255 south champlain street, suite 11 • burlington, vermont...
TRANSCRIPT
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 1 of 13
RequestforProposal:WebsiteRedesignandBuildThisRequestforProposal(RFP)seeksproposalsfromfirmsqualifiedtoredesignanddevelopaCMS
websiteforVermontBusinessesforSocialResponsibility(VBSR).PleasesubmitproposalstoJane
Campbell,[email protected],2016.Questionsmaybesubmittedpriorto
April8,2016.
ContentsI.AboutVBSR.....................................................................................................................................................2II.ProjectGoals.................................................................................................................................................2III.Audiences.....................................................................................................................................................2IV.CurrentCMSEnvironment......................................................................................................................2V.Timeline.........................................................................................................................................................3VI.ExamplesofWebsiteFeatureorDesignPreferences....................................................................3VII.WebsiteFunctionalityRequirements...............................................................................................5VIII.ProjectScopeofWork...........................................................................................................................6IX.Objectivesand[MetricsofSuccess].....................................................................................................7X.ProposalFormat..........................................................................................................................................8
AttachmentA:Detailsoncurrentsoftware,email,usersandvolumes.............................9
AttachmentB:GoogleAnalyticsOverview................................................................................10
AttachmentC:WeightedlistofappealingfeaturesinWildApricot.................................11
AttachmentE:PreliminarySiteMap...........................................................................................13
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 2 of 13
I.AboutVBSRVBSRisastatewide,membership-basednonprofitbusinessassociationwhosemissionis“tofostera
businessethicinVermontthatrecognizestheopportunityandresponsibilityofthebusinesscommunity
tosetahighstandardforprotectingthenatural,human,andeconomicenvironmentsofourcitizens.”
Foundedin1990,withacurrentmembershipofalmost1,000members,VBSRistheoldestandlargest
regionalbusinessassociationorganizedaroundprinciplesofsocialresponsibility.
II.ProjectGoalsOuroverallpurposeistoreplacetheexistingwebsite,whichhasbecomeantiquatedinlook,feeland
functionality—withanewCMSwebsite.Specificgoalsforthenewsiteinclude:
1. BetterserveVBSRmembers(renewalprocess,eventsignups,jobpostings,news,casestudies/reference,policies)
2. Reducestafftimenecessaryformembership,eventandcontentupdates
3. EmpowerVBSRstafftodomoreonthesiteindependently
4. Getmoretargetedtraffic(newmemberprospectsandSRbusinesseducation),and
5. BuildanengagedcommunityaroundVBSRissuesandmission.
III.Audiences
• Currentmembersandsponsors
• Potentialmembers(VTbusinesses)
• Policymakersandinfluentials
• Generalpublic(Vermonters),includingcollegestudentsandrecentgraduatesforthe
InternshipProgram
IV.CurrentCMSEnvironmentKeyelementsofVBSR’scurrentCMSenvironmentandassociatedpointsofintegrationarelistedhere.
Formoredetailandvolumecounts,pleaseseeAttachmentA.
• Website(vbsr.org)developedin/around2006usingExpressionEngine(EE)CMS(websitecurrentlyhostedbyEngineHosting.com)
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 3 of 13
• CreditCardprocessingprovidedbyBurlingtonBankCardwithAuthorize.netonlinepaymentgatewayservice.
• WebsitecontainsVBSRmemberdirectory,whichismanuallyupdatedbyuploading.csvfilesgeneratedfromamulti-userFileMakerProdatabase(referredtointernallyassyncing)
• WebsiteactivelyusesacombinationofEE’sFreeFormmoduleandintegratedthirdpartyformsfromGoogle
• Memberlog-inareaprovidesVBSRmembersabilitytosubmitjobsandevents,andupdatecompanydirectorylisting
• OtheronlineservicesactivelyusedbyVBSR(butnotcoordinatedwiththewebsite)areConstantContact,Eventbrite,andSurveyMonkey.
• AccountingishandledinQuickBooks,alsonotintegratedwiththewebsite.• Therearecurrentlytworelateddomainnamesthatredirecttosubdirectoriesofthe
vbsr.orgwebsite.BothusecustomizedWuFooformsfore-commerce(Internvt.organdLocalFirstVermont.org).
V.TimelineProvideascheduleforwhendifferentstepsintheprocesswilltakeplace.
Forexample:
• RFPsentMarch16
• LetterofInterestdueMarch31
• QuestionsregardingRFPmaybeaskedpriortoApril8
• ResponsetoQuestionsreturnedbyApril22
• RFPdueMay6,2016
• RFPreviewswithvendorsMay16-27
• FinalDecisionMay31
• WebsiteLaunchAugust31,2016
VI.ExamplesofWebsiteFeatureorDesignPreferencesExamplesofafewbusinessmembershipwebsitesthathavedesignelementstheVBSRstafflike(anda
fewtheydon’t)—andwhy.
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 4 of 13
AmericanInstituteofArchitectsVermont(http://www.aiavt.org/)
• Noneedtoscroll;informationyouwantisimmediatelyvisible.
AmericanSustainableBusinessCouncil(http://asbcouncil.org/)
• Like:changingimagesonhomepage,clearnavigation,integratedblog,calls-to-
action,deepfooterwithsitemap/navigation.“Bright,clean,easytouse,interacts
nicelywithsocialmedia,feelsmodern.”
BALLE(https://bealocalist.org/about-us)
• Like:Buttons/CTAsforfourcurrentpriorities/eventsthroughoutthesite(intheleft
sidebaronAboutpage,butintheupperrightofhomepage);changingimageson
homepage(althoughchangestooslowlyandnotobvioustherearefourdifferent
slides);latestblogpostsandTwitterfeedonhomepage.
• Dislike:colorsanddesign
GreaterAkronChamber(http://greaterakronchamber.org/)
• Attractiveandmodernlooking,buttoomuchscrolling(up/downandsideways).
Deepfooterwithsitemap/navigationgood.
GreaterWestchesterChamber(http://greaterwestchester.com/)
• Like:BuyLocalapp(andtopnav);clearcall-to-actionareaunderneathchanging
images;memberdirectoryintopandfooternav.
NorthTorontoSkiClub,Canada(https://ntsc.ca/)
• Like:Large,full-widthbannerphotoonhomepage;Unobtrusivebutlegibletop
navigation;Call-outstohighlighteventsonhomepage
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 5 of 13
Portland(OR)BusinessAlliance(http://portlandalliance.com/)
• “Notsoaesthetically/visuallyappealing(alittlebland),butit'sclearwhereIneedto
gotogettheinformationIneed.Alsolikethatgreatestvisibilityisgiventoevents
andsectionsthatgetupdatedfrequently-keepsitfresh.”
StateChamber(http://www.vtchamber.com/)
• Dislike:Largebanneradattop;scrollingonhomepageannoying;mainnavigation
lostunderhorizontalimageslice;choppeduppages
VII.WebsiteFunctionalityRequirements
• ContentManagementSystem(CMS)-Thewebsitemustbebuiltonacontentmanagement
systemthatallowsforallareasofthesite(webpages,images,blogs,forms,etc.)tobeeasily
updated.WehaveidentifiedWildApricotasthetopall-in-onecontendertomeetthisandthe
followingfunctionalrequirements.
• ResponsiveDesign-Thewebsitemustberesponsive,sothatitseamlesslyadjusttofitdesktops,
laptops,tabletsandsmartphones.
• SearchEngineOptimization(SEO)-TheCMSmustincludetheabilitytoaltertitletags,meta
descriptions,alttags,andheaders.Thesitemustbebuilttoenableeasycrawlingbysearch
engines.
• SocialmediaIntegration-Thesiteshouldincludetheabilityforwebcontenttobesharedto
socialmedianetworks.Theorganization’ssocialmedianetworksmustbelinkedtothewebsite
toallowforeasy“follows.”
• Forms–Thewebsitemustincludecontactandlistingforms.Whenavisitorfillsouttheform,
themessagemustbesenttothecorrectstaffmember,oranewlistingcreated.Ideally,Local
Firstcouponformswillshowapreviewofthefinalcoupon.
• AssociationMembershipManagement—Thewebsitemustenablenewmemberenrollment,
providecompanypropertiesandcontactproperties,providealoginforareasrestrictedto
membersonly,aswellasenablingmemberstoresettheirpassword,updatetheirinformation,
openandclosejobpostings,postevents,andrenewtheirmembership.
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 6 of 13
• VBSRHostedPrograms—LocalFirstVermontmustbeabletomaintainitscurrentintegration
withthird-partyLocalFirstsoftware.BothLocalFirstVermontandtheVermontInternProgram
mustbeabletomaintaintheircurrentVBSRsiteintegrationandtheircurrentfunctionality
(usingWufooforms).
• NewsandBlog–Thewebsitemustincludearobust,built-innews/blogplatformwith
subscriptionoption(RSS/email).Thismustenableuserstocreate,editandpublishnewsarticles
and/orblogstothewebsite,withafeaturedimage.(Notetherearemultiplenewsrooms/blogs.)
• Hosting–Thewebsitecompanymustprovideorrecommendahostingservicewithautomated
backupsorequivalent.
• EmailMarketing–Thewebsitecompanymustprovideemailmarketingcapabilitiesthatare
seamlesswiththewebsiteandintegratewithCAN-SPAMcompliantemailmarketingsoftware.
Thewebsitecompanymustprovideoneemailtemplatethatisconsistentwithwebsitedesign.
• EventRegistrationandMarketing—Thewebsitecompanymustprovideeventregistrationand
marketingcapabilitiesthatareseamlesswiththewebsiteandhavetheabilitytointegratewith
existingsystems.
• Dynamicsitemap:Thesitemapshouldupdatedynamically.
• WebsiteAnalytics–GoogleAnalyticstrackingmustbeintegratedonthesitetoallowfor
websitevisitortracking,pagetracking,etc.
• Technicalrequirements–ThewebsitemustbuildwebpagesinHTMLandCSSthatmeetW3C
standards.NouseofFlash.InadditiontoSection508/ADAcompliance,thewebsitemustbe
compliantwithMacandPC,aswellaswiththelatesttwoversionsofInternetExplorer,Mozilla
Firefox,ChromeandSafari.
VIII.ProjectScopeofWorkAllcontent,includingimagesandmulti-mediafiles,willbesuppliedbyVBSR.
• Projectplanandmanagement
• Contentstrategy
• Visualdesign(desktop,tablet,mobile)
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 7 of 13
• Contentmigration,includingimageoptimizationfor50pages/posts,tobedetermined
• Searchengineoptimization
• Front-endcoding(HTML/CSS,animations)
• Back-endcoding(CMS,3rdpartyAPIs,customsoftware/features)
• Testing&qualityassurance
• Software&usertraining(6users)
• Warrantyperiod
• Ongoingsitemaintenance&security
IX.Objectivesand[MetricsofSuccess]
1. Stimulatevisitstonewwebsite[Metric:Increaseinnumberofwebsessionsand
numberofusersinwebsitetraffic.]track+/-VTinternprogram
2. StimulateRETURNvisitstowebsite[Metric:NumberofReturningVisitorwebsessions
andaveragepagespersessionforrepeatwebsitetrafficfromxxxperyeartoyyyper
year.]track+/-VTinternprogram
3. EncourageNewMembersignupsandRenewalMembershipsviawebsite[Metric:
Numberofnewmembersignupsandrenewalsignupsviaweb]
4. MakeiteasyforvisitorstounderstandandfindgeneralinformationonVBSRmission,
initiatives,benefitsofdoingSRbusinessinVT[Metric:pageviewse.g.,aboutus,news,
policypage,resourcelinks/pages]
5. Engagevisitors,i.e.,stickinessofVBSRwebsite.[Metric:IncreaseinAverageSession
DurationandAveragePagesPerSession]
6. IncreasenumberandpercentofmemberspostingorengagingwithVBSRviathe
websiteandsocialmedia,i.e.,#jobsposted,#eventsposted,#[Metric:Establish
baseline&thenmeasureincrease]
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 8 of 13
7. Reducewebsite-to-database-to-accounting-to-emaillistetc.maintenanceandsync
timenecessarybystaff[Metric:Stafftimereports.]
X.ProposalFormatVendorsshouldprovidethefollowinginformationintheirproposals:
1) CompanyContactInformation(website,mailingaddress)
2) IndividualContactInformation(name,email,phonenumberofpersonsubmittingproposal)
3) VBSRwebsiteprojectteam(detailwhetheroneormorefirms,namesandroleforeachteam
member,specifyemployeeversuscontractor,worklocationbycity/stateforeach)
4) Planforaccomplishingprojectgoals,includingyourabilitytoproviderequiredwebsite
functionalityandyourapproachforthedesign.
5) RecommendedCMSandrationaleforitsselection.(WeareattractedtoWildApricotasanall-
in-onesolutionformembershipassociationsandweknowofspecificmembershipsiteswelike
thatareonDrupalandWordPressCMSplatforms.)
6) Pricing,bydevelopmentstage,fordeliveringthespecifiedwebsitefunctionality
7) Examplesofpastworkthatissimilartothisproject
8) References(3ormore,fromsimilarcompanies/organizations)
9) Developmenttimelineandmilestones
10) SignedLivableWageStatementofCompliance
11) SignedindicationastowhethercompanyisacurrentVBSRmember
12) Signedstatementofcommitmenttosociallyresponsiblebusinesspracticesandvalues
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 9 of 13
AttachmentA:Detailsoncurrentsoftware,email,usersandvolumes
Item Numbers Notes
Databaserecords 7,000 Includesindividualcontactsin3,210businesses,organizations,agencies
Mailingsamonth 1toentiredatabase+2-3emails/weektovarioussegments,forexamplecurrentmembers,publicpolicycommittee,boardmembersandsoforth
Currentmembers 763 March2016
Othersoftwareused: ConstantContactEventbriteQuickBooksProFilemakerPro11AZLocalFirstsoftwarew/couponsWufoo(5users,unlimitedforms)SurveyMonkey(unlimited)Sched
Nonprofitrate,$120/monthPertransactionfees?8licenses1-timepurchase$259/year$250/yr$200/yr
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 10 of 13
AttachmentB:GoogleAnalyticsOverview
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 11 of 13
AttachmentC:WeightedlistofappealingfeaturesinWildApricot
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 12 of 13
255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347
Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. Page 13 of 13
AttachmentE:PreliminarySiteMap