REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL WEB SITE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT RFP #1406 October 15, 2013 Contact Jonathan Allen Executive Director, IT Alameda County Office of Education 313 west Winton Avenue, Hayward, CA 94544 510-670-4290 websiterfp@acoe.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Summary... Page 2 2. Proposals Guidelines & Requirements... Page 3 3. Contract Terms... Page 4 4. Timeline... Page 4 5. Background & Analysis... Page 5 6. Approach, Vision & Strategies... Page 8 7. Budget & Scope... Page 11 8. Proposal Format & Outline... Page 12 9. Existing Technologies & Software... Page 17 10. Evaluation Criteria... Page 17 11. About Alameda County Office of Education....Page 18 ACOE Website RFP Page 1
1. SUMMARY Alameda County Office of Eduction (ACOE) is accepting proposals to design and develop the organization s web site. The purpose of this RFP is to provide a fair evaluation for all candidates, and to provide the candidates with the evaluation criteria against which they will be judged. Proposals are due by 2:00 pm Monday, November 25, 2013. Evaluation, interview, selection and contracting will begin no earlier than December 6, 2013. Selection will occur no earlier than December 21, 2013 with work to start shortly thereafter. The project will be completed and tested by no earlier than March 31, 2014. ACOE currently has a web sites located at www.acoe.org. ACOE wants to address the issue of missed opportunities for a clear and engaging user experience; while addressing inefficiencies in reporting tools, content management, technical support, development, and cost control. ACOE wants to start over with a new site that uses the best components from its existing site, while creating a unified and engaging user experience for its key audiences: members of ACOE organization and the school districts, teachers, administrators, students and families we represent. ACOE expects that a new site will lead to new opportunities for monetization, especially from the educational programs and services that the organization offers. Consequently, a new site should be designed with this in mind. We expect to negotiate a final scope of tasks with the selected candidate once a final strategy for the site is in place. This RFP is for design and development of the web site. Note, it is the ACOE s intention to work with the selected candidate as an ongoing development partner for future work. A successful candidate to this RFP will have demonstrated proficiency, experience and creativity as a web site designer, developer and programmer; a thoughtful plan and strategy for developing and then transitioning to this new site; a plan for site enhancements as budget allows; a content management and administration implementation that makes it easy for nontechnical ACOE staff to update the site; understanding of IT needs and solutions related to the web site; an understanding of cost-efficient solutions; and a working style and approach that is compatible with the ACOE s need for a web development partner. ACOE Website RFP Page 2
2. PROPOSAL GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS This is an open competitive process. In the interests of the environment, the ACOE will only accept electronic submissions. An acceptable electronic submission will consist of one PDF. Within that PDF, we expect you to have URLs and links to your business web site; relevant samples of your web development work; and other web sites and online references as needed. A required format and outline for your proposal is included in Section 8 of this RFP. Your PDF proposal must be delivered electronically to the ACOE offices by 2:00 pm, Monday November 25, 2013. Proposals received after that time will not be considered. The PDF may be delivered the following ways: If 15 MB or under, as an email attachment to websiterfp@acoe.org If larger than 15 MB, as an FTP link within an email, or on one USB flash drive or CD (delivered to the ACOE Office by November 25th, 2013 at 2 pm). Flash drives and CDs will not be returned. We will accept other electronic forms of submission provided they are easily opened, accessed and shared, and provided that you get prior approval for this format from Jonathan Allen (websiterfp@acoe.org) at ACOE. ACOE Website RFP Page 3
ACOE will send candidates an email confirming timely receipt of your proposal. The pricing in your response must be inclusive. If you price excludes certain fees or charges such as third-party licensing fees for software -- you must provide a detailed list of fees with a complete explanation of those fees. If the execution of work to be performed requires the hiring of sub-contractors, you must clearly state this in your proposal. Sub-contractors must be identified and the work they perform must be defined. However, you do not need to tell us how much you will be paying these sub-contractors. Please include the name, address, EIN and contact person of the sub-contractor. The ACOE will not refuse a proposal based on the use of sub-contractors; however we retain the right to accept a proposal while refusing specific sub-contractors you have selected. The contents of your response and the provisions of this RFP will be available for inclusion in final contractual obligations. Consequently, your proposal must be signed by a duly authorized owner, officer or agent of the company submitting the proposal. 3. CONTRACT TERMS The ACOE will negotiate contract terms and final pricing upon selection. All contracts are subject to review by the ACOE s legal counsel. A project will be awarded upon signing of an agreement or contract, which outlines terms, scope, budget, deliverables, timeline and other necessary items. The ACOE will own all the code, programming, content, design and copyrights for the new site delivered by the contractor. Except as noted hereunder, Successful Proposer may not assign, transfer or sell any rights or obligations resulting from this solicitation without first obtaining the specific written consent of the ACOE. Without cause, ACOE may cancel this contract at any time with thirty- (30) days written notice to the supplier/contractor. With cause, ACOE may cancel this contract at any time with ten- (10) days written notice to the Proposer. Cancellation for cause shall be at the discretion of the ACOE and shall be, but is not limited to, failure to supply the materials, equipment or service specified within the time allowed or within the terms, conditions or provisions of this contract. The successful Proposer may not cancel this contract without prior written consent of the ACOE (Purchasing Agent). If execution of this contract shall be delayed or suspended and if such failure arises out of ACOE Website RFP Page 4
causes beyond the control of and without fault or negligence of the Contractor, the Contractor shall notify the ACOE, in writing, within twenty-four (24) hours, after the delay. Such causes may include but are not limited to acts of God, war, acts of a public enemy, acts of any governmental entity in its sovereign or contractual capacity, fires, floods, epidemics, strikes and unusually severe weather. ACOE s acceptance of Proposer s offer shall be limited to the terms herein unless expressly agreed in writing by the ACOE. Proposals offering terms other than those shown herein will be declared non-responsive and will not be considered. Successful Bidder agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Alameda County Office Education, it s governing body, officers, employees, and insurance carriers, individually and collectively, from all losses, claims, suits, demands, expenses, subrogation, attorneys fees, or actions of any kind in nature resulting from personal injury to any person (including bodily injury and death), or damage to any property, arising or alleged to have arisen out of Bidder s negligent acts, errors, omissions, or performance of the work to be performed under the terms of the contract if awarded. The amount and type of insurance coverage requirements set forth herein will in no way be construed as limiting the scope of indemnity in this paragraph. 4. TIMELINE This RFP is dated October 15, 2013, and distribution will begin shortly thereafter. Please submit an email stating your Intention to Respond to the RFP to websiterfp@acoe.org no later than 12:00 pm (noon) November 13, 2013. Failure to submit an Intention to Respond will not eliminate a candidate from submitting a proposal; it may, ACOE Website RFP Page 5
however, preclude you from receiving email updates, clarifications and answers to questions. Questions concerning this proposal must be submitted in writing to websiterfp@acoe.org by email no later than 5:00 pm Wednesday November 13, 2013. Answers to questions and clarifications will be given by November 15, 2013 and shared with all candidates who have submitted an Intention to Respond. Proposals are due no later than 2:00 pm, Monday, November 25, 2013. Proposals will be evaluated by ACOE staff starting Monday, December 2th, 2013. We may require interviews with candidates, site visits or clarifications on or about the week of December 6th. You will be notified if an interview, site visit or clarifications are requested. The successful candidate will be selected and notified no earlier than December 21, 2013. Contract negotiations with the successful candidate will being immediately upon notification. All other candidates will be notified shortly thereafter. Work will begin immediately upon contract signing. The project must be completed and live for the public by no earlier than March 2014. Please leave room in your proposal timeline for alpha and beta testing of the site before the go- live date. ACOE reserves the right to modify the terms, timeline and deliverables of this RFP and the work it prescribes at any time. 5. BACKGROUND & ANALYSIS Background The ACOE currently has a web presence that can be best described as being constructed like an old house. Rooms (and web sites/pages) have been added as needed to serve new audiences, initiatives or strategies and content has been added by various staff but not maintained - thus creating an inconsistent although functional web experience. In the past, as new initiatives were formed within the ACOE, or as the ACOE s role evolved, new web sites were created, or extensions were added to the main site. ACOE would like to continue efforts to manage its web presence through one department (Communications) ACOE Website RFP Page 6
with one point of contact. Other departments within the ACOE will still manage their individual landing pages and associated sub-pages. Analysis of Current Site www.acoe.org is built on Drupal and does have Google analytics. Google Analytics is not fully utilized due to node, site design and layout restrictions. We would like to give our site a facelift by pulling more content onto our homepage, streamlining the navigation and rearranging the site, and adding some enhanced functionality like smart forms to control content. We are interested in using the most update Drupal resources as the foundation of this solutions. ACOE Website RFP Page 7
Goals In general, we want our web site to be visitor friendly and allow for discovery of Alameda County Office of Education events, happenings, and news, as well as allow our visitors to easily share the information they find with their social network. ACOE would like to reduce the amount of staff time spent manually updating content on multiple pages. In addition ACOE want to setup a system of editorial control and approval. This will be a concept to completion production, from scoping to information architecture, design, development, deployment and support. Our Current Web Systems Drupal version 6: Content Management System on top of a WAMP stack MailChimp: Mass email management system (does not currently speak to our site). SurveyMonkey/Zoomerang: Utilized outside of site for small surveys. Vimeo: For video sharing, links are embedded in site. Social Media: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter Site Challenges Brand Confusion Unsatisfying user experience A web site that has way too much text and not enough graphics Outdated content Awkward and cumbersome navigation Web pages without vertical/scroll down limits Too many clicks to get what is needed ACOE Website RFP Page 8
Inadequate stat tracking and measurement of site usage, visits, engagement Missed opportunities for Search Engine Optimization Missed opportunities for monetization Cumbersome content management systems requiring additional ACOE staff work Inadequate platform for multimedia (audio, video, flash) and social networking The selected candidate will work in tandem with the ACOE Communications team to establish brand, look, feel and consistency of the website. 6. APPROACH, VISION & STRATEGIES Approach ACOE intends to build an entirely new site. ACOE s new web site will have an updated and unified appearance, and will be reengineered to better reflect the organization s mission and incorporate the latest web technologies. The new web site will be flexible, fun, informative and made fresh daily while being easy to maintain. It will be an intuitive, user-friendly and user-focused site that can deliver large amounts of constantly changing information to our key audiences. Anyone coming to the site for whatever reason will be able to find what they need. It will employ the latest in Web 2.1 technologies such as multimedia, RSS feeds, and social networking. The developed site will be mobile capable and compatible with new smart phone mobile browsers. It will work smoothly across all operating systems and web browsers. ACOE Website RFP Page 9
Our new web development partner will assume full responsibility for the design, programming and development of this new site. Upon completion of the site, ACOE will be responsible using non-technical tools -- for the web site content, maintenance and administration. Consequently, our development partner must develop the new site with a web-based, database-driven administration interface that allows key ACOE management personnel (without web experience) to easily update content; add graphics and media; access statistics and site usage; and perform other routine site administration, all without directly accessing source code or using HTML or web-based code. Content management and administration also will have levels of control and access (i.e., author, reviewer, publisher). Upon completion of development, the content, coding and graphics will become the sole property of the ACOE. Vision The new ACOE web site will be the a one-stop resource and portal for anyone who needs and wants to know anything about Alameda County Office of Education s program and services, whether you are a school district, teacher, administrator or parent. To that end, our site will have proprietary content, user-generated content and aggregation of other sites and content. ACOE Website RFP Page 10
Strategies 1. Make the site engaging 2. Focus on end-users and audiences 3. Keep web site and home page updated daily 4. Position the site for monetization 5. Keep it simple 6. Use existing software and web technologies that are industry standards Functionality Wish List Navigation: Simple navigation with usability in mind. Taxonomy: Utilize taxonomy to simplify browsing of upcoming events by category, tag, and/or date, as well as to determine where content appears on the site (i.e. allowing us to add content one time to display in multiple areas). Structured Content Management: Streamline and simplify content creation and display. Add events via a form and use checkboxes or tags to associate it with the site s taxonomy (for example one event may display under Holidays, all events, and be the featured events on the homepage.) Calendar: Integrate a calendar into the web site, where we can list all of our events and happenings. We would like for people to be able to browse the events and calendars using the site s taxonomy. We would also like for businesses and organizations to be able to submit their own events which we would then approve for publication. Mobile: Develop site to be mobile-friendly by design. Integration with social media: Ability to post news / events and/or content to Facebook when adding it to the website and vice versa. For published information on the web site, include sharing options for visitors for each page. ACOE Web Development RFP Page 10
Ability to integrate a mass email system into the site to allow for people to subscribe to our various different publications and news updates. Web forms: create various different web forms that allow for visitors to submit information for information updates regarding ACOE program and services SEO and analytics: we would like to be able to pull quarterly reports to demonstrate ROI as well as utilize SEO in order for increased site visibility. Blog: Implement an integrated blogging tool or pull in posts via RSS Audio files: Integrate/embed audio files into areas of the site. Videos: Include a video widget that allows us to pull in YouTube or Vimeo videos instead of trying to embed them into the site which causes issues. 7. BUDGET & SCOPE Your budget must encompass all design, production, programming, software licenses or acquisitions, sub-contractors and third-party or vendor fees for development and hosting and maintenance of the web site (for at least one year following completion of the site). Please be specific and detailed in your budget proposal for the following scope of work: Scope - Review and discover with the ACOE staff the objectives, audiences, graphic look and feel, functions, user navigation and technology requirements of the new web site. Design, program and develop a new web site for the ACOE that incorporates content and component s of the existing sites, while consolidating navigation and other functions. Provide a new look and feel that is consistent with the ACOE brand. Recommend and implement a selected list of enhancements to the site such as multimedia, HTML5 based video, animations, push. ACOE Web Development RFP Page 11
technology. Test the site on a staging server and running side-by-side with the existing sites. to the new. Train key ACOE personnel on site content management and administration. Fees for your development, design and programming for the new site Expenses any subcontractors, licenses, software acquisition, vendors, or hosting costs. If these are recurring monthly or annual costs, please include the amount for one year s worth. Maintenance & Support your estimated fees for one-year s worth of routine maintenance and technical support. How do you charge: Hourly? Flat fee? Retainer? Additional Work how you charge for any additional work or consulting that may be required above and beyond this scope. Hourly? Flat fee? Retainer? 8. PROPOSAL FORMAT & OUTLINE Format The proposal must be delivered as a PDF. If the file is 15 MB or smaller, you may email it to the ACOE as your response. If larger than 15 MB you will need to deliver the PDF on a USB flash drive or CD. In addition, please follow the following format specifications: Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches (vertical or horizontal) Font size: no smaller than 10 points. Maximum proposal length: 15 pages (not including attachments) Graphics: optimized for quick page loading on the PDF URLs: active links within the PDF ACOE Web Development RFP Page 12
Outline Your proposal MUST follow the outline described below: I) Title Page/Cover Letter - Include your company name, address, web site, telephone number, fax number and primary contact person with e-mail, direct line and cell phone numbers. The title page will be considered a cover letter, and should be signed by an agent, owner or authorized officer of your company. II) Qualifications Provide a complete description of your company s structure, expertise and experience in web site design, development and management. Your qualifications should at least include: Company profile length of time in business, founders/owners, number of fulltime employees, organizational capacity, technology, hosting and/or server capacity, equipment, partnerships, vendor or licensed arrangements, and other unique attributes. Statement of Experience & Approach - a brief description of your experience and approach to producing web sites for clients. What makes you different or better than the rest? Describe your in-house skills with design, programming and coding (HTML5, CSS3, JQuery, etc.) Relevant Work a selection of up to five best web sites that you have developed that are comparable or relevant to the work in this RFP. Briefly describe for each your role, budget, and time-frame for completion. Include URLs and screen shots if appropriate. Project Management submit how you propose managing this project, i.e., who will be your main point of contact, who will be assigned from your team and in what roles and with percentage of time involved. Provide a flow chart that shows this project management, as well as the names and bios of those working on this project. Client List comprehensive list of current and past web site development clients References the names and contact information for three former or current clients ACOE Web Development RFP Page 13
Terms & Conditions describe the way you invoice your clients; include a sample invoice if appropriate. Describe any other terms or conditions of your proposed relationship. III) Discovery describe your process for working with the ACOE team as well as other staff involved to review and confirm web site strategy and objectives; design look and feel; user navigation; assessing web site functions and capabilities; technology; hosting; content management; administration; audience engagement; site tracking and usage statistics; timeline for deliverables; and other issues discussed or touched upon in this RFP. The ACOE understands that during this Discovery part of the project, the selected candidate s scope of work may change. Any changes to your proposal that occur from this Discovery will be by mutual agreement of the ACOE and the selected candidate. IV) Design describe your process for designing the look and feel of the web site, information architecture, user navigation, home page and main navigation templates. How do you work with the client? How many design approaches do you create? How many rounds of review? How are design comps presented on boards, electronic, online? V) Development describe your process and standards for developing the new ACOE web site. Your development discussion should address at least the following: Content - Process for porting or incorporating substantial content from the existing sites. Describe your process for getting new content as required from the ACOE. Appeal and User Experience describe the user experience you will try to create such as the ease of the site, visual appeal, graphic and brand theme, tone. Language and Content Management System recommend and select the programming language (and describe why) and the content management system for the new site that will permit non-technical ACOE personnel to instantly update web site content on specific pages without accessing or knowing source code. The content management system should have levels of permission, and also allow the easy and intuitive incorporation of graphics and media. Engagement and Interactivity describe the ways you will make the web site interactive and engaging for users. ACOE Web Development RFP Page 14
Navigation describe how you will create a user-focused and simplified navigation architecture. VI) Technology describe the technology specifications you will recommend and guarantee for the new web site. Your technology discussion should include: Security describe how you will develop the site to prevent against security breaches such as spam, viruses, phishing, DOS attacks, site hijacking, unapproved posting and content, FTP access, personal information or database thefts. Browser and Platform Compatibility - describe the browser compatibility guarantees you will design to such as MS IE 9, Chrome v28, Firefox 20, Safari 5.0 and operating system platform compatibility such as Windows, Mac, Linix, IOS5+. Android 4.0. Describe the minimum browser resolution (i.e, 1024 x 768) and whether pages will be designed for fixed width or stretched. Plugins describe the level of plugin compatibility for Java, Flash and others you will design to, as well as detection software for user compatibility and download/upgrade options for users. Speed describe how you would ensure that the web site loads fast. Describe the specs you will design to. Search Capabilities how will users be able to search within the site for content? Key words or phrasing? Describe search software for internal as well as external searches. Database Integration describe how you will create and manage one common database of users for integration with existing ACOE email, communication and management tools. ACOE Web Development RFP Page 15
Search Engine Optimization describe how you will develop and program the site to maximize SEO. Site Usage and Stat Tracking describe the site statistic and tracking software you will install and use for the web site. This software should provide access to site visits, uniques, page popularity, entry/exit analysis, browser usage, IP location, engagement time, and other relevant info. Software should provide ACOE with easy access to and presentation of this information. ADA Requirements describe how the site will meet all Federally-mandated access requirements adopted by the Federal Access Board under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 provided by the W3C. Mobile Can and how will you design the site so that it, or a version of it, will work on smart cell phones such as the iphone, Android, Blackberry and Google phones? VII) Testing describe your process and criteria for testing the new web site on all browsers and platforms. How do you make a beta version of the site available for testing by ACOE staff? How long do you plan for your sites to be in beta before they go live? VIII) Training - describe your process for training ACOE staff on content management and site administration. IX) Technical Support and Maintenance describe how you will provide ongoing monthly technical support and maintenance. What is your response time to routine questions and requests? What is your after-hours policy? What is your disaster-recovery approach? X) Budget and Fees provide a detailed budget for this project, as described in section 7 of this RFP, to include: Fees for your development, design and programming for the new site Expenses any subcontractors, licenses, software acquisition, vendors, or hosting costs Maintenance & Support your estimated fees for one-year s worth of routine maintenance and technical support. Is this a flat monthly fee? Hourly, and if so ACOE Web Development RFP Page 16
what are the rates? After-hours support? Do you have packages? What is included? Additional Work your fees or hourly rate for any additional work or consulting that may be required above and beyond this scope. XI) Timeline provide a detailed timeline for the stages and deliverables of the project. Make sure that you give a date by which you believe the new site will go-live and the old sites transferred over. While speed to market is important, we are looking for a reasonable go-live date with adequate time for discovery, design review, development, testing and training. XII) Warranty describe the warranty you provide for site design and performance as detailed in your proposal including browser compatibility, speed, navigation, etc. XIII) Attachments include any relevant attachments such as sub-contractor information, vendor information, software descriptions and hosting environments. 9. EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES & SOFTWARE The new ACOE web site may have to integrate with the following technologies and software. Candidates should be prepared to recommend integration solutions, or new solutions if appropriate. We are not necessarily wedded to the technologies below but their functions serve a great purpose to the organization. Electronic newsletters and e-blasts created in web based platform called Constant Contact 10. EVALUATION CRITERIA The following criteria will form the basis upon which the ACOE will review and evaluate proposals. Experience and Expertise Candidate has successfully completed similar projects and has the qualifications, personnel and availability to complete this project. We will evaluate the depth and breadth of staff and subcontractors. ACOE Web Development RFP Page 17
Aesthetic Skills Candidate has the in-house talent to design visually appealing, brandsensitive and graphically exciting web sites. Technology, Programming and Development Skills Candidate has the in-house skill set and knowledge base for all aspects of web and Web 2.0 technology, development and programming. Candidate is confident enough to warrant their deliverables for a certain period of time. Proposal Recommendations Candidate has thoughtfully described the process for development and switching over to the new site; the recommendations for enhancements, IT recommendations; content management system; and the ease of ACOE s management and administration of the site after it is delivered. Budget The candidate has proposed a realistic budget for design and development, expenses and technical support and maintenance. Timeline The candidate has proposed a reasonable timeline, including stages for discovery, development and testing. Service, Creativity, Enthusiasm and Fit Based on the proposal, interviews and/or site visits, the candidate will demonstrate a high level of personal service, creativity and enthusiasm for the project. There also should be a good chemistry between the candidate and ACOE. 11. ABOUT ALAMEDA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION ACOE Web Development RFP Page 18
NONCOLLUSION AFFIDAVIT TO BE EXECUTED BY BIDDER AND SUBMITTED WITH BID he or she is, being first duly sworn, deposes and says that of the party making the foregoing bid that the bid is not made in the interest of, or on behalf of, any undisclosed person, partnership, company, association, organization, or corporation; that the bid is genuine and not collusive or sham; that the bidder has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other bidder to put in a false or sham bid, and has not directly or indirectly colluded, conspired, connived, or agreed with any bidder or anyone else to put in a sham bid, or that anyone shall refrain from bidding; that the bidder has not in any manner, directly or indirectly, sought by agreement, communication, or conference with anyone to fix the bid price of the bidder or any other bidder, or to fix any overhead, profit, or cost element of the bid price, or of that of any other bidder, or to secure any advantage against the public body awarding the contract of anyone interested in the proposed contract; that all statements contained in the bid are true; and, further, that the bidder has not, directly or indirectly, submitted his or her bid price or any breakdown thereof, or the contents thereof, or divulged information or data relative thereto, or paid, and will not pay, any fee to any corporation, partnership, company, association, organization, bid depository, or to any member or agent thereof to effectuate a collusive or sham bid. I certify (or declare) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct. (Date) (Signature) This form must be completed and submitted with your bid package. ACOE Web Development RFP Page 19
BIDDER'S REFERENCES Please provide at least three references COMPANY & CONTACT PERSON PHONE DESCRIPTION OF WORK This form must be completed and submitted with your bid package. ACOE Web Development RFP Page 20