From: Marshall Flynn, IT Director Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Date: March 23, 2018 Re: Website Redesign

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1 From: Marshall Flynn, IT Director Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Date: March 23, 2018 Re: Website Redesign The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) is seeking professional graphics design services to redesign its website and to provide a coordinated look for the organizations print collateral and electronic communications, projecting a classic yet modern design. The current website can be viewed at The new website design and additional communication materials, both print and electronic, should incorporate the TBRPC s new logo and it s design and colors. The Skyway Bridge has been an integral part of the TBRPC Logo for the past 30 years and should remain prominent in any design going forward. Below is the new logo. Electronic files can be provided upon request. TBRPC has identified your company as a possible candidate to respond to a limited RFP outreach so that you may prepare a proposal to accomplish the task that includes timeline, cost, and deliverables. The following RFP includes a background of our organization and describes the purpose of the redesign and overall modern branding strategy, the desired functionality, and specific requests relating to the proposal. We understand that details may be subject to change upon vendor recommendation and/or research of more optimal solutions. In your proposal, please suggest alternatives where applicable. Table of Contents 1. Guide to this RFP 2. Project Overview 3. Background 4. Project Goals 5. Scope of Work 6. Anticipated Meetings 7. Deliverables 8. Technical Requirements 9. Budget 10. Project Timeline Page 1 of 8

2 11. Criteria for Selection 12. Proposal Details and Requirements 13. Contacts Guide to this RFP Website Redesign Request for Proposal March 2018 Our expectation is that this document will convey our vision for the new website and communication material which would replace our current website and branding materials. It includes a background section about our organization, suggests an outline for organizing the content of the new web site, and desired technologies as well as additional branding materials. In providing these details, our intent is not to convey that we have all of the answers in creating the best possible site or branding materials. The ideal and preferred vendor will bring its own suggestions and vision based on industry expertise, technical capability, and client relations, guiding us to incorporate our goals into that vision. Project Overview for the Website Redesign TBRPC currently has a standard Server Side Includes SHTML website, which is currently maintained with Dreamweaver. The current site lacks modern functionality and aesthetics and limits updating due to the single Dreamweaver license. TBRPC desires a CMS website where we can have our limited staff add content related to their programs. We started the process of converting the site ourselves, first with Joomla and then with WordPress due to the familiarity with that Content Management System functionality in other TBRPC products. We are open to other options rather than WordPress, however it would help further maintenance due to the fact that we have staff that are familiar with WordPress. Templates were purchased for both Joomla and WordPress, with the intent to update the site internally, and can be used by the chosen vendor if desired. As a separate task, and part of the new branding initiative along with our modern website, we are also requesting the following user- friendly templates to match the look and feel of the new logo and the new modern website: Creation of a font family as well as color tones to be used by TBRPC for all communications both print and web-based. Letter-head Template Business Card Template Signature Template Tri-fold 8 ½ x 11 Print Brochure Template Tri-fold 11 x 17 Print Quarterly Newsletter Template/Designed for Bulk Mail Distribution Constant Contact template for a quarterly online newsletter. The tri-fold pamphlet template must be in commonly used software for easy staff updating without the use of specialty software such as InDesign. PowerPoint Template Future or the Region Awards Logo to coordinate with TBRPC Logo and Colors Additional Background TBRPC brings together governments to coordinate planning for the community s future and provide an opportunity for sharing solutions among the local government jurisdictions in the sixcounty Tampa Bay region. Page 2 of 8

3 TBRPC was established as Florida s first regional planning council in 1962, when representatives from St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa recognized the need for regional coordination. They believed growth and community issues extend beyond county and municipal boundaries, a concept that still defines the Council s purpose today. TBRPC is one of ten regional planning councils in Florida. Project Goals The goal of this project is two-folding to create a new branding strategy for the organization. The open-source CMS public-facing website with backend access and authoring capabilities by TBRPC staff. Some requested features would be responsive design and a robust event calendar capability. In addition, the ability to update, author, maintain internally by TBRPC staff on the backend. The new site should enable timely updates regarding issues of regional concern, events, new publications, reports, data & maps, job announcements, internal program resources, and links to other regional websites and resources. The chosen applicant will redesign current website in a CMS format and fill it with minimal content to enable it to function as designed. After delivery, TBRPC will backfill documents, data and links to bring it to its fully functioning state. Scope of Work This RFP is for services to create a new branding strategy for the organization and to redesign the existing website to improve education, coordination, and communication between TBRPC, its partners, decision-makers, and the public. The website s goals are to keep member governments informed on issues related to the Council s involvement in the community, allow partners to access TBRPC documents and data visualization tools, allow TBRPC Board Members to access information regarding meetings and content, and keep partners and the public educated and informed regarding TBRPC news. We feel the following components are important pieces of information: Our website is hosted internally and will be housed on Debian-based OS (Ubuntu) It will have SMTP ability to only for the CMS Adaptable (responsive) to tablets, and smartphones Tasks 1. Design phase and Planning a. Discuss needs and recommendations (i.e. use of template or not) b. Develop Design outline to meet needs c. Meet with TBRPC Staff to approve options and direction 2. Website Layout and Development a. Design process and coding proceeds b. Testing and Staging c. Unveil minimum working site with functionality 3. Quarterly Newsletter that ties to the website and the branding strategy a. Constant Contact template b. Tri-fold pamphlet populated with new logo and material 4. Transfer and Training Page 3 of 8

4 a. Meet with TBRPC to handover site by approved method b. Attend final staff level meeting to go over features and authoring examples c. Basic How-To guide for common tasks like adding/updating material Anticipated Meetings TYPE PURPOSE PARTICIPANTS Kickoff Conference Call Understand Goals Consultant, TBRPC IT & select staff Design Meeting Review design options and Consultant, TBRPC direction Handover and Training Transfer site and Train Consultant, TBRPC Deliverables One working minimal CMS website with features outlined in Technical requirements section, and one Training meeting at website handover with How-To Guide. Create of a font family as well as color tones to be used by TBRPC for all communications both print and web-based. Letter-head Template Business Card Template Signature Template Tri-fold 8 ½ x 11 Print Brochure Template Tri-fold 11 x 17 Print Quarterly Newsletter Template/Designed for Bulk Mail Distribution Constant Contact Newsletter Template Technical Requirements The TBRPC website will be an information conveying platform. It will not be an e-commerce site and have fairly basic capabilities. Content Management Software Preferred open-source CMS website solutions: WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal with demonstrated preference towards one over the other by consultant and overall end-user experience. Programming Language This is not that applicable, however we expect the core to be based around PHP with JavaScript throughout for certain functions, depending on CMS. Web Host TBRPC hosts its own servers Page 4 of 8

5 Browser Support Minimal compatibility for browsers would be Internet Explorer 11, Chrome 55, Firefox 54. Portable device compatibility would be minimum IOS 6 and Android 4.0 Integrations We require no integration with accounting, server, or other applications like CRM. User Accounts TBRPC will be responsible for setting up user accounts after website is transferred over. A generic author and admin accounts will be setup by consultant for testing and demonstration purposes. Mobile Responsive Design We would like some form of mobile responsive design. A common type like having menu bar transform into hamburger menu and image scaling are examples that would suffice. Calendar and Events TBRPC has many meetings and events. We need the ability to allow end-users to add events to their calendar(s). Features similar to Timely Calendar Plug-in, or ability to use that one. We also have a license for Events Calendar Pro, which could be utilized. Announcements An announcement section or column that has latest news and announcements, but displays for a prescribed period of time (like expire 2 days after event or time). Agendas and Meeting Materials File management or organization of agendas and meeting materials that looks intuitive for enduser to get at older archived material. Basic Features Logo in header space Social Media Icons in header space Search bar or icon in header space Flexible pulldown menu below header o Home o About Us o Council o Meetings & Agendas o Programs o Resources Fading image area for shuffling through images below menu Page 5 of 8

6 News/Announcements Area Events/Calendar Area Quick Link area with icon links Google map of location (full width) just above footer area Sitemap footer links Budget The budget for this project shall not exceed $35, This is based on the fact that a full website with all existing content is not being requested and a new logo has already been designed. Transfer and porting of existing data is not necessary except in the case of demonstrating features. Project Timeline We envision this process to hopefully take no longer than 3 months to complete. We would like to see a test or staging demonstration by the end of April, if possible. Website handover/transfer and training by mid to late May. Criteria for Selection We will evaluate on many things, but we will take into account proven examples of similar website projects designed by consultant, communication and availability of consultant, and value for quality of work. Proposal Details and Requirements Proposals must include a (1) cover letter, (2) title page with abstract, (3) narrative with citations, (4) timeline, (5) budget (task-based budget), (6) description of qualifications. Page limits for each of these components are provided in the individual descriptions below. Proposals that do not contain all of the information requested and/or do not meet the format requirements will be eliminated from consideration. Pages that exceed the maximum number specified for each section will not be reviewed. Proposal due date: April 6, Title Page Project Name: Use the exact project name as it appears throughout the proposal. Primary Manager Name and Contact Information: Provide the name, title, and affiliation of the primary manager, as well as mailing address, phone number, and address. Financial Contact Name and Contact Information (if applicable): Provide the name, title, and affiliation of the individual responsible for financial/contractual negotiations (if different from primary investigator), as well as mailing address, phone number, and address. Project Partners (if any): Provide the names, titles, affiliations, for each of the additional investigators or support staff who will significantly contribute to the project (if any). Funds Requested: Provide the amount of money you are requesting from TBRPC for the project. Project Location Description (City, State): Provide the state and city where of the primary location where work will be completed. Page 6 of 8

7 Abstract: The abstract must accurately describe the project being proposed and include: (1) the objectives of the project, (2) the methodology to be used. The abstract must fit within the title page. Proposal Narrative The proposal narrative must not exceed Two (2) consecutively numbered, single-spaced pages. Because this is a design project, applicants may wish to include images in their proposal. Any image included must not exceed three (3) additional pages. Problem Description: Briefly describe the project. This section can also include brief background or introductory information. Objectives: Briefly outline how the project will meet the goals of the RFP. Methodology: Outline the project s design and describe the methods and techniques that will be used to meet the goals and what particular CMS application can fulfill objective. Expected outputs and outcomes: Describe the project s expected outputs and outcomes, and list and describe end-products. Roles and Responsibilities: Define the roles and responsibilities of all project participants. Citations: Include references as appropriate within the proposal narrative. Timeline Provide a timeline following tasks outlined in RFP. This can be on one page or shared on the budget page below. Budget On a single page or shared with timeline above, show the project budget. First, provide an overall budget for proposed work tasks based on your experience with similar projects. Second, prepare a budget that is broken down by project tasks and sub-tasks (if necessary) to complete this project. Contractual payments will be made based on this budget. Qualifications The applicant chosen for this project should possess the academic and/or professional expertise and certifications in the relevant subject areas, and have a strong track record in delivering projects of this nature. Applicants must be able to demonstrate extensive experience in website design and creation, public information, social media and preparation and distribution of relevant Council initiatives and activities The qualifications section, including resumes, CVs, descriptions of past projects, etc. must not exceed 3 pages. Page 7 of 8

8 Contacts For Questions, please contact TBRPC Project contact is Marshall Flynn, IT Director TBRPC Executive contact is Sean Sullivan, Executive Director or Wren Krahl, Deputy Executive Director, Submit Proposal PDF by April 6, 2018 to: Wren Krahl, Deputy Executive Director Page 8 of 8