Research, design, create and maintain a new task-based website

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done Allerdale Borough Council wants to allow customers to be able to interact with the Council via its website as easily as possible, whether that be finding information or completing a task. The Council's current website is no longer of the design and standard required to do this. It is too unwieldy with redundant pages, too text and information based and not task orientated. The CMS needs updating. The website is key to Council's ambitions to be more efficient and serve our customers. The ambition is to have the site live by the end of September if possible. Problem to Be Solved The Council's current website is no longer of the design and standard required. Therefore the aim is to design and build a new website which is secure, easy to use, clear, impressive to look at and meets the needs of users and the Council. It shall reflect the Council brand, be responsive to all technologies, be easily updated, and drive the Council's ambition to increase transactions carried out over the web with a single sign-on for customers. It will also integrate with all back office systems and work with new ones. Who Are the Users As a customer I need to know if can find information and report things and interact with the Council to achieve my specific task as quickly and easily as possible. As an employee or Councillor I need to be be able to edit my pages easily and also find out information about the organisation for my work. As an administrator I need to be assured of the security of the system, resilience, and flexibility of the solution to integrate with other systems with a single sign-on. As an investor I need to be assured and impressed by the Council. Early Market Engagement We have had some initial contact with some providers and developers of other Council websites. Work Already Done We have assessed the usage of the current website and started integrating our new forms package and Customer Management System (Abavus) into the current website, ready for developing the new site. Some initial designs have been produced inhouse too. Existing Team There are two members of the Communications Team - the Communications and Marketing Manager and Communications and Marketing Officer (Digital Communications). They shall be working on editorial, and form building as well as the website structure. We also have a Systems Analyst who can advise on integrations etc. And a IT Manager. There is also a business support analyst who can help with the Customer Management System. We have a project team and support from senior management and Councillors. Current Phase Not applicable Work Location Our office is based in Workington in Cumbria, and therefore there will be a need to visit here at some point. However, it is assumed that much of the work can be provided remotely. Working Arrangments As before whilst some face to face meetings will be required, especially in the initial phase, remote working is assumed and there is likely to be some conference calls. Security Clearance Additional T&Cs Skills & Experience Demonstrate considerable experience working with the public sector and understanding its specific demands Demonstrate understanding of what makes a successful website with the use of user data, SEO and similar Demonstrate an understanding of the aims of the Council as to the design and functionality of the website, with evidence of previous experience and success in similar projects Demonstrate the ability to meet the design requirements of the Council to create a clear, task-based and impressive website using new technology Demonstrate the ability to design and build a website which is responsive to all current technologies and software systems and future proof Provide a content management system which is easy to use and flexible Demonstrate that the CMS is secure and complies with all security requirements and statutory obligations including DPA and GDPR Demonstrate that the website will allow full compliance with accessibility requirements Demonstrate high levels of customer service through a helpdesk or equivalent, to ensure the Council can get any questions and amendments addressed quickly and efficiently Demonstrate good service provision to ensure the site is resilient and highly unlikely to experience any down-time. This will include managing updates at quiet times Demonstrate the ability to work with the Council’s current websearch system (or provide an equivalent, or better) Demonstrate experience and confidence in the ability to integrate with other systems, ideally with examples of working with the systems currently in use (and where necessary, new possible systems) Demonstrate the ability to devise a “My Account” solution which provides a single sign-on for all systems which require a login and ability to move current users to it Demonstrate the ability to be flexible and dynamic in your approach to website design and features and to work with the Council to develop new ideas and functionality Demonstrate a clear commitment to working with Allerdale Borough Council to deliver the services required. Demonstrate a good understanding of the services required meeting Allerdale Borough Council’s requirements Nice to Haves Demonstrate an understanding of possible technological developments and the ability to work with them – such as wearable technology - making the site future-proof. Demonstrate ability to provide the Council and its customers additional functionality and packages (such as mini-sites) as part of your licenses Demonstrate ability to be flexible and dynamic in your approach to website design and features and to work with the Council to develop new ideas and functionality No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 10 Proposal Criteria Technical solution and meeting Council's policy and ambitions Experience, approach and methodology Website Design and meeting the user needs Usability of the Content Management System Security and accessibility and compliance Service level and website resilience and team structure How the solution can integrate with other systems Estimated timefranes How risks have been identified and dependencies and approaches managed Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions Share knowledge and experience with other team members Take responsibility for work Can work with clients with low technical expertise and explain things clearly Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method Written proposal Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 61% Cultural fit 9% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers Budget range up to £25,000 to build the site.