Thursday, April 06, 2017

City Of Carmel-by-the-Sea REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) RFP # 16-17-12 WEBSITE DESIGN AND HOSTING SERVICES

ABSTRACT: On March 17, 2017, the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea issued a REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) WEBSITE DESIGN AND HOSTING SERVICES (April 30, 3017); the RFP document copy is embedded. SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS are featured. “The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea is seeking qualified website developers (Vendor) to design and implement a new, customer-service focused website that provides ease of access to information and resources, a robust search engine, and an engaging, modern design.” RFP Schedule of Events includes Deadline for Submitting a Proposal, 5 PM, Friday, April 14, 2017; Short-listed Vendor Interviews and Presentations, Wednesday – Friday, May 10-12, 2017; City Determines Finalist(s) for Contract Negotiations, Friday, May 19, 2017; and Authorization of Award to Selected Vendor, Tuesday, June 6, 2017.

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS
1. RFP Overview

1.1 Background
Carmel-by-the-Sea was incorporated as a General Law City in 1916, and has a Council/City Administrator form of government. The major operating departments of the City are, Administrative Services, which includes the City Administrator, City Clerk and finance, Community Planning and Building, Public Works, Police, and Library and Community Activities. Carmel-by-the-Sea is known for its urban forest, its beach and natural parklands and its village atmosphere. The City’s boundary is one square mile in area, with a population that has remained steady at around 4,000. It is located within Monterey County approximately 120 miles south of San Francisco.

The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea is seeking qualified website developers (Vendor) to design and implement a new, customer-service focused website that provides ease of access to information and resources, a robust search engine, and an engaging, modern design.

The selected Vendor will be tasked with providing the City with an information ready, turn-key website to allow non-technical staff to immediately begin managing the content and providing a wide variety of services to residents, businesses, and visitors. The website will replace the current website, but will continue to use the same URL, upon the launch of the new website.

The Vendor is expected to have demonstrated experience in designing and managing local government websites, and expertise with current trends and best practices regarding website design and the user experience in the public sector.

The City wishes to engage a Vendor who can serve as a partner throughout the duration of this project and provide ongoing maintenance, support, and design services. Specific deliverables related to the scope of work for this project will be included in the final agreement.

1.2 Purpose of RFP
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to identify and select a vendor with a proven record of accomplishment in the planning, development, implementation, support, and hosting of government websites. The selected vendor must be capable of providing all services, including ongoing hosting, to implement a state-of-the-art website. In addition, the vendor must offer a robust content management system (CMS) that allows City staff to easily update website content. The City desires a single vendor for all services identified in the RFP.

The City is seeking a vendor that will take full responsibility for all aspects of the City’s website, CMS, and related hosting. The scope of services should include all software, hardware, training, and other services required to support the implementation, support, and ongoing hosting of the new site. As a minimum, the vendor’s services should include the following:
Design and configuration.
Interfaces to City data/systems.
Implementation consulting.
Administrative and staff training.
Content migration and conversion.
Testing
Documentation.
Project management.
Reporting.
Hosting.
Ongoing maintenance and operations support.

1.5 Timeline
The City expects to begin project implementation in July 2017 and anticipates a three to four month implementation timeframe. Vendors should be prepared to propose a solution and approach that meets this timeline, or propose an alternative based on vendor’s past experience with similar efforts.

1.6 RFP Schedule of Events
Table 1, RFP Schedule of Events, identifies the City’s best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. The City realizes the vendor procurement and selection schedule represents an aggressive timeline; however, time is of the essence and the City encourages vendors to carefully consider and plan according to the presented schedule of events.

Table 1 – RFP Schedule of Events
             RFP EVENT
            DATE/TIME
City Issues RFP
Friday, March 17, 2017
Deadline for Letter of Intent to Propose
5 PM, Friday, March 24, 2017
Deadline for Written Questions and Comments
5 PM, Friday, March 24, 2017
City Issues Responses to Written Questions and Comments
Friday, March 31, 2017
Deadline for Submitting a Proposal
5 PM, Friday, April 14, 2017
City Completes Short-list Evaluations
Friday, April 28, 2017
City Notifies Short-listed Vendors
Friday, April 28, 2017
Short-listed Vendor Interviews and Presentations
Wednesday – Friday, May 10-12, 2017
City Determines Finalist(s) for Contract Negotiations
Friday, May 19, 2017
Authorization of Award to Selected Vendor
Tuesday, June 6, 2017

City Of Carmel-by-the-Sea
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
RFP # 16-17-12
WEBSITE DESIGN AND HOSTING SERVICES

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