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CITY OF WOODINVILLE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - INTERNET WEB SITE REDESIGN TO IMPROVE SITE USABILITY AND APPEAL (including the creation of an Intranet)

The City of Woodinville is seeking a creative, qualified, experienced and professional consultant to redesign the City's current Internet web site to improve usability and appeal. This project will also create an intranet so employees and elected officials can access City documents and resource materials.

Background

In 1998, the City of Woodinville partnered with the Northshore School District for web page design. Students from a 9^th Grade Computer Class at Timbercrest Junior High School volunteered their class time to create the City's first web page. City staff provided informational text, photographs and the basic layout concepts. Design was created entirely by the students using PageMill (1997 version). The web page was launched in September 1998. Status reports reflect an average of 10,000 hits per month.

The City has retained the services of a consultant to assist with updating the web page at the direction of staff. The web page was converted to Front Page in 1999.

The City recognizes its web page as a vital communication tool that provides the Woodinville community and the general public with information about the City 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. The City's web page connects citizens with its government and is tool for the City to receive feed back from its constituency. We seek to improve this communication tool to increase usability and engage its users to repeat visits to the site.

The Project

The current web site for the City of Woodinville (http://www.ci.woodinville.wa.us/) is a comprehensive site of information regarding City departments and services, current events, news releases and informational links. Although navigation has been improved since its inception, further enhancements are needed. The City is looking for the following attributes to increase site use (appeal) and provide users quick access (usability) to the information they seek:

• Content Quality
  • Site to deliver relevant, high quality content
  • Attractive use of media
  • Appropriate amount of information
  • Timely and current information
  • Consistent themes

• Ease of Use
  • Prioritize content
  • Clear structure
  • Navigation
  • Search capabilities

• General Enhancements
  • Create new banner
  • Proper use of graphics
  • Proper links within and outside of web page
  • Advanced capabilities such as the ability download application forms; apply for recreation classes on line and reserve city facilities.

The City is also seeking the selected consultant to create an intranet to be used for City employees only to gain access to internal documents and resources (e.g. ordinances, resolutions, personnel policies and forms.) The above criteria will apply to this project.

Scope of Work

The City is looking for a professional consultant to Work with and provide basic instruction to the City's Information Systems Manager and Public Information Officer in the following areas:

• Planning of the site (new design, re-design)
• Graphics and design
• Publishing the site

Planning of the site

• City staff will provide the general flow of information contained on the site, desired information improvements and will look to the consultant to make recommendations for improvement.
• Consultant to make recommendations on hardware and software (Microsoft based products) associated with creating or upgrading the site.

Design and interactivity

• Consultant to create a new banner incorporating the City's logo and city colors of forest green, burgundy and off-white
• Consultant to incorporate appropriate use of animation, video and sound, using strictly Microsoft or Microsoft approved products, such as Micromedia.
• Consultant to create simple navigation and establish search capabilities
• Consultant to improve navigation, provide context for links whenever possible, proper placement of navigation buttons
• Consultant to incorporate customer feedback opportunities such as the Customer Action Request form currently found on the City's web site.
• Consultant to provide proper warning for things such as long downloads.
• Consultant to provide web enabled capabilities such as city forms, on-line applications, and registrations.
• Consultant needs to make such suggestions, modifications and implementations; incorporating Microsoft products, capabilities and compatibilities on the back end and open platform on the front end. The City requires the use of Advanced Server Pages (ASP) (when needed) versus jsp, cgi or perl.

Publishing/promoting the site

• Consultant to identify reasonable and appropriate ways to advertise the City's web site in related media
• City to use web page banner and create promotional materials

Selection Process

Selection of semi-finalists and finalists will be at the sole discretion of the City of Woodinville. Candidate firms should submit an application packet, not to exceed 25 pages, including:

• Qualifications of consultant.
• Approach to the project, specifically addressing the working relationship with City staff.
• Proposed scope of services and proposed costs (including incidental rates) to achieve deliverables outlined in scope of work.
• Identification of principals of firm and staff assigned to the project.
• Previous experience in internet and intranet web page design
• Identification of team members and their role in providing technical assistance and/or their role in this project.
• References provided from last five (5) clients.
• 20-30 minute presentation of your company history and changes, improvements and/or features built in your last project (of your choice). Presentation to include evaluation of City's current web site.

A selection committee comprised of City staff and selected for interviews with the committee will review the application packets. If there are several highly qualified firms, a list of semi-finalists may be selected and interviewed by the committee.

General RFP Process Information

RFP Modifications: The City reserves the right to modify this RFP at any time. In the event it becomes necessary to modify or revise the RFP, the modified portion will be provided to all responding document holders.

Right of Rejection: The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted.

Interview: The City's Selection Committee will review Proposals and 3 to 5 firms will be invited for interview. Firms will be invited for interview based on the sole discretion of the City of Woodinville after review of proposals. Note: Pre-interview introductory meetings will not be scheduled.

Acceptance of Proposal: The contents of the proposal of the selected consultant will become part of the contractual obligations if agreement is reached. The form of contract will be the City's professional service agreement.

City Contact: Marie Stake, Community Services Coordinator, Executive Department. For clerical or support information, please contact Linda Fava, Executive Secretary.

To Apply

Application packets must be submitted to the City of Woodinville:

City Clerk
13203 NE 175^th Street
Woodinville, WA 98072
RE: Web Page Design RFP

No later than 2:00 p.m. on May 25, 2000

Complete packets will include a signed original and five (5) copies. Applications submitted after the closing time will not be considered and will be returned unopened/unreviewed.