DISTRICT WEB PRESENCE INITIATIVE

Transcription

1 Tucsn Unified Schl District REQUEST FOR INFORMATION # DISTRICT WEB PRESENCE INITIATIVE Issued: Wednesday, September 26, 2012 RFI Respnse Date: Friday, Octber 12, 2012 at 2:00pm Lcal Time Return Respnses by cmmn carrier r hand delivered t: Diana Kerft Prcurement Technical Analyst Tucsn Unified Schl District 1010 E. 10th Street, Bldg B Tucsn, AZ 85719

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3 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 3 f 16 Table f Cntents 1 Purpse and Scpe f RFI Histrical Perspective Wh we are Current Status f Website Desire t mve frward Visin fr an Engaging Web Presence Timeline Scpe A Scalable, Standards-Based Slutin Desired Features Requirements Supprt RFI Prcess and Repnses RFI Respnses Questins abut the RFI Prcess NOTICE Nt an RFP... 13

4 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 4 f 16 1 Purpse and Scpe f RFI The purpse f this RFI is tw-fld. First, it cmmunicates t the cmmunity f web slutins prviders TUSD s current web presence and visin fr the future. Secnd, it invites individual web slutins prviders t present infrmatin regarding slutins and ptins fr the delivery f the district web presence. Our gal fr the RFI is t gather sufficient infrmatin regarding widely available slutins t enable TUSD t cmpetitively acquire and implement a fiscally respnsible slutin that will meet the district s needs nw and in the future. TUSD s website currently cnsists f files develped thrugh web design sftware which requires facility with XHTML, HTML and CSS. We need a system which will allw staff with n specific technical knwledge t update and maintain cntent. In additin, we need a system that is mre rbust in cnnecting t related stries; uplading phts and ther files; and integrating with scial media. In shrt, we must imprve ur web presence, beginning this schl year, and we are cmmitted t that gal. In keeping with that gal, we are launching a multi-phase web presence initiative. Phase I includes a web cntent management system, pht-uplading capability, and ther features designed t enhance the web experience and ease the creatin and maintenance f cntent fr the district website. Future phases include rlling ut the web slutins system t schls, integrating ur website with ur ther data systems, and prviding parent, student, teacher, and staff prtals. In rder t d that in a cmprehensive and data-driven manner, we are inviting the vendr cmmunity t prvide infrmatin n ptins available fr web systems, services, and strategies thrugh this RFI prcess. While we must meet ur basic web presence needs with mdern technlgy and services, we als intend t make every effrt t meet the requirements f Arizna s and the U. S. Department f Educatin s technlgy expectatins fr a 21 st Century capable schl district. The slutin we ultimately acquire, if applicable, must be fully cmpatible with the Federal E-Rate prgram and be fiscally respnsible verall. Mrever, t sustain the adequacy f ur web presence ver time, we will need a rbust mdel fr the entire district that is scalable and flexible t meet ur develping needs. We truly value yur input t this critical prcess and invite yu t send us a written respnse t this RFI by Friday, Octber 12, 2012 at 2:00pm lcal time.

5 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 5 f 16 2 Histrical Perspective 2.1 Wh we are Tucsn Unified Schl District is a large schl district in an urban setting. The secnd largest district in Arizna, we serve apprximately 52,000 students cvering ver 250 square miles (see Appendix A fr mre details). We share the same sci-ecnmic status as the City f Tucsn. The district-wide weighted E-Rate discunt level is currently 78%. Additinally, ver half f ur schls are eligible fr 90% discunts, with several mre at the 80% level. The district has many different types f website viewers. Parents Teachers Students Emplyees Alumni The public, including tax-payers Vendrs Currently, the district faces the need t cmpetitively increase ur enrllment. Lcal charter schls, private schls and nearby public schl districts cmpete with us fr students. We need t present infrmatin abut ur schls, ur accmplishments and ur services in an appealing, engaging and easy-t-navigate manner. With such a large district, we need t be able t cmmunicate news and infrmatin quickly and effectively. We want t be able t tell ur stry s that we can excel in this cmpetitive envirnment and s that we are able t shwcase the many achievements and successes within the district. 2.2 Current Status f Website The district website currently averages 6,500 t 7,500 daily visitrs. Over 50% f thse visitrs are repeat visitrs n a mnthly basis. The district website prvides infrmatin abut Tucsn Unified Schl District and its departments, schls, and services. Each schl als has its wn website. Schl web presences are nt part f Phase I f the district web presence initiative but will be included in Phase II. The district als has an intranet, which at sme pint, we hpe t transfrm int

6 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 6 f 16 an extranet during a later phase f this prject, s that emplyees can access it frm utside the district netwrk. Aside frm a few database systems (such as schl prfiles and jb descriptins), the website cnsists f files written in xhtml. Currently, ur website cnsists f mre than 2,750 web pages. In additin, Wrd and PDF dcuments are available thrugh ur website, fr a ttal f 40,329 files. The website resides n an IIS 5.0 server. We are interested in slutins that will allw us t create, maintain and update cntent n the district website easily and efficiently and that will help us t cmmunicate effectively with ur families and the cmmunity. Please refer t the appendix fr mre details regarding ur current website. 2.3 Desire t mve frward We are very serius abut mving frward. We recgnize the need t cmmunicate quickly and t respnd t changing cmmunicatin needs. We are issuing this RFI t ensure we have the best and mst current infrmatin. We need the assistance f the vendr cmmunity t tell us what slutin cncepts we shuld cnsider if we develp an RFP. We need t understand all the implicatins, becme mre familiar with available slutins, and understand what is invlved in the migratin prcess as we mve ur current cntent int the new system. We will cnsider hsted (clud), n premise (private clud/distributed) and hybrid slutins, but any slutin presented must integrate with Micrsft Active Directry Dmain Services/Federatin Services. The slutin must als include technical supprt and enduser training. If TUSD is t prvide any server r applicatin supprt, the slutin must: Run n Windws Server 2008 R2 64-bit, r greater Run under IIS 7.5, r greater Use MS SQL 2008 r greater fr database services If TUSD is t prvide web develpment supprt, the slutin must be: Develped using current Micrsft platfrms (NET 2.0 r greater, ASP.NET, etc.) We wuld prefer that any n premise slutins leverage r integrate with SharePint 2010.

7 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 7 f 16 3 Visin fr an Engaging Web Presence The leadership at TUSD recgnizes that this district web presence initiative represents a significant and substantial investment f time, effrt, and funding. Fr this and many ther reasns we have n intentin f specifying r therwise dictating a specific slutin r set f technlgies that interested vendrs ultimately must prpse. That is indeed why we are launching the initiative with this RFI prcess. That said, we d have a visin fr what an engaging web presence means t TUSD and what we intend t accmplish with the initiative. Once the RFI prcess is cmplete, we will be in a far better psitin t transfrm the visin int a sensible and feasible set f requirements that nt nly faithfully represent the district s needs but als clearly cmmunicate t interested vendrs and allw fr the maximum breadth f pen, meaningful cmpetitin. Therefre, in yur respnse, please discuss different ways ur visin can be met. The cmpnents f ur visin are described in the fllwing sectins. 3.1 Timeline We plan t issue an RFP in Fall f 2012, and t begin the prcess f implementing the new web system in Winter We expect t g live with the new web presence befre the start f the schl year. 3.2 Scpe As stated in Sectin 1, the scpe f ur visin and f this initiative includes a web system fr the creatin, maintenance and updating f cntent n the district website, in additin t several ther features (included belw), t result in an engaging and cntent-rich website. It includes a web cntent management system, pht-uplading capability, and ther features designed t enhance the web experience and ease the creatin and maintenance f cntent fr the district website. Future phases include rlling ut the web slutins system t schls, integrating ur website with ur ther data systems, and prviding parent, student, teacher, and staff prtals. In shrt, we envisin a district web presence that is cst-effective and prvides mdern, reliable features that fully supprts the academic and peratinal needs with tls that enable TUSD t easily create and maintain the cntent and system. 3.3 A Scalable, Standards-Based Slutin The implementatin f a mre engaging web presence is the first phase f a multi-phase web initiative. In subsequent phases, we will be addressing schl websites and the integratin f district data thrugh a web system r prtal. The successful slutin that we

8 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 8 f 16 implement fr ur district web presence will be scalable s that it can integrate int ur future phases. T ensure ease f maintenance, we envisin a slutin that is based n current best practices and standards. Additinally, we see ur web presence grwing bth in the amunt f cntent we prvide, the number f custmers we serve, as well as the different mdes we prvide ur cntent. Our web presence needs t have the capability t easily add new functinality. Als, the capacity f the strage and design must be able t grw and change as the district grws and changes. Our slutin must allw us t meet the changing needs f ur custmers with little effrt and cst. 3.4 Desired Features In yur respnse, please discuss hw yur cmpany can prvide us with ur desired features. If there are ther features r capabilities yu feel wuld enhance ur web presence, please include them in yur respnse. An Easy Interface fr Updating Cntent Currently, creating and updating the cntent n ur website requires use f web-editing sftware (Dreamweaver CS3) which invlves knwledge f html, xhtml, and cascading style sheets. This limits web-cntent creatin and editing t a small team f staff. With the new slutin, we desire a system that will allw any member f ur Cmmunicatins staff t create, update and edit the website frm any cmputer with Internet access. We are als interested in rle-based cntrl fr cntent generatin and publishing t allw fr wrk-flw. Fr example, cntent-generatrs wuld have the permissins t create cntent and publishers wuld have the permissins t create, apprve and pst cntent. An Appealing and Flexible Visual Design We desire a graphic style that is appealing and markets ur district effectively. We wuld like the design t be develped with ur input and t include prmtinal ad psitins (banners, bxes, and skyscrapers) fr internal and pssibly external ads. Our Cmmunicatins department wuld want t have input n the verall design and specific design features. In additin, t allw fr the web presence t grw with the district and accmmdate future changes, we wuld want t be able t mdify design features as needed, such as changing the district lg. Easy, Cnsistent, and Mdifiable Navigatin and Site Organizatin T enhance web visitrs ability t find features and infrmatin n ur website, we desire cnsistent and clear navigatin thrughut the website. We realize that new infrmatin and prgrams will becme available within ur district, s we wuld like the flexibility t

9 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 9 f 16 mdify the navigatin as needed and t add new sectins t and remve bslete sectins frm the website as needed. Media-Rich Features T prvide a rich and engaging web experience, we are interested in the fllwing features: Stry Archive and Related Stries Feature Our visin fr the district website invlves using it as a means f telling the district s stry. With that in mind, we want t be able t leverage the news and infrmatin that we prvide abut the district, ur staff, ur students, and ur successes. T accmplish this, we want t be able t easily lk up past stries and t prvide a Related Items sectin fr new stries which we create. We wuld like t be able t select which f ur archived cntent items (news stries, phts/graphics, vides) wuld be included in the Related Items sectin. Pht Gallery and Pht Uplad Our wish-list includes a rbust pht gallery, with the ptins fr uplads by staff, students, parents and the cmmunity. T enhance the ability t search phts fr future use, we wuld like t be able t include meta-infrmatin fr each pht. We recgnize the need fr standardizatin in the tags (such as schl names). Interactive Cmmunicatin We recgnize that parents and ther web visitrs expect t have tw-way cmmunicatin thrugh websites. Fr this reasn, we re interested in the fllwing features: Online chats Feedback frms, surveys and plls Discussin frums Emergency cmmunicatin tls, such as web, RSS, and E alerts Payment Prcessing and E-Cmmerce We are interested in being able t cllect payments fr fees thrugh ur web site. Please describe the payment prcessing and e-cmmerce functins that yur slutin ffers. Revenue Generating Tls (such as ad-rtatins) In the situatin that we might chse t ffer ad-space n ur web site, we are interested in learning abut tls yu ffer fr handling ad rtatins and/r the management f ads n the web site. Frmatted: Fnt: Nt Bld Frmatted: Fnt: Nt Bld Other Media Features We are interested in learning abut ther media ptins, including the fllwing: Streaming vide

10 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 10 f 16 Calendar We wuld like fr authrized users t be able t input events int the calendar. We re especially interested in calendars which allw phts and maps. Ideally, the calendar ptin wuld prvide filters which wuld allw ur web visitrs t select areas f interest t display. Fr example, a parent f tw children in different TUSD schls may want t view the main district calendar plus the calendar fr each schl and fr each sprt which the children participate in. T allw calendar exprting, we wuld like ical r sme ther apprach which allws fr exprt int Outlk, Ggle-calendars, and ther calendars. Interactive maps RSS feeds Scial media integratin (Facebk, twitter, Ggle plus, etc.) Mbile and hand-held device frmats Search With a cntent-rich site, a user-friendly and effective search will be imprtant t help ur visitrs easily find the infrmatin they need. Being able t search phts and vides is desirable. Site Analytics We wuld like t be able t easily retrieve site analytics in real-time t help us understand and make the best use f visitr trends n ur website. 3.5 Requirements Yur respnse must include hw yu will meet ur varius requirements r hw yur slutin can prvide adequate alternatives. Accessibility The slutin needs t be ADA-cmpliant. Our district is als under an Office f Civil Rights (OCR) rder t prvide cre dcuments in the mst prminent languages spken in ur district (currently Arabic, Chinese, Nepali, Smali, Spanish, and Vietnamese). While we are nt currently required t translate all f ur website int these predminant languages, we are investigating the ptins. Please address hw yur slutin handles translatins.

11 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 11 f 16 Crss and back-brwser cmpatibility Our custmers can use a wide range f brwsers (Opera, Safari, IE, Chrme, FireFx, including mbile brwsers) and versins. Our web presence slutin must be easily cmpatible with what ur custmers use. Security Please discuss hw yur slutins prvide security f the infrmatin we ffer, and hw yur cmpany, if hsting, als prvides security. We are primarily cncerned with islating ur internal systems frm any public facing site breaches, as well as yur ability t prvide and/r leverage current identity and passwrd prtectin systems. Als, ur rganizatin must cmply with HIPPA, CIPA, FERPA and ther regulatins and guidelines Technical Cnsideratins We will cnsider hsted (clud), n premise (private clud/distributed) and hybrid slutins, but any slutin presented must integrate with Micrsft Active Directry Dmain Services/Federatin Services. The slutin must als include technical supprt and enduser training. If TUSD is t prvide any server r applicatin supprt, the slutin must: Run n Windws Server 2008 R2 64-bit, r greater Run under IIS 7.5, r greater Use MS SQL 2008 r greater fr database services If TUSD is t prvide web develpment supprt, the slutin must be: Develped using current Micrsft platfrms (NET 2.0 r greater, ASP.NET, etc.) We wuld prefer that any n premise slutins leverage r integrate with SharePint Supprt Migratin frm Existing Website Our current website cntains cntent which will need t be migrated t the new web slutin. We wuld like t learn mre abut strategies fr migrating this cntent, as well as services that are available t accmplish this. Training, User Supprt, and Administrative Supprt Because varius staff members will be invlved in uplading and creating cntent, we d like t knw abut yur training ptins, user manuals, and ther types f supprt. Als, discuss what administrative tls yu ffer.

12 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 12 f 16 Please feel free t include any ther features, cntent, capabilities that we didn t mentin that yur cmpany ffers.

13 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 13 f 16 4 RFI Prcess and Repnses In rder fr TUSD t meet the needs f ur custmer, we need t imprve ur web presence. We need an engaging and cntent-rich website. We need t enhance the web experience fr ur custmers and ease the creatin and maintenance f cntent fr the district website. This RFI dcument is the first step in ur prcess. Friday, Octber 12, 2012 at 2:00pm lcal time, is when yur respnses are due t this RFI. Issued: Wednesday, September 26, 2012 RFI Respnse Date: Friday, Octber 12, 2012 at 2:00pm lcal time Our expectatin is that we will receive ptins/suggestins/cncepts (bth technical and service) t ur needs that allw us t write a cmprehensive RFP, resulting in respnsive prpsals and successful cntract executin. Please include with yur respnse cncepts fr training staff, length f supprt, and ther technical infrmatin, in additin t any ther critical infrmatin yu wuld need in rder t prvide a cmprehensive respnse t an RFP. We anticipate releasing an RFP in Fall 2012, and then awarding a cntract in early Winter. We predict, if all ges well, that the selected vendr t cmplete implementatin by August RFI Respnses We are nt specifying a certain frmat fr written respnses t this RFI. We respectfully ask that yu address as many f the stated needs as pssible Please send respnses t the address shwn n the cver page f this dcument, ne riginal and five (5) cpies f yur dcuments. The riginal shuld be marked as Original n the cver, and the five cpies, each marked as Cpy n the cver. Please include an electrnic cpy f yur respnse. 4.2 Questins abut the RFI Prcess Vendrs wh have questins abut any part f the RFI prcess shuld submit their questins in writing t Diana Kerft, Prcurement Technical Analyst, at the fllwing e- mail (preferred methd): diana.kerft@tusd1.rg. 4.3 NOTICE Tucsn Unified Schl District is nt liable fr any cst incurred by any persn r firm respnding t the Request fr Infrmatin. This Request fr Infrmatin des nt bligate Tucsn Unified Schl District t enter int a purchase agreement with any respndent. 4.4 Nt an RFP This dcument is nt a Request fr Prpsal. One r mre Requests fr Prpsals may be issued fllwing the RFI prcess. Yu are being sent this invitatin because the District

14 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 14 f 16 believes that a full understanding by ptential service prviders f ur current IT infrastructure in an pen meeting allwing fr clarificatin f need and current status will be extremely helpful bth t the vendr cmmunity and t TUSD in any subsequent RFP/Prpsal prcesses. The Open Frum is a vehicle t ensure that the acquisitin team has the best infrmatin available n which t perfrm and memrialize its analyses f the fferings relative t the District s needs.

15 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 15 f 16 Tucsn Unified Schl District Purchasing Services REQUEST FOR INFORMATION DISTRICT WEB PRESENCE INITIATIVE APPENDIX A GENERAL INFORMATION 1. The Tucsn Unified Schl District serves apprximately 52,000 students. 2. There are abut 9,000 9,500 full and part-time emplyees during the schl year. 3. TUSD supprts 57 elementary schls, 14 middle schls, 10 K-8 schls, 10 high schls, 7 alternative schls and 15 administrative lcatins. 4. The district cvers a 250 square mile area. CURRENT WEB ENVIRONMENT Main external web presence cntains 7 websites O 48, GB Part f Phase 1 Schl and teacher websites cntains 634 websites 242 Webs are als FTP scped Managed with FrntPage Server Extensins 2002 O 798,545 45GB Part f Phase 2 Main internal web presence Cntains 1 website O 43, GB Part f Phase 2 INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITATIONS 1. Bandwidth distributin as f July 2012: a. 1 Gb (Fiber) 2 elementary, 4 middle/k-8, 10 high schl and 2 service centers (District Office/LIRC) b. 800 Mbps Internet cnnectin frm district ffice

16 RFI fr TUSD s Web Presence Initiative Page 16 f 16 c. 500 Mbps 1 high schl d. 300 Mbps 12 middle/k-8 schls e. 100 Mbps 32 mainly elementary/k-8 schls f. 45 Mbps 3 elementary schls g. 25 Mbps 2 elementary/k-8, 1 middle schl h. T1 (1.5 Mbps) 32 schls and 2 Administratin buildings 2. TUSD is in the midst f a large IT Infrastructure Mdernizatin Initiative that will upgrade all f ur sites t 1Gb (Fiber) t each site. This wrk is expected t be cmpleted befre June Additinally, we are increasing the bandwidth within each site t 1Gb. This wrk is expected t be cmpleted fr all schls by June 2014.