BID ADDENDUM 03 - Answers to Questions.pdf

IMPORTANT BID ADDENDUM

August 26, 2026

FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BID ADDENDUM IN ACCORDANCE WITH INSTRUCTIONS

MAY SUBJECT YOUR BID TO REJECTION ON THE AFFECTED ITEM(S):

BID Number: RFP 115-6181 COMMODITY: Website Redesign ADDENDUM Number: 03 USING AGENCY: Pitt Community College PURCHASER: Jane Alligood OPENING DATE/TIME: September 2, 2026 @ 2:00 PM ET

INSTRUCTIONS:

Please make the following change(s) in the bid referenced above:

Reference Vendor Question PCC Response 1 Section 5.1, Page 15 Please provide additional detail regarding PCC’s desired functionality and technical requirements for the employee-facing intranet/internal content solution. Does PCC envision a secure content/resource portal within WordPress, integration with an existing platform such as Microsoft 365/SharePoint, or another approach? Please identify any anticipated requirements for SSO/authentication, employee directory, document management, departmental content, search, workflows, integrations, or role-based access.

PCC currently utilizes SharePoint for its intranet and requires Single Sign-On (SSO) through Microsoft Azure AD / Entra ID. PCC is open to recommendations regarding the future intranet platform and does not require that the intranet be built within WordPress. Beyond SSO/authentication, PCC does not have specific requirements for an employee directory, document management, departmental content, search, workflows, integrations, or role-based access at this time. Vendors should propose their recommended approach for these functionalities.

2 Sections 5.1–5.2, Pages 15–17

Please identify PCC’s current systems and platforms that the selected Vendor should anticipate integrating with or linking to, including systems supporting admissions/applications, CRM, student information, academic catalog/program data, forms, events/calendars, faculty/staff information, emergency communications, Foundation/donations, workforce

PCC’s current systems and platforms include: Colleague (SIS and faculty/staff information), Element451 (CRM, forms, and events), CFNC (admissions and applications), Modern Campus (academic catalog and program data), FundFive (continuing-education and workforce programs, and enrollment), SharePoint/Microsoft Entra ID (employee intranet and SSO), and a programs, and authentication/SSO. Where integrations are anticipated, are APIs or other documented integration methods currently available?

separate Foundation website for donations. Emergency communications are managed through PCC’s existing communication systems. The selected Vendor should anticipate linking to or integrating with these systems as appropriate. Availability of APIs or other documented integration methods will be determined during the project.

3 Section 5.2, Page 17 / Attachment A

The RFP identifies migration of up to 500 combined pages. Please clarify what PCC intends to include within the 500-page count. Are PDFs/documents, forms, media assets, program records, news/events, faculty/staff profiles, and intranet content included in or separate from the 500-page limit?

The 500-page migration limit applies to public-facing website pages only. It does not include intranet content, PDFs/documents, forms, media assets, program records, news/events, or faculty/staff profiles.

4 Section 5.2, Page 17 Does PCC require an independent third-party accessibility audit, certification, statement of conformance, or other formal accessibility deliverable prior to final acceptance? If so, does PCC have a preferred testing methodology, accessibility vendor, auditing tool, or required form of documentation?

Vendors should propose the testing, remediation, and validation approach they recommend to achieve and verify accessibility compliance. Prior to final acceptance, the Vendor must provide documentation demonstrating that the website has been tested and meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements. PCC does not have a preferred testing methodology, vendor, or tool.

5 Sections 5.1–5.2, Pages 15–17

Does PCC intend for the selected Vendor to provide and manage hosting for the public website and employee intranet, or does PCC have an existing or required hosting environment? Please identify any required security standards, hosting/server requirements, data-residency requirements, uptime/service-level requirements, penetration-testing requirements, backup/recovery standards, or security documentation Vendors should account for in their proposed solution and pricing.

Vendor is expected to provide hosting for the public website. The Vendor must provide HECVAT, SOC2 audits annually. Data needs to reside in the United States.

Penetration testing occurs with another vendor. Hosting must be US based.

6 Section 5.2, Page 16 The RFP identifies WordPress as PCC’s current platform. Please provide, to the extent available, an overview of the existing WordPress environment, including current hosting provider, major plugins, custom functionality, custom post types/content models, search technology, integrations, and any components PCC expects to retain or replace.

PCC’s current WordPress website is hosted by SiteGround. Major plugins include Elementor, Gravity Forms, Employee Directories, TablePress, WP Mail Logging, SearchWP, and Events. The website primarily links to external systems, with limited direct integrations, including Colleague as a source for employee directory information.

7 Section 5.3 The RFP establishes a 12-month project ceiling. Does PCC have a preferred or required go-live date within that period, and are there academic-calendar, enrollment, registration, financial-aid, or other institutional dates during which major launches, migrations, or stakeholder activities should be avoided?

PCC does not have a preferred or required go-live date. Major launches and migrations should avoid peak periods for registration, enrollment, and financial aid. The selected vendor will work with PCC to develop a timeline that accounts for the academic calendar and major institutional dates as they are determined.

8 Attachment A: Pricing,

pp. 22–23

Has PCC established an anticipated budget range or not-to-exceed budget for the initial implementation and/or the five-year total cost of ownership?

If so, please provide the anticipated range to help vendors align the proposed approach and level of effort appropriately.

PCC has established a budget for the project but will not disclose the specific amount or range. Vendors should develop their proposals based on the RFP requirements, their experience, and their proposed approach and level of effort.

9 Section 5.2 – Content PCC has established a budget for the project; however, the College will not disclose the specific amount.

Management and Best Practices, p. 16

Can PCC provide an approximate current content inventory, including the total number of public website pages, documents/PDFs, forms, media assets, and internal-facing pages currently housed on the public site?

The current PCC website contains approximately 2,477 core content URLs, including 1,362 static pages and 1,115 news posts. The website has approximately 5,300 media items, including documents/PDFs, images, and videos; not all are public-facing.

10 Section 5.3 – Tasks/Deliverables, p.

The RFP calls for migration of up to 500 combined pages. How does PCC anticipate responsibility for migration being divided between the selected vendor and PCC staff?

Should vendors assume responsibility for hands-on migration of all (up to 500) in-scope pages, or will PCC staff participate in entering/migrating approved content?

The selected vendor will be responsible for the hands-on migration of the approved 500 pages. PCC staff will participate in content review, editing, and approval but will not be responsible for entering/migrating the content. PCC staff will migrate the remaining pages.

11 Section 5.2 – Content Management and Best Practices, p. 16

The RFP references cleaning, rewriting, prioritizing, and restructuring content. To what extent does PCC expect the selected vendor to provide hands-on copywriting/content rewriting versus content strategy, editorial guidance, templates, and recommendations that PCC staff will execute?

PCC expects the selected Vendor to provide hands-on copywriting and content rewriting within the 500-page migration scope, as needed, in addition to providing content strategy and editorial guidance for PCC staff as they clean the remaining pages and develop future content.

12 Section 5.2 – Functionality and Performance, pp. 16–

Can PCC provide a list of existing and anticipated third-party systems that the new website will need to integrate with? In particular, please identify systems supporting admissions/application, CRM, student information, course/program data, financial aid, forms, marketing automation, events, giving/Foundation activity, authentication, and search.

PCC’s current third-party systems include Element451 (CRM and events), Colleague (student information), Modern Campus (course and program data), CFNC (admissions), and FundFive (continuing-education and workforce enrollment). PCC also uses the WordPress plugin Gravity Forms for embedded website forms and maintains a separate Foundation website for donations.

These systems may be linked to or integrated with the website as appropriate.

13 Section 5.1 / 5.2 – Employee-Facing Intranet, pp. 14–17

Can PCC provide more detail on the desired employee-facing intranet/internal content solution, including the expected user population, authentication/SSO requirements, required integrations, key content types, permissions, search needs, and whether PCC has an existing intranet platform to retain or replace?

PCC anticipates approximately 1,200 employees and 45,000+ student users. Roles, departments, and approval workflows are unknown at this time. PCC’s goal is to establish a separate, secure, and user-friendly intranet for faculty and staff that is distinct from the College’s public-facing website. The intranet would serve as a centralized location for internal communications, resources, documents, forms, policies, announcements, and other employee information. PCC currently uses SharePoint for its employee intranet and intends for the new solution to replace the existing intranet. The intranet will require Single Sign-On (SSO) through Microsoft Entra ID. PCC is open to the Vendor’s recommendations regarding the best platform or approach, including third-party solutions such as Interact. The proposed solution should provide appropriate security, authentication, permissions, search, and integration with PCC’s existing technology environment while remaining easy for employees to use and College staff to manage.

14 Section 5.2 – Platform and Technology, p. 16

PCC identifies WordPress as its current platform. Can PCC describe the current WordPress architecture and hosting environment, including hosting provider, multisite/single-site configuration, major plugins/custom functionality, deployment workflow, and any technical infrastructure that PCC expects the selected vendor to retain?

PCC’s current website is hosted on SiteGround. The site uses a single WordPress installation and includes major plugins such as Elementor, Gravity Forms, SearchWP, Employee Directories, TablePress, WP Mail Logging, and Events. The employee directory currently pulls information from Colleague. PCC is open to the selected Vendor’s recommendations regarding the existing WordPress architecture and technical infrastructure.

15 Section 5.2 – Functionality and Performance, p. 16

The RFP requests advanced search, filtering, and program/service discovery. Does PCC currently use a third-party search solution, and does PCC have preferences or requirements for the future search platform?

PCC currently uses SearchWP, a Wordpress plugin, for on-site search. PCC does not have a specific preference for the future search platform and welcomes vendor recommendations based on the needs of the redesigned website.

16 Section 5.2 – Functionality and Performance, pp. 16–

How is academic program and course information currently managed and published to the website? Is there an authoritative system of record or structured data source that the new website should integrate with, or should vendors assume program information will continue to be managed directly within WordPress?

Academic program and course information is available through PCC’s academic catalog, which is managed through Modern Campus.

Program and course information is also maintained in annually updated PDFs located on PCC’s program pages. PCC would like to explore opportunities to integrate with Modern Campus and eliminate the need for duplicate PDF content.

17 Section 5.3 – Tasks/Deliverables, p.

The project must be completed within 12 months. Are there any fixed institutional dates, enrollment cycles, academic calendar milestones, blackout periods, or other events that should drive the launch schedule?

The website launch should avoid major student registration and enrollment periods when possible.

The selected Vendor should coordinate with PCC to plan the launch and minimize disruption to students and college operations.

18 Writing & Moving Page Content:

For the 500 pages being moved over, is your team looking for us

PCC anticipates a combination of content rewriting, editing, to write brand-new text from scratch, or will we mainly be organizing, updating, and formatting your existing text into the new page layouts?

organization, and formatting using existing content.

19 PDF and Word Documents

Does the college plan to clean up and make older downloadable documents (such as PDF forms and Word handbooks) accessible to users with disabilities, or would you like us to include that document cleanup in our project scope?

PCC would like to reduce the number of downloadable documents on the website where possible. Older documents should be reviewed to determine whether the information can be transitioned to accessible web content. Any documents that need to remain available as downloadable files should be made accessible in accordance with applicable ADA accessibility requirements.

20 Staff Intranet Logins For the private employee intranet, do you want staff to log in using their everyday college computer accounts (such as Microsoft/campus Single Sign-On), or will standard website logins be sufficient?

The Intranet needs to integrate with Microsoft Entra and Single Sign On.

21 Connecting Campus Systems

Are there specific external campus systems (such as your student registration portal, financial aid systems, or admissions databases) that need custom data connections to send information back and forth, or will simple web forms and direct links to those portals meet your needs?

PCC generally expects to use direct links to external campus systems.

Colleague is currently directly integrated with the website through the employee directory.

Vendors should recommend any additional integrations they believe would provide value or improve the user experience, such as displaying program job-outlook information.

22 Website Hosting Will the new website live on Pitt Community College’s current servers, or would you like us to provide and manage the hosting environment as part of our ongoing maintenance plan?

PCC expects the vendor to provide and manage the hosting environment as part of the website project and ongoing maintenance.

Hosting must be US based.

23 Review & Approval Team

How many different departments or committee groups will need to review and give final approval on designs and page content during the project?

The number of departments and stakeholder groups involved in review and approval will be determined during the Discovery phase based on the needs of the project.

24 For year 1, what is the anticipated budget or maximum funding allocated for this project?

PCC has established a budget for the project; however, the College will not disclose the specific amount.

25 Does the college prefer a fixed-fee retainer or an hourly block model for the ongoing support costs in years 2 -5?

PCC does not have a preferred support pricing model. Vendors should propose the model they recommend and clearly outline the associated costs and services included.

26 What specific student information system or CRM must the website integrate with for application data flows?

PCC uses Element451 as its CRM.

27 For the intranet build, what identity provider (e.g. Microsoft Entra ID or Google) is used for employee authentication?

PCC uses Microsoft Azure AD / Entra ID for employee authentication.

28 Can you clarify the current page count of the site or should we assume 150 to 300 pages?

The current PCC website contains approximately 2,477 core content URLs, including 1,362 static pages and 1,115 news posts.

29 Is Drupal acceptable as a “justified alternative CMS” to WordPress?

PCC does not have a predetermined position on alternative CMS platforms. Vendors proposing an alternative CMS should provide a clear rationale for their recommendation.

30 Can a Wyoming-registered U.S.

company submit as the prime contractor if its delivery team is based in Europe, with the location of workers fully disclosed in the proposal?

Yes. A vendor may propose a delivery team located outside the United States; however, the vendor must complete Attachment E:

Location of Workers Utilized by Vendor. PCC may consider proposed performance outside the United States as part of its evaluation of the proposal.

31 Are there any mandatory U.S.-based staffing, on-site presence, or U.S. data residency requirements?

Section 3.5 addresses this question.

Except for any limitations imposed upon us by federal or state requirements, it does not preclude companies outside of the US from submitting a proposal. However, it does state that PCC may consider the location of the vendor for the purposes of evaluating the proposal. Hosting and data must be US based.

32 What was the annual spend under the previous contract for these services?

PCC has declined to provide this information.

33 If this is a new contract, what is the estimated annual budget?

PCC has established a budget for the project; however, the College will not disclose the specific amount.

34 Is the agency open to a hybrid delivery model utilizing a combination of onshore and offshore resources?

Yes. PCC is open to proposals that utilize a combination of onshore and offshore resources. Vendors must disclose worker locations through Attachment E: Location of Workers Utilized by Vendor. PCC may consider proposed performance outside the United States as part of its evaluation of the proposal.

35 Will the work be performed onsite, remotely, or through a hybrid arrangement?

PCC does not require onsite work.

Vendors may propose a remote or hybrid work arrangement as appropriate for the project.

36 Would it be possible to consider a 1–2 week extension to the proposal submission deadline?

No. PCC will not extend the proposal submission deadline.

37 Is this contract intended for a single vendor or for multiple vendors?

The contract is intended to be awarded to a single vendor.

38 Who is the current or previous incumbent vendor for these services?

PCC will not provide information regarding the current or previous incumbent vendor.

39 Are there any challenges, gaps, or pain points with the current solution or contractor that the agency is looking to address through this procurement?

No, PCC has no specific challenges or gaps with the current solution or contractor that need to be addressed through this procurement.

40 Is there a projected contract award date and anticipated start date?

As stated in the RFP, the projected contract award date is September 28, 2026. PCC does not have a set start date but expects the project to begin immediately following contract award.

Execute Addendum:

BIDDER: ____________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS (CITY & STATE): _____________________________________________________

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: __________________________________ DATE: ____________

NAME and TITLE (Print): ________________________________________________________