Amendment 2.doc

SAP

State of South Carolina Request for Proposal Amendment 2

Solicitation:

Amendment Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400024421 1/26/2023

KATHY SANTANDREU

803-896-5304 ksantandreu@mmo.sc.gov SFAA, Div. of Procurement Services 1201 Main Street, Suite 600 Columbia, SC 29201

DESCRIPTION: Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum Website

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: Patriots Point Development Authority

SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON-LINE AT THE FOLLOWING URL: http://www.procurement.sc.gov

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 01/27/2023 11:00 AM ET (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision)

QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 01/06/2023 2:00 PM ET (See "Questions From Offerors" provision)

NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: See page labeled “Page 1” Initial here if NO redacted copy is necessary __________ See Section II A “Submitting Confidential Information” clause, and Section IV “Submitting Redacted Offers” clause

CONFERENCE TYPE: Pre-Proposal DATE & TIME: January 5, 2023, 10AM ET (As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions) LOCATION: Virtual – Teams meeting

You must submit a signed copy of this form with Your Offer. By signing, You agree to be bound by the terms of the Solicitation. You agree to hold Your Offer open for a minimum of 120 calendar days after the Opening Date. (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

NAME OF OFFEROR

(full legal name of business submitting the offer) Any award issued will be issued to, and the contract will be formed with, the entity identified as the Offeror. The entity named as the offeror must be a single and distinct legal entity. Do not use the name of a branch office or a division of a larger entity if the branch or division is not a separate legal entity, i.e., a separate corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

(Person must be authorized to submit binding offer to contract on behalf of Offeror.)

DATE SIGNED

TITLE

(business title of person signing above)

STATE VENDOR NO.

(Register to Obtain S.C. Vendor No. at www.procurement.sc.gov)

PRINTED NAME

(printed name of person signing above)

STATE OF INCORPORATION

(If you are a corporation, identify the state of incorporation.)

OFFEROR'S TYPE OF ENTITY: (Check one) (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

___ Sole Proprietorship ___ Partnership ___ Other_____________________________ ___ Corporate entity (not tax-exempt) ___ Corporation (tax-exempt) ___ Government entity (federal, state, or local)

COVER PAGE - ON-LINE ONLY (MAR. 2015)

SAP

SAP

PAGE TWO

(Return Page Two with Your Offer) HOME OFFICE ADDRESS (Address for offeror's home office / principal place of business)

NOTICE ADDRESS (Address to which all procurement and contract related notices should be sent.) (See "Notice" clause) _________________________________________________ Area Code - Number - Extension Facsimile _________________________________________________ E-mail Address

PAYMENT ADDRESS (Address to which payments will be sent.) (See "Payment" clause) ____Payment Address same as Home Office Address ____Payment Address same as Notice Address (check only one) ORDER ADDRESS (Address to which purchase orders will be sent) (See "Purchase Orders and "Contract Documents" clauses) ____Order Address same as Home Office Address ____Order Address same as Notice Address (check only one)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

Offerors acknowledges receipt of amendments by indicating amendment number and its date of issue. (See "Amendments to Solicitation" Provision)

DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See "Discount for Prompt Payment" clause)

PREFERENCES - A NOTICE TO VENDORS (SEP. 2009): Preferences do not apply

PREFERENCES - ADDRESS AND PHONE OF IN-STATE OFFICE: Preferences do not apply ____In-State Office Address same as Home Office Address ____In-State Office Address same as Notice Address (check only one)

PAGE TWO (SEP 2009)

End of PAGE TWO

AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION (JAN 2004) (modified): (a) The Solicitation may be amended at any time prior to opening. All actual and prospective Offerors should monitor the following web site for the issuance of Amendments: www.procurement.sc.gov(b) Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation by identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose on Page Two and returning with solicitation response (c) If this solicitation is amended, then all terms and conditions which are not modified remain unchanged.

The solicitation is amended as provided herein. Information or changes resulting from questions will be shown in a question-and-answer format. All questions received have been reprinted below. The “state’s response” should be read without reference to the questions. The questions are included solely to provide a cross-reference to the potential Offeror that submitted the question. Questions do not form a part of the contract; the “state’s response” does.

Reminder, per amendment 1, dates have been updated to:

· Updated: SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 02/13/2023 11:00 AM ET

· Updated: Award will be posted on 03/17/2023 Updates to RFP

· Added: Cost Sheet – excel sheet provided as a separate file to this amendment. Cost will be provided on that excel sheet and submitted in excel format (not pdf, word, etc).

Combined Vendor Questions The state will accept questions from amendment #1 (only) until January 31, 2023, 3PM ET.

1. Is content writing and copy writing services part of the RFP?

a. Yes

2. We do not see Security Assessment Questionnaire in the bid package.

a. Requirement will be removed

3. For the "meet the staff" list, would Patriots Point want to display bios, or just a grid of name, image, title, and contact info?

a. Images and titles of senior staff

4. #2 Is Patriots Point satisfied with the current Gateway ticketing platform for general admissions and camping reservations and purchases?

a. We are currently performing a review of our ticketing platform and may publish an RFP for a new point-of-sale system depending on the outcome of that process.

5. For rental facilities, is there a rentals management application that the Patriots Point team currently uses to process and track payments, or will this functionality potentially move into Gateway as well?

a. Payments for rental facilities are processed through our current POS system.

6. Who is the current State of South Carolina vendor for payment processing?

a. SunTrust, PayFlow Pro.

7. #5 Is the current website reflective of the latest branding, or are there plans to include an update to the brand design or core design elements separate from this project?

a. We have recently updated our core brand standards. The website reflects some of the brand, but really needs to be updated to fully reflect our new guidelines. There is not a plan to create a new guide for design elements.

8. #7 Re: this line: The website must also contain a privacy statement provided by Patriots Point and be ADA compliant. ADA compliance must be documented through a voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT).

What level of WCAG compliance is satisfactory for the PP team? AA, etc. #10 In reference to the "create and populate content" requirement.

a. WCAG 2.1 A conformance is the required minimum; however, WCAG 2.1 AA is preferable.

9. Will the contractor be responsible for adding all content even if the CMS is provided and client is trained on its usage in the beta stage?

No, Patriots Point’s team should be able to add content. Sole responsibility for adding content will not be placed with the contractor.

10. #14 What platform is currently being used for the online collections database?

a. Catalogit

11. #15 Is gateway currently used for event ticket purchasing, or is that payment functionality that will need to be built/integrated?

a. We have been using Eventbrite for event ticketing due to issues with our current POS system.

12. #17 Is utilizing google translate's web plugin acceptable or a more custom solution required?

a. Google Translate is acceptable, provided that its implementation does not compromise the accessibility or usability of the site.

13. #18 This is a very broad request and the final potential budget / scope could vary wildly depending on the full scope. In theory, this could take up more than half of the proposed budget limit from the Patriots Point team. Could a range for this be included in the budget proposal separately? Or is a budget not required for this item?

a. The education portal requirement has been removed

14. #20 What is the current museum online store, and will that remain on that platform?

a. We do not currently have an online store for the museum gift shop. Our point of sales for ticketing is through Gateway Systems.

15. Which third-party ticketing system are you currently using for purchasing tickets, membership and payment processing?

a. Gateway Systems

16. Can you provide more details about the 360 Degree Exhibit Gallery functionality that you envision for the new website? Will you be using a third-party system to capture and display the 360-degree visuals?

a. We will provide any 360-degree imaging that is needed. We want the website to have the ability to display it on mobile and desktop.

17. Is redesigning the online store included in this scope? Or will the new website link to the current online store?

a. The website will link to the POS webstore.

18. How many pages of content do you anticipate needing assistance writing?

a. We currently have 40 pages of content. Not all content on the new site will written by the contractor. A lot of the writing can be re-used, and our team will also write some of the pages.

19. How many pages of content does the current website have? How many pages of content do you anticipate migrating to the new website?

a. We currently have 40 pages of content, we’d like to reduce the pages and streamline the information as much as possible.

20. Will our agency be responsible for capturing photo/video assets in-person? Or will you provide photo/video assets that our team can edit and publish across the website?

a. Patriots Point will capture all video and photos needed for the website.

21. In the $100,000 budget provided, does that budget include hosting, maintenance and support for the website post-launch or will that come from a separate budget?

a. The budget given of 100,000 during the pre-proposal was based on incomplete information and should not be taken as representative of the work contemplated by this RFP. A budget number cannot be disclosed at this time. Offerors should propose their best pricing for their solution.

22. Embedding third-party services (ex. JotForm; ThingLink)

Q: Are these subscriptions the client will maintain, or will the contractor need to include costs to maintain these in the RFP response?

Patriots Point will maintain third-party subscriptions

23. The site must include online ticketing functions for daily admissions (through the POS system) and a reservation system (nonproprietary) for an overnight youth program.

Q: What is the POS and reservation system currently used by Patriots Point?

Gateway Systems

24. The Contractor will create a template Patriots Point staff can utilize to create online exhibitions and virtual exhibitions, including the ability to develop and post 360-degree exhibit imaging of gallery spaces. The Contractor shall create a visually striking section of the website to promote museum facility rentals utilizing event photography and 360 imaging of the available rental spaces. This section would also require areas for potential renters to see pricing options and submit requests for information.

Q: Is 360-degree exhibit imaging footage already prepared or does this need to be developed as part of the scope of services from the contractor?

Patriots Point will provide any 360 degree exhibit video that is needed

25. If required, the Contractor shall be able to create a web portal/site that will be available to teachers. This will include the ability to set up accounts for teachers and for the teachers to be able to then manage and update their information and passwords. This portal will allow teachers to submit requests for scheduling distance learning programs, complete surveys, and include a forum/chat where they can interact with one another. The portal must also meet all SC State IT security requirements. The Contractor will need to coordinate any necessary SSLs for the teacher portal to meet appropriate security measures. Patriots Point will indicate to the vendor in writing if or when they are ready to offer this feature to the teachers.

Q: Do estimate costs need to be included in the price proposal to execute this when Patriots Point is ready to offer this feature?

a. This requirement has been removed.

26. Who are the people on your core team? What are their roles and responsibilities? What percentage of their time will be dedicated to this project?

a. The selected contracted will work with our marketing team (3), our IT Director and Director of Visitor Services. The amount of time spent on this project will vary depending on the stage of the build.

27. Is there a designated project champion and core team, and are they prepared to collaborate with us on a weekly basis?

a. Yes

28. Please tell us about the stakeholders at your organization

a. Teams within the museum: Sales, Visitor Services, Education, Youth Overnight, Yorktown Foundation

b. business partners include Photogenics, Bulldog Tours, and Pulseworks.

29. How large is the stakeholder group? See #28

30. Is there a RACI chart or steering committee set up to manage them?

a. No RACI Chart, a committee comprised of the IT Director, Marketing Director, and the Visitor Services Director will represent the stakeholders and will organize and host necessary meetings with the contractor

31. How do you envision the selected partner interacting with your stakeholders?

a. Initial meetings with contractor, stakeholders and website team to get to know the roles of the stakeholders and how they’d like to be represented on the website. After the initial meeting, communication will be limited to the website committee.

32. In order to give our team a sense of the complexity of your current website, please share the following:

a. Number of pieces of content – 40 pages

b. Number of types of content (different CMSs have different nomenclature, WordPress calls them “post types”, Drupal “content types”) – Events, Blog, Informational web pages

c. Number of taxonomies - three

d. Number of custom user roles – three, viewing, editing and admin

e. Number of custom modules – 40

33. Are there any initiatives happening that this project is dependent on or related to (i.e, are you also doing a rebrand exercise or some other initiative that this project might need to wait for?)

a. NO

34. Do you have brand guidelines? If so, when was the last time they were updated?

a. Yes, in 2022

35. How many sites are involved in this project -- just the main site or are there intranets, sign in portals or sub-sites to include in our proposal?

a. One main website

36. Are you aware of any major risks to this project or workflow? Are there any known risks a vendor partner should be mindful of?

a. No

37. Do you have developers on your team? If so, will they be available to co-sprint with our developers during the build phases of this project?

a. No

38. Do you envision user research or any other deliverables occuring remotely or in person? What is your preference?

a. Travel to the museum is not required and is not billable. Meetings may be held in person or vitually, there is no preference.

39. Has any user research been done to inform this RFP and is the team open to engaging users to participate over the course of the project? This can range from as early as the discovery phase to explore and validate needs, to later in the design process to verify the team's findings & assumptions prior to build. Scope can range from as minimal as a standardized user survey, to larger scale focus groups, usability testing, social media engagement, and public installations.

a. Minimal research has been done, Patriots Point would like to engage users to participate during different stages of the project.

40. Are there any of the following UX deliverables that you have already completed, or would like to exclude from the project scope?

a. Goals & KPIs

b. Personas

c. Brand Identity Positioning (both visual & verbal guidelines)

d. Site Map

e. Audit of Content Types

f. Wireframes

g. Desired Publishing Workflow

i. We would like to work with the selected contractor to develop the deliverables listed.

41. What are your organizational goals? How does your new website guide towards achieving those goals?

a. We must honor our veterans and educate the community about Patriotism and service. To accomplish our goals, we must run a profitable museum to support the educational objectives. This website must encourage sales and attract visitors while also serving as a research tool and educational resource.

42. Please break the integrations down on the website, and categorize each integration appropriately: API integration, JavaScript snippet/embed, iFrame, or deep link to third-party site.

a. We don’t currently utilize any third-party integrations on our website.

43. Our proposal is design-heavy, and typically only contains a paragraph or two of text per page. Can you waive the maximum page restriction? Or, can you provide a different guide to measure proposal length, like word count?

a. We will remove the page restriction.

44. What is the budget for this project? Knowing your budget is critical to help us right-size the project plan.

a. Please see answer to #21

45. So we can plan our resources accordingly, what is your timeline for selecting finalists? When do you expect to schedule presentations?

a. That information is in the solicitation and/or amendments.

46. Is there an incumbent vendor responding to this opportunity?

a. Current website vendor is Blue Ion.

47. What are the pain points with your current website?

a. Our current website is more than 10 years old. We are looking to approve accessibility, user experience and provide material related to our collections for research and educational purposes.

48. What is the timeline? What is driving the timeline?

a. The timeline is listed within the RFP – we would like the website to launch in November in 2023.

49. Our preliminary review of your website shows that both WordPress and Craft CMS are being used to power the site, what led Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum to segment the site to two different content management systems? Do you have a preference for either moving forward?

a. After the current website was built, Patriots Point staff wanted to have more control of content. The vendor added CRAFT so that staff had that ability. No preference for CMT, but need the ability to edit and control content across the site.

50. With regards to hosting options, please address the following:

How many average monthly unique visits (sessions in Google Analytics) does each site in scope receive?

125,000

51. What level of uptime SLA will each website require? Will each site require the same uptime SLA, or will this differ? (If so, please specify)

a. 99.999%

52. Do you have any special requirements as it relates to HTTPS certificates?

a. We do not have any special requirements related to HTTPS at this time. However, that may change during discussions with selected vendor.

53. If SSL certificates are provided at no cost to you, would these be acceptable or are you required to use an existing certificate?

a. We will control our own SSL certificates.

54. Will you be connecting your CMS(s) to any internal systems behind firewalls? Please list internal/external integrations and how they are implemented.

a. No

55. Will a dedicated set of IP addresses be needed for allowlisting?

a. Yes

56. Will you need to leverage CDN geolocation data in your CMS application?

a. Yes

57. What measures have you put in place to enforce security on your current site?

a. Our website vendors manage security required by SC IT requirements

58. Have you experienced anything like DDoS Attacks, unauthorized environment access, or other?

a. No, but utilize CloudFare for protection

59. Are you using a Web Application Firewall (WAF)? If “yes”, please provide the name. If “no”, will a WAF be desired to protect your websites?

a. Not currently using anything. May reevaluate in the future.

60. We see the “price” is a primary factor in the decision making process and we’re curious to know if there is a predetermined budget outlay for this project. In any case, we will develop a proposal based on the best use of resources and time to achieve the most desirable result. There again, we want to be realistic about how best to support this effort based on any knowledge of the budgeted allocation that you’re able to disclose.

a. Please see answer to #21

61. How many people will be administering content for the website? We assume that content will be provided by you.

a. Yes, we will provide content. A committee will generate/write the content.

62. We assume that the website does not need any other languages apart from English.

a. See answer to #12

63. Is there any specific technology/platform preferred for this project?

a. No

64. What is the tentative Go Live Date for this Website?

a. November 2023

65. Is this mandatory to submit the proposal hard copies and USB drive also, while there is an option to submit the bid through online http://www.procurement.sc.gov/.

a. Please follow the instructions on page labeled “Page 1” **IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL OFFERORS”

66. Are there any limitations of Pages for the proposal?

a. Please see #43

67. You have asked for - "Samples (URL’s) of previous work with similar projects from at least three clients". Here, what do you mean by 'similar projects' - Does it mean, Museum related websites OR WordPress based websites?

a. Does not need to be museums. We would like to see past website work that includes some sort of sales, education, informational, and organizational site mix.

68. Please confirm that your current site https://www.patriotspoint.org/ is currently using the WordPress platform. It appears from our view that it is currently in Craft. Please clarify. Also, If the current site is in Craft, will the contractor be required to migrate the content from Craft to the new WordPress website?

a. We utilize both Craft and Wordpress. In some cases, we will want to migrate content, in other cases, we want to develop new content.

69. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #2 - What is the current ticket sales (POS) system? What is the current rental management system? Will any adjustments be made to the current system?

a. Current POS is Gateway systems. It is used for both sales and rental management. We are researching possibilities and may change the POS in the next few years.

70. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #2 - Please provide some additional information about the scope of ticket sales (number of sales/day, restrictions on time/date, patron identification requirements) and rentals (types of facilities/ types of rentals).

a. This website that we are looking to build will linking to the ticketing portal. There is no need to build a POS system.

71. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #7 - Internet Explorer is no longer supported by Microsoft. Is this a hard requirement to include IE in the browser testing?

a. No

72. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #7 - ADA/A11Y compliance may not be applicable or possible with embedded content. Will that be an issue?

a. No

73. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #8 - How much "new content" needs to be added to these landing pages? Or is the request more about editing the current content to be more SEO friendly? Have you determined how much (or where) new photography/video is needed?

a. The majority of content will just needed to be edited for SEO purposes. We will determine photography/video needs after building a website plan with winning vendor. Media needs will not be part of the website build project.

74. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #10 - It is unclear who will be writing content for this task. Could you provide clarification, specifically if Patriots Point staff will be writing content and providing images.

a. Most content already exists. We will ask contractor to edit for Search Engine Optimization purposes. New content that is needed will be written by Patriots Point staff.

75. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #11 - Does Patriots Point require a full review of the Information Architecture and Content Strategy of the site? Or will that be completed by Patriots Point? Please provide some additional information to understand the requirement and requested level of effort.

a. The selected contractor will need to present suggestions for improvement and information flow on the new website. We will review all plans before they are put into production.

76. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #14 - Could you please provide an example from an outside website that represents the request in this task?

a. The World War II Museum has a website that we think is a good example of what we are looking to build. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

77. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #16 - What is the current POS system? Does the Museum need additional features or integrations? Or will this be implemented essentially "as is" on the new website?

a. We are not expecting contractors to build a new POS system. We utilize Gateway Systems as our POS, and will need this new website to link to it as seamlessly as possible.

78. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #17 - Does the museum require automatic, manual, or automatic with (manual) override translation?

a. See answer to #12

79. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #18 - Please confirm if this task should be included in the pricing of this scope of work. If so, we’ll need specific requirements to understand the level of effort required, including if the teacher portal would live on a subdomain or within the main site.

a. Please see answer to #25

80. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #19 - Does the museum already have photography / video to showcase in this section? If not, will it be provided by the museum or would the Contractor be responsible for hiring a photographer/videographer to supply this content?

a. We do have photography already available for use. Additional media will be produced by staff if needed.

81. Under Scope of Work, Contractor responsibilities, #20 - What does the museum use now? Is this solution working? Will the museum require any new features or functionality needed? Approximately how many items (and what type) will be sold on the online store?

a. We are currently reviewing possibilities for adding an online store for our gift shop. We are not offering this ability to customers at this time. The website that we build this year will have to accommodate that addition in the near future.

82. #23. The Contractor shall coordinate with the hosting provider during the new website’s development, including testing the site before the Go Live Date, to ensure proper operation. Who is your current hosting provider? Should the Contractor supply a bid for hosting? Please provide basic information about the current traffic and hosting environment that would be relevant for pricing.

a. Hosting is part of this contract.

83. Is this RFP eligible for pricing through GSA or GSA MAS?

a. The state is not able to use GSA contracts.

84. Do you have an estimate on the number of support hours required for ongoing support after the website is live? Can you share how many hours of support you used with previous contractors?

a. No, we would like to minimize support needs by building a website that staff can control mostly in-house. This is a new website and number of support hours we’ve used in the past is irrelevant to this solicitation.

85. Is there a page limit on the Technical Proposal?

a. Please see #43

86. Will Patriots Point be paying directly for any third-party plugins or licenses? Or should the Contractor include these in the pricing? How will unknown third-party licenses be handled (i.e. plugins chosen at a later date within the period of performance)?

a. All 3rd party plugins and /or licensing that are required to provide the functionality identified in the solicitation, such 3rd party, must be identified in the proposal response and included in the pricing.

If Patriots point decides, at a later date, to add additional 3rd party plugins, and it is within the period of performance, and which are within the general scope of the solicitation it must be agreed to via change order.

87. Under Bidding Schdedule / Price Proposal, the RFP states “Travel expenses to and from scheduled meetings with Patriots Point will be the responsibility of the Contractor. Travel time on the part of the Contractor is considered part of the cost of doing business.” Will travel be required during the period of performance? If so, please provide the approximate time needed on site.

a. This specification will be removed, there should be no need for travel to Patriots Point as part of this RFP.

88. Can you confirm that the scope of work only includes pages and features at patriotspoint.org and doesn’t include any other domains or subdomains?

a. Yes, it does not include any other domains or subdomains

89. Do you want to rebuild the site on Wordpress or migrate to a different platform, such as Drupal?

a. We are not partial to Wordpress and will review options presented by the offerors

90. Should we assume that all of the types of content or features currently on the site will be part of the new site?

a. Yes

91. Will any types of content or features on the current site not be included in the new site?

a. No

92. Will any new types of content or features be added to the new site?

a. We want to add online collections. There will need to be a seamless link to Catalogit.

93. Are there any specific features, aspects or problems with the current site you want to significantly change/improve during the redesign?

a. The website is 10 years old. We need to refresh look, feel and improve performance.

94. Will the ability to purchase tickets remain offsite at ticketing.patriotspoint.org?

a. Yes

Cont.

1. Will the ability to donate remain offsite at ussyorktownfoundation.org.

a. Yes

2. Has your team audited the site and created a preliminary sitemap or documented changes to the site navigation and structure that the chosen vendor will integrate into the redesign process? Or will the chosen vendor be starting “from scratch”?

a. Vendor will work with the Patriots Point team to audit current site.

3. We noticed that the site does not currently have a search feature for the website’s content. Would you like to add a website content search to the site in addition to the catalog search?

a. We removed the search feature that was built for the website. We would like new search features to be limited to the blog/news article portion of the site.

4. Is your newsletter signup feature connected to an online email list, such as mailchimp or ConstantContact?

a. Yes, Sharpspring

5. We noted that no events currently exist on the site. Will you have events going forward? If so, do you prefer that they are displayed in a list or in a calendar view?

a. Yes, we will have events and need to list those events on the website.

6. Can you provide information on the different roles and responsibilities of CMS users? How many people use the CMS to administer the site?

a. We will need to limit some users to only the ability to edit. A few team members will have full access. 10 people overall.

7. Are there any CMS/database specific publishing workflows we should be aware of and required to implement? i.e. review / approval processes.

a. Not currently

8. For including hosting options in the proposal, can you provide statistics on traffic to the website, such as average monthly visitors and page views? Also, if there are any periods where traffic spikes considerably above the average, please include stats on high traffic periods.

a. Peak months are in the summer season. Page views can reach 125,000 a month.

9. Section III Scope of Work

a. Contractor Responsibilites Item 2 – Can the existing ticketing system be re-used, or is a complete replacement necessary?

The website built will need to use the existing ticketing system.

b. Contractor Responsibilites Item 14 - What is a collections page portal? Is this the ability to collect monetary donations? Or tangible goods donations?

Collections portal refers to a site that provides information on the artifacts held in the museum’s collections through CatalogIt.

c. Contractor Responsibilites Item 16 - What POS-system is the museum using?

We currently use Gateway Ticketing Galaxy for admissions control and point-of-sale. There is no online merchandise sales.

d. Contractor Responsibilites Item 20 – Which platform does the Museum use? What sort of connection is made between the website and the museum platform?

The sales platform is Gateway’s eGalaxy.

10. Section IV Qualifications and Experience - Item d refers to a Service Provider Security Assessment Questionnaire. That appears to be missing.

a. Questionnaire requirement is being removed.

11. Does the museum have any formal branding and graphic guidelines?

a. Yes

12. Besides the website and social media, what other on or offline marketing channels do you use? What has proven to be the most effective?

We utilize many different on and offline marketing channels throughout the course of each fiscal year as guided by a marketing plan developed with our marketing agency of record. Digital strategies have been most effective in relation to general ticket sales.

13. What kind of exposure/support/traffic do you get from the discoversouthcarolina.com folks? Do they make any co-op marketing dollars available?

a. Yes, we participate in the TAG program. The state PRT team supports Patriots Point marketing in many ways.

14. Is there any preference to what CMS or technology stack is used for the project?

a. No, we are open to suggestions from contractors.

15. What are some of the challenges or pain points you feel with your current CMS?

a. We need a greater ability to edit content and build new pages as needed.

16. From a marketing and awareness standpoint, what are some of your challenges today?

Further to that, what are the drivers for doing this project right now?

a. Our website is more than 10 years old and needs to be refreshed for design and performance needs. It is important that Patriots Point continues to be a top attraction in the Charleston area and among first places listed in google searches.

17. What are some of the biggest areas of opportunity you see for 2023? (This could be anything from attracting a new audience to revisiting your pricing to running capital campaigns to producing more of a certain type of programming.)

a. We have a tremendous opportunity to build on our annual pass program. Over the next few years we want that to transition to a membership program that drives recurring revenues.

18. Have you done any recent audience research? Are there any misconceptions out there about the museum that you are aware of?

a. Yes, we do year-round audience research. General misconceptions include that the Yorktown is a battleship and that our museum is named Yorktown and Patriots Point is simply a golf course.

19. Please provide some high level stats for us about the museum: # of visitors last year (is the 300,00 number mentioned on the website accurate?), members, revenue and source (admission fees vs. donations vs. Foundation Memberships, online vs. in person sales), the success of special offers like “Pay What You Can” weekend, etc.)

a. Annual visitation is roughly 300,000

b. Our operating budget is roughly $13M

c. Our official foundation is the Yorktown Foundation

d. We serve 15,000 to 20,000 students each year

e. 80% of sales occur in person (we want to reach more through website)

f. Pay What You Can Weekend is a success for public relations purposes

20. How active/engaged is your volunteer corp? Is attracting more volunteers a priority?

a. Volunteers are very active and big supporters, attracting more is not a priority

21. Is redesigning the USS Yorktown Foundation website also a part of this project?

a. No, they are a separate organization

22. What is the on-premises POS system the museum uses? Does the website need to integrate with that system? If so, please provide as much detail on that integration as possible.

a. We currently use Gateway Galaxy for ticketing point of sale. Galaxy provides its own web-store to which the main site links. That site handles all payment processing. We currently do not operate a web store for merchandise.

23. What are some things you feel could be improved about your current online ticket sale user experience/flow? https://bit.ly/3Qi8tNE

a. There are many things we’d like to improve. Among those with the highest priority levels is explaining sales items before linking to the POS system.

24. Who is the State’s contracted merchant card processor?

a. SunTrust – PayFlow Pro.

25. If the CMS we propose has built-in tools that can replace, for instance JotForm and your Blog software, can those systems be dropped or do they need to stay in place?

a. They can be dropped

26. With regard to the creation of "new photography and video elements" as mentioned in the RFP, does the museum expect us to provide those services in whole or perhaps work with a local photographer/videographer with whom you already have a relationship?

a. We will provide any new media that is needed

27. As far as existing graphic, photo or video assets, do you currently have a good library of assets we can pull from, at least as a starting point?

a. Yes, we have a very strong library of visuals

28. When the new site goes live, what specific metrics will be used to measure its success?

a. Page Views, Increase in online sales, increase in satisfaction reported in surveys

29. How much did the museum pay for the current website and how much do you pay for annual hosting and maintenance?

a. Because of the age of the current website, this information is irrelevant to responding to this solicitation.

30. Is there a budget or budget range established for this project?

a. Please see #21

31. Do you want to develop a website in WordPress plus Woocommerce or Do you want to use Enterprise level Drupal Ecommerce?

a. The inclusion of a POS system is not part of this project. We will link to the POS system we currently use. The website must do this as seamlessly as possible.

32. In 2nd Point you mentioned regarding Payment Gateway, thus your vendor is API for the payment gateway that you want to integrate?

a. New website will need to link to the current POS webstore.

33. Do you want Two-factor Authentication on the backend via Mobile OTP or Email OTP or Authenticator?

a. We do not need two-factor authentication at this time.

34. Do you have Color Palettes that you want to use for the Branding of the website?

a. Yes, the website must follow our brand standards.

35. DO you want us to create a New LOGO?

a. No

36. What keywords do you want to focus on for creating the Content so your new Content will be SEO Optimized?

a. Please include recommendations in your response to this RFP

37. For SEO Optimized Content if you don't have keywords then do you want us to do some research on it and send it you for approval, then work on that keywords while writing content?

a. Yes

38. Do you want SEO OnPage Technical and Non-Tecnical implementation completely?

a. Please include recommendations in your response to this RFP.

39. Do you want to set up the Analytics with Proper Goal or Do you want Only Analytics to measure the traffic?

a. Please include recommendations in your response to this RFP

40. For Ranking website with particular Keywords do you want us to work on OffPage SEO(Ongoing Work)?

a. Please include recommendations in your response to this RFP

41. In the 8th Point you mentioned for Main Landing Pages, Please let us know how many main landing Pages we have to write the content or you want for a complete Website?

a. Four to five main landing pages

42. In 10 Point there are terms that we have to create a series of Pages templates for your staff. Please let us know how many pages of template you want us to create and How Many Pages you want in the complete Website?

a. We need at least three templates that we can utilize to build new pages within the site.

b. The new site will have at least 5 pages.

43. In 13th Point there is a term called online Exhibition and Virtual Exhibition Template creation, Can you please elaborate more on this what kind of fields you want in a particular point?

a. Please include recommendations on how to build a virtual exhibit in your response to this RFP

44. In 14th Point there is a term mentioned as New collection Page Portal creation, Could you please elaborate more on this point so We will understand better?

a. Our exhibits team uses CatalogIT. The new site needs to feature a link to our Catalogit collection

45. In 15th Point you mentioned the museum events calendar and Show Schedules, Is it the same as the Ticketing feature that you have on the current website with few functionality changes?

a. We need the ability to clearly present future event information.

46. In 17th Point you want a Website in the Spanish Language also so it means you want us to create Landing Pages in the Spanish language as well or do you want Google Translate feature(But Google Translate will not translate perfectly)?

a. Please see #12

47. 18th Point you mentioned if required, Can you please let me know do we have to work on this portal now or if should we count this as optional as of now?

a. Please see #25

48. Is there a maximum budget level?

a. Please see #21

49. Who is hosting your sites now and how long is there an agreement that is in place now? If any?

a. Blue Ion has manage the hosting of our website for roughly 10 years.

50. How much Legacy data do you have on hand and will it need to be scanned a processed?

a. Legacy sales data is stored within our POS system, the exhibits collection is stored within Catalogit. What needs to be saved before launching a new site is the Google site analytics for comparisons in the future.

51. What the difference between rental and making a reservation, do they connect together, is a page require for both?

a. No, the site must clearly explain the events rental program and then link to our POS system. There is no need to build a reservation system during the website build.

52. What online payment engine is the museum currently using?

53. Payments are processed through our current ticketing and admission system, Gateway Galaxy.

54. Would you like the new website’s online payment engine function similar to the existing site with a new look and feel?

a. Yes, please note that sales are processed through Gateway, our POS system that is currently linked to on our website. This will not change.

55. Under number 3 on page 21, is the two-factor log in authentication in regards to the website content management system?

a. Please see answer to #33

56. Is the contractor responsible for the written content on just the home page? This is in reference to number 8 on page 22.

a. No, we’ll ask the contractor to produce and improve existing writing across the entire site.

57. What collections database is the museum currently using?

a. Catalogit

58. How should we address pricing for the web portal/site for teachers? Is this part of the base pricing or one of the maintenance years or not included in pricing at all?

a. Please consider the web portal production as a future project. The education component of the new site related to this RFP will consist of a normal webpage that accepts information from teachers through a simple form process.

59. Is Google Analytics acceptable for web analytics?

a. Yes

60. Who is responsible for the translation of content to Spanish?

a. Please see #12

61. Will the museum want to use a tool, like Google Translate, that changes the text automatically if the user selects Spanish?

a. Please see #12

62. What Point of Sales system is the museum currently using? Is this the same as the online ticketing system?

a. Yes, Gateway Systems

63. Does the museum currently have an online store and what system are they currently using?

a. No, the creation of the online store will be something we do in another project. We want vendors to consider its future existence when building this website.

64. How does the museum separate the ongoing support vs website updates and changes? Typically, our team keeps website updates and changes separate from a support contract.

a. See updated Price Proposal

65. What type of analytics reports is the museum hoping to be provided?

a. The use of GA4 is adequate

66. How many visits to the museum are required for the initial contract?

a. There are no required visits, however, we do expect potential contractors to be familiar with our organization

67. Are the monthly planning sessions once the website is live and in maintenance? This is in response to page 25, item 1.C.

a. 1C refers to planning sessions during the build. There is no need for routine meetings once the site is live and training is complete.

68. Do you have any CMS preference? What issues are you facing using WordPress?

a. No preference. We want something that is easy for staff to understand and utilize. There are no immediate problems to list about WordPress.

All other terms, condition, bidding instruction, and specifications remain unchanged. If there are any question or if any confusion or uncertainty arises as a result of this amendment, it is the sole responsibility of the Offeror to contact the procurement officer for clarification. Contact information can be found in the top right-hand corner of the cover page of this amendment reference the “Duty to Inquire” in the original Request for Proposal (RFP).