Website Design and Development

Whitfield County Request for Proposal Website Design and Development RFP# IT23-001 Issued: May 12, 2023 Responses Due: May 25, 2023 All responses must be sent to: Rick Lovelady RFP# IT23-001 Whitfield County Information Technology 201 S Hamilton St 4th Floor Dalton, GA 30720 2 Website Design and Development Whitfield County OVERVIEW Whitfield County is requesting proposals in order to identify a professional firm qualified to design, develop, implement and host an enhanced website. The new website should enhance the user experience, follow the best practices of County Government websites and serve as a portal of information. Our goal is to develop and maintain a site that will be easy and intuitive, visually pleasing, informative, safe and secure and quick to load and operate, with an emphasis on organizational structure and content. ABOUT WHITFIELD COUNTY LOCATED IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA Whitfield County (102,848 residents) is located in North West Georgia. Its historic downtown is

growing and changing with many improvements in the past few years. Home of several major manufacturing companies with a worldwide presence. The region draws in many outdoor enthusiasts. For more information please visit www.whitfieldcountyga.com SCOPE OF SERVICES The selected firm is expected to provide the following services: Provide a transition plan to implement a new website. Review the development of the website with the IT Department and Public Relations throughout the process. Design, develop and implement the website as an online help with resources and services for citizens. Provide web design tools to increase website capabilities to improve the engagement with citizens. HTML compliance; built in accordance with web content accessibility guidelines 2.1, provided by W3C and HTML 5.0 or higher standards. HTTPS/SSL website certificate. Compliance with data protection regulations. Transition of content from the current website to the new redesigned website. Provide security related services for the new website. Thorough beta testing of site. Training on backend/platform use for staff, and built-in hours for consulting/maintenance updates following launch. Develop structural outline, including desired content for the enhanced website. Assist in the identification and development of new content. http://www.whitfieldcountyga.com/ 3 Website Design and Development Whitfield County GUIDING PRINCIPLES To facilitate effective decision making and analysis throughout the process, a series of five principles is to be used to guide the design, content, and management for the development of the redesigned website: 1. Develop an easily understood and navigable website for Whitfield County. 2. Balance design, effectiveness, and accessibility. 3. Improve communication and access to information. 4. Developed in a manner that supports content management by staff with no coding experience. 5. Understanding of needs and the associated nature of County Government content. REQUIRED FEATURES The end-user experience should be one that delivers easy-to-use, current information in an organized and efficient manner. It should position Whitfield County as an appealing place to live, work, and play. Also, should have relevant information to attract businesses. Should provide an interactive, positive experience that brings engagement in the site. It is crucial that the navigation be intuitive in nature. Expected elements on the website should include, but are not limited to: A Content Management System (CMS) that enables a team to decentralize website content management for members and staff, both those skilled in web development/management and generalist. Use of latest web standards, including responsive formatting for mobile, tablet etc. Viewable in current versions of popular browsers. Embedded media video, slide decks, images, etc. which can easily be embedded in pages and function reliably for users. Fully searchable content to allow users to quickly obtain information they need. Optimized with SEO best practices. Multi-Lingual Support/Translate. Request for Information processing (contact me page). County news items, press releases and blogs. Focus on workforce and job opportunities. Department Heads, Elected Officials and Board of Commissioners photos with contact information. Third Party Integration ability to integrate third-party applications, including but not limited to mapping tools, GIS and social media interface. All other existing external sites and services. Tracking, analytics and report generation. Integrated Agendas & Minutes page. 4 Website Design and Development Whitfield County SUBMITTAL FORMAT AND CONTENT Proposals shall be in a single volume (PDF or binding) with a separate cover letter with contact information. The proposal shall include: Overview and summary of how your company will achieve Whitfield Countys website objectives. Relevant information regarding your company and a sample of 3 projects you recently completed (website URL along with a few screenshots and explanation are sufficient); A description of your companys record in website design and the results it realized for your clients; Scope of Work o Project phase deliverables o What will be expected of Whitfield County o What Whitfield County can expect from the company o Project development approach o Detailed explanation of all project phases including consultation, design, development, training, implementation o Estimated timeline o Statement that website will meet Privacy Compliance requirements o Training options Hosting and security services available, including 24/7/365 system monitoring o Minimum requirements: 24/7 emergency support, on-line status monitor, event notification emails, recovery time objective of at least 8 days, recovery point objective for at least 24 hours, multi-geographic region redundant back up data center System ownership Ongoing training opportunities and availability of robust, self-service documentation and technical support (videos and training manuals, etc.). Availability of continued communications post website implementation (with consultants and support staff). Support services - emergency and non-emergency situations. Project Pricing Estimate/Cost for Services Outlined, specify amounts of items below: o First Year development fees including: Days/hours of training, number of employees to be trained, on-site or webinar; Amount of content migration (entire website or a specific number of pages); Additional products/functionality; and, ongoing fees for hosting, maintenance, and support for Year 2 and beyond Description of features and functionality included. Give brief descriptions of other products offered by the company. Provide a list of at least three (3) Government references of which youve completed their website in the last three (3) years. 5 Website Design and Development Whitfield County SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS The deadline for RFP responses is Thursday May, 25th at 3:00pm (ET). Submit four hardcopies of the proposal to: Whitfield County BOC Attn: Rick Lovelady 201 S Hamilton St Dalton, GA. 30720 A digital copy must also be sent to rlovelady@whitfieldcountyga.com Proposers are solely responsible for ensuring that proposals are delivered on time. Submittals that are not received on or before the specified deadline will not be accepted (no exceptions). Whitfield County reserves the right to request follow-up information or clarification from vendors in consideration. Each response to this RFP shall be done at the sole cost and expense of each proposing vendor and with the express understanding that no claims against the Whitfield County for reimbursement will be accepted. All materials submitted in response to this RFP will become the property of the Whitfield County upon delivery. Questions may be directed in email format only to Rick Lovelady, IT Director at rlovelady@whitfieldcountyga.com. Phone calls will not be accepted. EVALUATION CRITERIA IT Department and Public Relations staff will review the proposals that are properly submitted to the office by the submission deadline. The staff intends to conduct a comprehensive, fair and impartial evaluation of proposals received in response to this RFP. A contract will be awarded to the vendor that best satisfies the overall requirements of the RFP and contract execution is contingent upon approval by the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners. To assist in the evaluation process, the staff may choose to interview select vendors to gather additional information and to allow for demonstrations. The following criteria will be used throughout the evaluation process: 1. Responsiveness to purpose and scope of services. 2. The most cost-effective that retains a high-quality end result with strong customer service will receive higher advantage. 3. Creativity as evidenced through samples of work will be held in high regard. mailto:rlovelady@whitfieldcountyga.com mailto:rlovelady@whitfieldcountyga.com Website Design and Development Whitfield County 6 4. Ability and history of successfully completing contracts of this type, meeting projected deadlines, experience in similar work. 5. Proposal presentation; the information is presented in a clear, logical manner and is well organized. 6. References, key personnel, and performance. PROJECT TIMELINE RFP Release May 12, 2023 Proposals due to Kilgore EDC May 25, 2023 Presentations from top two firms June 1, 2023 Contract Awarded June 12, 2023 Contract Signed June 14, 2023 Website goes live December 15, 2023