Forest Research website development

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done Forest Research (FR) website was last developed in 2014 (www.forestry.gov.uk/forestresearch) It has been agreed that by 31 March 2018, Forest Research will need to have moved the website out with the Forestry Commission servers and to a new system. This offers FR opportunity to a new website which is fit for purpose and suits the demands of a research market leader. Problem to Be Solved FR requirements have expanded since 2014, and its site needs to cater to the growing demands of our users, both internal and external. Who Are the Users Our users vary from policy developers, researchers, Forestry commission staff to landowners and the media. The website is fundamental channel to disseminate our research and advice and promote our services to the forestry industry. Early Market Engagement Work Already Done We have done online user research to understand users' needs Existing Team Forest Research digital media manager and FR Head of IT with the support of a working group Current Phase Discovery Work Location Envisioned to be a mixture of on-site and off-site working. On-site at the Forest Research Roslin, Scotland, offices, off-site at the supplier premises. Potential requirement to visit other FR premises in the UK (Surrey). Working Arrangments Suppliers will be required to work on-site as required, although it is envisaged that the majority of the work will take place at the suppliers’ premises. The supplier will submit weekly reports to the FR representative regarding the status of the project, milestones met and any issues that may impact on timescales and cost. Security Clearance Additional T&Cs First-phase development and execution of the Alpha and Beta phases to be completed ready for go-live at the latest March 2018. The evaluation will process according to the DOS evaluation criteria: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-shortlist-digital-outcomes-and-specialists-suppliers Skills & Experience Demonstrable experience of a website redevelopment that has led to proven improvements in one or more of: website traffic; user engagement; user satisfaction; Demonstrable experience of providing CMS strategic guidance along with an effective integration with an existing CMS; Evidence of website development which supports photographs, video clips, other rich media as well as social media integration ; Demonstrable experience of managing the entire project lifecycle, including the planning, design, development and delivery of projects in line with Government Digital Service Standards https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard Demonstrable experience of redesign and redeployment of websites in a mobile-first manner; to include how this was done and the improvements in business outcomes; Demonstrable experience of providing an easy-to-use, simple interface for website content contributors to upload, edit and manage content; Demonstrable experience regarding the use of subdomains and directories Recommend the optimum way for a business with several publically hosted, externally facing web applications to utilise a single top-level domain name Nice to Haves Previous experience in working with an knowledge-based organisation such as research facility, goverment department, academic department etc. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Proposed approach, methodology and timescales, including team availability and responsiveness ; Skills and experience of the team; How the approach or solution meets user needs; How the bidder proposes to provide training and knowledge transfer for content publishers Cultural Fit Criteria How the bidder proposes to work with a distributed organisation; Evidence of working with a government or academic organisation ; Evidence of working with clients with different levels of technical expertise Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method Written proposal Case study Work history Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 70% Cultural fit 10% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers Budget range the total value of this contract over the entire period, will be in the region of £38,000(ex vat).