1512-5400-Addendum1.pdf

MassArt RFP 15-12 (Website Redesign Services) Addendum # 1 – Questions and Answers July 1, 2015

Budget Questions

Is there a budget or budget range set for the redesign?

Can you provide a budget/budget range for this project?

Is this a fixed fee project or a time and materials with a cost not to exceed type project?

To successfully pitch for this project it would be helpful to know a general range of the budget for this redesign. A sense of budget will help us understand the full scope of this project and let us pitch creative ideas within the realm of possibility.

What is the budget range for this project?

Can you indicate a ballpark budget range for this project?

Is there a "not to exceed" or budget range that you are shooting for?

Is it possible to share a target budget or range for redesign and technical development of the website?

If possible, we would like to get an idea of a budget MassArt would like to dedicate to this project. This will allow us to really explore your options and how we can partner together in the future.

Is there a budget range that’s been allocated for this project? Any information you can share would help us align expectations and provide an appropriately tailored and scaled proposal.

Do you have a set budget in mind?

Is there an approved budget for this project? Are you able to share what it is?

If not, are you able to share the process you followed to establish a budget?

Answer:

MassArt is interested in identifying the correct solution for this project. While the college has not established a set budget amount in the RFP, bidders should be cognizant of the fact that MassArt is a public institution of art and design. Therefore, it is important for us to demonstrate excellence in design yet do so in a cost effective manner. The successful bidder will have demonstrated the ability to achieve both objectives. Please reference the RFP for the criteria MassArt will use to assess each proposal. Cost is one factor, but the selection will also take into consideration a design partner’s ability to deliver on the other criteria.

Content Management & Content Management System (CMS) Answers to many of the questions related to content management and the CMS are discussed within the Scope of Work.

How many authors will be updating content?

Approximately 100 content authors and 2 power users (administrators).

How much training may be required? Dependent on the CMS chosen.

What CMS / platform driving alumni.massart.edu? (if it is on iModules, is there thought about moving away from that?)

iModules.

What CMS / platform driving inside.massart.edu?

Ingeniux Web CMS.

Is it acceptable to design and implement the new website in an open source CMS application such as Drupal?

Yes.

Are you seeking different CMS platform or can we proceed with a proposal for a WordPress build?

MassArt takes an agnostic approach to technical solutions, and we have not identified a preferred CMS. A WordPress proposal would be acceptable.

Please provide detail on the CMS platform(s) used by the range of “satellite” sites.

The satellite sites run on a range of platforms, from Drupal to WordPress to concrete5. These sites are outside the scope of the RFP.

It was mentioned MassArt prefers open source CMS moving forward, is there a preferred open source CMS?

MassArt takes an agnostic approach to technical solutions, and we have not identified a preferred CMS.

Do you have a preference between open source and commercial platforms? If so, why?

This is discussed in the Scope of Work document.

Will MassArt consider the Ingeniux platform?

MassArt takes an agnostic approach to technical solutions, and we have not identified a preferred CMS. An Ingeniux proposal would be acceptable.

Does your current IT / development staff have a technology preference (e.g. .NET, Java, etc.)?

MassArt takes an agnostic approach to technical solutions, and we have not identified a preferred CMS or programming language.

What is leading to a preference for an Open-Source CMS?

This is discussed in the Scope of Work document.

Is the desire to look at other CMS No. MassArt takes an agnostic approach to options because of a desire to move away from the Ingeniux platform?

technical solutions, and we have not identified a preferred CMS.

What are the pain points you are experiencing with your current CMS that you want to avoid or eliminate with this project?

Questions regarding the current CMS will be discussed with the selected vendor.

When was the current CMS purchased?

Questions regarding the current CMS will be discussed with the selected vendor.

What were the reasons for purchasing it? (CMS)

Questions regarding the current CMS will be discussed with the selected vendor.

Who implemented the CMS? Do you still work with them?

Questions regarding the current CMS will be discussed with the selected vendor.

What led to the initial selection of Ingeniux as MassArt’s CMS?

Questions regarding the current CMS will be discussed with the selected vendor.

Would MassArt need help producing this new content? If so, should this content production be included in the proposal for the website redesign?

Content development would be a separate project and not in scope for this RFP.

Are there aspirational or likeminded organizations (out of industry) that you think are doing a great job from a digital perspective?

The MassArt web team has not made a formal assessment of the quality of peer schools’ websites.

Does the “editorial standards” need to include content “voice” as part of that deliverable?

No.

Does the MassArt web properties have any taxonomy and tagging schema in place for content?

No.

Are additional languages a requirement of the new site?

No.

Will students be uploading their own work or will this process be managed by the web team?

Per the Scope of Work document, MassArt aspires to create a site that makes it easier for users to share their content on massart.edu.

"Sharing" in this context could include submitting or linking to content, or providing a method for to make syndication easier for users. All user-generated content would continue to be curated by the web team.

How many total users or content providers will the CMS have?

Approximately 100 content authors and 2 power users (administrators).

How many concurrent users or content providers will there be?

Approximately 100 content authors and 2 power users (administrators).

What is the model for content creation for the new site?

This question will be discussed with the selected vendor.

How many content contributors/editors/publishers are envisioned?

Approximately 100 content authors and 2 power users (administrators).

Many editors, including practically all students, could be able to edit website content in the current MassArt set up.

Is it expected that this will continue going forward?

MassArt currently uses a model of distributed authorship, subject to authorization from the College. This model would continue unless otherwise determined by the MassArt web team.

Is it hoped that MassArt will be able to syndicate all of this content in other locations including the home page?

Per the Scope of Work document, MassArt aspires to create a site that makes it easier for users to share their content on massart.edu and easier for content editors to share user-generated content or content produced by the institution. Syndication of internally produced content is discussed in the Scope of Work.

Syndication of any content internally on the site or externally (to social media platforms, etc.)

would require clearance from the author of the work and/or the copyright holder.

Competition between bidders In order to ensure fairness in the bidding process and to all bidders, the identity of other bidders will not be revealed, and requests for discussions with the MassArt web team will not be honored. Since bids are due after the question and answer addendum is posted, it is not possible to say which vendors might bid on the project.

How many firms have expressed interest in this RFP?

MassArt RFP # 15-12 was publicly advertised on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts online procurement site CommBuys and inside.massart.edu. The number of firms that have received the RFP is unknown.

Will we be able to receive a full list of all other bidders Q&A questions and answers?

This addendum contains a list of all of the questions submitted by bidders submitted by the deadline specified in the RFP, and MassArt’s answers to those questions.

How many firms do you plan on engaging with during the RFP process?

The number of firms that have received the RFP, and the number of firms who will submit a bid is unknown.

How many agencies received this

RFP?

MassArt RFP # 15-12 was publicly advertised on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts online procurement site CommBuys and inside.massart.edu. The number of firms that have received the RFP is unknown.

Will the firm that did the research and analysis project and helped write this RFP be submitting a proposal for this project?

No. In accordance with the Conflict of Interest Law for State Employees, conflict of interest law, General Laws chapter 268A, the firm that conducted the Research and Analysis and helped create the RFP is not allowed to bid on

it. In brief, the Commonwealth treats consultants as state employees and they are subject to “self-dealing” limitations which are applicable to all state employees.

Is the consultant that wrote the RFP also bidding or have they been prohibited from bidding for objectivity?

No. See above.

Will the firm that did the original website design and implementation be submitting a proposal for this project?

We don’t know.

Is the current consultant who is engaged for the research and analysis project in contention for this RFP?

No. See above.

Hosting

How is the site currently hosted today?

Are there preferences on hosting for the redesign (i.e. cloud, on premise)?

The current site is hosted by our CMS vendor at an off-site facility. We expect that the most effective hosting scenario will not be onsite.

Proposals which include cloud and *aaS solutions are acceptable.

Is the vendor expected to propose a hosting environment for the new site as part of their proposal?

The winning bidder is expected to include hosting environment options during the engagement, subject to review and approval by the MassArt web team. Bidders may include hosting environment in their bid proposal if they feel that that will more clearly articulate and define how their proposal meets the RFP requirements and provides value to the College.

If so, are there any specific technical requirements that must be met?

The College takes an agnostic view of technology, provided proposals meet the requirements specified in the RFP. Cost, security, scalability, flexibility, reliability, and redundancy are all factors bidders should take into consideration in their proposals.

If not, who will provide the hosting environment, and could you provide a brief technical description of the

This question cannot be adequately answered, since the technology stack may change if we change the content management system. We technology stack? anticipate needing a web server that supports one or more server-side scripting languages, a database server, a web server load balancer, and other necessities (hard disk space, bandwidth, etc.) Proposals which include cloud and *aaS solutions are acceptable.

Will these sites be hosted on campus?

Should we provide a hosting solution in our proposal?

The winning bidder is expected to include hosting environment options during the engagement, subject to review and approval by the MassArt web team. Bidders may include hosting environment in their bid proposal if they feel that that will more clearly articulate and define how their proposal meets the RFP requirements and provides value to the College.

Is MassArt looking for hosting services as part of this process?

The winning bidder is expected to include hosting environment options during the engagement, subject to review and approval by the MassArt web team. Bidders may include hosting environment in their bid proposal if they feel that that will more clearly articulate and define how their proposal meets the RFP requirements and provides value to the College.

Internal Staffing

How many internal developers do you have to support this project, and what is their anticipated role in the initial development of the solution, ongoing maintenance, and feature enhancements to the website?

MassArt has one web developer on staff, who is on the MassArt web team. Discussions about roles, ongoing maintenance, feature enhancements, will be discussed with the selected vendor.

Does MassArt have internal capabilities with technical development on open source platforms? If so, please describe which platforms.

MassArt's web developer has familiarity with open-source platforms. Specific discussions about development will be discussed with the selected vendor.

What is current staffing for the various departments that support the website?

Marketing and Communications (3) staff, technology staff (#), departments have appointed content managers.

Peer Institutions Do you have a list of competitors (admissions overlaps and/or aspirational) that you can provide?

Peer schools are listed in the beginning of the Attachment # 1 – Specifications and Description of Services document in the RFP.

Have you identified any of your competitors that are doing a great job from a digital perspective?

Peer schools are listed in the beginning of the Attachment # 1 – Specifications and Description of Services document in the RFP.

Process

Can you provide further detail around the ask for “Change Management Plan”? (is this for changes in scope during the engagement, or something else?)

The Change Management Plan is intended to provide a clear articulation of changes in scope, design, features, etc. In other words, we need a suggested governance model that bidders have used successfully in other engagements. MassArt reserves the right to insist on the use of internal systems to implement any change management plan.

What deliverables came from/will be coming from the Research & Analysis project? How much will be approved and expected to be applied?

The deliverables from the Research & Analysis project consist primarily of reports, presentations and/or other graphics. The deliverables are intended as an input for the design and development process, and will be provided to the selected vendor. We expect that the major findings will be applied to the new website, but we respect that the design and development process is iterative and subject to change depending on new information, additional feedback, emerging trends, etc.

Would you be open to interactive mockups using something like inVision instead of us coding the mockups out?

Yes.

How will you define and measure the success of this project?

The criteria for success is outlined in the RFP.

Have measurable goals been set that will allow you to determine if this project is a success? What are they?

The criteria for success is outlined in the RFP.

What is the single most important objective to achieve through your online and digital channels?

The criteria for success is outlined in the RFP.

Can we submit our proposals via email?

Information regarding the submission process for proposals is outlined in the RFP.

Can the specifics of the research conducted by the consultant be outlined, such as X number of interviews with X departments, X number of focus groups with X target audiences, competitive analysis for X schools, etc.

Research and analysis materials will be provided to the selected vendor.

Do you need an official declaration of our interest in our project or will delivery of our proposal by the July 7th deadline suffice?

Delivery of a bidder's proposal by the July 7th deadline will suffice.

From our past experience, the phases listed were a bit out of order. Are we allowed to proceed in a way we tackle our projects?

We are open to reviewing proposed suggestions.

Under deliverables, you mention a requirement is 3 prototype options. In our terminology, prototypes refer to browser-based HTML / CSS comps.

We would normally recommend static designs, not prototypes, at this phase, which in our experience would be the appropriate fidelity. Can you confirm that this approach would be sufficient?

Static designs are acceptable for conceptual purposes, but to assess the user experience, the MassArt web team would expect kinetic prototypes (or equivalent).

Will there be opportunity to re-engage stakeholders after reviewing all of the supplied starting-point materials?

Stakeholder engagement is discussed in the Scope of Work.

Would we have access to senior leadership including the President at the outset of engagement?

Access to stakeholders, including senior leadership, will be managed by the web team.

Have you determined how decisions will be made during the project for things such as feedback and approval on deliverables?

Decisions will be made by the web team, approved by project sponsors and escalated to executive sponsored if necessary.

Are you planning to down-select based on proposals and invite finalists in for presentations?

Yes.

Is the current consultant who is engaged for the research and analysis project in contention for this RFP?

No.

Scope of Work

Which sites are specifically included in the redesign (massart.edu, inside.massart.edu, alumni.massart.edu)? Will any of the satellite sites require a redesign as well? Since it is MassArt's goal to unify the multi-site system and create a simpler user experience, I am wondering which sites are necessary for the total redesign.

The primary focus of this RFP is to re-design the public-facing main web entity massart.edu.

We do not anticipate a re-design of any of the other satellite sites as part of this RFP.

However, we would like to consider the features, functions and purpose of those satellite sites and consider them for future incorporation into the main web entity massart.edu. It is a certainty that some of the satellite sites would remain as satellites.

Are the blogs and satellite sites included in the redesign, or will they just have API tie-ins?

APIs: The new website should have the ability to syndicate content from other websites and/or social media platforms, but we don’t have a comprehensive specification yet of what APIs the new website should support.

Satellite sites: The satellite sites (including the blogs) will require some assessment to determine what, if any, functionality on the sites should be included in the new website.

Should other audiences be considered such as donors, the community, government, etc.?

Audiences are outlined in the RFP in the Scope of Work document.

If on-going support/maintenance is required, should the costs be included as part of this proposal or will that be handled separately?

Bidders may submit a separate proposal for support and maintenance, but it’s not required.

If an open source solution is selected as the CMS platform is MassArt looking for the hired consultant to provide ongoing support?

Bidders should feel free to include support and maintenance proposals in their proposals, but it's not required.

Phase 5: exactly what will be tested in this phase, if no development is done on our side?

Development is in scope for this RFP.

How is MassArt planning on handling the development aspect of this project? Will you be sourcing a development firm or doing it in house?

Development is in scope for this RFP.

We just want to be totally clear that the pitch for this project should include information architecture, design, and a development / implementation plan for the three core sites (massart.edu, inside.massart.edu. and

Information architecture, design, and a development / implementation plan are in scope for massart.edu for this RFP. Other sites would require some level of analysis to determine the feasibility of incorporating their features, function and purpose into alumni.massart.edu) plus the integration of the various satellite sites under the MassArt umbrella.

massart.edu at some point in the future.

Accordingly, the primary focus for design and development is on massart.edu.

If on-going support/maintenance is required, what level of response time would be required?

MassArt expects that response times would be consistent with industry standards.

How many current pages exist, is content migration expected to be included?

Massart.edu has approximately 640 pages, a quarter of which are faculty bio pages.

Are the Internal Audience sites intended to be accessible only to students or are they available for anyone to read? (even though content is for an internal audience)

No. Massart.edu is primarily a public website, but it obviously serves both internal constituents and external visitors. To a large degree, this public/internal-external quality is true for many of the internal/satellite sites as well, except for those sites which require authentication, which are focused on specific internal audiences (e.g., alumni.massart.edu has features restricted to alumni). With few exceptions, content posted on massart.edu would be available to any visitor.

Have specific calendaring solutions been identified as products of interest to the team? If so, please detail.

No specific calendaring solutions have been identified.

Does the scope of the RFP include the merging of massart.edu, satellite websites and insidemassart.edu?

No.

How much of “Phase One:

Assessment and Planning” is the current consultant acting upon? Part a.? Parts b. though d.?

Part A was completed by the consultant hired to do the research and analysis phase. The MassArt web team recognizes that research and analysis will necessarily continue throughout the project for other phases. Parts B through D would be addressed by the winning bidder. Phases 2-6 are in scope for this RFP.

Do all sub sites for different audience require their own custom designs or will they be utilizing one overall design system and template moving forward?

If they all will utilize one design system that will contain design costs. If each site requires its own custom design, each site must be quoted as a separate project.

Per above, massart.edu is in scope for this RFP, the other sites are not in terms of custom designs, templates, etc.

Would all the current sub-sites fall under the scope of this project? some of them do appear to run on different systems that would not integrate with

Per above, the intention is to understand what the functionality of the satellite sites are, and how the design, technical and workflow choices made for massart.edu might facilitate

WordPress at the CMS level. Front-end design integration is possible.

future incorporation of satellite sites in to massart.edu.

Do we understand correctly, that MassArt will be the one who will develop/program the entire system after we deliver all design files and HTML files? If so, how much time will be needed for development?

The content management of the website will be done by MassArt. The site is expected to launch in June 2016 and the bidder has flexibility in determining how long phases should last based upon their expertise and experience, subject to review and approval by the MassArt web team.

Please confirm that the consultant will or will not be expected to implement the selected CMS

The developer will be expected to provide a plan for implementation of a new CMS, or the re-configuration of the existing CMS.

What internal skill sets should we plan to leverage in our proposal?

The MassArt web teams consists of individuals from Communications and Marketing and Technology departments. One of the team members is a web developer.

To be sure we fully understand, what of the projects’ six phases, and steps within the phases, is part of the scope for this RFP (and therefore what the awarded vendor will be expected to do)?

The RFP outlines the scope of this project. The exception is 1 (a), Research and Analysis, which was completed, all other phases are within scope of this project. The Research and Analysis findings are considered to be inputs for and provide guidance about the design and development of the new website.

Will any on-going support/maintenance of the new website be required after going live? If so, for how long?

Yes, for as long as the site is live.

As a clarification - You list the various phases of the project (Phase 1 through Phase 6) and the various tasks for each phase. Will the scope of this project begin in Phase 1, item "b" "Needs Assessment" and continue through the end of Phase 6?

Yes. Be advised that Bidders have the option to propose alternative methods to achieve the goals articulated in the RFP. Refer to the section on Bidding Alternatives in the RFP.

Technology

What other technologies are you leveraging, it was called out you are using Ellucian Colleague, and Trumba Calendar system? Are their tools used for recruitment, alumni, CRMs, employee management systems, google analytics?

For recruiting/admissions, we use Hobson’s Intelliworks (http://radius.hobsons.com/). For alumni and development, iModules for fundraising and communications. (Ellucian Colleague for ERP.) We would like Google Analytics on the new website. Our employee management system is HRCMS, a state-run HR system. For space management and utilization, we use Dean Evans Associates' EMS. We have not determined what level of integration is required or possible with these systems, but expect that some level of integration with some systems may be required to achieve the objectives outlined in the RFP.

Regarding integrations - The RFP discusses that the new site will "...leverage APIs for the College's existing information systems..." Can you provide a list of those information systems and a brief description of each one's functionality?

See above.

Is there a current “digital asset management system” in place? If so, please detail.

MassArt is part of the Fenway Libraries Consortium, a network of academic libraries in the Boston area. The collections of most of these libraries appear in the FLO Catalog, which lists over a million items. There is an underutilized and incomplete catalog of media in the College's Canto Cumulus product. Proposals containing recommendations regarding digital asset management systems are acceptable, and recommendations may include new systems or leveraging existing systems.

Regarding integrations - The RFP discusses that the new site will "...work seamlessly with existing or proposed third party vendor functionality..." Can you provide a list of the existing third party vendor systems and a brief description of each one's functionality?

No. Detailed discussions about integration would be discussed with the selected vendor. We have not determined what level of integration is necessary with which system, if at all.

What is your server architecture today (i.e. how many servers are being used to run your current website(s))? Please include staging, test or failover environments.

Server architecture questions would be discussed with the selected vendor.

Could you provide more detail on the level of interoperation with other software applications, databases, and platforms you desire?

See above for context. We have not determined what level of integration is necessary with which system, if at all.

What internal systems must the site be connected, and can you provide the technical details / programming languages / database for each?

See above for context. We have not determined what level of integration is necessary with which system, if at all.

What other technologies are in use at MassArt by the satellite websites and inside.massart.edu?

Inside.massart.edu's CMS is Ingeniux. We do not have a complete inventory of technologies used by satellite sites.

Does MassArt use room scheduling software outside Trumba calendar functionality? Should we see these as related or separate entities moving forward?

Yes. MassArt uses Dean Evans Associates' EMS for non-curricular room scheduling and space management, and Ellucian Colleague for curricular scheduling.

Timeline

Also, I would like to know if an extension could be granted.

No extensions will be granted.

I see that today is the cut-off for questions: as we just rec’d the RFP, would we still be able to reach out in the coming days / weeks should questions arise?

No. To protect the fairness of the bidding process, bidders may not receive additional information from MassArt about the RFP outside of this addendum.

Would it be possible for the College to consider modification of the proposal due date based on the proximity of the 4th of July holiday to the release date of the answers to questions and the proposal due date?

No. The dates regarding submission of the bid are firm and will not change.

If the selection process timeline shifts, can we expect the project timeline to shift as well?

No. The dates regarding submission of the bid are firm and will not change.

Vendor Qualifications

:…will on-site meetings be required?

If so, how many/how often?

We can't make an assessment of the number of on-site meetings that would be required without reviewing the bid proposals. In general, MassArt feels that face-to-face collaboration is the most effective form of collaboration. However, as we are allowing geographically displaced vendors to bid, and technology allows us to collaborate virtually, virtual meetings are acceptable. Be advised that bidders chosen to do an on-campus presentation are expected to be physically present at the location determined by MassArt.

The RFP provides clear guidance on the expectations regarding vendors' physical presence on-site to present. The MassArt web team reserves the right to grant vendors the ability to have some (a minority) for team members to participate virtually in presentations.

Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this? (From India or Canada) Whether we need to come over there for meetings?

Companies from outside the state or country are welcome to apply. Many, but not all tasks could be performed remotely. Vendors will be required to be present on-site for certain meetings and engagements, including the on-site presentation, if they are selected.

Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? (From India or

CANADA)

Many, but not all tasks could be performed remotely.

Will you work with an out-of-state company such as ourselves?

Yes. See above.

Is it acceptable for the selected vendor to be located outside the state of Massachusetts?

Yes. See above.