Website redesign

RFP Overview

Project Overview

The City of North Liberty is a municipal government serving a town of about 19,000 residents. Those residents are young — the average age is around 30 — and tend to be both busy and tech savvy. We are looking to modernize, reorganize and add functionality to our official website, which serves as the hub for official information for the town’s residents, visitors and partners.

Project Goals & Target Audience

The primary goals of this project are to:

1. Implement a modern, mobile-friendly, responsive design
2. Reorganize the site’s navigation and sitemap to better serve our audiences
3. Improve accessibility for the visually impaired and non-English speakers
4. Improve the workflow for regularly required tasks, such as posting meeting agendas and minutes, public project information including RFPs and bids
5. Increase the availability, both in subject and medium, of notification options for users

While the primary audience is people who are part of the community and use our services, the website should also serve as a promotional tool for those visiting, planning a move or considering doing business in our town.

While considering the redesign, the user experience of third-party websites (including separate websites for the library and fire department, permit submission, bill paying and more) should be accommodated.

Scope of Work & Deliverables

We’re seeking a firm to:

• Assess and restructure the site’s structure and connection to other domains to improve user experience
• Design, test, deliver and implement a WordPress theme
• Recommend and implement appropriate WordPress plug-ins to deliver improved functionality
• Migrate current content as needed

Timeline

Oct. 4, 2017            Initial proposals are due via email to [email protected]

Oct. 5 – 27, 2017     Staff interviews firms prior to making recommendation to Communications Advisory Commission

Nov. 6, 2017           Communications Advisory Commission considers recommendation

Jan. 8, 2018             Present draft wireframe and sitemap to Communications Advisory Commission

April 1, 2018           Project substantially complete

May 1, 2018            Final project completion

 

Technical Requirements

The content management system we currently use, and require for the redesign, in WordPress. We need to regularly upload assets larger than 30 MB. Staff requires FTP access, multiple user accounts and administrative access.

Hosting must support an average of about 15,000 unique users per month, with occasional traffic spikes during emergencies, and guarantee 99.9% uptime.

Budget

We have $10,000 budgeted for consultation, design and implementation. Our budget for assets is limited, however we have a library of photo and video assets and staff who can produce necessary additional assets.

Criteria for Selection

A firm will be selected after consideration of the following criteria:

• Technical expertise
• Design portfolio
• User experience expertise
• Local
• Experience with local government and similar agencies