Website accessibility audit, re-audit and user-testing

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh wants to ensure that its website, rbge.org.uk, meets government accessibility requirements. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is an NDPB funded by the Scottish Government and a Scottish charity. We expect the successful supplier to undertake an audit of the website, reporting on issues arising that need to be corrected by our organisation and its digital agency, with a view to the website reaching WCAG 2.1 AA standards. A re-audit will also be required once those issues have been addressed. We expect people with disabilities to be included in a piece of user testing research as part of this overall project and for our website to work on the most commonly used assistive technologies (screen magnifiers, screen readers and speech recognition tools). Work is required to commence by no later than 17/08/2020, only suppliers who can meet this start date should apply and will be considered. The deadline for compliance for public bodies is 23/09/2020. Following the audit and reporting on the main website, there may also be other audits in future of related microsites, digital channels and mobile applications. Problem to Be Solved The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's website rbge.org.uk was launched in 2018, built using Umbraco CMS. It was developed with accessibility in mind. Since launch, the website has grown significantly and there are many stakeholders who input content including text, images and film. A new and full audit of the website now needs to be undertaken to ensure website accessibility compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA requirements. We also want to undertake some user-testing involving people with disabilities and ensure that the website works on the most commonly-used assistive technologies. Who Are the Users A visually impaired user: to use a screen magnifier; sufficient contrast between foreground/background colour combinations; to use a screenreader to navigate a webpage; text alternatives to images, controls, or other structural and formatting elements. A user with physical/motor disabilities: to navigate a webpage without the use of a mouse; sufficient time to complete a form A deaf user: to read captions or transcripts accompanying a short film As a user with cognitive, learning, or neurological disabilities: navigation mechanisms and page layouts that are logical and easy to understand and use. A user with speech disabilities: to communicate without voice interaction. Early Market Engagement Work Already Done A number of accessibility audits were conducted in 2018 in the run up to the website launch. Since then, the website has grown significantly and many new stakeholders have inputted content. Existing Team You will be working principally with RBGE's Head of Marketing & Communication and Web Manager. The project may also involve some interaction with the organisation's digital agency. Should there by other audits and testing of RBGE related digital channels and microsites in the future, you may work with additional stakeholders in the science, education and development departments. Current Phase Not started Work Location Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh although the work of the supplier is likely to be undertaken remotely. Working Arrangments During the audit, reporting and re-test phases we would expect a comprehensive work schedule which includes a programme of virtual meetings with stakeholders and user-friendly 'how to' guides and evaluation reports. Security Clearance Additional T&Cs Skills & Experience Provide evidence of recent experience (within the last 12 months) auditing and re-auditing websites to meet level AA of the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Demonstrate experience of including people with disabilities in user research. Indicate skill in delivering user-friendly reports and 'how to' guides to highlight areas where there are accessibility issues that need to be addressed. Demonstrate experience of working with a variety of stakeholders including in-house teams and outside agencies to deliver accessibility improvements for websites or other digital channels. Provide evidence of delivering value for money by working in partnership with public sector clients. Nice to Haves No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria Technical solutions (40 points) Experience demonstrated by 2 case studies (20 points) Methodology and approach (20 points) Team structure and experience of working with internal and external teams (10 points) Value for money (10 points) Cultural Fit Criteria Demonstrate an understanding of the different audience needs faced by a multi-faceted non-profit organisation or charity (30 points) Demonstrate an evidence-driven approach with an example of where you have used analytics or user research to influence outcomes (20 points) Provide an example of when you have worked with an in-house team and external agency (20 points) Provide evidence of supporting an in-house digital team with stakeholder engagement to deliver solutions that meet both user and business needs (15 points) Provide evidence of working with clients transparently to show clarity over spend/hours worked and delivering excellent value for money (15 points) Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 55% Cultural fit 15% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range £5,000 - £8,000 for the audit, reporting, user-testing and re-audit of rbge.org.uk. other audits of further digital channels and microsites are still to be confirmed. the supplier may wish to provide indicative costs for further work (eg, project rates, hourly rates).