COF: WEBSITE REDESIGN CONTRACT - FORMAL RFP I. GENERAL INFORMATION: Colleges of the Fenway (“COF”), is a consortium of 5* colleges in the Boston area: Emmanuel College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, MCPHS University, Simmons College, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. COF is designated as a 501c3 organization. We are seeking a vendor to furnish website design services, content management system recommendations and implementation. COF seeks to provide its diverse audiences with the kind of engaging experience that reflects and complements the mission and spirit of COF and its member institutions. * Wheelock College will be acquired by Boston University on June 1, 2018. Boston University will not be joining the consortium. SCOPE a. Vendor will design, develop, install and test new website by August 1, 2018 b. Vendor will prescribe hosting solution for website c. The website, all content and all files used to create webpages, templates, images, videos, and other elements associated with this project shall be delivered, and all copyrights transferred to COF, prior to project completion and final payment. This includes, but is not limited to, the following types of files: HTML, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, Microsoft Word, PDF, Photoshop, TIFF, JPG, PNG, PSD, and Flash. COF will own these elements and the complete website. d. Reviewing Group and Decision Makers: A COF Committee comprised of subject matter specialists as available through a standing Committee or a subset of delegates and the Senior Director of Programs and Communications and/or representative COF staff member. This Request for Proposals (RFP) states the instructions for submitting proposals and the procedure and criteria by which a vendor will be selected: e. Definition of Parties: The Colleges of the Fenway and others collectively, will be referred to as “COF”. The COF Committee will be referred to as the “Committee”. Respondents to the RFP will be referred to as "Bidders." The Bidder to whom the contract is awarded will be referred to as the "Vendor." f.

Response Requirements: Bidders are asked to replicate the sequence of the outline and follow the same numbering convention for each response.

II. Project Objectives and Goals Requirements The website is a vital resource for both internal and externals audiences, including COF faculty, staff, students, and prospective students and families. a. Promote COF message throughout the site b. In support of recruitment efforts, highlight and direct visitors to our COF member institutions c. Promote Boston as a college destination d. Engage key audiences  COF students, faculty, and staff  Prospective students, faculty, and staff

e. Serve as a resource for COF committees (place to hold documents) f. Provide tools and training so that COF can update the website as needed.

REQUIREMENTS For each of the below items, please check “yes” or “no” indicating whether or not your firm is capable of meeting the required expectation. If your firm is unable to meet an expectation, please provide an explanation. As these are required expectations, your proposal may be rejected if your firm is unable to meet one or any of these requirements. I.

COF EXPECTATIONS

YES

NO

a. Vendor accepts all terms and conditions outlined in RFP b. Website will interact with social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. c. Website will include an email sign-up section that links directly to a tracking mechanism II.

Website will meet the following technical requirements:

a. Will print on standard size paper (8.5” x 11”) b. Automatically detect and scale from mobile to workstation (min standards: 320X480 px to 1024x768 px c. Will use HTML5 d. Will comply with Section 508 (www.section508.gov) e. Will meet W3C standards for web design and application f.

Will support the following browsers: IE9 or better (Safari, Firefox and Chrome)

g. Will support IOS 10 or better

WEBSITE DESIGN For each of the below items, please provide an explanation of how your firm will meet the expectation. If your firm is unable to meet an expectation, please provide an explanation. Be specific and clear if additional software or tools are recommended and any cost associated. COF EXPECTATIONS

VENDOR RESPONSE

Template Design: The new website must satisfy the needs of multiple world-wide audiences: our current members, students, faculty, and staff; prospective students, families, faculty, and staff; current and prospective vendors; and high school and independent counselors. Therefore, the primary role of the website must be to serve the needs of these diverse audiences. Vendor will provide two template style designs. Vendor will design, develop, install, and test new templates for the COF website. The templates must provide consistent navigation, layout, and styles in a manner that is user-centric and intuitive. It is imperative that the website is accessible to everyone. By utilizing principles of universal design, all website elements must achieve cross-platform and cross-browser compatibility.

Visual Aesthetics: Vendor will recommend a new visual look that includes COF logo and other graphical artifacts. New design does not necessarily have to adhere to our current color or style guidelines. The site will have a consistent look and be easy to navigate. Graphics should support both the content and overall message, but not detract from website functionality. Use of Flash or other multimedia technologies is acceptable, but should not impede access to the content. The site content will be designed in such a way as to allow the content to be easily changed by COF staff with minimal training provided by Vendor.

Homepage: The COF homepage is a unique representation of the consortium as a whole, and an entryway to our members’ institutional sites. New emphasis is being placed on supporting the recruitment efforts of our member institutions and should have a prominent feature on the homepage. Vendor will identify and suggest elements to be included on the homepage, and design a page that presents those elements in an innovative, clean and efficient manner. Content & Features: Vendor will provide a design that includes the following features:  Calendar: A compilation of events from all associated colleges as well as COF events created by COF  Robust search function  Social media feeds  Newsletter and email signup section the links directly to a spreadsheet or other tracking mechanism  Widget for Intramurals registration (imleagues.com/fenway)  Online registration forms for High School Tours, Fall Counselor Tour, and Performing Arts registration  Faculty/staff directory option (not on current site)  Online cross-registration course directory  Online cross-registration (not on current site)

ONGOING SUPPORT, SECURITY AND TRAINING For each of the below items, please provide an explanation of how your firm will meet the expectation. If your firm is unable to meet an expectation, please provide an explanation. Be specific and clear if additional software or tools are recommended and any cost associated. COF EXPECTATIONS

VENDOR RESPONSE

Ongoing Support: Vendor will provide a single point contact for on-going communication and support regarding the COF website. Please include their name, contact information and credentials. Vendor will provide deployment support into COF environments for testing and production. Vendor will follow industry standard code practices for version-control and release management of product. Security: Vendor will keep COF website including widgets, modules and all elements up-to-date with security releases and updates in any open-source CMS or software to keep them functional. Vendor will ensure data security for online records and will treat COF data with the same care and confidentiality as vendor’s own data. Please describe data security measures taken by your firm including whether or not your firm carries cyber liability insurance and at what level. Training: Vendor will provide training plan and explanation including:  Training to COF staff for use of CMS to easily maintain and update website and ongoing support as-needed.  Documentation files explaining website elements and training in user-friendly format and ongoing support. CMS Hosting: Vendor will recommend third-party CMS platform or provide CMS host explanation and pricing.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS For each of the below items, please provide an explanation of how your firm will meet the expectation. If your firm is unable to meet an expectation, please provide an explanation. Be specific and clear if additional software or tools are recommended and any cost associated. COF EXPECTATIONS

VENDOR RESPONSE

Technical Tools: Vendor will provide a responsive web design based on a web framework that serves all users, desktop or mobile, supports automatic window-size detection and defines optimal break points for images. Website will be built upon a system that transfers content, coding, and design easily across open source CMS products in the event that COF decides to change CMS products. Stylesheet Language: Vendor will provide an explanation of a standard stylesheet language that will be used along with justification for the chosen sheet language. Analytics: Vendor will provide an explanation of how each page on the website will be capable of tracking various analytics (for example, using Google Analytics).

REFERENCES AND PREVIOUS PROJECT SAMPLES In the space provided below, Bidder will provide no fewer than three client references including:  Client name, organization, e-mail address and phone number  Description of the project completed including whether deadlines were successfully met  Staff that performed on the project  Description of the process taken to satisfy client requirements and wishes  Sample of the finished product showcasing the firm’s ability to deliver on client requests

PRICING PROPOSAL Provide lump-sum pricing for each of the below services only with a brief explanation of the breakdown in pricing. Hourly rates may be included in the explanation, but be advised that the overall price is a quote and not an estimate and will stand regardless of hours actually spent.

Design & Development

Ongoing Support

Hosting (optional)

Content Migration Third-Party Platform/Service Estimated Pricing (optional)

Overall Price Quote Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated on many criteria deemed to be in COF’s best interests, including, but not limited to: the ability to meet specifications and a contract start date of April 16, 2018, responsiveness to terms and conditions, design functionality, training and support, financial stability of bidder, price, procedures and policies of bidders, availability of personnel and references. Bidder Incurred Expenses: COF is not responsible for any expenses incurred by Bidder in preparing and submitting a response to this RFP. Communication with COF: It is the responsibility of the Bidder to inquire via email about any requirement of this RFP that is not understood. Responses to inquiries, if they change or re-clarify the RFP in a substantial manner will be forwarded to all parties that have received a copy of the RFP and will be posted on the RFP section of the COF website.

Inquiries from respondents must be received via email by 4:00pm EST on March 9, 2018 Contact:

Colleges of the Fenway Tasha Baclawski, Senior Director, Programs and Communications [email protected]

Award of Proposal: Presentations may be requested of one or more Bidders deemed by the Committee to be the best suited among those submitting proposals on the basis of the selection criteria. After presentations have been conducted, the Committee may select the bidder which, in its opinion, has made the proposal that is the most responsive and most reasonable and may award the contract to that bidder. The Committee reserves the right to waive minor irregularities. COF may cancel this RFP or reject any or all proposals at any time prior to an award. Timeline and Key Milestones  Post notification for agencies by: February 26, 2018  Bidder questions received by: March 9, 2018  Proposal Deadline: March 13, 2018 (4:00pm EST)  Review proposals by: March 23, 2018  If multiple finalists, arrange presentations week of March 26, 2018 and/or April 2, 2018  Determine Vendor by: April 11, 2018  Notify participants of decision by no later than: April 13, 2018  Sign new contract by: April 16, 2018 COF will make every effort to adhere to the schedule for Vendor selection and contract execution. It is subject, however, to time extensions. This would be in the event that further clarification of responses or terms of contract are in the best interest of COF. And in the event more time is required to assure the selection of the Vendor is in accordance with policies, rules and regulations, as well as actual timing needs. Confidentiality: The information contained in proposals submitted for COF consideration will be held in confidence. Proposal Submission: A SIGNED proposal and materials should be submitted to Tasha Baclawski, Senior Director of Programs and Communications, at [email protected] no later than 4:00pm EST on March 13, 2018 Proposals received after the due date and time may be eliminated from the process. Bidders are strongly encouraged to submit proposals in advance of the due date to avoid the possibility of missing the due date because of unforeseen circumstances. COF assumes no responsibility for delays caused by inaccurate email addresses. Proposals will be reviewed by a subcommittee and one or more agencies may be invited to present. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS: a. Contract Term: The contract term shall be for the duration of the project. With mutual agreement of the parties this contract may also be extended. Vendor agreement for Hosting Services renewal will be decided by COF on an annual basis.

b. Cancellation/Termination: If the Vendor defaults in its agreement to provide personnel to the satisfaction of COF, or in any other way fail to provide service in accordance with the contract terms, COF may take whatever action it deems necessary to provide alternate services and may, at its option, immediately cancel this Contract. c. Equal Opportunity: In the execution of the contract, the Vendor and all its employees agree not to discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin or citizenship status, age, disability or veteran’s status and to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. d. Sexual Harassment: COF is committed to providing a positive environment for all students and staff. Sexual harassment, whether intentional or not, undermines the quality of this educational and working climate. COF has a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure that all students and employees can learn and work in an environment free of sexual harassment. PERFORMANCE TERMS AND CONDITIONS: a. Contract Administration: The Executive Director of the Colleges of the Fenway, Inc., or designee, shall be COF’s authorized representative in all matters pertaining to the administration of this contract.

SIGNATURE: COMPANY NAME __________________________________________________________ By: ______________________________________________________________________ (Signature) _____________________________________________________________________ (Print Name) ______________________________________________________________________ (Title) ______________________________________________________________________ (Phone number) ______________________________________________________________________ (Email Address) ______________________________________________________________________ (Date)