WHATCOM COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM WEBSITE REDESIGN
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

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1. DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF WEB SITE

Our website serves as a virtual library branch; it is a gateway from which patrons can access our catalog, find out about library and community news, post feedback and questions, and participate in virtual programming. Our website is also a place for patrons to find information and get answers to questions.

We want to redesign our website so that is based on a content management system. We expect that this change will save staff time and allow more staff to be authors of content.

Two areas of focus for our redesign are a vastly improved navigation system and a website that is w3c compliant.

2. BUDGET

WCLS is ready to start work on this project.

3. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

a. WCLS must own, have full access to and have the right to customize site code.
b. Terms for proposal:
i. Relevant dates (see item #11 below)
ii. Proposals should be delivered to Geoff Fitzpatrick. Copies should be postmarked by Friday October 12th
iii. Please provide 3 copies of any proposals submitted
iv. All proposals must include a statement of authorization to bid signed by a principal of the responding company
v. All proposals must use the proposal format outlined in this RFP.
vi. Parties submitting separate proposals may not discuss pricing information or they will be ineligible to bid on the project
vii. Bidder status: bidder must disclose any relevant conflicts of interest and/or pending lawsuits

4. BACKGROUND OF ORGANIZATION

In partnership with our communities, WCLS brings the joy of reading and the world of ideas to every resident in an open and enriching environment. We serve Whatcom County residents outside the city of Bellingham.

5. AUDIENCE

The residents of Whatcom County are our audience.

We use our website to target children, teens, parents, educators, seniors and people new to library service in particular. We want our future site to help us attract new users.

From a recent survey an estimated 30% of the county may be using dial up.

6. TOOLS AND FUNCTIONALITIES

a. Essential components:
Multiple staff authors with varied permissions/access levels
Event calendar
Online donations
Site search
Forms
IM
Survey tools
RSS feeds for new titles and events

7. REPORTING NEEDS

a. Our reporting needs are basic. We want general statistics on the use of pages and sites. We would like to know which links to outside pages are being utilized.

8. SITE SPECIFICATIONS

a. Design parameters
i. We need the flexibility to have a different look and feel on children’s and teen pages
b. We would like to use a well established CMS such as Joomla, Plone, Drupal
c .We expect the initial phase of our WCLS rebranding project to be done by December, and that process will inform some of the design of the web page.
d . Accessibility/Usability
i. Meets W3C standards for accessibility
ii. Usability testing mid-stream will validate navigation choices
iii. Platform will allow for translation of content and navigation tools
e . Design should address search engine optimization
f . Compatible with Internet Explorer 6 and higher, Firefox and Safari
g . Each page should download in 15 seconds or less over a standard dialup connection

9. AVAILABLE TECHNOLGY RESOURCES/INTEGRATION ISSUES

a. We want the content of our pages, but not the existing html to be transferred to the new site. See the site map for our current website.
b. Catalog integration
c. Our current website is integrated with: Engaged Patrons,
a nd BookLetters

10. STAFF RESOURCES

a. Point of contact/ project managers: Geoff Fitzpatrick (IT services) and Aubri Keleman (Webmaster)
b. A mix of technical and non-technical staff members will be reviewing proposals.

11. PROPOSED TIMELINE:

i. RFP release date Wed. Sept. 12th
ii. Proposals due with Oct. 12th postmark
iii. Finalist interviews the week of Oct. 22nd
iv. Proposal award date Wednesday Oct. 31st
v. Initial meetings second week of November
vi. Quarantine begins (no new concepts/functionality added) mid-January
vii. Beta site in February
viii. Proposed site launch March

12. FORMAT FOR PROPOSALS

In submitting a proposal, each proposer acknowledges that WCLS shall not be liable to any person for any costs incurred therewith or in connection with costs incurred by any proposer in anticipation of WCLS action approving or disapproving any proposed agreement. WCLS may accept or reject any proposal or proposed agreement without limitation. Nothing in the Request for Proposal or in subsequent negotiations creates vested rights in any person.

1. Executive Summary

2. Technical Volume
a. Web development process: explain the process you will follow to build the web site, including major milestones and evaluation
b. Address usability standards and testing
c. Address any important technology information and specifications used in your solution (languages, platform, etc.)

3. Management Volume
a. Organizational structure: communication process; including lines of reporting and any special tools used
b. Schedule of deliverables; include major milestones and testing proposal

4. Budget Volume
a. Break down cost by production hours, tools and functionalities
b. Maintenance and support: ID any costs that should be assumed as part of the site and ongoing costs for maintenance and support we need in the future.
c. Training and Style Guide: ID costs to train our staff to use site tools and provide a style guide
d. Other charge areas: Please ID whether there will be other expenses, consulting fees, future work, etc. to complete this project.

5. Attachments
a. Qualifications and Experience: relevant case histories with information on accessing online demos or examples
b. Brief resumes of all who will work on account
c. Provide names and contact information for three references who will attest to your work and your firm’s ability to complete this project on time and within budget.

MAIL PROPOSALS TO:

Geoff Fitzpatrick
5205 Northwest Rd.
Bellingham, WA 98226


QUESTIONS AND ENQUIRIES:

Geoff Fitzpatrick
gfitzpatrick@wcls.org
360-384-3150 ex 279

Aubri Keleman
akeleman@wcls.org
360-384-3150 ex 276