RFQ Website Redesign and Development June 2014

8/12/2019 RFQ Website Redesign and Development June 2014

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CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

RFQ # WEB-001

Website Redesign and Development

JUNE 30, 2014


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Table of Contents Page i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... i1 General .............................................................................................................................. 12 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 23 Statement Of Work ........................................................................................................... 3

3.1 Phase 1: Requirements Development .......................................................................................... 33.1.1 Project Management ............................................................................................................. 33.1.2 Requirements Development .................................................................................................. 3

3.2 Phase 2: Design, Development and Implementation .................................................................... 43.2.1 Design ................................................................................................................................... 43.2.2 Development ......................................................................................................................... 53.2.3 Implementation ...................................................................................................................... 5

3.3 Phase 3: Support .......................................................................................................................... 64 Submission Information & Instructions .......................................................................... 8

4.1 Submittal Packages: ..................................................................................................................... 85 Terms And Conditions ....................................................................................................106 Attachment A: Company References .............................................................................127 Attachment B - Cost ........................................................................................................13


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General Page 1

1 GENERAL

Date: June 30, 2014

The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea is requesting offers from qualified vendors to provide consulting servicesfor the design, development, implementation and support of a new City Website. The anticipated start ofthis agreement is August 25, 2014.

You are invited to review and respond to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ).

If your firm would be interested in submitting qualifications for this project, please submit one (1) originaland two (2) copies prior to 3:00 p.m., Monday, July 28, 2014. Qualification Statements should be sent to:

City ClerkPO Box CCMonte Verde St., between Ocean & 7th AvenuesCarmel by the Sea, CA 93921Phone: 831-620-2000

Late statements will not be accepted. Each firm is responsible for ensuring responses to this RFQ havebeen delivered by the date, time and location specified.

In submitting your response, you must comply with the instructions found herein. Failure to comply withany of the requirements may result in the rejection of your offer.

The services required are delineated in the Statement of Work (SOW). Please read the encloseddocument carefully. By submitting an offer, your firm agrees to the terms and conditions stated in thisRFQ.

Questions should be directed [email protected]

The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all responses to this RFQ as it shall deem to bein the best interest of the City.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Introduction Page 2

2 INTRODUCTION

In December 2013, the Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council adopted the 2013-2017 Information TechnologyStrategic Plan. A foundational initiative in the Plan is Online City Hall. An excerpt from the Plan

describing this initiative is below.

The Vision - Online City Hall

The goal of the Online City Hall is to create an electronic presence where the public can find informationand conduct business without having to physically come to City Hall. Most important, it is a place wherethe community and City government can come together to share information and discuss important issues.There are five main components of the Online City Hall initiative:

Website Enhancement

City Source Civic Engagement

Resident / Business Outreach

Increase Access Channels for Service Delivery

Business Process IntegrationThese five lay the foundation which will ultimately lead to a technology implementation designed to bringCity government and the community closer together through shared forums and greater transparency.

Website Enhancement is the backbone of Online City Hall providing a new design and supportingstructure for the Citys web presence providing both internal and external services. This includes:

The technical infrastructure required to meet the Citys online applications needs

Utility-like services necessary to facilitate electronic transactions

Links to other regional governments and organizations to provide a regional view for residents,

businesses and visitors

Taking advantage of cloud-based applications that make it easier for the public to receive and

share information with the City Skills transference to City staff to enable the departments to fully utilize this infrastructure moving

forward

Finally, it includes the implementation of personalization capability so that stakeholders can select whatinformation they are interested in, whether they want to retrieve that information themselves or have it sentto them automatically, the frequency of when they would like to receive it and how they would like to see it.

City Source Civic Engagement is the implementation of applications to provide information and servicesto both internal and external stakeholders via the enhanced website. This includes services such as onlinebusiness license and building permit applications, the ability to report problems or make a service requestvia the web and / or mobile devices, providing comments on City Council agenda items prior to the meetingand implementation of a community calendar. The goal is to deploy applications designed to enhance civic

engagement and, to implement applications designed to recognize and support Carmels unique villagecharacteristics.

Resident / Business Outreach entails developing an understanding of what electronic services thecommunity would like the City to provide and building them into the Plan. TheIncrease Access Channelsfor Service Deliverycomponent will expand the implementation of mobile technologies and social mediafor enhanced service delivery.


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Statement Of Work Page 3

3 STATEMENT OF WORK

Project Scope

The scope of this project is to address the Website Enhancem ent and Resident / Bus inessOutreachcomponents as described above.

The project will be divided into the following phases:

Phase 1: Requirements Development

Phase 2: Website Design, Development and Implementation

Phase 3: Support

The City reserves the right to award the entire project to a single vendor or split the award toseparate vendors for specific work.

3.1 Phase 1: Requirements Development

The Project begins with the development of a new City web presence. Phase I will focus ondeveloping the requirements for the implementation of a new Website. It will require the selectedVendor to meet with City Government Officials, department representatives and members of thecommunity to develop a new look and feel and to prioritize the initial offerings on the Website.

Phase I activities include the following:

3.1.1 Project Management

The Vendor shall be responsible for planning and managing the activities associated with theWebsite redesign and reporting to the Citys Project Manager(s). Project Management activitiesconsist of the Vendor initiating, planning, monitoring, performing and reporting activitiesthroughout the life of the contract.

At a minimum, the Vendor shall perform the following project management tasks:

Schedule and Manage the Project Schedule - The Vendor shall develop and maintaina detailed work plan/schedule that conforms to Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBOK ). The Detailed Work Plan/Schedule shall be established for the entireproject. As the project progresses, the plan shall be refined with additional detailed workactivities for near-term work.

Regularly Report the Status of the Project - The Vendor shall develop a bi-weeklystatus report that provides a summary of the work performed, work scheduled to beperformed and any identified issues and risks.

3.1.2 Requirements Development

The Vendor shall be responsible for identifying requirements that will ensure that the newWebsite meets the goals identified in this RFQ.

At a minimum, the Vendor shall perform the following tasks:

Gather Stakeholder Feedback - The Vendor shall meet with various stakeholder groups(to be identified by the City) to help identify functional and technical requirements for thenew Website. At the beginning of each stakeholder group session, the Vendor shallsubmit all presentation materials for approval. At the conclusion of each stakeholdergroup session, the Vendor shall submit all meeting minutes along with lessons learnedduring the session. At a minimum, the stakeholder groups shall include:

o City Officials


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o Members of the Public

o City Staff

Develop Website Requirements - The Vendor shall develop, deliver and maintain a

requirements traceability matrix (RTM) that outlines all functional and technicalrequirements that will enable the city to meet all project goals. The RTM should beupdated after each major activity and submitted to the City for review and approval.

Identify the Direction for the Design Look and Feel - The Vendor shall develop aWebsite Design Creative Brief that provides clear and detailed guidance on the look andfeel of the new Website. The Website Creative Brief should ensure that the design willhave a consistent look and feel, including color schemes, graphic elements, andnavigation tools that provide straightforward navigation with a unifying graphic theme aswell as flexibility for the branding of different City departments/services. The look andfeel should be consistent with the Citys branding. At a minimum, the Website DesignCreative Brief shall include:

o Objectives and Goals of the New Design

o Target Audience(s)

o Design Preferences

o Overall Style/Look

Identify the Structure for the Content - The Vendor shall develop a ContentInformation Architecture that describes the structure and navigation of the new website.The Content Information Architecture should be developed in conjunction with the Citystakeholder groups and should support easy navigation to key services.

3.2 Phase 2: Design, Development and Implementation

Phase 2 will require the Vendor to use the requirements identified in Phase 1 to design, develop,test, implement, host and support the new Website such that it meets the project goals and is

positioned to support the full vision of Online City Hall.Online City Hall Phase 2 activities include the following:

3.2.1 Design

The Vendor shall be responsible for using all information gathered during planning to design aWebsite to meet the project goals described in this RFQ. The new Website shall be able tointegrate with all existing applications and designed for easy integration of additional futureapplications.

At a minimum, the Vendor shall perform the following design tasks:

Develop the Design - The Vendor shall develop a design document that provides a high-level outline on the design of the proposed Website. This shall include a ContentManagement strategy that outlines how content will be managed within the site. The designshall allow for the use of content contributors from each department to easily update contentfor their individual department. The design document shall also identify all services that willbe used on the site along with how each service interacts with others on the site.

Develop the Look and Feel - The Vendor shall develop a minimum of three (3) look and feeldesign Mock-ups of the proposed new Website. This shall include three (3) look and feeldesign Mock-ups for Home page template(s) and three (3) look and feel design Mock-ups forInternal page template(s). Templates shall adhere to the Citysbranding style and standards.


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3.2.2 Development

The Vendor shall be responsible for using the approved designs to develop the Website to meetthe project goals described in this RFQ. The Vendor shall develop a fully operational and workingWebsite (information ready).

At a minimum, the Vendor shall perform the following development tasks:

Develop the new Website in a Test Environment - The Vendor shall use all approveddesigns and requirements to develop a solution in a test environment that meets ADA/ 508standards compliance. The test environment shall be accessible by designated City staff asidentified by the City. The test environment shall be hosted and maintained by the Vendorand be available for development and future testing for the duration of maintenance andsupport.

Convert Content from the Existing Site to New Website - The Vendor shall be responsiblefor working with City staff to convert and upload all required content onto the new site. Theresult of the content conversion process shall be a fully functional website with all requiredinformation ready for final testing.

Identify a Plan to Ensure the Security of the CitysWebsite - The Vendor shall developand execute a Security Plan that outlines how the Vendor will ensure the Website meetsindustry, City, State and Federal security standards.

Testing - The Vendor shall be responsible for testing the Website to ensure that it meets allrequirements including usability.


o Test for Usability - The Vendor shall perform usability testing on the Website toassess the extent to which the intended users can meet their goals when using it. Atthe conclusion of the Usability Testing, the Vendor shall develop a report that outlinesfindings from the testing as well as an action plan for resolving identified issues.

o Test for ADA / 508 Compliance- The Vendor shall test the Website to ensure that it

meets ADA / 508 Compliance. At the conclusion of the ADA testing, the Vendor shallsubmit the results of the testing.

Training - The Vendor shall be responsible for developing, delivering and memorializing atraining program that ensures that all applicable City staff is trained on the appropriate sitefunctionality.

At a minimum, the Vendor shall perform the following training tasks:

o Develop a Plan to Train Staff - The Vendor shall develop a high-level training planthat identifies their plan for training City of Carmel Staff.

o Develop Training Materials - The Vendor shall develop training materials thatsupport the delivery of training. This shall include a Website style guide and Websitebest practice recommendations.

3.2.3 Implementation

The Vendor shall be responsible for deploying the new Website into a live productionenvironment that is public facing after successfully completing all testing activities and confirmingthat all functionality successfully fulfills requirements. This Website may be hosted by the Phase2 Vendor or by a third-party hosting site agreed to by the City.

At a minimum, the Vendor shall perform the following implementation tasks:


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Develop a Production Environment - The Vendor shall be responsible for developing aProduction Environment that houses the new Website. The production environment shallbe accessible by the public and be maintained by the Vendor.

Identify a Plan for Website Backup and Recovery - The Vendor shall be responsiblefor developing a Contingency / Recovery Plan that outlines the Vendors plans forbacking up and ensuring recovery of the Citys Website.

Provide system documentation - The Vendor shall provide system documentation thatincludes detailed information for the new Website.

3.3 Phase 3: Support

The Vendor shall be responsible for performing maintenance and providing support to City Staff.


Upload Content - The Vendor shall be responsible for uploading content to the site atthe direction of designated City staff and staff representatives.

Provide Search Engine Recommendations - The Vendor shall provide the City withrecommendations on improving the visibility of the site in search engines.

Manage Releases / Deployments - The Vendor shall be responsible for performingrelease/deployment management for the Website. This shall include the Vendor definingand managing the processes associated with building, testing and deploying releasesinto production.

Provide Help Desk Support - The Vendor shall provide a Help Desk that serves as aprimary point of help for designated City Staff. The Vendor shall provide a plan thatoutlines the Vendors processes and procedures associated with operating the Help Desk.

Maintain the Test and Production Environments - The Vendor shall be responsible formaintaining the Test and Production Environments whether on a site they host or onehosted by a third party agreed to by the City. The Vendor shall develop a plan that

ensures the test environment is regularly updated to reflect the production environment.

Track and Report Common Incidents and Problems - The Vendor shall beresponsible for tracking incidents and problems associated with the site. The Vendorshall regularly report incidents and problems to designated City Staff in Maintenance andSupport Reports.

Adhere to Service Levels - The Vendor shall adhere to Service Level Agreements(SLAs) that establish clear relationships between the City and the Vendor, set servicegoals, and provide a framework for continuous analysis and improvements.

Monitor and Report Web Analytics - The Vendor shall be responsible for tracking,monitoring, analyzing and reporting data analytics on website traffic. The Vendor shallprovide a monthly Web Analytics report to the City. At a minimum, the Web Analyticsreport shall include:

o Number of Page Viewso Number of Daily Unique Visitorso Number of Visitors by pageo Number of Referrerso Top Referrerso Top Pageso Top Exit Pageso Top Visitors


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o Top Browserso Site Overlayso Top Keywords searchedo Top Visitor Zip Codes

o Low Activity Pageso Visitor Loyaltyo Visitor Recencyo Average Length of Visito Recommendations on improving site performance


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Submission Information & Instructions Page 8

4 SUBMISSION INFORMATION &INSTRUCTIONS

If your firm would be interested in submitting qualifications for this project, please submit one (1)original and two (2) copies and one electronic copy on a CD prior to 3:00 p.m., Monday,

July 28, 2014. Qualification Statements should be sent to:

City ClerkPO Box CCMonte Verde St., between Ocean & 7th AvenuesCarmel by the Sea, CA 93921Phone: 831-620-2000

Late submittals will not be accepted. Each firm is responsible for ensuring responses to this RFQhave been delivered by the date, time and location specified.

In submitting your response, you must comply with the instructions found herein. Failure tocomply with any of the requirements may result in the rejection of your offer.

The services required are delineated in the Statement of Work (SOW). Please read the enclosed

document carefully. By submitting an offer, your firm agrees to the terms and conditions stated inthis RFQ.

Questions should be directed [email protected]

The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all responses to this RFQ as it shalldeem to be in the best interest of the City.

4.1 Submittal Packages:

The following items must be included in the any and all proposals submitted.

Cover Letter

The Cover Letter must be completed and included as the first page of the response torequirements. The Cover Letter must be on the proposers official business letterhead stationeryand be signed by an individual who is authorized to bind the bidding firm contractually. Thesignature must indicate the title or position that the individual holds in the firm. The cover lettermust state that the proposer commits to fulfilling all requirements of the RFQ and agrees to theTerms and Conditions. AN UNSIGNED FINAL PROPOSAL MAY BE REJECTED.

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary must describe the salient features of the proposal, provide a broadunderstanding of the entire proposal and facilitate the evaluation of the proposal by City. TheExecutive Summary should include conclusions and generalized recommendations. Pricinginformation must not be included in the Executive Summary. The Executive Summary mustinclude the following items:

The bidders company background and qualifications (including all subcontractors)

A discussion that demonstrates that the proposer understands the nature and purpose ofthis RFQ; City objectives, environment, and business needs

A summary discussion and diagram(s), if appropriate, of the proposed approach,documentation of proposers assumptions and a description showing that the approachmeets all aspects of the requirements

The proposers description of the Citys precise role and responsibilities in the proposedproject
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Submission Information & Instructions Page 9

Project Team

Provide a resume of relevant experience for each member of the proposed team includingeducation and experience. Describe each members role and responsibilities on this project.

ReferencesThe proposer must provide customer references and subcontractor references. Thesereferences must specify how the work performed was similar to the products and servicesrequired in this proposal. The Reference(s) shall be able to validate the responses submitted.See Attachment A (Customer Reference form). The City requires a minimum of three (3)references in the vendors response.

If the responding team has performed work together in the past, please include references forthose clients as well.

Understanding and Description of the Tasks to be Performed

Include a description of your understanding of the scope of work, emphasizing yourunderstanding of the Citys objectives and the major activities that must be performed to complete

the work. Describe the activities you will perform to complete the required work. Include yourexpectations of all entities outside your own team.

Methods and Tools

Describe the methods, tools and standards that will be used to complete the tasks.

Assumptions

Provide the assumptions used to develop the response.

Timeline

Provide a project timeline. Use a simple Julian calendar with "signing of contract" as day one.Please keep in mind that the City would like to complete this project as quickly as possible.Include any cost benefits/detriments associated with a "fast-track" implementation.

Cost

Please provide cost data corresponding to each project phase.

Phase 1: Requirements Development

Phase 2: Website Design, Development and Implementation

Phase 3: Support

The hours projected for each identified deliverable will be used to assess the reasonableness ofthe proposal.

For each phase and task, identify the Vendor staff to be assigned and the associated hours andcosts. Provide project costs in a table consistent with the ones shown in Attachment B: CostData Sheet. Phase 1 is to be proposed at firm-fixed price. Phase 2 will be compensated at the

hourly rate(s) indicated up to a not-to-exceed price agreed upon after requirements are defined.For Phase 3 provide an estimated monthly rate to be agreed upon completion of design.


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Terms And Conditions Page 10

5 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Definition

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is a method of procurement permitting discussions with

responsible vendors prior to award of a contract. The award will be based on the criteria set forthherein.

Evaluation of Qualifications

The qualifications submitted shall be evaluated solely in accordance with the criteria set forth inthis document.

Discussion of Qualifications

The City may conduct discussions with any respondent who submits an acceptable or potentiallyacceptable set of qualifications. Vendors shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respectto any opportunity for discussion of qualifications. During the course of such discussions, the Cityshall not disclose any information derived from one set of qualifications to any other vendor. Allvendors are advised that in the event of receipt of an adequate number of qualifications, which in

the opinion of the City require no clarification and/or supplementary information, suchqualifications may be evaluated without further discussion. Hence, qualifications should beinitially submitted on the most complete and favorable terms which vendors are capable ofoffering to the City.

Negotiations

The City reserves the right to negotiate specifications, terms and conditions which may benecessary or appropriate to the accomplishment of the purpose of this RFQ. The City mayrequire the RFQ and the respondents qualifications be incorporated in full or in part as ContractDocuments. This implies that this RFQ and all responses, supplemental information, and othersubmissions provided by the vendor during discussions or negotiations may be held by the Cityas contractually binding on the successful vendor.

Confidentiality

The City shall examine the qualifications to determine the validity of any written requests fornondisclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary data identified. After award of the contract,all responses, documents, and materials submitted by the respondent pertaining to this RFQ willbe considered public information and will be made available for inspection, unless otherwisedetermined by the City. All data, documentation and innovations developed as a result of thesecontractual services shall become the property of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Based upon thepublic nature of this RFQ, a respondent must inform the City, in writing, of the exact materials inthe offer which cannot be made a part of the public disclosure.

Authority

This RFQ is issued pursuant to applicable provisions of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Error in Qualifications

Respondents are cautioned to verify their qualifications prior to submission. Negligence on thepart of the vendor in preparing the qualifications confers no right for withdrawal or modification ofthe qualifications.

Reserved Rights

The City reserves the right at any time and for any reason to cancel this RFQ, to reject any or allqualifications, or to accept an alternate set of qualifications. The City reserves the right to waiveany immaterial defect in any set of qualifications. The City may seek clarification from a vendor at


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Terms And Conditions Page 11

any time prior to the due time and date (3:00 p.m., July 28, 2014) and failure to respond promptlyis cause for rejection. The City may require submission of best and final offers.

Exclusion from Consideration

Any proposal received after the submission time and date (3:00 p.m., July 28, 2014) may berejected and returned to sender unopened. The City does not prescribe the method by which theproposal is transmitted, therefore, it cannot be held responsible for any delay or excessivedamage, regardless of reason, in the transmission of qualifications. The City reserves the right toreject any and/or all proposals either in part or in their entirety and to waive any minorirregularities.

Incurred Costs

Carmel-by-the-Sea will not be liable in any way for any costs incurred by respondents in replyingto this RFQ.

Award

Upon agreement by all negotiating parties, award shall be made to the responsible Vendor whose

proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the City, taking into considerationnegotiated price and approach, and the evaluation criteria set forth herein.

Evaluation Criteria

All qualifications submitted in response to this RFQ will be evaluated based on the followingcriteria:

Compliance with RFQ: This refers to the adherence to all conditions and requirementsof the RFQ.

Suitability of the Respondent: Prior experience, types of references, years in service,primary services provided by firms/teams, etc. will be considered.

Understanding of the Citys Needs: This refers to the level of understanding of thespecific requirements of Carmel-by-the-Sea demonstrated throughout the proposal.

Clarity of Explanations:The degree to which the respondent articulates clear, concise,accurate and meaningful explanations of technical details and methodologies will havesignificant impact on evaluation.

References:References will be contacted. Respondents should contact references priorto submittal deadline and inform them that we may contact them after submittal deadline.Respondents capability in all respects to fully perform the contract requirements, and thetenacity, perseverance, experience, integrity, reliability, facilities, equipment, and creditwhich will assure good faith performance will be investigated. The City will also inquireabout value of performance.

Fast-Tract Performance: Respondent's ability to perform this project in the swiftestfashion possible will be considered.

Evaluation

The evaluation of qualifications will be completed by the Director of Administrative Services andthe Citys Project Team.


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Attachment A: Company References Page 12

6 ATTACHMENT A:COMPANY REFERENCES

Client Name:

Project Name:Client Contact: Name and Title

Organization

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Contract Dates: From - To

Contract Value:

Project Scope andTasks:

Relevance to thisProject:

Hardware, Software.COTS, OtherTechnology Installed/ Integrated:

Project Outcome: The outcome of the services provided (quantified in terms of performance,objectives/results)

Whether the project was completed in a timely manner and within budgetand, if not, what circumstances prevented timely completion and/or causedbudget overrun


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Attachment B - Cost Page 13

7 ATTACHMENT B-COST

Please provide a detailed cost breakdown based upon your proposed solution. The proposed cost shall

include all fees, including one-time and recurring and value added options.

Phase 1: Requirements

Description Staff Rate Hours Cost

Total Firm-Fixed Cost

Phase 2: Website Design, Development & Implementation

Description Staff Rate Hours Cost

Total Estimated Cost

Phase 3: Support

Description Rate Estimated Cost

Total Estimated Cost