City of Elizabethtown

Strong & Growing Since 1779

Website Redesign & Implementation RFP

By

City of Elizabethtown

Request for Proposal (RFP)

for

Website Redesign & Implementation

ADVERTISEMENT FOR PROPOSALS

Notice is hereby given that the City of Elizabethtown will receive sealed proposals for the City of Elizabethtown Website Redesign & Implementation Project. Project Specifications and Bidder Qualification requirements may be obtained from the City Clerk’s office, 200 West Dixie Avenue, Elizabethtown, KY 42701 any time after 10:00 AM Eastern Time on Monday, September 9th, 2024. Sealed proposals will be received in the City Clerk’s office until 10:00 AM Eastern Time on Thursday, October 10th, 2024, when they will be publicly opened and read aloud. Proposals shall be plainly marked “City of Elizabethtown Website Redesign & Implementation Project” on the front of the envelope.

 

The City of Elizabethtown reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, to waive any irregularities or informalities, and to accept the proposal that is deemed to be the best evaluated bid in the interest of the City.

 

/s/ Honorable Jeffrey H. Gregory, Mayor

Attest: Jessica J. Graham, City Clerk

 

Introduction and Background

 

The City of Elizabethtown (the “CITY”) is inviting proposals from qualified vendors to create a modern, user-friendly website emphasizing accessibility, functionality, customization, security, compliance, visual appeal, and overall user experience. The selected vendor must fulfill all the specified requirements outlined in this RFP and possess the capability to incorporate additional features and future technologies as needed. The CITY’s goal is to deliver a website that effectively enhances our brand, offers a user-friendly interface for accessing municipal services, fosters seamless communication among the CITY, residents, visitors, and businesses, and simplifies content management while prioritizing design quality and visual appeal. This website will serve as the primary online presence for Elizabethtown’s government and will provide uninterrupted service for a diverse range of users, 24/7.

 

Elizabethtown, Kentucky, a Home Rule City and the county seat of Hardin County, blends small-town charm with urban amenities, offering a balanced lifestyle for both residents and visitors. This diverse community hosts annual festivals, features a state-of-the-art tournament facility, showcases award-winning schools, and boasts a thriving historic downtown area. Strategically located along major transportation routes Interstate 65, the Bluegrass Parkway, and the Western Kentucky Parkway, Elizabethtown serves as a bustling hub for commerce and travel. Despite its residential population of approximately 32,000, the city’s daytime population doubles due to its regional appeal for work, shopping, dining, and entertainment. Governed under a mayor-council system, Elizabethtown operates through key departments including Public Safety (Police & Fire), Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Finance & Administration, Planning and Development, Engineering, Stormwater, and Public Utilities.

 

The current version of our website can be viewed at https://elizabethtownky.org/ .

 

 

Project Scope

The goal for the City of Elizabethtown website encompasses the design, development, and deployment of a user-friendly, accessible, and secure online platform.  The website will serve as a central hub for residents, businesses, and visitors to access essential information and services.  Key design and implementation:

  1. Discovery and Planning
    • Conduct consultations and research to identify key user needs and website requirements
    • Develop a comprehensive plan outlining timelines, deliverables and milestones
  2. Website Design and Development:
    • Create an intuitive, responsive website that aligns with the City’s branding and visual identity.
    • Develop user-friendly navigation, ensuring easy access to information and services.
    • Ensure seamless integration with social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to facilitate community engagement and content sharing.
    • Optimize the website for mobile devices.
    • Intuitive navigation system
    • Real-time updates on news and events
    • Online forms for various applications
    • Integration with social media channels
    • Public Meeting Document Management
    • Alerts & Emergency Notifications
    • Recreation Programming / Event Registration / Facility Management
    • Online Payment Solutions
    • RFP/RFQ/Bid Posting
    • Integrated Human Resources Solutions for Employment Opportunities
    • Multi-lingual Support
    • Printable Pages
    • Registration Software
    • Electronic Document Submissions
    • Integrate into mobile app
  3. Content Management System (CMS):
    • Implement a comprehensive CMS solution that supports easy content updates, workflow management and version control.
    • Provide training sessions to key City personnel on CMS usage and best practices for content creation and management.
  4. Integration and Accessibility:
    • Integrate essential features such as interactive maps (GIS), event calendars, news updates, and online forms for citizen engagement and service requests.
    • Seamlessly integrate other existing CITY web based platformse. Microsoft Office 365, ESRI, Springbrook, GovBuilt, Sportsman SQL and systems like Microsoft SQL and perhaps third-party payment services as well.
    • Ensure compliance with accessibility standards (WCAG 2.0 or higher).
    • Conduct continuous accessibility audits and usability testing to address any issues.

 

System Requirements

The proposal must include system requirements for the use of the software and must allow for use with Windows based operating system.

 

Security, Support and Maintenance

  • The proposal must implement security measures to protect user data and prevent cyber threats.
  • Ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations and standards.
  • Plan and execute a phased website launch with minimal disruption to existing services.
  • Provide information on the potential for accommodating future technical changes and advances.
  • Provide information about support availability, including response to high-priority issues.
  • Information about site maintenance activities, including the number of typical updates each year.
  • Information about warranties provided with the product.

 

 

The City of Elizabethtown is seeking a vendor with a demonstrated history of creating a minimum of five websites for government agencies and having at least four years of experience in website design. Preference will be given to firms or individuals who have shown expertise in municipal website design. Respondents are required to submit a comprehensive written proposal that addresses each of the specified vendor requirements:

 

  1. List of references of work of a similar character and references to enable the City to judge experience, skill, and business standing. Include any municipal award-winning websites designed by vendor (list city name and website URL) and a design portfolio with at least three screenshots with URLs. (minimum of three (3) references required):
  2. Project development approach that includes proposed timelines, milestones, and deliverables. Approach should outline all project phases and the City’s role. Explanation of design process, data migration process, and training if not already included in project phases:
  3. Explanation of support and maintenance regarding system ownership, ongoing operations and maintenance, training opportunities, availability of robust self-service documentation and technical support (videos, training manuals), beta testing, normal support hours and emergency support hours, software updates and site maintenance, and software licensing (if any):
  4. Description of Features and Functionality included with the CMS, including but not limited to, description of page creation, page content template information and content scheduling.
  5. Cost breakdown to include design, development, testing, and maintenance.
  6. The timeline to include the planning and development, testing and launching of the new website.

Inquires about the Request of Proposal (RFP) should be directed by email to:

 

City of Elizabethtown

Executive Assistant

200 West Dixie Avenue

Elizabethtown, KY 42701

Jodie.thompson@elizabethtownky.gov

 

The last day for questions to the City is October 4th, 2024

 

Proposals/responses must be received by 10:00 AM, local time, on October 10th, 2024, to be considered by the City.  If the proposal is submitted by mail rather than hand-delivery, the sealed envelope containing the bid must be enclosed in another envelope addressed as stated below.  Proposals submitted by mail should indicate on the outside envelope, lower left corner, the following: “Sealed bid for City of Elizabethtown Website Redesign & Implementation Project”.  Late bids will not be accepted and will not be opened.

 

If mailed, please address to:

 

City of Elizabethtown

Executive Assistant

P.O. Box 550

Elizabethtown, KY 42702

 

 

If overnight or by hand-delivery, please address to:

 

City of Elizabethtown

Executive Assistant

200 West Dixie Avenue

Elizabethtown, KY 42701

 

ESTIMATED PROJECT TIMELINE

 

RFP posted:

Last day for questions to the City: October 4th, 2024

Last day for proposals to the City: October 10, 2024

Interviews: Early November

Anticipated proposal selection: December 2nd, 2024

 

Evaluation Procedures

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers from multiple City departments.  It is the City’s intent to schedule interviews and demonstrations with the top ranking vendors.  During the evaluation process, the City reserves the right to request additional information from the submitting vendors.

Criteria to be used in the selection process include:

  • The ability to provide and implement a website design according to the project scope described in this RFP
  • Vendor experience
  • Feedback from customer references
  • The ability to provide a modern and user-friendly interface
  • Project schedule
  • Ease of program use
  • Cost

Addition Information

  1. Proposals in response to this RFP will be valid for ninety (90) days from final submittal date. The City reserves the right to ask for an extension of time if needed.

 

  1. The City reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted.

 

  1. The City is not responsible for any costs incurred by the vendor in the preparation of the proposal including, but not limited to, expenses associated with the preparation of the proposal, attendance at interviews, or preparation of any future contract documents.

 

  1. This RFP is only a solicitation for information. The City is not obligated for any part of the project described.  The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted, to waive any irregularity in a proposal, and to accept or reject any item or combination of items, when to do so would be the advantage of the City.  The City also has the right to reject any proposal that does not contain all elements and requested information.  The City will not be held liable for any losses by an firms throughout this process.

 

 

 

City of Elizabethtown

200 West Dixie Ave.
Elizabethtown KY 42701
270-765-6121