Staff/volunteers will document the workshop results (including up to 12 wireframes) and provide them to the contractor To provide website accessibility testing early in the website design process to ensure the chosen design meets Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 To provide feedback and decision making for the contractor in a timely manner Contractor To develop the project plan which is agreeable to OLTA To facilitate the requirements workshops - there will be two four-hour workshops which will take place early in the project. It is anticipated that they will take place a week apart in order to allow the contractor to propose candidate design solutions at the second workshop. Workshops will take place at a location and on dates determined in consultation with OLTA To design and develop a website which supports the content, functionality and navigation defined in the two requirements workshops. Refer to "Section 1 - Scope of Work" for additional details To populate the website with content which describes two representative land trusts Will provide additional decorative photos which may be necessary to the design of the website, using stock photos which represent a cross-section of Ontario s demographics and natural areas To provide training to OLTA in the content management system (CMS) of the website so that OLTA can make future content updates A demonstration of the website for OLTA and the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario (the project funding agency) should be included in the project plan. This demonstration can take place in Toronto, or remotely by web and teleconference. RFP Website developer 7
Schedule B Please see the draft wireframe document for a preliminary high-level description of the proposed website. The wireframes are provided to the vendor in order to scope the work effort and support the two requirements workshops. The wireframes should be taken as guidelines for the anticipated content, functionality and navigation on the site. They should not be interpreted as a comprehensive or final definition of requirements. Requirements will be finalized in the two 4-hour workshops. OLTA looks to the contractor to bring their expertise in developing user-centered design and accessible websites to the project, and encourages creative and innovative solutions. RFP Website developer 8