Website Design and Development
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:
March 14, 2019
PERIOD OF PROPOSAL SUBMISSION ENDS:
April 4, 2019
ABOUT PROPOSALS. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (hereafter "the Commission") invites submission of proposals to design and develop the new www.uscc.gov website, from concept to completion. The successful contractor will have demonstrated experience in managing total website redevelopment projects and expertise with best practices regarding successful website design, development, and deployment.
ABOUT THE COMMISSION. The Commission was established by Congress in 2000 to monitor and report to Congress on the national security implications of the bilateral security and economic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China. Further details about the Commission are available on its website at: www.uscc.gov. The Commission's website is used to inform Congress and the public about the Commission, its members, and its work, and serves as a resource for Congressional and public access to all previous work of the Commission, including annual reports to Congress, hearings, contracted studies and staff papers.
WEBSITE REDEVELOPMENT GOALS. The Commission aims to improve and modernize its website by:
• Making content more accessible and presentable;
• Incorporating social media and other key features prominently in its interface;
• Reorganizing content to prioritize most important information;
• Creating tools that help highlight the Commission's relevancy and credibility;
• Improving the overall quality of the design, navigation, interactivity, and presentation.
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT PHASES.
1. Planning and Strategy
a. The contractor will work with the Commission to understand the organization's mission and vision for the site, and present a project plan, including detailed deadlines and deliverables.
2. Information Architecture
a. The contractor will design and develop the site in accordance with the website redevelopment goals outlined above, as well as ensuring the redesign:
i. Reflects areas of most relevance and interest while being logical and intuitive to visitors.
ii. Includes a mobile version of the site, though design should be prioritized for desktop users.
iii. Reorganizes information architecture as needed, which may include new or consolidate pages.
iv. Achieves a consistent page layout that is immediately identifiable as a U.S. government website in style and appearance.
v. Includes an optimized search function.
vi. Provides for a simple, short URL or web address for each piece of posted content.
3. Visual Design
a. The contractor will provide:
i. Creative Brief: Before any design templates are created, the contractor must present a creative brief with wire frames, based on information learned in the planning and strategy phase that presents the new creative direction for the site.
ii. Home Page Designs: The contractor will submit preliminary home page design options, with at least three rounds of revisions included.
iii. Interior Page Designs: The contractor will submit up to three interior page templates for the new site, with at least two rounds of revisions included for each page.
iv. Style and Branding Guides: The contractor must develop a comprehensive style guide that includes website graphic design and style.
4. Technical Build and Implementation
a. The new website must include:
i. Pages designed to optimize the use of white space and provide a clean user interface for desktop use; visitors should be able to easily read, navigate and scan information efficiently and effectively.
ii. Ability to be viewable on multiple platforms and devices (e.g., iPhone, iPad, tablets, iOS, Android, Windows, etc.); website should be scalable and adhere to the guidelines of responsive web design.
iii. An open-source Content Management System (CMS) that allows the Commission to have full control of the design and content preferred.
iv. Ability to easily group information together and create a logical information taxonomy (tags, categories, etc.).
v. Clear and easily accessible search bar and contact form function.
vi. Ability to integrate feeds from third-party content providers such as Twitter, along with an easy way for site administrators to manage these feeds.
vii. Ability to schedule content to be posted at a future date.
viii. Ability to back-date content as needed to migrate past content to new site.
b. The new website must be designed and built in compliance with relevant accessibility standards.
c. The new website must be developed in coordination with the current website hosting services provider and address appropriate consideration of website and data security requirements.
5. Quality Assurance Testing and Deployment
a. Once the fully-functioning site has been developed, the contractor must conduct website testing based on industry best practices prior to deployment of the site.
b. The contractor will be responsible for executing the site launch upon the approval by the Commission.
c. The new website must have all previous site content active and available for test run by Commission staff before the transition from the previous site is executed.
6. Training and Troubleshooting
a. Prior to the site launch, the contractor will be responsible for training relevant Commission staff on the new CMS and how to maintain and update the site. The contractor will also be required to conduct ongoing maintenance on the site to troubleshoot any post-launch issues for up to three months.
b. Training includes the following tasks:
i. Creation of a user guide.
ii. In-person, one-day training with select staff on the new CMS and how to maintain and update the site.
7. Asset Delivery
a. After completion of the approved project, the contractor will deliver to the Commission:
i. All design files.
ii. All HTML files.
iii. Any other technical files related to the new website.
iv. Hand over any service provider or content management system accounts and credentials required to control, run and maintain the website.
Additional Requirements:
1. Prior to the award of any contract, the contractor must be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM).
2. As work on the website progresses, the Commission's Communications Director shall act as the Commission's representative in monitoring the progress, quality, and responsiveness of the website redesign to the major redevelopment goals identified in this Request for Proposals (RFP). The Communications Director shall, on request to the contractor, be entitled to informal briefings on the status of the website redesign at each stage of the process.
Primary Selection Criteria:
1. The Commission will determine which organization or individual responding to this request will be awarded the contract based on a comprehensive "best value" analysis of the proposals received, to include costs, technical value and qualifications, ability to complete the work satisfactorily and on time, and past performance.
2. The primary weighting criterion in selection shall be the assessed qualifications and ability of an organization or individual to address the website redevelopment goals outlined above.
3. The cost and amount of time necessary to complete the design and development will also be considered as criteria in the selection process.
4. The Commission is a Legislative Branch entity not subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
Proposal submissions should include:
1. Sample project plan and timetable.
2. Comprehensive project budget, broken down as follows:
o Part A: Planning and Design
Planning and strategy
Information Architecture
Visual Design
o Part B: Implementation and Deployment
Technical Build and Implementation
Quality Assurance Testing and Deployment
Training and Troubleshooting
o Part C: Post-Launch
Asset Delivery
3. Explanation of your approach to website design.
4. Details regarding your project management process.
5. A summary of website development experience, to include actual samples of and links to your work.
6. A minimum of three references from current or past clients.
7. Composition of project team (leadership and staff), with information on each team member's relevant experience and professional credentials.
The budget quoted should be inclusive. If your budget excludes certain fees or charges, please provide a detailed list of excluded fees with a complete explanation of the nature of those fees.
Organizations and individuals wishing to submit a proposal in response to this RFP must ensure that the response arrives at the location noted below by 5:00 p.m. (EST) on April 4, 2019, or it will not be accepted or considered.
Electronic submissions are acceptable.
Proposals, as well as inquiries or any other correspondence related to this matter, should be directed to:
Christopher Fioravante
Director of Operations and Administration
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
Hall of the States, Suite 602
444 North Capitol Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
phone: 202-624-1455
email: cfioravante@uscc.gov
Christopher Fioravante, Director of Operations and Administration, Phone 202-624-1455, Fax 202-624-1406, Email cfioravante@uscc.gov
