Development, build and support of new Sitecore Content Management System

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The redevelopment of the website is part of a wider digital transformation programme aimed at modernising Brent’s online services. The current website was last updated more than five years ago on a CMS and it is no longer fit for purpose. As such, it has failed to keep pace with latest developments and is no longer supported. The new CMS should allow our website to integrate seamlessly and securely with the new customer portal to create a platform that can meet the digital requirements of its customers for the foreseeable future and provide a much more personalised and responsive experience. Problem to Be Solved The current website needs to be rebuilt and replaced. Brent council last upgraded the CMS in 2012-13. Umbraco V.7, a .NETbased open-source CMS, is what the existing site has been built on but this is now end of life. The CMS utilises a number of number of third party modules and out of date of templates, which have prevented its further development. It does not talk to the current portal platform, leading to a disjointed service. The CMS does not lend itself to the rapid development of microsites and the search function currently in use lacks administrative functionality. Who Are the Users As the website manager, I need to establish appropriate workflows for publishing and review and be able to modify components, patterns and templates. As a content owner, I need to make content updates and small design changes without needing any technical skills and make sure it goes through the necessary horizontal and vertical approvals. As a visitor to the website, I want quick and easy access to the most relevant information and personalised services so I can engage digitally with the council. As a council, we want to increase successful online transactions and encourage more user engagement through our website. Early Market Engagement We have spoken to suppliers of a number of content management systems to understand the capabilities of products, which suit the functional, technical and strategic context of the council. Work Already Done We have undertaken an options appraisal to inform which system to use for the council CMS based on our requirements. Sitecore has been selected and licences have already been purchased. The audience discovery and design phase has been undertaken, resulting in outputs which the successful supplier will receive upon appointment. We have undertaken a content audit to understand the content on the site. Work is underway to develop a full requirements document in consultation with internal stakeholders from across the organisation. We will work with the successful supplier to scope and agree the requirements. Existing Team The internal project team would consist of Product Owner, Digital Customer Experience Manager, Website Content designers, Project Manager, Digital Transformation Project Lead, MarComms, Business Support and Service Managers. The successful supplier will be expected to engage with local residents and a broad range of internal stakeholders including Cabinet members, Senior Council Management, Heads of Service, Communications and the Digital Transformation team. Current Phase Not started Work Location The majority of this work is likely to take place remotely subject to current social restrictions in place for Covid-19. On site work will be at Brent Civic Centre, Wembley. Working Arrangments It is expected that the majority of the work will take place remotely, but we would like to establish frequent co-located development meetings with our teams to foster, for example, collaboration. In the current situation, regular project meetings should take place face to face over video conference. The chosen agency would need fully integrate with our team and other appointed suppliers working within the Digital Programme, sharing their knowledge and insight; working in the open and demonstrating good agile product delivery practice. Security Clearance Additional T&Cs As London Living Wage accredited organisations, the authorities will require a contractual commitment to the payment of this. Skills & Experience Have recent experience of developing successful information-rich Sitecore implementations from alpha to beta, through to live launch that are fully responsive, including front end (theming) and back end development (coding) Have recent experience of delivering Sitecore websites that integrate with Microsoft Azure B2C and Dynamics as well as other applications and products to deliver customer authentication and personalisation Be an accredited Sitecore partner Have experience of building Sitecore websites that conform to the WCAG 2.1 level AA accessibility standard, and validating that standard Have experience of developing Sitecore forms and integrating the data into Microsoft Dynamics In relation to project management, have experience of developing, and delivering to, a comprehensive project plan and implementation timetable Have experience of conducting user testing at all levels of the design process Nice to Haves Have an understanding of and experience of working within the constraints of public sector organisations including budgets, timescales and change Have experience of delivering websites with varied approaches to hosting solutions (e.g. cloud, on-premise, and integrating to applications in different hosting environments). Have experience of applying the principles of user-centred design to the development of digital solutions Provide customer support service, including service desk, and an account manager function Have demonstrable knowledge of cyber security and evidence of regular PEN testing Have experience of developing long-term (3+ years) relationships with satisfied clients No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Approach to working with Brent Council to develop and deliver the solution that meets our specified requirements (23%) Evidenced approach to delivering a solution that successfully integrates Sitecore with Azure B2C and Dynamics. (17%) Approach to managing and governing the project to ensure it is delivered within the timescales set out in the specification (5%) Approach to training, UAT and bug fixing the solution prior to handing it to the council (5%) Approach to the ongoing support of the website including service management and the associated SLA.(5%) Cultural Fit Criteria Co-work with internal staff and external suppliers to ensure collaborative decision making (3%) Work with the council to ensure that the required technical and functional knowledge are transferred. (2%) Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method Case study Work history Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 55% Cultural fit 5% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range this phase of work has a budget range of £200,000 to £249,000. however, we expect bidders to submit competitive bids, broken down by resource or skill, duration and day rates applicable to each.