Request for Proposal Development, Implementation and Hosting of the Official Website for the Town of Calabash, NC 882 Persimmon Road Calabash, NC 28467 (910)579-6747

RFP Circulation Date:

August 25, 2016

Submission Deadline:

September 7, 2016

Project Overview The Town of Calabash, N C is issuing this Request for Proposal (RFP) to qualified firms to provide website design services to completely overhaul the Town website. This RFP will be posted on the Town's current website at www.townofcalabash.net.

Key Dates: August 25, 2016

Release of RFP

September 7, 2016

Proposal Due Date

Submittal Process Sealed proposals must be received no later than 5:00 pm Wednesday, September 7 2016 via mail, hand delivery or emailed in a digital version. Please submit three (3) copies of your proposal is hand delivered or mailed, leaving one of the three copies unbound so that copies can be easily made. Late proposals will not be accepted.

Mail or Hand Delivery: Website Proposal Town of Calabash Attn: Town Clerk 882 Persimmon Road Calabash Beach, NC 28467 By Email to: [email protected]

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Proposal shall include the following:  

Cost for development A la cart pricing for website functionality and development above specifications proposed in the RFP response



All associated costs for maintenance, website hosting (unlimited storage and bandwidth), and any other fees. including frequency of fees

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Expected timeframe for completion of the design and activation of the new website

Inquiries All inquiries and comments concerning this RFP should be directed to Sue Stuhr, Town Clerk (910) 579-6747 or sent via e-mail to [email protected] . Criteria One finalist will be determined based on meeting the eligibility, developmental and technical requirements listed below:     

Qualifications and experience of vendor and staff Completeness and inclusion of requested information Similar projects completed by vendor Proposed cost of project The ability of the vendor to provide unique functionality

The chosen vendor will be notified once a decision is reached. The Town has no obligation to proceed with a contractual relationship with any respondent based solely on RFP responses. Background The Town of Calabash is a growing waterside community in southeastern North Carolina with a population of approximately 1,800 full-time residents and a seasonal population that grows during the summer months with projections as high as 3,000. The website is used by residents, business owners and visitors for a variety of needs. An easy to use website with high functionality is needed for our community to be able to provide a variety of information to a multitude of different users.

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Minimum Requirements for Submitting a Proposal 1) Vendor must have reasonable experience in the business of providing website design and web content management solutions. 2)

It is preferred that the vendor have experience with developing and hosting a website for a governmental entity or non-profit.

3)

Vendor's proposal must be valid for not less than 90 days after the open date.

Respondent Questions & References 1) Clearly define responsibilities of the Town during the web site design process. 2) Describe the expected interaction between your organization and the Town

throughout the development and transition process. 3) Describe the support your organization will provide during design and transition to the new website. Please be specific with respect to type (training, help only, etc.) contact method (phone, email) and available hours for support. 4) Provide all necessary contact information for your organization. 5) Provide any additional information about your organization that you feel is

relevant to the decision process. 6) Please provide reference information of at least 3 current or former clients and their current web address. Insurance and Indemnification Requirements 1) Vendor shall at all times during the term of the agreement carry, maintain, and keep in full force and effect, a policy or policies of Comprehensive General Liability Insurance with minimum limits of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) for each occurrence, combined single limit, against any personal injury, death, loss or damage resulting from the wrongful or negligent acts by Vendor. 2) Vendor shall at all times during the term of the agreement carry, maintain, and

keep in full force and effect, a policy or policies of Professional Liability Insurance, with minimum limits of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) for each occurrence. 3) The vendor selected during this process may be required to sign a non-disclosure

agreement with the Town if it becomes necessary to access Town resources through remote technology or if gaining access to proprietary information. This includes any access allowed to user accounts and passwords.

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Guidelines & General Information 1) Respondents are advised to become familiar with all conditions, instructions, and specifications of this RFP. By submitting a proposal, Respondent represents and warrants that it has; 

Thoroughly examined and become familiar with work required under this RFP

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That Respondent is capable of providing the equipment, goods and services necessary to furnish, install and support the website for town-wide use in a manner that meets the Town of Calabash’s objectives and specifi cations as outlined in this RFP .

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That Respondent has reviewed and inspected all materials submitted in response to this RFP.

2) The Vendor selected for the contract will be responsible for complying with all conditions of this RFP and any subsequent formal agreements. All responses provided should be as detailed as possible to provide the proposal evaluators with enough information to make a fair assessment of the Vendor's services. Development and Technical Requirements Website Objectives There are a number of primary objectives to be accomplished by the development of a new website:  Provide accurate, current, comprehensive information to the Town of Calabash

audiences, in a visually appealing, user-friendly way.  Make it easier for all audiences to interact with the Town Facilitate transactions online, for citizens, visitors and businesses to provide convenience for users.  Simplify website administration, allowing Town staff users of all skill levels the

opportunity and means to update assigned sections of the website. The Town expects that the vendor and Town will work together to plan and organize information on the site, which most likely will include planning sessions and continued communication throughout the duration of the website design process.

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Home Page: The index page will contain a navigation bar directing users to a number of broad categories to be determined such as:  Government  Online Services  Town Departments  Residents  Public Safety/Emergency Management  Events 

Businesses

Experience and Development Criteria  The content management software supported by respondent must be a proven platform for website development and municipal website architecture.  For ease of communication and project development, preference will be given to vendors utilizing their own development staff rather than subcontracting pieces of the project development to additional vendors. Subcontractors or vendor-utilized third-party developers who assist in part or in whole in the development of the website or continuing services shall be fully disclosed in any development proposal. Design Guidelines and Qualifications The design of the website should be welcoming, attractive and created by a member or members of the vendor's professional design staff. The final version of the design should be a collaborative effort between the Town of Calabash and the vendor, incorporating elements that effectively represent the image desired by the Town of Calabash through consultative development. Specific design guidelines and qualifications include:  Website design must be visually appealing, incorporating the Town of Calabash logo where appropriate  Responsive modern website design incorporating current social media links  Modern site with seaside-oriented look and feel  Include Photo and Video Gallery that Town staff will be able to add and edit with local photography  Include Hurricane Alerts, Information Alerts, Weather Widget or Push Alerts that allow visitors to sign up for alerts on the Public Notices page to be added to a third party email system. The email will be designed to match the look and feel of the website 6

 In addition to the links on the website front page, each department will also have a landing “front page” to direct users to important information and sub-navigation points related to that department  Include Public Notices Widget that will scroll most recent public notices/events  Offer E-news sign up  Include Government based front page design that will allow the user friendly accessibility and ability to locate important Town information quickly….. i.e. “How do I….” drop down to sub-navigation list  Provide on-line services to connect to an outside vendor that facilitates payment (i.e. utility bills, taxes) and other services as needed  Ownership of the website design and all content should be transferred to the Town of Calabash completion of the project Website Content Management Guidelines The vendor's content management system should be a web-based application that provides the core of the entire development process, being both the platform for development and the tool by which system administrators and contributors can update their new website. Content publishers should be able to add and update menu items if assigned the appropriate permission level.  All published content on the website shall be automatically archived and retrievable at any time without having to refer to backup tapes.  Trained content creators of the content management system shall have access to live support via e-mail or phone during vendor's normal business hours. Respondent shall provide details on support availability in RFP response.  Administrators shall have the ability to add, edit, update and move menu items  Administration of on-site banners and graphics, with the ability to add new banners and on-site graphical elements and assign those elements to specified areas of the site  A password-protected area of the website, available only to those users approved to access secure content

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