Designing and developing a new corporate website for the Youth Sport Trust

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The current YST website is built in Drupal 7 CMS which will be end-of-life in November 2021. We have been on Drupal 7 since our website was launched in February 2016 and have endured several frustrations with the platform since then, most notably a lack of customisation options in design and templating, challenges with Salesforce integration, as well as an unfriendly content management experience. With our existing concerns around Drupal, plus our understanding that an upgrade from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 is akin to a new website build, we consider this the perfect opportunity to explore our options before agreeing a proposed solution for the future of the website. This work also aligns nicely with an ongoing organisational rebrand and the launch of a new ‘Well School Movement’ which will be announced in February 2020 and unveiled alongside our new website in September 2020. Due to the nature of our work we primarily operate on an ‘academic year’ basis and the new website must meet this September deadline. Our aim for this project is to create a flexible, well-integrated, future-proof website which will not lead us back to the same situation within another four-year period. Problem to Be Solved We need a website which, first and foremost, allows us to better articulate who we are and what we do. This project should include a thorough overhaul of the current CMS, using the outcomes of our organisational rebrand to inform the look and feel of the public website, whilst improving the overall user experience. Ideally, the new website will also be created alongside an integrated platform which accommodates the Well School Movement, which will be akin to a membership area. Beyond this, we wish to reintegrate our website with our Salesforce CRM system, something which was stripped out of the current website after a series of issues and a bad working relationship with our former development agency. Salesforce currently manages several strands of our work, e.g. account management, school membership, conference and event booking, plus some product and resource transactions. We would like to readdress the balance of what sits within the website and what sits within Salesforce, whilst also implementing a single sign-on process for ease of access. The new website needs to be able to support our delivery of projects and programmes, bringing clarity to our programme offer for schools, and enabling them to sign-up and/or register interest. Who Are the Users • As a teacher at a school I need to sign-up to become a part of the Well School Movement, so that I can receive access to YST’s knowledge bank and organic support networks. • As a teacher at a school I need to register for Conferences and CPD training, so that I can receive access to relevant opportunities and build relationships with my peers. • As a teacher at a school I need to buy/access relevant supportive products, resources, e-learning and workshops so that I can take real-life learnings and examples back to my classroom or workplace, particularly if my school has young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). • As a teacher at a school I need to identify a suitable YST programme for my young people to participate in, so that I can sign-up or join a waiting list. I need to be able to clearly identify the length and location of the programme, as well as the level of commitment taking part will involve. • As a member of the general public I need to read research and sector guidance from YST, as well as gain access to fundraising opportunities and other communications. Early Market Engagement Work Already Done We have undertaken a bespoke discovery phase which took place between September and November 2019. This work was overseen by a digital agency who were appointed following a separate tender process. The project included internal consultation, the creation of personas and user journeys following a set of 10 user interviews, a technical discovery investigating the pros and cons of our current digital ecosystem, plus some basic designs of one of our key processes to bring this work to life. The successful agency at the end of this tender process will receive a fully copy of this work. Existing Team The existing website is managed by a digital agency who picked up the maintenance and hosting arrangement in November 2018 following issues with their predecessors, who built the website. Additionally, there is a webshop platform, built in Magento, which is currently supported by a separate digital agency. All other aspects of the work are primarily managed internally although we do receive a degree of support with Salesforce. Our wider digital ecosystem includes several other websites and microsites which are supported by separate developers. A full list can be provided during the tender process if required. Current Phase Discovery Work Location The Youth Sport Trust is based in Loughborough. Our office address is 3 Oakwood Dr, Loughborough LE11 3QF. Working Arrangments It is expected that the successful agency will make at least one, potentially more, visits to our office during the project – in addition to the interview date, should your application progress to that stage. Equally, we are happy to be flexible, and visit the successful agency in person when needed. However, much of the work can be done remotely, with contact made through email, telephone, Zoom / Google Hangouts etc. A digital ticketing system would be advantageous. Security Clearance Additional T&Cs As a minimum, take all measures required pursuant to Article 32 GDPR in accordance with best practice or the Youth Sport Trust’s information security policies (as amended and provided to the Contractor Company from time to time), whichever imposes a higher standard. If budget allows, we also plan to continue developing the site post-launch, including the addition of any features agreed upon as sitting outside of the initial MVP. Furthermore, we will be looking to streamline our wider digital ecosystem, particularly the webshop, which currently sits on Magento. This is reflected in our nice-to-have skills and experience. Skills & Experience Have experience of designing and implementing a high-quality Content Management System Have experience of creating a solution which makes tangible improvements for the user Have experience of conforming with brand guidelines whilst maintaining an innovative approach Have experience of supporting organisations who work across multiple areas and creating a balanced and effective sitemap Have experience of handling complex instances of Salesforce / CRM integration Have experience of creating a flexible interface for advertising and promoting events Have experience of implementing a platform servicing a multi-level membership system Have experience of using forums, or similar, to create an engaging digital community of users Nice to Haves Have experience of embedding a webshop and integrating with other systems, e.g. Sage Have experience of implementing single sign-on across a range of digital platforms Have experience of creating a ‘multisite’ solution as an alternative to creating new microsites Have experience of working within the education, sport and/or not-for-profit sector Have experience of proving support to clients with suitable hosting solutions Have experience of working with wider marketing tools, e.g. Pardot / Dotmailer Have experience of running user-based workshops, creating personas and/or workflows No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Technical solution Approach and methodology How the solution meets user needs How the solution offers time and/or monetary savings for our organisation Estimated timeframes for the work Identified risks and dependencies and suggested approach to manage them Team structure Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes Take responsibility for their work Share knowledge and experience with other team members Challenge the status quo Be comfortable standing up for their discipline Can work with clients with low technical expertise Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 65% Cultural fit 10% Price 25% Questions from Suppliers Budget range the maximum budget for the initial website development project is £145,000 (plus vat). the expectation is that any quote for the full amount would include a new cms, the well school movement, salesforce integration and the introduction of sso. applicants should be prepared to quote on this, as well as a ‘silver package’ (minus sso) and a ‘bronze package’ (cms only), so that we can consider a range of options for this project. applicants will be encouraged to advise on which package they think is realistic for the time/budget and any cost/efficiency savings that could be found.