Municipal Web Development

Feel what it's like to be there.

WHY CHOOSE PROPELLERGETTING STARTEDMAKING AN RFPSEOMORE

Request for Proposal Framework

Propeller is pleased to provide you with this outline to help you get started.

View Printable Version


Purpose

Outline your main purposes for redesigning the site in order of importance.

For example:

  1. Grow residential development
  2. Attract new business to the City
  3. Improve access to governmental departments and services
  4. Facilitate greater participation in community events and meetings

List your primary audiences for the site in order of importance.

For example:

  1. The Community
  2. Business
  3. Governmental Agencies
  4. Visitors

Scope

Outline your goals for the design of your site and the online services that you would like your site to provide your audiences. For example:

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

  • The design of the site must reflect the unique aspects of our City’s community
  • Provide a practical, intuitive, easy to navigate layout
  • Ability to communicate effectively to City’s main audiences (Community, Business, Governmental Agencies, Visitors)
  • Provide online functions that will reduce the amount of time City staff spend on mundane tasks (phone calls, transcribing information, processing forms, time it takes to update site, sharing site maintenance with multiple agencies within City staff...)
  • Secure environment on necessary sections of the site

DESIRED FUNCTIONALITY

Your Web developers will offer guidance and ideas on what technologies would be beneficial given your goals, audience and budget. Providing a list of online services you would like to see is a great way to start the conversation. Organize these services into three categories of prioritization. For example:

Must haves:

  • Search engine that searches our site pages and PDFs
  • Easy to use Content Management System for making frequent updates to the City’s news, calendar, forms, agendas/meeting minutes, and job listings...
  • Search engine optimization.

Short-term future:

  • Streaming Video - City Council meetings uploaded every two weeks.
  • Online Form Processing
  • Financial Transaction System

Long-term future:

  • Laser Fiche Databases

Budget

Prepare a budget for each phase or at least phase one. Sharing your budget with your Web developer prospects might not seem like a good idea at first, but it will help them structure the best solution for the money. It also provides a way to compare “apples to apples”. Web companies know they are competing for your contract and will try their best to give you the best value for the budget.

Time Lines

Offer a projected time line for the RFP process.

For example:
01/01 Issue RFP
01/15 Pre-Bid Meeting
01/18 Pre-Bid Meeting Response Issued
02/01 RFP Deadline (5:00 pm)
02/02 – 02/15 RFP Review
02/18 – 02/26 Consultant Interviews
02/27 Award of Contract

Determine a launch date for your redesigned municipal Web site.

Setting deadlines is always the best way to keep a project moving forward. It may not be necessary or financially possible to launch your new Web site with all the bells and whistles within the first year, so your site may benefit from phased expansion, with target deadlines.

Reference Materials

  • Current site URL
  • URLs of sites that appeal to you. Include why and what aspects you like about them.

Proposal Requirements

Include a list of required information that you need to qualify prospective Web developers. Here are some aspects:

SUBMISSION FORM

Include how you would like to receive your proposals. Whether electronically as a PDF or as hard copies (indicate how many copies of the proposal packets you would like to receive).

EXPERTISE

Team Qualifications

Inquire whether you will be working with a designated team or with various departments of the Web developer’s organization. Short biographies of team members can give you insight into the quality of the team you will be contracting. Who will be the primary point of contact, responsible for fulfillment of the project?

STANDARD PROCESS

Ask for an outline of their standard process. This should include the work plan and a time line for completion and launch of your newly designed municipal Web site.

EXAMPLES/CASE STUDIES

Ask for 3 completed examples of projects the Web developer has engaged in within the last 7 years that are similar in project scope.

PROJECT COST PLANNING

Provide clear and finite parameters for estimating to ensure that “apples” are being compared to “apples.” Ask for a core site price with itemized optional programming costs provided as line items. Providing a pre-Board-approved budget for the first phase is always best. If that is not possible, provide a number that you feel is realistic. Generally, first phases of newly redesigned municipal Web sites can start at $20,000 and go up from there depending the number online services.

KEY CONTRACT COMPONENTS

Outline the factors that are the most important variables you will be considering when reviewing each proposal.

For Example:

  1. Quality and experience of staff proposed to be used on project
  2. Relevance of prior and related experience
  3. Compatibility of timeline
  4. Total Project Cost

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Indicate next steps if a proposal is chosen for further review. An interview and oral presentation of the proposal from key member(s) responsible for the project, is a great way to check working chemistry.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Ask for the terms and conditions that the Web developer utilizes for municipal Web sites such as:

  1. Taxes
  2. Subcontracting
  3. Conflict of interest
  4. Copyrights
  5. Consultant liability
  6. Standards for performance
  7. Insurance requirements
  8. Applicable local and state laws
  9. Ownership Rights


PROPELLER moving creative, moving business >

PROPELLER 29 S Mitchell Ave, Second Floor, Arlington Hts, IL 60005
847-255-4550 :: net@orangepropeller.com