Website RFP 2016

Website – Request for Proposals

April 11, 2016

 

Background

The Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Toronto (UCPBA) was established in 1935 and is an integral part of Toronto’s vibrant Ukrainian community. The UCPBA of Toronto exists as a link between Canadian-Ukrainian Professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners and community leaders in Toronto.

Objectives

UCPBA is undertaking a redesign and update of its website: ucpba.ca. Our goal is to refresh the website’s appearance, provide a responsive design suitable for viewing on mobile devices, tablets and personal computers, and to introduce membership management and event planning tools that will facilitate the on-going work of UCPBA.

Terms and Conditions

At the conclusion of the website redesign, UCPBA must own or have full access to and have the right to customize site code. Any software licensing or service fees necessary to operate the site should be at a minimum.

Preliminary proposals must be delivered via e-mail to contact@ucpba.ca no later than May 1, 2016.

AUDIENCE

UCPBA’s audience primarily consists of professionals and business owners in the Toronto area. Our membership varies in age from 25 to 70, with the majority of active members between 30-45. Accessible design is encouraged, particularly to allow for adjustable font sizes.

Ukrainian is the native language of many UCPBA members, therefore the website should have provision for multilingual use (e.g., Unicode support, Ukrainian language font support).

Our website is intended for use by the public, however portions of the website may require logins, particularly to support membership management features.

 

TOOLS AND FUNCTIONALITIES

Essential components:

News – the website should enable UCPBA to communicate with its membership. Preferably, this feature should integrate with mailing list software used by UCPBA, e.g., Mailchimp.

Membership management – the website should allow new members to subscribe to UCPBA and to pay their membership dues online. HTTPS and secure credit card processing are required, although integrations with third party services are encouraged (e.g., Stripe, Paypal, etc.). UCPBA has previously explored the use of a WordPress plugin called MemberFindMe to handle membership payment and renewal, and bidders are invited to use this software if they wish.

Membership directory – the website should include a directory of members, allowing for members who elect to be listed to advertise their services or business.

Events – the website should include a calendar function listing upcoming and past events. UCPBA occasionally charges a fee for events, with a reduced rate for members (e.g., $30 for non-members, $20 for members). The event handling software should accommodate such pricing and, preferably, integrate with the website membership management software.

Social media – integration with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter is strongly encouraged.

Graphic design/identity – UCPBA intends to develop a redesigned logo and branding, preference will be given to bids that include creation of a new logo and visual identity. In the alternative, bidders should be prepared to incorporate logos and design elements provided by UCPBA.

SITE SPECIFICATIONS

UCPBA presently uses shared Linux hosting (i.e., Dreamhost) and a WordPress backend. WordPress is preferred, although a well-supported alternative is acceptable. Annual hosting costs should not exceed $200

The redesigned website should use responsive design, for optimal viewing on tablets and mobile devices. The site should also support accessibility (e.g., for the visually impaired).mhost) and a WordPress backend. WordPress is preferred, although a well-supported alternative is acceptable. Annual hosting costs should not exceed $200.

To the maximum extent possible, existing content hosted on the current ucpba.ca should be imported to the redesigned site, although it may be reorganized as necessary.

The redesigned website should require minimal maintenance. UCPBA does not employ a full-time website developer or manager (UCPBA is volunteer-run). Therefore, emphasis should be placed on ease of updating and maintenance.

Proposed Timeline

This is a suggested timeline, although earlier deadlines and deliverables are encouraged. Please advise how milestone check-ins are to be conducted and/or evaluated, including feedback process.

  1. RFP release date: April, 2016
  2. Submission of questions on RFP: April 25, 2016
  3. Preliminary proposals due: May 1, 2016
  4. Shortlist notification: May 8, 2016
  5. Shortlist interviews (if necessary): May 15-22, 2016
  6. Final proposals due: May 31, 2016
  7. Award date: June 15, 2016
  8. “Soft” launch: August 1, 2016 (or earlier)
  9. Proposed site launch: September 1, 2016.

FORMAT FOR PRELIMINARY PROPOSALS

  1. Brief Summary.
  2. Initial sketches or wireframes.
  3. Tools and software proposed to be used.
  4. Preliminary Budget.
  5. Include information for principal developers who will work on the website. Please supply relevant case histories with information on accessing online demos or examples. Professional references are a plus.

FORMAT FOR PROPOSALS

  1. Executive Summary.
  2. Web development process: explain the process you will follow to build the Web site.
    • Address usability standards and testing.
    • Address any important technology information and specifications used in your solution (languages, platform, etc.).
    • Wireframes, if available.
  3. Schedule of deliverables; include major milestones and testing proposal.
  4. Budget
    • Break down cost by production hours, tools and functionalities
    • Maintenance and support: identify any costs that should be assumed as part of the site and ongoing costs for maintenance and support we need in the future.
    • License fees: identify the costs we will need to pay to develop or host the site.
    • Hosting: identify whether we must or are highly encouraged to host with your company. If hosting is provided as an option or requirement, provide pricing options.
    • Training and Style Guide: identify costs to train our staff to use site tools and provide a style guide.
    • Other charge areas: Please identify whether there will be other expenses, consulting fees, future work, etc. to complete this project.

Questions

Please direct any questions to contact@ucpba.ca.