Provision of Website development, maintenance and support services

Tender description

Energy Saving Trust is seeking to appoint a web design agency to undertake the website development project, and invite competitive tenders in accordance with Energy Saving Trust’s procurement procedures. This opportunity will be an open procedure advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland Portal. Home Energy Scotland is a Scottish Government funded advice service, delivered by Energy Saving Trust, providing home energy saving advice, information and links to all service. The Home Energy Scotland website (and linked Home Energy Scotland Hub) hosts popular digital advice tools and calculators that advise users how to live more sustainably and how to cut their energy bills, as well as signposting them to help with making their home more efficient and cheaper to heat. The websites also act as a primary driver for traffic to the Home Energy Scotland advice centre network. The dedicated Home Energy Scotland website has seen a steady growth in visitor numbers since its launch in 2020-21. Website users have increased 28.6% on previous 12 months averaging around 57,389. The site promotes the tailored Home Energy Scotland advice service available to households in Scotland and features tools such as the Funding Finder and Home Energy Check, as well as details of local events, webinars and real-life case studies that showcase how Home Energy Scotland makes a difference to the lives of customers. One of the key features of the Home Energy Scotland website is that it aims to complement the Energy Saving Trust website (rather than replicate aspects of it), signposting users to more detailed information and knowledge about energy efficiency, low and zero emissions heating systems and other domestic renewables as well as sustainable transport. The two websites link to one another at appropriate points rather than duplicating content and each offers a line of referral to the other where relevant to the user. In 2021-22 we added new features to the Home Energy Scotland website, including new campaign landing pages aimed at raising awareness of heat pumps and clearer contact routes for third parties to contact Home Energy Scotland. As Scottish consumers’ digital use and expectations of user experience are ever increasing, it is vital we continue to develop our websites which are a key resource for large numbers of Scottish householders as well as communities, small businesses and other organisations. In the context of the current energy and cost of living crises, providing Scottish households with effective energy saving advice through digital channels is crucial. There is therefore a need for Home Energy Scotland to revamp and update its current website, building on the engaging content and providing a better user experience through user-centric web design and greater accessibility.