ESBD_503389_1776266955762_Addendum #2.pdf

Procurement Services - Purchasing

Addendum #2

Questions and Answers RFO #717-26-742 Website Redesign Services

Budget & Procurement

1. Could you share the estimated budget range or not-to-exceed amount for Phase 1 and any anticipated future phases?

Response: Expectation is that Phase I would be less than $100,000

2. Does TSU expect fixed-price proposals only, or are hybrid pricing models acceptable?

Response: A fixed price proposal is requested for the stated scope of work.

3. Is TSU open to receiving optional or alternate pricing for expanded scope items?

Response: No.

4. Will Phase 1 vendors be eligible to compete for Phase 2, and will there be any organizational conflict of interest restrictions?

Response: Yes, provided there are no proprietary deliverables from Phase 1.

5. What is the anticipated start date for Phase 1?

Response: Start date will be immediate upon contract execution to allow time for the development of the deliverables due January 2027

6. Is there an administrative period between award notification and contract execution that vendors should factor into the schedule?

Response: There may be a 3-6 week administrative period from award notification to contract execution.

Project Scope & Phasing

7. Is Phase 1 intended to be a fully standalone engagement, or is there an expectation of vendor involvement in Phase 2 implementation?

Response: Phase 1 is a standalone engagement. The successful bidder in Phase I is encouraged to bid on Phase 2 for continuity, but it is not required.

8. Could you clarify whether Phase 2 will be awarded through a separate solicitation process?

Response: Yes.

9. What specific qualities, expectations, and success criteria does TSU have for this discovery phase?

Response: See Addendum 2.2: Recommend a minimum of one survey, range of 5-20 interviews and/or workshops which must include the president’s office, enrollment team, advancement team, and communications team.

10. What triggered this website redesign initiative (key goals or challenges)?

Response:1. Need an anchor point for a larger, Phase II redesign project, and 2. Centennial-ready website launch on January 1, 2027, is critical for the celebration and the literal launch of the year-long celebration.

Also, the need to increase engagement and enrollment through a compelling user experience.

Website Scope & Scale

11. How many websites, subsites, and web properties are included in scope? Can TSU provide a full inventory (URLs)?

Response: Texas Southern University’s web ecosystem includes roughly 50-75 distinct sites and subsites across its primary domain, athletics, media platforms, and numerous college, center and initiative microsites. The overall development scope will be a subset of URLs in the TSU.EDU domain and a few others. Though the development scope may be a subset, we request a roadmap for what the future should look like within our web environment.

12. Approximately how many total webpages and assets exist across the current environment? Response: There are approximately 2400 URLs in the primary domain.

Across all domains, subsites, and platforms, the university likely maintains on the order of 10,000–15,000 webpages.

13. Should all web properties receive equal depth of audit, or is a tiered/prioritized approach acceptable?

Response: A tiered approach is preferred prioritizing several key areas that drive prospective student engagement and enrollment.

14. What percentage of content is considered core vs. legacy/archival?

Response: The approximate 2400 URL count is active content.

Stakeholders & Governance

15. Approximately how many stakeholders will be involved in discovery, and which departments or roles will be represented?

Response: Approximately 15–30 stakeholders will be engaged through interviews, workshops, and surveys, representing executive leadership, including the President’s Office; enrollment management; advancement;

marketing and communications; academic leadership; and key administrative units.

16. Will TSU assist with stakeholder scheduling and coordination?

Response: Yes

17. Will external audiences (e.g., prospective students) be included in discovery, and will TSU assist with recruitment?

Response: Yes

18. Who will serve as the primary project contact, and will there be a steering committee or executive sponsor?

Response: Primary project contact: VP for Marketing and Communications

19. Does TSU currently have a website governance structure, and how many departments manage their own content?

Response: Yes, but it needs guidance and strengthening. There are approximately 100 content managers spread across the multiple departments. OIT currently handles audit and publishing of the content supplied by the content creators.

20. What level of decision-making authority will the core project team have?

Response: High level recommendation authority to the President and the Board of Regents, but not final approval authority.

Technology Environment

21. What CMS is currently in use?

Response: All the content for this engagement is in Modern Campus.

22. What is the current hosting environment (cloud, on-premise, or vendor-hosted)?

Response: Vendor hosted.

23. What key integrations exist (e.g., SIS, CRM, analytics, event systems, APIs)?

Response: Integration to Ellucian Banner and Canvas.

24. What analytics and reporting tools are currently in use, and will access be provided?

Response: We currently employ Yuja for accessibility analytics and Google Analytics for web site performance. We can discuss needed access or provide data as needed.

25. Will the selected vendor have access to technical documentation, architecture, and system inventories?

Response: We can provide any technical documentation that exists in house or from out CMS partner.

26. Does TSU have any preferred future CMS platforms or technology direction, or should vendors provide platform recommendations?

Response: Modern Campus is our CMS of choice and we have put forth great effort to migrate to that platform. We have other CMS platforms outside of our core domain that will be migrating later this year

Discovery Scope & Deliverables

27. What level of depth is expected for:

• Technical architecture review

• Content audit (full inventory vs. sampled)

• SEO assessment

Response: Strategically sampled audit but still robust

28. Are there existing content inventories, audits, or prior discovery outputs available?

Response: No

29. What format and level of detail is expected for final deliverables and presentations?

Response: The roadmap proposal should be primarily operational with sufficient executive summary components. The Centennial-ready website redesign should have great detail. Microsoft Office Suite consumable output (Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).

30. Should deliverables include implementation roadmap details such as timelines, sequencing, and budget estimates?

Response: Yes

Accessibility & Compliance

31. What accessibility standard should be used (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA, 2.2 AA)?

Response: WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard we are auditing against.

32. Should the accessibility assessment include automated scans, manual evaluation, or both?

Response: Both are preferred, however we will need separate approaches and estimates for automated vs manual scans.

33. Are there prior accessibility audits or legal requirements that should be considered?

Strategy, Branding & Centennial

34. Does TSU have existing brand guidelines, messaging frameworks, or Centennial campaign materials?

Response: Yes

35. Are there existing design concepts, prototypes, or prior vendor work that should inform this effort?

Response: See #34

36. To what extent has the “Ascend 2030” strategic plan been translated into digital strategy?

Response: Ascend 2030 collateral has been uploaded to the TSU.EDU website.

37. Does TSU have defined user personas, journey maps, or prior user research?

Response: No

38. Does TSU have identified peer or aspirational institutions for benchmarking, or should the vendor propose them?

Response: We have surveyed some benchmark institutions, but will welcome additional input we may not have considered.

Integrations, Content & SEO

39. Are there mission-critical integrations that must be evaluated for compatibility and data sharing?

Response: Ellucian Banner

40. What are TSU’s expectations for SEO analysis (technical, content, keyword strategy, etc.)?

Response: Unknown. TSU will require guidance in this area.

Logistics & Execution

41. Should travel be assumed, or will stakeholder engagement be primarily virtual?

Response: Primarily virtual with potential opportunities for on-site kickoff/intermittent pulse checks/final presentation.

42. Are there institutional calendar constraints that may impact the timeline?

Response: The Centennial-ready website launch must be completed by January 1, 2027

43. Are there assumptions regarding team structure, location, or delivery model that vendors should consider?

Vendor Qualifications & Background

44. Are higher education references required, or will comparable commercial experience be acceptable?

Responses: Higher education reference are preferred.

45. Is there an incumbent vendor currently supporting the website, and are they eligible to respond?

Responses: No

Submission Requirements

46. Are there specific requirements for proposal file format, naming conventions, or submission structure?

Response: The format is stated within the RFP. The flash drive should be an exact duplicate of the RFO submittal.

47. Can TSU confirm that electronic submissions are not permitted and that the flash drive must mirror the hard copy?

Response: Electronic submissions will not be accepted.

Please sign this Addendum and include it in your response. Your signature will signify your acknowledgement / receipt of this Addendum.

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