Intelligent Transportation Society of California RFQ for Website Development Services Release Date: April 20, 2018 Responses Due: May 11, 2018 Contents 1. Background...2 Objective...2 2. Scope of Services Required...3 Development Guidelines...3 Tasks...4 3. Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Requirements...5 Relevant Experience...5 Schedule...6 Key Staff...6 Other SOQ Elements...6 4. Questions and Submittal Information...7 1
1. Background The Intelligent Transportation Society of California (ITSCA) is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to broadening the use of technology solutions to achieve mobility in California. It is a state chapter of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) though the two organizations operate completely independently. It is governed by a Board of over twenty Directors (they are listed on the website). ITSCA hosts events in various regions of Northern and Southern CA - the events are comprised of luncheons, longer workshops, and an annual meeting that draws well over 600 attendees every year. Events have grown in popularity and membership continues to grow. ITSCA owns and maintains a website at http://itscalifornia.org/. ITSCA made a significant update to the website in 2013; since then the updates have been minor. It utilizes a Joomla content management system, the website theme is "Infinite" - see https://demo.yootheme.com/joomla/infinite. The website is hosted by Hostgator. ITSCA also has Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, and a MS Sharefile site for internal file sharing. ITSCA also utilizes Constant Contact for distribution of information over email; our database currently has 3000 entries. For luncheons and other events, ITSCA uses Eventbrite and Universe. Currently, website updates are made by Board members and our ITSCA administrator, who are supplemented by an outside contractor that ITSCA calls on for more urgent or complex requests. Objective The ITSCA Board of Directors (BOD) wishes to complete another significant website update, to achieve the following objectives: Have an aesthetically pleasing and inviting website that follows best practice for graphic design in our area of expertise Have a website that is simple to navigate, that is easy for members to find information they are seeking (the current website has over 30 sub-pages) Encourage new memberships Highlight and Increase advertising opportunities Deliver a message that is consistent and scalable across web and mobile platforms Provide a secure website 2
ITSCA wishes to have a website that is easy to maintain. The site must be user-friendly and able to deliver large amounts of constantly changing information to the members of our organization. In addition to designing a user-friendly site with an intuitive interface, we must also have a site that the ITSCA Administrator and Website committee can update easily with minimal or no changes to the source code, and with minimal knowledge of website development software. ITSCA expects to maintain most of the key information contained within the current site, such as: Organizational information Meetings and events (NorCal and SoCal) Scholarship opportunities Members and Directors Past event photos, presentations and other information Positions available Member Announcements Banner ads on the front page While the primary objective of this effort is a website overhaul, ITSCA would also appreciate guidance on how the organization can take better advantage of social media - posting, schedule and frequency, content formatting, etc. Also, ITSCA is seeking guidance on who is typically responsible for that within an organization like ours, and understand what the benefits of outsourcing some of these activities might be. ITSCA will assume full ownership including responsibility for website content maintenance and administration. All content, coding and graphics will become the sole property of ITSCA. 2. Scope of Services Required The scope of this project is to redevelop/reorganize the existing ITSCA website. ITSCA will provide access to all of necessary files and media to the selected vendor or company. The site must be developed using a platform that the Website Committee can easily and cost effectively update content and modify site design after the initial launch. Development Guidelines Ideally, the successful candidate will provide a custom theme/layout that is easily updated, visually appealing, consistent across pages, and easy to navigate. Once the website has been 3
completed and accepted by ITSCA, the website design and all of its contents, software and architecture become property of ITSCA. ITSCA encourages creativity in the proposals submitted; however there are certain requirements for the website project. The website must be compatible with all primary web browsers (Chrome, Safari, Explorer/Edge, Firefox, etc.). It should not require plug-ins. The site must be mobile friendly, or a separate mobile theme for display on mobile devices provided. Tasks ITSCA encourages creativity in the development of a scope of services, however to help responders estimate level of effort, the following sequence of tasks is suggested. NOTE: Since the ITSCA Board and website committee are located throughout California, it should be assumed that all meetings will occur via web conference. ITSCA is familiar with Microsoft Skype for Business, GoToMeeting, and WebEx, though other platforms can be entertained. 1. Kick-off workshop: Meet with the ITSCA Chair, Administrator and Website Committee to confirm elements of work scope and schedule. At this meeting, the consultant will present to the committee examples of other websites in order to gain information on what stakeholders like, disliked, etc. This will also be an opportunity for consultant to gain a clearer understanding of the expectations and capabilities of the ITSCA personnel tasked with website maintenance. Finally, the consultant should also address engagement through social media at this meeting, to understand the goals of the committee regarding social media management. 2. Draft website and theme selection: The consultant will develop a minimum of five graphical shells (or themes) for the website for the committee to review and comment on. The structure of the site should be developed enough so that the committee can review the placement and organization of content and subpages. The consultant will schedule a review meeting at least two weeks beyond the submittal date to allow the committee to internally review and discuss. The committee will review the site across all platforms (desktop and mobile). After the review meeting, the consultant will receive written and oral feedback from the committee, and based on that, advise on the schedule for development of the remaining content. 3. Final Draft of website: The consultant will develop a final draft of the website, based on review comments received. At this point all of the text and graphical content should be included, widgets should be live as well as connections to social media accounts (if desired by the committee). As before, the consultant will schedule a review meeting at least two weeks beyond the submittal date to allow the committee to internally review 4
amongst themselves and discuss with the Board of directors. After the review meeting, the consultant will receive written and oral feedback from the committee, and based on that, the schedule for development of the final site. 4. Final website: Based on final feedback, the consultant will develop the final website. The consultant will advise the committee when the site is ready to go live. The consultant should expect to receive some final minor comments, and two or three updates to the site in response to those comments. The committee will then advise the consultant when the site is approved for posting, and the consultant will transition the site to the public internet site. This work should be done off-peak so that the site populates across the internet. The consultant should be on-call during the first hours of publishing to make immediate fixes, and should also be available for the first week after publishing for less urgent requests, in the event that issues are encountered. 5. Ongoing maintenance and training: For a period of three months after the site is public, the consultant shall remain on-call to address website issues, and to make minor updates requested by the committee. The consultant shall work with the website administrator (from ITSCA) so that by the end of the three-month period, ITSCA administrator(s) are able to make the updates themselves. ITSCA expects this to encompass perhaps four hours per week over that three-month period. 3. Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Requirements This SOQ will be evaluated based on the needs and criteria set forth in this RFQ. Those criteria include: Expertise in recommending and communicating technical and aesthetic solutions Aesthetic design capabilities Experience with similar work Recommended timeframe for the work ITSCA expects to receive statements of qualification based on this request, and based on responses received, will short-list up to three firms. From those three firms, ITSCA will then request a detailed scope and fee for the work. Relevant Experience 5
The SOQ should describe consultant's experience with developing sites similar to ITSCA, experience with having work reviewed by committee, and experience providing social media engagement strategy. The SOQ should provide a summary of similar projects, complete with website references, and for each project, a reference person including contact information. The project description should include a final fee for the work described, and a time for completion of the project. Schedule ITSCA hopes to have the website update live in time for our 2018 Annual Meeting, scheduled for October 2018. ITSCA also recognizes the importance of getting it right versus getting it done. In the SOQ response, consultant shall describe its experience with other projects, their duration, and the likelihood with which this work can be completed by October 2018. As stated on the front page, responses are due May 11, 2018. ITSCA will short-list firms on or around May 25, 2018. ITSCA will request final scope/fee and project schedule by June 8, 2018, and begin negotiations with the selected consultant on or around June 22, 2018. Note the final fee should be inclusive of taxes, direct costs, etc. Based on this proposed schedule, there will be two to three months for development of the website. Should that be insufficient, the consultant shall include a revised timeline for consideration. The project will be awarded upon signing of an agreement or contract, which outlines terms, scope, budget, schedule, milestone submittals and payment, and other necessary items. Key Staff Consultant shall identify lead and support staff they intent to utilize for this project. Describe their experience, technical expertise, and project history. Include resumes for each. Key staff shall be on-call during the on-going maintenance period. Other SOQ Elements The SOQ shall include a cover page, signed by the person authorized to represent the company in contract negotiations. Please utilize a font no less than 10 point. There is no length requirement but please try to keep your submittal to 20 pages or less. 6
4. Questions and Submittal Information itscalifornia.org Please submit your intent to submit, and any RFQ-related questions to the ITSCA Administrator at its-caadmin@itscalifornia.org. Questions will receive responses within 24 hours, and if needed, addenda will be distributed to all interested parties. Questions need to be received no later than 5:00 PM on May 1, 2018. SOQ shall be submitted in PDF format also to its-caadmin@itscalifornia.org, on or before 5:00 PM on May 11, 2018. 7