MHCC 26-010 Q&A.pdf

Questions and Answers MHCC 26-010 Content Development: Maryland Health Care Commission Website Design

1. Is there an incumbent currently performing this work/similar work? If so, could you please provide the incumbent's name, current contract number, duration, historical level of effort, and contract value?

No

2. Is the incumbent eligible to submit a proposal under this RFP?

N/A

3. Has a budget been established for this contract? If yes, could you kindly share the budgeted amount?

The budget is established from the winning vendor's financial proposal.

4. What is the place of performance for this work?

The contractor's facility.

5. If remote work is allowed, can a part of the work be done from outside the US, such as in India?

Work may not be performed outside of the United States.

6. If on-site work is required, then are there any minimum on-site presence expectations during the contract term?

N/A

7. Would the MHCC consider extending the submission deadline by two weeks to allow for a more robust and comprehensive response?

No

8. Will the MHCC accept project experience and references from the commercial, federal, and public sectors, including work outside of this specific industry?

Yes

9. How many internal staff members will require training to manage the CMS? Should training be conducted virtually or onsite?

Approximately five or more staff members may participate, and the training may be conducted either virtually or onsite. The training session must be recorded for future reference.

10. Should pricing assume ongoing SEO optimization throughout the project, or only the one-time SEO tasks outlined in Section 3?

Pricing should be established for the one-time task.

11. Is taxonomy development limited to recommendations and documentation, or does MHCC expect implementation within Drupal by the contractor?

The development is limited to recommendations and documentation only.

12. As per Section 2 – Experience and Personnel, “If the offeror wants to, propose to augment or revise the list of required personnel. Can the offeror modify/Alter Attachment B - Financial Proposal?

As per Tab A – Instructions of Attachment B Financial Proposal Form, “Do not alter the Financial Form or the Proposal may be determined to be not reasonably susceptible of being selected for award.”

13. Should pricing be submitted as a single total firm-fixed price, or should costs be broken out by task or deliverable within Attachment B?

The deliverables are broken out on the second tab and should not be altered. All proposed prices should be fully-loaded, including but not limited to labor, profit/overhead, general operating, administrative, and all other expenses and costs necessary to perform the work.

14. Are labor categories and hours required or optional in the Financial Proposal, given the firm-fixed-price structure?

The financial proposals should be completed as instructed per Tab A – Instructions of Attachment B Financial Proposal Form.

15. “The timeline references “up to 75 pages” of content”. If MHCC requires revisions beyond 75 pages, will this be handled through a contract modification?

Yes

16. Attachment B – Financial Proposal lists specific labor categories across deliverables. If a particular labor category is not required for certain deliverables (e.g., Graphic Design Specialist for project kickoff, discovery, and research review), may the Offeror enter ʻ0ʼ hours for that labor category, or does MHCC require a non-zero allocation for all listed labor categories?

Yes, please enter 0 hours.

17. The RFP states that the contractor will deliver final approved content to be implemented in Drupal. Will the content development contractor be expected to enter and configure content directly in Drupal, or will all content be delivered in Word/PDF format for implementation by MHCC or the web development contractor?

All content should be delivered in Word or PDF format for implementation by MHCC or the web development team contractor. Yes

18. The SEO requirements include both content-focused tasks and technical SEO elements (e.g., XML sitemaps, schema markup, canonical tags). Can MHCC clarify which SEO activities are expected to be advisory/documentation-only versus hands-on implementation under this contract?

All SEO activities are expected to be advisory/documentation-only

19. Approximately how many application or data collection forms are expected to be converted or created as part of this engagement? Please refer to the links below https://mhcc.maryland.gov/mhcc/Pages/hcfs/hcfs_con/hcfs_con_applications.aspx https://mhcc.maryland.gov/mhcc/pages/apcd/apcd_data_release/documents/MD_APCD_D ata_Rel_Appl_Form_Govt_Entities.pdf https://mhcc.maryland.gov/mhcc/pages/apcd/apcd_data_release/documents/MHCC_Preap plication_form.pdf

20. Will these forms be standalone accessible documents (e.g., fillable PDFs, Smartsheet, or Google forms), or embedded and integrated within Drupal pages?

It may include a combination of fillable PDFs, smartsheet forms or embedded and integrated with Drupal

21. Does MHCC require formal accessibility testing deliverables (e.g., manual testing or assistive technology testing reports), or is accessibility compliance demonstrated through best-practice implementation and QA review?

Formal accessibility testing deliverables is required

22. In addition to meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA, Section 508, and ADA Title II requirements, does MHCC require any formal accessibility documentation or certification (e.g., VPAT/ACR, third-party audit, or compliance attestation)?

23. Who will provide final approval and sign-off on accessibility compliance prior to website launch?

The MHCC Contract Monitor will provide all final approval of deliverables.

24. During the stakeholder review and revision period, is there a defined number of review cycles included within the project scope?

The RFP includes a mandatory review cycle. Once the project begins, the review and revision period will be established at the outset of the project at a minimum up to two (2) formal stakeholder review and revision cycles.

25. Are there anticipated turnaround times for MHCC feedback to support the proposed project schedule?

Yes, turnaround time must align with project schedule https://mhcc.maryland.gov/mhcc/Pages/hcfs/hcfs_con/hcfs_con_applications.aspx https://mhcc.maryland.gov/mhcc/pages/apcd/apcd_data_release/documents/MD_APCD_Data_Rel_Appl_Form_Govt_Entities.pdf https://mhcc.maryland.gov/mhcc/pages/apcd/apcd_data_release/documents/MD_APCD_Data_Rel_Appl_Form_Govt_Entities.pdf https://mhcc.maryland.gov/mhcc/pages/apcd/apcd_data_release/documents/MHCC_Preapplication_form.pdf https://mhcc.maryland.gov/mhcc/pages/apcd/apcd_data_release/documents/MHCC_Preapplication_form.pdf

26. The project timeline references Level 2 page designs, Level 3 infographics, and graphic assets. Are these expected to be final production-ready visuals, or design concepts and recommendations to be implemented by the web development contractor?

They should be final and Production ready visuals

27. Are there existing branding or visual standards beyond what is currently available on the MHCC website that the contractor must follow?

The new website currently under development includes established branding and visual standards, as well as guidelines from the State of Maryland. The awarded contractor will work within these parameters to develop a unified style guide for the Commission.

28. Approximately how many MHCC staff members are expected to participate in content training?

Approximately five or more staff members will participate, and the training

29. Is content training expected to be delivered virtually, in person, or in a hybrid format?

Virtually

30. Does MHCC have any existing content governance policies or web style guide documentation that should be incorporated or updated as part of this effort?

No

31. As noted in Section 4.3 (Volume II – Financial Proposal), Offerors are instructed: “Do not amend, alter, or leave blank any items on the Financial Proposal Form or include additional clarifying or contingent language on or attached to the Financial Proposal Form.”

Given this instruction, can the Offerors add additional rows to Attachment B if additional staff are required to deliver the scope?

No

32. If adding rows or modifying Attachment B is not permitted, please advise how Offerors should propose hourly rates for additional personnel who are not explicitly listed in the Financial Proposal Form but are necessary to support and deliver the required scope and key deliverables.

The Offeror should incorporate those hours and rates with one or all of the listed labor categories.

33. The RFP references content revision for “up to 75 pages.” How does MHCC define a “page” for this purpose (e.g., unique URL, Drupal node, content type, or template instance)?

Unique URL

34. The project timeline references Level 2 pages and Level 3 pages/infographics. Can MHCC clarify how these page levels are defined and how many of each are anticipated within the 75-page scope?

Level 2 and Level 3 pages were defined based on the websiteʼs information architecture and navigation hierarchy. Our Level 2 pages are the secondary pages that sit directly under top-level (Level 1) navigation items. These pages provide structured, overview content for our major topic area and typically include introductory text, summaries, and links to more detailed content. Our Level 3 pages are the tertiary pages that sit beneath Level 2 pages.

These pages provide more detailed, task-specific, or data-driven content and may include infographics, charts, or other supporting visuals. MHCC anticipates approximately 35-40 level 2 pages and 30 - 35 level 3 pages. Final counts may be refined during the content strategy phase to align with project requirements.

35. The RFP does not mention who will implement the technical aspects, including but not limited to: content migration, CMS/framework configuration, coding/development, layouts, CSS, functionality, and other features. (The assistance with the forms, however, appears to cross this threshold.) Can MHCC please clarify roles/responsibilities and the interrelationships between the requested work and unspecified needs?

The CMS/framework configuration, coding and development, layouts, CSS, functionality, and other technical features have been, and will continue to be, implemented by the website rebuild contractor. MHCC will work with the content strategy team to help define the style guide for interior pages and other web components—such as bullets, tables, and buttons—which will then be implemented by the website rebuild contractor. I am not sure when they say the assistance with forms crosses the threshold. Can they provide additional information or would they consider each form a page?

36. Can MHCC clarify the division of responsibilities between the content contractor and the website development contractor, particularly related to taxonomy implementation, metadata entry, technical SEO changes, and CMS configuration?

Taxonomy Implementation: The website rebuild contractor is responsible for configuring and implementing the taxonomy within the CMS, including setting up content types, categories, tags, and relationships and ensuring the CMS supports the required metadata fields and they function properly whilst the content strategy contractor in collaboration with MHCC is responsible for defining the taxonomy structure, naming conventions, and usage guidelines, and for applying the taxonomy consistently within content as part of content development Metadata Entry: The website rebuild contractor is responsible for ensuring the CMS supports required metadata fields and that they function properly whilst the content strategy contractor in collaboration with MHCC is responsible for creating content related metadata (e.g page titles, descriptions, keywords, summaries) in accordance with the approved style guide and SEO best practices.

Technical SEO Changes: The website rebuild contractor is responsible for technical SEO implementation, including URL structures, redirects, site performance, indexing controls, and CMS-level SEO configurations whilst the Content Strategy contractor is responsible for on-page SEO elements related to content such as headings, copy structure, internal linking and metadata content.

CMS Configuration: This is solely the responsibility of the website rebuild contractor whilst the content contractor will work within the configured CMS environment and provide input or recommendations as needed to support content governance, usability, and accessibility.

37. Will the selected contractor be expected to enter or edit content directly within the Drupal CMS, or will all final content be delivered to MHCC and/or the web development contractor for implementation?

MHCC will be responsible for entering and editing content within the Drupal CMS and all final content be delivered to MHCC and/or the web development contractor for implementation.

38. The RFP includes technical and off-page SEO activities (e.g., site speed, schema, backlink strategy). Should these be understood as strategic recommendations only, or is hands-on implementation by the content contractor expected?

This will be strategic recommendations

39. The requirement in RFP 3.2.4 on p13 for example… "Assist in..."

"Assist" could mean anything from advising to doing implementation. The requirements as worded indicate only the desired end state. As such, it is not clear what is to be done by the strategy/content contractor and what is to be done by the web development contractor .

This is illustrated by language such as "Fillable functionality: implementing interactive form fields..."

To collaborate with MHCC staff by providing guidance and technical expertise in developing fully accessible website forms. Whether utilizing Adobe or Drupal Webforms, all deliverables will ensure full legal compliance with accessibility standards. This partnership will encompass both strategic advisory and hands-on implementation.

40. Is there any way that the division of labor expectations can be further clarified between the strategy/content contractor and what is to be done by the web development contractor?

The content contractor is responsible exclusively for content strategy and creation.

This includes collaborating with staff to draft and style content within the approved design frameworks. The web development contractor and MHCC staff will manage all technical development and data migration.