RFP 2024-2025-01 Website Redesign and Value propositions.pdf

EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY – REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Request for Proposals for the Redesign of eou.edu and development of value propositions RFP 2024-25-01

Request for Proposals for the Redesign of EOU’s Main Website eou.edu and development of value propositions

Eastern Oregon University (EOU) requests proposals from qualified marketing and website design firms to redesign EOU’s main website, eou.edu and help the university develop four value propositions. This proposal should not exceed $300,000.

INTRODUCTION

Oregon’s Rural University

Eastern Oregon University, designated by the Oregon legislature as Oregon’s Rural University, is a regional public university with a strong sense of mission and service. Our faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees are committed to serving rural students and rural communities in all their diversity, and at all levels of need, throughout our region and the world. Located in the scenic Grande Ronde Valley in northeastern Oregon, we serve a region of rich natural resources, very low population density, relatively low income, substantial ethnic diversity, high levels of high school completion, and low levels of college enrollment. Our institution serves a population that has not traditionally connected with higher education. Sixty-one percent of our students are from traditionally underserved communities (32% first generation, 33% Pell eligible, 27% racial/ethnic minorities). We were early pioneers in distance education, and have strong online enrollment.

Eastern Oregon University’s flagship website, eou.edu, is a vital component for the university’s engagement and enrollment efforts and serves as a platform to elevate the university’s brand, reputation, and communication strategies. With nearly 1 million visitors a year, the website is often the first experience and interaction with the university.

Eastern Oregon University is seeking a formal proposal for the redesign, development, and deployment of the eou.edu website. We seek a strategic partner with a creative and technical team that will quickly grasp our brand, values, culture, and strategic directions.

As part of this project, Eastern Oregon University is also looking for a firm that can assist in developing compelling and differentiated value propositions for the university that will resonate with our core audiences. These value propositions should effectively highlight EOU’s unique strengths and align with our broader brand messaging. They will be critical in guiding both the design and content strategies across the new website to ensure that we communicate our offerings in a clear, impactful way.

This project will deliver a new, future-focused digital strategy and web presence that elevates the university, reflects best practices in design, content strategy, user experience, usability, accessibility, and technical implementation, and clearly communicates EOU's value to prospective students, families, and other key stakeholders.

Eastern Oregon University is looking for an experienced agency with demonstrated expertise in managing complex website projects, developing effective value propositions, and employing best practices for higher education websites.

Expectations of Consultant

Eastern Oregon University expects the selected agency to be a strategic partner that fully understands the university’s mission, values, and long-term objectives. The agency will be responsible for leading the website redesign process from concept through completion, ensuring the final product meets the university's needs in terms of both functionality and brand representation. The agency must deliver a solution that is user-centric, aesthetically compelling, meets WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, and optimized for performance, while incorporating research-driven value propositions that align with EOU’s core messaging.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Strategic Development: The agency must work closely with university stakeholders to develop and refine the content strategy, incorporating data-driven value propositions that clearly communicate EOU’s strengths to target audiences, including prospective students, parents, faculty, and alumni.

2. Technical Expertise: The agency will manage the technical implementation of the website on Wordpress. They are expected to handle all necessary API integrations and ensure that the website remains adaptable, allowing for future growth and evolution.

3. SEO and Performance: The agency is expected to deliver a website that is optimized for search engines and performs exceptionally across all devices, with fast load times and an enhanced user experience, particularly on mobile platforms. Their approach should be based on SEO best practices to improve both traffic and visibility.

4. Design and Usability: The agency must deliver a modern, user-friendly design that provides a seamless experience for all key audiences. This includes employing usability testing, gathering feedback, and ensuring that the website design is responsive, accessible, and intuitive.

5. Content Creation and Migration: A key expectation is the agency’s ability to handle content creation and migration smoothly, ensuring the transition from the old website to the new one is seamless, without loss of SEO rankings or site functionality. Content must be structured in a way that aligns with EOU’s messaging goals.

6. Project Management: The agency must demonstrate strong project management capabilities, with clear communication and regular updates to stakeholders. They are responsible for ensuring the project stays on track, within budget, and meets key milestones throughout the development process.

7. Post-Launch Support: After the launch, the agency is expected to provide comprehensive post-launch support, including troubleshooting, updates, and long-term maintenance. They should offer solutions that ensure the website remains functional, secure, and relevant as the university’s needs evolve.

SOLICITATION PROCEDURES

General RFP provisions and EOU's General Terms and Conditions at Eastern Oregon University are available at: https://www.eou.edu/busserv/purchasing/ It is the proposer’s responsibility to review the provisions and terms & conditions before providing a response.

It will be the responsibility of potential proposers to refer daily to the Oregon Public Universities Shared Resources website (www.orpu.org) or the Oregon Buys website https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/ to check for any available addenda, response to clarifying questions, cancelations or other information pertaining to this Request for Proposals (“RFP")

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

All proposals must be received on or before noon Pacific Time on December 6, 2024.

Proposals must be submitted using the following method: Electronic Copy Submission – A single PDF document is preferred, but not required). Email subject line must be “Response to RFP 2024-25-01” Proposals delayed or lost by email system filtering or failures may be considered at EOU’s sole discretion. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to ensure that Proposals arrive by the closing date and time. NO LATE

PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

ISSUING OFFICE

All correspondence regarding proposals must be in writing to the contact person below, they are the sole point of contact regarding this RFP:

Justin Montgomery Director of Marketing and Communications University Advancement One University Blvd La Grande, OR 97850 jmontgomery4@eou.edu 541-962-3517

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

November 15, 2024 Issue Date November. 21, 2024 Clarifying Questions Due December 6, 2024 - noon (PST) Closing /Submission Date January 3, 2025 (est) Solicitation Award Notification

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Include Proposer’s Federal tax identification number and Secretary of State Corporation Division Business Registry number. Provide an explanation if Proposer is not required to be registered with the Business Registry in Oregon. This information can be submitted by completing EOU’s Bidder/Proposer Tax Laws and Non-discrimination Certification Form (Exhibit A) and submitting a copy with your proposal.

https://www.eou.edu/busserv/purchasing/ https://www.eou.edu/busserv/purchasing/ http://www.orpu.org/ https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/ mailto:jmontgomery4@eou.edu

SCOPE OF WORK

The primary objectives and goals of the website redesign are listed below. Eastern Oregon University is open to all recommendations for innovative design techniques and modern technologies that will provide a best in-class digital experience.

● Discovery, Strategy, User Experience, and Information Architecture

● Alignment in style and content with online.eou.edu

● Project discovery and research including onsite client workshops, stakeholder group sessions, as well as open sessions for the campus community.

● Deep dive into Google Analytics for current website to inform redesign project.

● Development of four value propositions that are provable

● Web strategy brief, including development of website personas.

● Creative brief.

● Proposed information architecture, user experience and content strategy.

● Content development and writing

● Review of current website governance, site management and staffing and provide a brief with recommendations for any changes for current website management and support.

● Vendor shall address how a code repository, development or staging site and production website workflow will be used for maintaining and tracking changes to the website’s code base, e.g., GitHub, GitHub Labs, etc.

● Post-website launch support, maintenance, and ongoing site development proposal. This should include recommendations and a menu of options and pricing for ongoing website support, maintenance, and ongoing development options or packages, e.g., bulk purchase of hours (pre-paid), pay-as-you-go or per-hour pricing (time and materials). Vendor should detail any warranty of code or bug fixes that are identified post-launch.

Value Propositions

Eastern Oregon University is seeking a partner to develop provable value propositions that will serve as the foundation for our website's content strategy. These value propositions should be based on thorough research and data analysis, clearly demonstrating the unique strengths and offerings of EOU in a way that resonates with our core audiences, including prospective students, families, alumni, and faculty.

We expect the selected firm to:

● Conduct research: Analyze EOU’s current strengths, competitive positioning, and audience needs to develop value propositions that are data-driven and differentiated from our competitors.

● Collaborate with stakeholders: Work closely with EOU leadership and key stakeholders to ensure the value propositions accurately reflect the university’s mission, culture, and long-term goals.

● Support content strategy: Use these value propositions to inform the content strategy, ensuring that all messaging throughout the website is aligned with the core values and benefits of the university. The propositions should guide the creation of all content, including homepage messaging, section headings, feature stories, and calls-to-action, ensuring consistency and clarity.

These value propositions should not only highlight what sets EOU apart but also be substantiated by data or key insights, ensuring they are credible and effective in driving engagement, enrollment, and brand awareness.

Design / Build

● Vendor will propose a process for automating/easing content migration.

● Design renderings for page layouts (specific decisions to be determined in site strategy)— homepage, audience gateways, department landing, lower level, news landing, news story page, news index, search index/results, academic majors/programs listing page, academic program landing page, academic course listing page, campus directory, faculty and staff bios page, campus calendar landing page, campus calendar events page, social media integration. As noted in this document, the university is interested in a flexible, modular or component design framework. We are also interested in the development of a robust pattern library for the site.

● Native integration of APIs (e.g., social channels: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and additional channels.). EOU primarily uses YouTube for videos.

● Graphic elements.

● Technical implementation.

● Details and assistance with the development of CMS editorial workflows, approval workflows and site permissions.

● Site style guide—this should live on the EOU website or is provided directly to EOU. It would include a pattern or block library, typography, various column layouts and cover all design and style options.

● Re-imagine how the EOU news page looks and functions.

● Recommendations regarding an events calendar (built in, or third-party) and campus map.

● Recommendations on implementing a multilingual website on the new CMS.

● Training curriculum.

Website Hosting

The EOU website is currently hosted by EOU's IT department on campus servers. To enhance redundancy and ensure high availability, EOU requires the selected vendor to provide a hosting solution that transitions the website off campus servers to an external hosting environment. The hosting solution must include robust redundancy measures to ensure that backups are readily available to go into production if the primary storage space becomes offline or unavailable. The vendor will be responsible for specifying and implementing hosting recommendations and solutions that fulfill these requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, provisioning a suitable hosting infrastructure with considerations for content delivery networks (CDNs), technical setup, storage capacity, RAM, secure file transfer protocol (sFTP), secure shell access (SSH), and other relevant technical specifications. The hosting solution must be robust, scalable, secure, and capable of supporting EOU's current and future website needs.

Fully Responsive Site

Our visitors must be able to access the site from a wide variety of devices and the site must be designed to automatically detect the screen resolution of any device and respond with a view ensuring the visitor will have an optimized experience no matter what device they are using.

Lead Generation and Life Cycle Communications

Lead generation is a critical function of the website, and it must integrate with key lead generation technologies.

Search Engine Optimization

Findability (search) is critical to Eastern Oregon University and the site must be built with SEO best practices in place. Search engine friendly URLs, canonical URLs, page title, description Htags, semantic markup and the like are required. The CMS backend needs to make SEO easy for content editors by requiring fields important to SEO to be completed.

Redirect Strategy

A comprehensive 301 redirect strategy is to be included. Ability to manage all 302 and 301 URL redirects through a single website redirect module or .htaccess file. This includes the ability to redirect documents to webpages or other documents.

Website Governance

Review of current website governance, site management and staffing and provide a brief with recommendations for any changes for current website management and support.

Recommendations on website governance and workflow integration.

Training Materials

Training documentation for content editors

Other Anticipated Deliverables:

● Audience profiles and planned conversion paths

● Content models

● Wireframes

● Front-end development

● Implementation

● QA testing

● Site search

● Academic program finder

● Other recommended and future-focused integration features

Content

Eastern Oregon University seeks a content development partner to create cohesive and compelling messaging across the entire website. This includes crafting the holistic theme, developing content for key areas such as the homepage, main section headings, feature sections, and calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout the site.

The selected firm will also be responsible for the seamless migration of content from the current site to the new platform. Please include in your proposal a detailed breakdown of costs for content creation, content tagging, and the migration and organization of assets such as photo galleries.

Functional Content Features:

Editable navigation and sub-navigation Flexible page templates Content tags and site search

Photo galleries, lightboxes or slideshows, video player, audio player or audio embed CTAs, promos and buttons Interactive and dynamic elements Events calendar: Recommendations on third party event calendar Academic program browser Virtual campus visit: Recommendations for a third-party application integration On-page emergency alerts News/blog/stories Social sharing Dynamic content—entered once, displayed many times (event > news > social) Dynamic keyword searches Structured snippets and schema markup

A Customized, User-Centric Mindset:

Create personas for each core audience Identify conversion goals for each persona Develop personalized content and experiences for each persona Streamline site architecture and design site navigation and content that speaks to each student persona uniquely Design conversion opportunities strategically for each persona Pages should elicit an emotional response

Requirements

Focus on user experience.

Follow web standards (HTML5, CSS3). Incorporate SEO best practices to improve site visibility. This includes the ability to manually change meta information/tags on each individual webpage—Page Title, Meta Title, Meta Description, Meta Image, Page Crawl Frequency, ability to hide pages from public/internal search and sitemap (no index, no follow), clear page name/URL structure (pages URLs all lowercase using hyphen separators) and an automated XML Sitemap. Pages should be properly structured to use H1-H5 headers.

Provide the ability to include a robots.txt file for limiting search engines to some content.

● Incorporate best practices for pulling information from external sources (like iframes) and have the ability to add alt texts and titles.

● Best practices for image tags with height and width attributes as well as aria, loading and alt attributes.

● The agency must supply and implement a 301-redirect strategy so that we do not lose any of our current search engine rankings.

● Strictly adhere to web accessibility standards—WCAG 2.1 Level AA, Section 504, Section 508.

● Display optimally on a range of screen sizes and devices (smartphones, tablets, desktop monitors).

A mobile navigation for smaller screens and a desktop navigation for larger screens.

● Be optimized (design, architecture and hosting platform) for fast loading—particularly on mobile devices as measured by Google PageSpeed Insights (fast performance of 90 or better). Utilize approaches like a CDN, caching, minifying CSS and JavaScript and “lazy loading” of page elements for optimized page load times. Our research suggests page load speed is crucial to perceived and actual site success and improved search engine optimization (SEO).

● Render properly in widely used mobile and desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari).

● All website content must be directly displayed as webpages and indexable by search engines, i.e., website content that opens in an overlay that is not directly accessible to website visitors through a URL or search engines should be avoided. Important pages that must be indexable by search engines include homepage, landing pages, secondary pages, campus calendar landing page, individual event pages, campus directory landing page, individual faculty directory/biography pages, majors and programs, course listings/descriptions, etc.

● Offer content syndication and content sharing—COPE (create once and publish everywhere).

Content that is duplicated in multiple places should be updated and maintained in a single location.

● Provide a modular or atomic design framework allowing for more flexibility in content design and delivery across site pages. Here is an example of modular design from Indiana University:

https://styleguide.iu.edu/pattern-library/index.html. In such a design, the same content component (e.g., student testimonial, brand messages, news stories, content featurettes, videos, lists, events, etc.) can be published in multiple layouts on a page—across one column, two columns, four columns or six columns. We change our focus on page design from whole pages into parts, making it possible for our website to combine content and design, but also allowing our CMS more control. This will allow us to build out pages in ways that make sense from a visual, administrative and business perspective. A modular or atomic approach to design and populating content will offer us a more flexible and adaptable site that is nimble enough to address changing institutional and visitor needs.

● Provide a pattern library that offers multiple options for content display, e.g., a blockquote might come with big bold text with a large background quotation, another might include an image, yet another with a vertical line. The pattern library would offer multiple buttons, list, image, video, accordion or tab styles, among others.

● Be optimized to share webpage content to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn by employing separate Open Graph (OG) protocol and Twitter cards on every page to specify page title, descriptions, image and video. It is preferred that all these tags populate from the main meta fields but allow us the ability for them to be individually edited.

● Use non-proprietary programming and frameworks for interactive features.

Integrations

● Slate Customer relationship management system (CRM)

● Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

● Advancement/giving portal

● Academic catalog

● Virtual campus visit

● Google tag manager / Google Analytics

● Single sign on (SSO)

● Etc.

Assumptions

● Strategic Partnership: We are seeking a vendor who understands higher education and will help guide us from website design through development and will provide ongoing services as needed to help support us in the future.

● Research Based Design: We require a site that meets the unique needs of our students and faculty and are not looking for a cookie-cutter, template solution. Our vendor needs to employ a strategic research-based and data-driven process to gather input, define expectations and design a consistent user-friendly framework for the website that meets the needs of all users.

● Visual Design: The final design will be a collaborative effort between Eastern Oregon University and the vendor. There will be a minimum of two design concepts and two rounds of revisions included in the cost estimate. The design should be visually appealing and effectively represent the Eastern Oregon University brand.

● Information Architecture: Website design must focus on creating a simple, intuitive information architecture with an SEO friendly navigation that is consistent site-wide and that leverages breadcrumbs and UX/UI best practices.

● Easy Updating: The site should be easy to use and update by our team of content editors, graphic designers, and digital marketers.

● Governance: Recommendations on a sustainable model for post-launch.

● Site Analytics: The vendor should utilize historical site analytics to understand the usage patterns of our users to better help them shape the experience of the new design.

● Vendor Experience and Criteria: Preference will be given to vendors with experience in higher education with special attention given to vendors' breadth of experience, references, number of years’ experience and expertise of staff.

● Skilled team: The vendor will provide a dedicated skilled team of user experience, design, and development professionals.

● Internal Project Staff: The vendor will employ its own project staff and will disclose third party vendors in the proposal.

● Proven Project Management Process: The vendor must have a proven project management process and flexible timeline structure that allows the vendor to adjust to the needs of the Eastern Oregon University team.

● Proven Development Skills: The vendor will have experience with the Wordpress content management system.

● Design and Content Ownership: Eastern Oregon University will obtain ownership of ALL design, code and content of the website upon completion of the project. Eastern Oregon University does not authorize the use of any proprietary code throughout the scope of this project.

Instructions to Vendors

Eastern Oregon University is seeking a detailed website proposal, budget and timeline that accounts for all work in accordance with the project objectives. Please include:

● General description of the firm, including number of years in business and overall experience in interactive web design and development, particularly in higher education working on projects similar in scope.

● Detail the firm’s experience with project discovery and research, persona development, digital strategy, user experience, information architecture, mobile and responsive web design, usability testing, website accessibility (WCAG 2.1 level AA compliance), SEO, content strategy and digital marketing.

● A list of web content management systems the firm has direct experience implementing and providing ongoing maintenance, support, and development.

● A list of all individuals and roles who will be assigned to work directly on the project.

● Case studies with URLs linking to examples of relevant work that is similar in scope to Eastern

Oregon University’s project.

● A project plan that describes the agency’s approach, methodology, and includes timelines as well as the agency’s commitment to culture and ADEI.

● A minimum of three references that Eastern Oregon University will contact about the firm’s work that is similar in scope to this project.

● Pricing for the project including a breakdown by major elements or milestones (e.g., project management, discovery, strategy, UE, IA, design, build, hosting recommendations brief, content migration support, QA, usability testing and post deployment); a total project cost, any incidental expenses that would be charged to Eastern Oregon University and an applicable hourly rate for additional time and materials work that may result from a scope expansion or other unanticipated work.

● Eastern Oregon University is interested in working with a long-term strategic partner after site delivery. Vendor should include recommendations and a menu of options and pricing for ongoing website support, maintenance and development options or packages, e.g., bulk purchase of hours (pre-paid), pay-as-you-go or per-hour pricing (time and materials). The university is interested in vendor recommendations for how much budget we should allocate toward ongoing maintenance and support for a website similar in size or scope.

● Vendor should detail any warranty of code or bug fixes that are identified post-launch.

● Eastern Oregon University anticipates retaining a single vendor to perform the entirety of the scope of work. However, we reserve the right to make multiple awards, e.g., selecting one firm for project discovery, strategy, user experience and information architecture and a second for design/build or to make no award.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

The proposal must address the following specific requests or questions to provide a clear and comprehensive understanding of how they will meet the requirements for the Eastern Oregon University website redesign project:

● Provide case studies or examples of past projects where you helped higher education institutions achieve their marketing, communication, and enrollment goals.

● How will you work with Eastern Oregon University to develop data-driven value propositions that inform the content strategy?

● What specific SEO and performance optimization strategies will you implement to improve search rankings and site speed?

● How will you ensure the design provides a user-centered experience, incorporating usability testing and feedback from multiple audiences?

● How will you approach content migration to ensure a seamless transition without affecting SEO rankings or site functionality?

● How will you manage this project to ensure it meets the timeline and remains within scope, while keeping stakeholders informed?

● What ongoing support and maintenance services do you offer to ensure the website remains optimized and functional post-launch?

● Can you work within the following timeline:

Project Timeline (March 1, 2025 – July 1, 2026)

Phase 1: Planning & Discovery (March 1, 2025 – May 31, 2025)

● March 1 - March 15, 2025: Project Kick-off & Stakeholder Alignment

○ Initial meetings with EOU stakeholders to establish goals, expectations, and timelines.

○ Confirm key project milestones and deliverables.

● March 16 - April 15, 2025: Content Inventory, Audit & Value Proposition Development

○ Conduct a comprehensive audit of existing website content.

○ Collaborate with stakeholders to identify key value propositions.

● April 16 - May 31, 2025: Research & Strategy Finalization

○ Perform user experience (UX) research, including stakeholder interviews, audience surveys, and competitive analysis.

○ Finalize the content strategy and sitemap based on research findings.

Phase 2: Design (June 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025)

● June 1 - June 30, 2025: UX/UI Design & Wireframes

○ Create wireframes for key pages based on finalized sitemap and user flows.

○ Present wireframes to stakeholders for feedback and revisions.

● July 1 - August 15, 2025: Visual Design & Prototyping

○ Develop high-fidelity designs, incorporating EOU branding and feedback from wireframes.

○ Present design prototypes for stakeholder review and approval.

● August 16 - September 30, 2025: Design Refinement & Approval

○ Refine designs based on feedback.

○ Obtain final approval of designs, ensuring alignment with EOU’s brand and goals.

Phase 3: Development (October 1, 2025 – February 29, 2026)

● October 1 - October 31, 2025: CMS Setup & Initial Development

○ Begin front-end and back-end development based on approved designs.

● November 1 - January 15, 2026: Development of Core Features & Content Integration

○ Complete core development, including API integrations, dynamic features, and SEO optimization.

○ Begin migrating content from the old site and integrate new content.

● January 16 - February 29, 2026: Development Finalization & Internal Testing

○ Finalize all development aspects.

○ Conduct internal quality assurance (QA) testing to ensure functionality and performance.

Phase 4: Testing & Refinement (March 1, 2026 – May 31, 2026)

● March 1 - March 31, 2026: Usability Testing & Bug Fixes

○ Perform usability testing with a focus on user experience across devices.

○ Fix any identified issues or bugs.

● April 1 - May 31, 2026: Final Refinements & Pre-Launch Preparation

○ Make final adjustments to content, design, and technical elements.

○ Prepare for the launch by setting up redirects, conducting SEO checks, and ensuring full functionality.

Phase 5: Launch & Post-Launch Support (June 1, 2026 – July 1, 2026)

● June 1 - June 15, 2026: Final Stakeholder Review & Approval

○ Conduct a final review with stakeholders to ensure all project elements are aligned with expectations.

● June 16 - July 1, 2026: Website Launch

○ Official launch of the new website, closely monitoring performance and addressing any immediate post-launch issues.

EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA – TOTAL POINTS 100

For Eastern Oregon University, in selecting an agency to perform the website redesign lies in the agency's ability to deeply understand and communicate the university’s unique value propositions through a strategic, user-centered design. The agency must have a strong track record of working with higher education institutions, demonstrating expertise in developing content strategies that resonate with core audiences like prospective students, families, and faculty. Additionally, the agency’s technical proficiency— particularly in building scalable, SEO and AI-optimized websites that adhere to accessibility standards—is crucial. The university values an approach that incorporates thorough research, collaboration with stakeholders, and long-term support for maintaining and evolving the website post-launch.

EOU seeks a partner that can align their creative and technical capabilities with the university's brand, ensuring the new site not only improves user experience and engagement but also enhances institutional reputation, drives enrollment, and supports revenue-generating activities.

The following is a summary of the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated

Criteria Description Points

Demonstrated Experience in Higher Education

Vendor’s experience in managing website projects for higher education institutions, especially in aligning content strategies and website architecture with institutional goals points

Content Strategy & Value Proposition Development

Vendor’s ability to develop provable, data-driven value propositions and integrate them into a cohesive content strategy that reflects EOU’s brand and mission.

points

Proposal does not exceed $300,000

Proposal does not exceed $300,000 10 points

Technical Expertise & CMS Capabilities

Expertise in developing and implementing websites on modern CMS platforms, including experience with scalable, modular designs and API integrations.

points

SEO & AI Optimization Vendor’s approach to implementing SEO best practices, AI optimization and accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA compliance).

points

Design & User Experience

Proven track record of delivering user-centric designs that enhance user experience, including responsive design, usability testing, and incorporating user feedback.

points

Content Creation & Migration

Vendor’s ability to manage the project efficiently, meet deadlines, and adjust for unforeseen challenges, while maintaining clear communication with EOU stakeholders.

points

Project Management & Timeline

Vendor’s ability to manage the project efficiently, meet deadlines, and adjust for unforeseen challenges, while maintaining clear communication with EOU stakeholders.

points

Post-Launch Support & Maintenance

Availability of post-launch support, including ongoing maintenance, troubleshooting, and the ability to scale and evolve the website as needs change.

points

Total 100

Explanation of Criteria

Demonstrated Experience in Higher Education (15 points) Proposers must provide a portfolio and case studies demonstrating their experience in managing successful website projects for higher education institutions. The proposal should clearly show an understanding of the unique marketing, recruitment, and communication goals specific to the higher education sector, highlighting examples of how they have helped similar institutions achieve these objectives.

Content Strategy & Value Proposition Development (15 points) Proposers must demonstrate their ability to develop compelling and data-driven value propositions that inform a cohesive content strategy. The proposal should include examples of past work where they successfully crafted strategic, evidence-based messaging that enhanced the brand positioning and engagement of similar institutions.

Proposal does not exceed $300,000 (10 points) Proposal does not exceed $300,000

Technical Expertise & CMS Capabilities (10 points) Proposers must outline their technical expertise in working with Wordpress and their ability to integrate necessary APIs, plugins, and technical tools. The proposal should showcase their ability to create scalable, modular website designs and describe their experience in implementing these within the higher education sector.

SEO & Performance Optimization (10 points) Proposers must demonstrate their expertise in optimizing websites for search engines, ensuring fast page load speeds, and delivering an optimal mobile experience. They should outline the specific techniques they use to ensure long-term SEO success post-launch, including examples from previous projects.

Design & User Experience (10 points) Proposers must provide evidence of their ability to create visually appealing, user-friendly website designs that enhance the overall user experience. This includes conducting usability testing, incorporating user feedback, and ensuring responsiveness across devices. Proposals should highlight examples where these elements have been successfully implemented.

Content Creation & Migration (10 points) Proposers must outline their approach to content creation and migration, ensuring a smooth transition from the existing website to the new platform. They should demonstrate how they plan to preserve SEO rankings and content functionality during the migration and provide examples of past projects where engaging, well-organized content was successfully developed and migrated.

Project Management & Timeline (10 points) Proposers must describe their project management process, including how they plan to manage timelines, communication, and stakeholder engagement. The proposal should provide evidence of delivering similar projects on time and within scope, outlining clear methodologies for adjusting to unforeseen challenges.

Post-Launch Support & Maintenance (10 points) Proposers must describe their post-launch support strategy, including troubleshooting, updates, and long-term scalability of the website. They should provide details about their ongoing support packages, including any examples of similar projects where they have maintained and evolved a website post-launch.

Post-Launch Support & Maintenance (10 points) Proposers must describe their post-launch support strategy, including troubleshooting, updates, and long-term scalability of the website. They should provide details about their ongoing support packages, i...