RFP Document.pdf

Dated 06/20/23

Black Hills State University 1200 University Street, Spearfish, SD 57799

Website Content Management System

PROPOSALS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN July 13, 2023, 2:00 PM MT

RFP #: 23RFP8886 CONTACT PERSON: Barb Mustard EMAIL: Barbara.mustard@sdsmt.edu

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FIRM NAME: AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:

ADDRESS: TYPE OR PRINT NAME:

CITY/STATE: TELEPHONE NO:

ZIP (9 DIGIT): FAX NO:

E-MAIL:

PRIMARY CONTACT INFORMATION

CONTACT NAME: TELEPHONE NO:

FAX NO: E-MAIL:

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1. PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to solicit proposals to establish a contract for a Web Content Management System (CMS) for the Black Hills State University (BHSU) website.

BHSU seeks development of a contemporary and easy-to-navigate website built on a leading-edge CMS that meets the following objectives:

1.1.1. Provides the publishing and management platform for delivering a high-quality end user experience and UX for all device types

1.1.2. Enables designated BHSU contributors to publish web content to the website in compliance with accessibility and brand identity standards

1.1.3. Meets present information architecture standards for the web and has the potential to accommodate future web technologies

1.1.4. Supports the collection, analysis, and implementation of sophisticated digital outreach techniques to reach varied audiences

1.1.5. Meets the informational needs of all of BHSU audiences; prospective students, on and off campus students, fans, athletics, parents, donors, research, alumni, faculty/staff, etc.

1.2. ISSUING OFFICE AND RFP REFERENCE NUMBER

Black Hills State University Business Services is the issuing office for this document and all subsequent addenda relating to it, on behalf of the State of South Dakota, Black Hills State University. The reference number for the transaction is RFP# 23RFP8886. This number must be referred to on all proposals, correspondence, and documentation relating to the RFP.

1.3. SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

RFP Publication June 22, 2023 Deadline for Submission of Written Inquiries June 29, 2023, 2PM MT Responses to Offeror Questions July 6, 2023, 2PM MT Proposal Submission July 13, 2023, 2PM MT *Oral Presentations/discussions(if required) July 27, 2023 Anticipated Award Decision/Contract Negotiation August 10, 2023

*Oral Presentations will be done via Zoom.

1.4. SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL

All proposals must be completed and received in the BHSU office by the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities.

Proposals received after the deadline will be ineligible for consideration.

The proposal should be page numbered and should have an index and/or a table of contents referencing the appropriate page number.

Due by: July 13, 2023, 2:00PM MT

Electronic proposal in PDF format emailed to:

RFP #23RFP8886

BUSINESS SERVICES - BARB MUSTARD

Barbara.Mustard@sdsmt.edu

No proposal shall be accepted from, or no contract or purchase order shall be awarded to any person, firm or corporation that is in arrears upon any obligations to the State of South Dakota, or that otherwise may be deemed irresponsible or unreliable by the State of South Dakota.

1.5. CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, INELIGIBILITY AND VOLUNTARY

EXCLUSION – LOWER TIER COVERED TRANSACTIONS

By signing and submitting this proposal, the offeror certifies that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation, by any Federal department or agency, from transactions involving the use of Federal funds. Where the offeror is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, the bidder shall attach an explanation to their offer.

1.6. NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

The State of South Dakota requires that all contractors, vendors, and suppliers doing business with any State agency, department, or institution, provide a statement of non-discrimination. By signing and submitting their proposal, the offeror certifies they do not discriminate in their employment practices with regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, ancestry, national origin or disability.

1.7. CERTIFICATION RELATING TO PROHIBITED ENTITY

For contractors, vendors, suppliers, or subcontractors who enter into a contract with the State of South Dakota by submitting a response to this solicitation or agreeing to contract with the State, the bidder or offeror certifies and agrees that the following information is correct:

The bidder or offeror, in preparing its response or offer or in considering proposals submitted from qualified, potential vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, or in the solicitation, selection, or commercial treatment of any vendor, supplier, or subcontractor, is not an entity, regardless of its principal place of business, that is ultimately owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign national, a foreign parent entity, or foreign government from China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba, or Venezuela, as defined by South Dakota Executive Order 2023-02. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to reject the bid or response submitted by the bidder or offeror on this project and terminate any contract awarded based on the bid or response. The successful bidder or offeror further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the contracting executive branch agency if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination.

1.8. RESTRICTION OF BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

For contractors, vendors, suppliers, or subcontractors with five (5) or more employees who enter into a contract with the State of South Dakota that involves the expenditure of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more, by submitting a response to this solicitation or agreeing to contract with the State, the bidder or offeror certifies and agrees that the following information is correct:

The bidder or offeror, in preparing its response or offer or in considering proposals submitted from qualified, potential vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors, or in the solicitation, selection, or commercial treatment of any vendor, supplier, or subcontractor, has not refused to transact business activities, has not terminated business activities, and has not taken other similar actions intended to limit its commercial relations, related to the subject matter of the bid or offer, with a person or entity on the basis of Israeli national origin, or residence or incorporation in Israel or its territories, with the specific intent to accomplish a boycott or divestment of Israel in a discriminatory manner. It is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the State to reject the bid or response submitted by the bidder or offeror on this project and terminate any contract awarded based on the bid or response. The successful bidder or offeror further agrees to provide immediate written notice to the contracting executive branch agency if during the term of the contract it no longer complies with this certification and agrees such noncompliance may be grounds for contract termination.

1.9. MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by the offeror prior to the established due date and time.

No oral, telephonic, telegraphic or facsimile responses or modifications to informal, formal bids, or Request for Proposals will be considered.

1.10. OFFEROR INQUIRIES

Offerors may email inquiries concerning this RFP to obtain clarification of requirements. No inquiries will be accepted after the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities. Inquiries must be emailed to Barb Mustard at Barbara.Mustard@sdsmt.edu with the subject line “RFP

#23RFP8886”.

BHSU will respond to offeror’s inquiries (if required) via e-mail. In addition, all inquiries and the State’s response will be posted on the state’s e-procurement system. Offerors may not rely on any other statements, either of a written or oral nature, that alter any specification or other term or condition of this RFP. Offerors will be notified in the same manner as indicated above regarding any modifications to this RFP.

1.11. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

The proposal of the successful offeror(s) becomes public information. Proprietary information can be protected under limited circumstances such as client lists and non-public financial statements.

An entire proposal may not be marked as proprietary. Offerors must clearly identify in the Executive Summary and mark in the body of the proposal any specific proprietary information they are requesting to be protected. The Executive Summary must contain specific justification explaining why the information is to be protected. Proposals may be reviewed and evaluated by any person at the discretion of the State. All materials submitted become the property of the State of South Dakota and may be returned only at the State's option.

1.12. LENGTH OF CONTRACT

The term of the initial contract is intended to be for up to one year. An extension or renewal option may be negotiated in the initial agreement; see section 2.5. The contract shall commence upon the signatures of both parties.

Anticipated start: August 2023 Anticipated completion: April 2024

1.13. GOVERNING LAW

Venue for any and all legal action regarding or arising out of the transaction covered herein shall be solely in the State of South Dakota. The laws of South Dakota shall govern this transaction.

1.14. DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFERORS (ORAL PRESENTATION/NEGOTIATIONS)

An oral presentation by an offeror to clarify a proposal may be required at the sole discretion of BHSU. However, BHSU may award a contract based on the initial proposals received without discussion with the Offeror. If oral presentations are required, they will be scheduled after the submission of proposals. Oral presentations will be made at the offeror’s expense.

This process is a Request for Proposal/Competitive Negotiation process. Each Proposal shall be evaluated, and each respondent shall be available for negotiation meetings at Black Hills State University’s request. BHSU reserves the right to negotiate on any and/or all components of every proposal submitted. From the time the proposals are submitted until the formal award of a contract, each proposal is considered a working document and as such, will be kept confidential.

The negotiation discussions will also be held as confidential until such time as the award is completed.

2. STANDARD CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Any contract or agreement resulting from this RFP will include the State’s standard terms and conditions as listed below, along with any additional terms and conditions as negotiated by the parties:

2.1. The Contractor will perform those services described in the Scope of Work, attached hereto as Section

3 of the RFP and by this reference incorporated herein.

2.2. The Contractor’s services under this Agreement shall commence and terminate on mutually agreed upon dates. Terms for early termination shall be included in the agreement as negotiated- by the parties.

2.3. The Contractor will not use State equipment, supplies or facilities. The Contractor will provide the State with its Employer Identification Number, Federal Tax Identification Number or Social Security Number upon execution of this Agreement.

2.4. Unless otherwise negotiated and agreed upon by the parties, The State will make payment in compliance with the Prompt Payment Act, SDCL 5-26 for services provided under the contract.

2.5. The agreement shall indicate whether or not the State shall have the option to renew the agreement. If a renewal option is specified, the State shall have the option to renew the agreement (unless otherwise modified by a special contract term, condition, or specification), under the same terms and conditions, for one (1) year intervals. Notice of intent to renew shall be given by the State to the Contractor as mutually agreed upon prior to the end of the current contract term. If the notice of intent to renew is given, the Agreement shall renew unless terminated by either party pursuant to the Termination Provision of the Agreement.

2.6. The Contractor, at all times during the term of this Agreement, shall obtain and maintain in force insurance coverage of the types and with the limits as follows:

A. Commercial General Liability Insurance:

The Contractor shall maintain occurrence based commercial general liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than $1,000,000.00 for each occurrence. If such insurance contains a general aggregate limit it shall apply separately to this Agreement or be no less than two times the occurrence limit.

B. Professional Liability Insurance or Miscellaneous Professional Liability Insurance:

The Contractor agrees to procure and maintain professional liability insurance or miscellaneous professional liability insurance with a limit not less than $1,000,000.00.

C. Business Automobile Liability Insurance:

The Contractor shall maintain business automobile liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than $1,000,000.00 for each accident. Such insurance shall include coverage for owned, hired and non-owned vehicles.

D. Worker’s Compensation Insurance:

The Contractor shall procure and maintain workers’ compensation and employers’ liability insurance as required by South Dakota law.

Before beginning work under this Agreement, Contractor shall furnish the State with properly executed Certificates of Insurance which shall clearly evidence all insurance required in this Agreement. In the event a substantial change in insurance, issuance of a new policy, cancellation or nonrenewal of the policy, the Contractor agrees to provide immediate notice to the State and provide a new certificate of insurance showing continuous coverage in the amounts required. Contractor shall furnish copies of insurance policies if requested by the State.

2.7. While performing services hereunder, the Contractor is an independent contractor and not an officer, agent, or employee of the State of South Dakota.

2.8. Contractor agrees to report to the State any event encountered in the course of performance of this

Agreement which results in injury to the person or property of third parties, or which may otherwise subject Contractor or the State to liability. Contractor shall report any such event to the State immediately upon discovery.

Contractor's obligation under this section shall only be to report the occurrence of any event to the State and to make any other report provided for by their duties or applicable law. Contractor's obligation to report shall not require disclosure of any information subject to privilege or confidentiality under law (e.g., attorney-client communications). Reporting to the State under this section shall not excuse or satisfy any obligation of Contractor to report any event to law enforcement or other entities under the requirements of any applicable law.

2.9. This Agreement may be terminated by either party hereto upon thirty (30) days written notice. In the event the Contractor breaches any of the terms or conditions hereof, this Agreement may be terminated by the State at any time with or without notice. If termination for such a default is effected by the State, any payments due to Contractor at the time of termination may be adjusted to cover any additional costs to the State because of Contractor's default. Upon termination the State may take over the work and may award another party an agreement to complete the work under this Agreement. If after the State terminates for a default by Contractor it is determined that Contractor was not at fault, then the Contractor shall be paid for eligible services rendered and expenses incurred up to the date of termination.

2.10. This Agreement depends upon the continued availability of appropriated funds and expenditure authority from the Legislature for this purpose. If for any reason the Legislature fails to appropriate funds or grant expenditure authority, or funds become unavailable by operation of law or federal funds reductions, this Agreement will be terminated by the State. Termination for any of these reasons is not a default by the State nor does it give rise to a claim against the State.

2.11. This Agreement may not be assigned without the express prior written consent of BHSU. This Agreement may not be amended except in writing, which writing shall be expressly identified as a part hereof, and be signed by an authorized representative of each of the parties hereto.

2.12. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of South

Dakota. Any lawsuit pertaining to or affecting this Agreement shall be venued in Circuit Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Hughes County, South Dakota.

2.13. The Contractor will comply with all federal, state and local laws, regulations, ordinances, guidelines, permits and requirements applicable to providing services pursuant to this Agreement, and will be solely responsible for obtaining current information on such requirements.

2.14. In the event that any of competent jurisdiction shall hold any provision of the Agreement unenforceable or invalid, such holding shall not invalidate or render unenforceable any other provision thereof.

2.15. All other prior discussions, communications and representations concerning the subject matter of the

Agreement are superseded by the terms of the Agreement, and except as specifically provided therein, the Agreement constitutes the entire agreement with respect to the subject matter thereof.

2.16. Any notice or other communication required under the Agreement shall be in writing and sent to the appropriate address and individuals indicated in the Agreement or such authorized designees as either party may from time to time designate in writing. Notices or communications to or between the parties shall be deemed to have been delivered when mailed by first class mail, provided that notice of default or termination shall be sent by registered or certified mail, or, if personally delivered, when received by such party.

2.17. The Contractor may not use subcontractors to perform the services described in the Agreement without the express prior written consent of the State. The Contractor will include provisions in its subcontracts requiring its subcontractors to comply with the applicable provisions of the Agreement, to indemnify the State, and to provide insurance coverage for the benefit of the State in a manner consistent with the Agreement. The Contractor will cause its subcontractors, agents, and employees to comply, with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, ordinances, guidelines, permits and requirements and will adopt such review and inspection procedures as are necessary to assure such compliance.

2.18. Contractor hereby acknowledges and agrees that all reports, plans, specifications, technical data, miscellaneous drawings, software system programs and documentation, procedures, or files, operating instructions and procedures, source code(s) and documentation, including those necessary to upgrade and maintain the software program, and all information contained therein provided to the State by the Contractor in connection with its performance of services under this Agreement shall belong to and is the property of the State and will not be used in any way by the Contractor without the written consent of the State. Papers, reports, forms, software programs, source code(s) and other material which are a part of the work under this Agreement will not be copyrighted without written approval of the State.

2.19. The Contractor certifies that neither Contractor nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment or suspension, or declared ineligible from participating in transactions by the federal government or any state or local government department or agency. Contractor further agrees that it will immediately notify the State if during the term of this Agreement Contractor or its principals become subject to debarment, suspension or ineligibility from participating in transactions by the federal government, or by any state or local government department or agency.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 Background

Black Hills State University is a regional, comprehensive, public institution that provides access to a higher education for aspiring students. BHSU offers a generous number of baccalaureate and select master’s degrees, generates new knowledge, promotes excellence in teaching and public engagement, and serves as a regional economic leader. Graduates make significant contributions to the workforce and the betterment of their community.

3.2 Project Review

The intent of this project is to design and develop a new website on a modern Content Management System (CMS). The website is critical to the university’s reputation as a leading institution of higher education and an essential tool for engaging with prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, and the wider community. With the implementation of a modern CMS, BHSU aims to enhance the user experience, improve website performance, and provide more flexible and efficient content management capabilities. This new website will be designed with a user-centric approach, incorporating responsive design principles to ensure optimal viewing across various devices and screen sizes. With an intuitive interface and streamlined navigation, visitors will be able to easily access relevant information, such as academic programs, admission requirements, campus facilities, and upcoming events. By undertaking this project, BHSU is committed to upholding the university's reputation for innovation, accessibility, and excellence in delivering a cutting-edge digital experience for all users.

3.3 Website Goals

The overall website goals include a user-friendly experience with easy navigation and personalization, built with accessibility and SEO in mind in order to increase website conversions and enrollment, reach and engage new and prospective students.

3.3.1 The website must also support our various audiences, such as current students, faculty, and staff, to provide valuable information regarding news, events, research, and innovation.

3.3.2 The website must incorporate the university’s brand and utilize a responsive design and other principles to ensure a satisfying and consistent experience for all site visitors regardless of the type of device used to view the site.

3.4 Professional Services

3.4.1 Work with BHSU to implement a new cloud-hosted CMS, including implementation timelines, and content migration.

3.4.2 Provide information on available options for on-going maintenance of the CMS and end user training

3.4.3 Offeror will update CMS software, maintain, and improve CMS functionality, and protect against security threats and vulnerabilities

3.4.4 Work with BHSU to develop a technical implementation plan, including installation, testing, and training in all environments

3.5 Technical Requirements

3.5.1 Security: For access control, new campus enterprise systems must integrate with the

BHSU’s system for identity and access management. Your application must use one of the supported authentication technologies; Federated SSO – SAML 2.0, WS-Federation or OpenID Connect (Azure AD is the IDP). Claims can be used for roles-based authentication with the application. If not supported, describe how different levels of access to the application are controlled

3.5.2 Integration capabilities with TDX iPass

3.5.3 CMS provider hosts the CMS application server and database.

3.5.4 Development environments will include development, staging and production.

3.5.5 The ability to integrate with third party software, such as Ellucian/Banner, Banner Ethos APIs, EMS Everbridge Management System, Active Directory/ Azure AD, Google Analytics, Salesforce/TargetX, Acalog.

3.5.6 508 compliant interface/dashboard that checks content

3.5.7 ADA accessibility interface/dashboard that checks content for WCAG 2.0 levels A, AA, AAA

3.5.8 SEO options for controlling metadata and all other search engine ranking mechanisms

3.5.9 Allows custom features to be added using HTML/CSS/JS programming languages.

3.5.10 Provides both a SOAP API and a JSON-based REST-like API

3.5.11 Includes modules with customizable options. Preferred functions: news, blog, calendar, personnel directory, etc.

3.5.12 Allows BHSU staff to perform remote web application vulnerability scans of the CMS instance(s) to identify vulnerabilities and security threats. If web application vulnerability scans are already performed by offeror, provide BHSU security staff monthly report of findings and roadmap for vulnerability and risk remediation.

3.6 Content Management

3.6.1 Support for rich type media and embeds. Media should be optimized and scaled by the

CMS after upload. Photos should be optimized for performance per container. Video uploading should be offered as both an on-server storage and allow for embedding from third party sites; e.g., YouTube, Vimeo.

3.6.2 Link management system that allows for automatic redirection for unpublished/deleted content and the ability to create custom redirect links.

3.6.3 Taxonomy classification to organize similar content and tagging ability

3.6.4 Dynamic menu system customizable for unique circumstances

3.6.5 Templates

3.6.5.1 Does not require XSLT for building or managing templates

3.6.5.2 Provides templates that are consistent in layout and navigation for home page and secondary pages

3.6.5.3 Design reusable content blocks/elements that are available in the asset library for content publishers, such as expandable/collapsible content, table elements, etc.

3.6.5.4 Ability to create microsites for sites like alumni and intranet

3.7 Workflow Management

3.7.1 Establish a Governance Model

3.7.1.1 Develop workflow for content approval

3.7.1.2 Provide content publishers with the ability to set review dates for their content assets

3.7.1.3 Provide content managers with the ability to alert content publishers of outdated content

3.8 Publishing

3.8.1 User friendly content editor for those who are unfamiliar with web programming

3.8.2 Content authoring and publishing

3.8.3 Scheduled content publishing and expiration

3.8.4 Responsive CMS dashboard management across all devices and browsers

3.9 Search

3.9.1 Robust search functionality

3.9.2 Filtered search options

3.9.3 Customizable search results

3.9.4 Search should be adaptable on different pages to use a different index per page; e.g., Academic Programs, Site Search, Faculty.

3.10 Analytics and reporting

3.10.1 Broken Link and misspelling reports

3.10.2 Stale content reports

3.10.3 Integrate and setup Google Analytics

3.10.4 ADA Accessibility and SEO reports or ability to integrate with a 3rd party option.

3.11 User Management and System Administration

3.11.1 Automatic updates and version auditing

3.11.2 Group based permissions created in Azure AD

3.11.3 Content publishing access for at least twenty-five (25) concurrent users

3.11.4 Role-based permissions with granular ability to limit rights to sites, microsites, templates, page sections, stylesheets, etc.

3.11.5 Versioning and tracking of all content changes and editor activities with the ability to revert content

3.11.6 Ability for system administrators to create custom roles

3.12 Marketing & Personalization

3.12.1 E- Newsletters and Email marketing capabilities

3.12.2 Offers a free marketing engagement tool

3.12.3 The ability to add and create short URLs or page alias

3.13 Interactive and social content

3.13.1 Recommendation and execution of best practices to integrate social media platforms into the website

3.13.2 The ability to add social sharing tools to select pages

3.13.3 Integration of social media and embedding feeds; e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

3.13.4 Filter by content type such as news, blogs, degrees, departments, certificate, minor, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, graduate, and doctorate

3.13.5 Ability to include filtered content on a page

3.13.6 Pages supports multimedia, such as video, audio, or photo gallery

3.14 Training and Technical Support

3.14.1 Provides information on available options for on-going maintenance of the CMS and end user training

3.14.2 Provide training and support to BHSU staff

4. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS AND COMPANY QUALIFICATIONS

4.1. The offeror is cautioned that it is the offeror's sole responsibility to submit information related to the evaluation categories and that the State of South Dakota is under no obligation to solicit such information if it is not included with the proposal. The offeror's failure to submit such information may cause an adverse impact on the evaluation of the proposal.

4.2. Offeror's Contacts: Offerors and their agents (including subcontractors, employees, consultants, or anyone else acting on their behalf) must direct all questions or comments regarding the RFP, the evaluation, etc. to the buyer of record indicated on the first page of this RFP. Offerors and their agents may not contact any state employee other than the buyer of record regarding any of these matters during the solicitation and evaluation process. Inappropriate contacts are grounds for suspension and/or exclusion from specific procurements. Offerors and their agents who have questions regarding this matter should contact the buyer of record.

4.3. Provide the following information related to at least three previous and current service/contracts, performed by the offeror’s organization, which are similar to the requirements of this RFP. Provide this information for any service/contract that has been terminated, expired or not renewed in the past three years.

A. Name, address and telephone number of client/contracting agency and a representative of that agency who may be contacted for verification of all information submitted;

B. Dates of the service/contract; and

C. A brief, written description of the specific prior services performed and requirements thereof,

4.4. Provide the number of higher education websites currently being powered by your CMS.

4.5. Provide the number of users that are currently using your CMS.

4.6. Provide a list of higher education websites that recently went live with your CMS.

4.7. Provide the number of years your company has worked with higher education institutions.

4.8. Provide a vendor completed copy of the most recent Lite version of the Higher Education Community

Vendor Assessment Tool (HECVAT) found here: https://www.ren-isac.net/public-resources/hecvat.html

4.9. Please provide short direct answers to the following vendor questions:

4.9.1. Architecture and Technical Requirements

4.9.1.1. Is your CMS a push-based CMS?

4.9.1.2. Is all of the content in the CMS stored as XML?

4.9.1.3. Is your CMS solution 100% browser-based?

4.9.1.4. How does your CMS integrate with custom code/applications?

4.9.1.5. Does your CMS provide a Web services API? An RFP requirement is a CMS that provides both a SOAP API and a JSON-based REST-like API.

4.9.2. Templating

4.9.2.1. Describe how templates are handled within your CMS.

4.9.2.2. Does your CMS require XSLT when building or managing templates? An RFP requirement is a CMS that does not require XSLT for building or managing templates.

4.9.2.3. Are you willing to provide access to a sandbox of your CMS so we can test how a page is created without requiring XSLT?

4.9.3. Accessibility

4.9.3.1. Does your CMS check for accessibility errors/issues site-wide?

4.9.3.2. Is your CMS interface/dashboard 508 compliant? An RFP requirement is that, in addition to checking content for accessibility compliance, the CMS interface/dashboard itself should be 508 compliant.

4.9.3.3. Does your CMS offer an advanced accessibility checker that checks content for compliance with WCAG 2.0 Levels A, AA, and AAA?

4.9.4. Mobile Support

4.9.4.1. Does your CMS support responsive design?

4.9.4.2. Does your CMS support Progressive Web Application design/hosting?

4.9.4.3. Is your CMS interface/console 100% responsive? An RFP requirement is a CMS that is 100% responsive across tablets and mobile devices. We want the ability to create/edit content from most devices, including tablets and mobile, without requiring a separate app.

4.9.4.4. Are you willing to provide access to a sandbox of your CMS so we can test your CMS interface/console responsiveness without using a separate mobile app?

4.9.5. Reporting

4.9.5.1. Does your CMS provide a stale content report?

4.9.5.2. Does your CMS provide a report that lists content that needs to be reviewed?

4.9.5.3. Does your CMS provide the ability to schedule review dates to prevent content from going stale?

4.9.5.4. Does your CMS check for spelling errors?

4.9.5.5. Does your CMS check for broken links?

4.9.5.6. Does your CMS provide reporting for accessibility checks?

4.9.5.7. Does your CMS provide a task manager to self-assign or delegate tasks to other users? Can users receive email notifications about task assignments and also see their tasks on the CMS dashboard?

4.9.5.8. Does your CMS offer a daily content report email that includes upcoming tasks, items in workflow, and content up for review?

4.9.5.9. Does your CMS provide an active users report?

4.9.5.10. Does your CMS offer integration with any project management software; e.g., ClickUp, Asana, Monday?

4.9.6. Access Rights and Permissions

4.9.6.1. How granular are your access rights/permissions?

4.9.6.2. Can you define custom roles in your CMS?

4.9.6.3. Can we create as many user levels as necessary? (We do not want to be forced to use out-of-the-box user controls that cannot be customized.)

4.9.6.4. Can we control which users in the CMS can publish to different publishing destinations? An

RFP requirement is the option to allow different users across campus to be able to publish to different publishing destinations.

4.9.6.5. Can you independently manage different users and groups per individual site?

4.9.6.6. Can you customize the WYSIWYG editor toolbar options for different users based on their permissions?

4.9.7. Total Cost of Ownership

4.9.7.1. Will your solution allow us to easily identify our total cost of ownership? If so, how?

4.9.7.2. Will your CMS allow us to manage an unlimited number of users at no additional charge?

4.9.7.3. Will your CMS allow us to manage an unlimited number of sites at no additional charge?

4.9.7.4. Do you offer a free course catalog module that we can customize around our brand look and feel or integrate with Acalog?

4.9.7.5. Do you offer a free campus calendar module that we can customize around our brand look and feel?

4.9.7.6. Do you offer a free faculty and staff directory module that we can customize around our brand look and feel?

4.9.7.7. Do you offer a free newsroom module that we can customize around our brand look and feel?

4.9.7.8. Do you offer a free emergency alert module that we can customize around our brand look and feel?

4.9.8. User Management and System Administration

4.9.8.1. Can your product authenticate user identity via LDAP, Active Directory, CAS, or Shibboleth?

4.9.8.2. Do you provide a site import/export feature? An RFP requirement is a CMS that provides the ability to move sites from a development instance to a production instance with little effort.

4.9.9. Search Engine Optimization

4.9.9.1. Describe the ways in which your system facilitates and enhances SEO.

4.9.10. Cloud Hosting

4.9.10.1. Do you offer a cloud subscription of the CMS? An RFP requirement is that the CMS provider hosts the CMS application server and database.

4.9.10.2. Describe the basic technical specifications of your cloud environment.

4.9.10.3. Describe the support services included with your cloud environment.

4.9.10.4. Are there any features included with your cloud version that are not included with your on-premise version? Please describe.

4.9.10.5. Provide two recommended vendor options for the hosting of the production website in the cloud.

4.9.11. Technical Support

4.9.11.1. Describe the process to file bugs and trouble tickets.

4.9.11.2. Do you charge extra for support tiers? An RFP requirement is a CMS service that does not charge extra for support tiers or different levels of support.

4.9.11.3. How many support contacts can one customer have?

4.9.11.4. Do you have a support chat feature within your CMS dashboard?

4.9.11.5. How quickly does support respond?

4.9.12. Marketing and Analysis

4.9.12.1. Does your CMS provide a centralized marketing engagement tool? If so, is it free of charge?

An RFP requirement is that the CMS offers a free marketing engagement tool that provides form functionality, A/B testing, ad content personalization.

4.9.12.2. Does your CMS have the ability to serve content based on geographic location?

4.9.12.3. Does your personalization tool support explicit and implicit personalization?

4.9.12.4. Does your CMS integrate with Google Analytics?

4.9.13. Content Asset Management

4.9.13.1. Describe how content is entered or submitted with your CMS.

4.9.13.2. Does your CMS support custom metadata?

4.9.13.3. Does your CMS support multi-site management?

4.9.13.4. Does your CMS support the ability to add comments to pages?

4.9.13.5. Does your CMS support broadcast messages to users in the CMS? We want to alert all content editors of important messages from within the CMS.

4.9.13.6. Does your standard text editor allow users to edit the HTML source code?

4.9.13.7. Do you support integration with Digital Asset Management tools such as Widen Collective and Webdam? An RFP requirement is a CMS solution with this option.

4.9.13.8. Does your CMS have a recycle bin?

4.9.13.9. Does your CMS provide a site preview feature from within the CMS?

4.9.13.10. Explain how your CMS accommodates adding start and end dates for publishing content.

4.9.13.11. Does your CMS support the creation of multiple outputs, i.e. XML, HTML, PDF, RSS, etc.

4.9.13.12. How does your CMS handle images/video?

4.9.13.13. Does your CMS offer users the ability for users to crop/resize/optimize images directly within the system?

4.9.13.14. Describe the process of creating copies of existing sites.

4.9.13.15. Is your system able to automatically generate navigation and other menu items, such as breadcrumbs, based on directory content? Can the order of navigation be easily rearranged?

4.9.13.16. Describe the ways in which your CMS facilitates content re-use.

4.9.13.17. Explain how your CMS supports easy integration with social networking sites.

4.9.13.18. Describe how you can create and maintain RSS feeds within your CMS.

4.9.13.19. Does your CMS provide an audit trail?

4.9.13.20. Does your CMS provide version control?

4.9.14. Dynamic Transformation of Content

4.9.14.1. Can your CMS support both XSLT and Velocity?

4.9.14.2. Describe any advantages of using Velocity in your CMS.

4.9.15. Workflow Management

4.9.15.1. Explain what types of workflows your CMS supports, both out-of-box and customized.

4.9.15.2. Describe how users get notified of workflow assignments.

4.9.16. Search

4.9.16.1. Describe the search functionality for searching content on the published site.

4.9.16.2. What search capabilities does the system provide for finding content within the CMS?

4.9.17. Training

4.9.17.1. Describe all of your training options.

4.9.17.2. How many days of training do you recommend?

4.9.17.3. Can training be held remotely?

5. PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORMAT

5.1. Electronic proposal in PDF form emailed to Barb Mustard at Barbara.Mustard@sdsmt.edu

5.1.1. The proposal should be page numbered and should have an index and/or a table of contents referencing the appropriate page number.

5.2. All proposals must be organized and tabbed with labels for the following headings:

5.2.1. RFP Form. The State’s Request for Proposal form completed and signed.

5.2.2. Executive Summary. The one- or two-page executive summary is to briefly describe the offeror's proposal. This summary should highlight the major features of the proposal. It must indicate any requirements that cannot be met by the offeror.

The reader should be able to determine the essence of the proposal by reading the executive summary. Proprietary information requests should be identified in this section.

5.2.3. Detailed Response. This section should constitute the major portion of the proposal and must contain at least the following information:

5.2.3.1. A complete narrative of the offeror's assessment of the work to be performed, the offeror’s ability and approach, and the resources necessary to fulfill the requirements. This should demonstrate the offeror's understanding of the desired overall performance expectations.

5.2.3.2. A specific point-by-point response, in the order listed, to each requirement in the RFP. The response should identify each requirement being addressed as enumerated in the RFP.

5.2.3.3. A clear description of any options or alternatives proposed.

5.2.4. Cost Proposal. Cost will be evaluated independently from the technical proposal. Offerors may submit multiple cost proposals. All costs related to the provision of the required services must be included in each cost proposal offered.

See section 7.0 for more information related to the cost proposal.

6. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS

6.1. After determining that a proposal satisfies the mandatory requirements stated in the Request for Proposal, the evaluator(s) shall use subjective judgment in conducting a comparative assessment of the proposal by considering each of the following criteria:

6.1.1. Specialized expertise, capabilities, and technical competence as demonstrated by the proposed approach and methodology to meet the project requirements;

6.1.2. Resources available to perform the work, including any specialized services, within the specified time limits for the project;

6.1.3. Record of past performance, including price and cost data from previous projects, quality of work, ability to meet schedules, cost control, and contract administration;

6.1.4. Availability to the project locale;

6.1.5. Familiarity with the project locale;

6.1.6. Proposed project management techniques; and

6.1.7. Ability and proven history in handling special project constraints.

6.2. Experience and reliability of the offeror's organization are considered subjectively in the evaluation process. Therefore, the offeror is advised to submit any information which documents successful and reliable experience in past performances, especially those performances related to the requirements of this RFP.

6.3. The qualifications of the personnel proposed by the offeror to perform the requirements of this RFP, whether from the offeror's organization or from a proposed subcontractor, will be subjectively evaluated. Therefore, the offeror should submit detailed information related to the experience and qualifications, including education and training, of proposed personnel.

6.4. The State reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive technicalities, and make award(s) as deemed to be in the best interest of the State of South Dakota.

6.5. Award: The requesting agency and the highest ranked offeror shall mutually discuss and refine the scope of services for the project and shall negotiate terms, including compensation and performance schedule.

6.5.1. If the agency and the highest ranked offeror are unable for any reason to negotiate a contract at a compensation level that is reasonable and fair to the agency, the agency shall, either orally or in writing, terminate negotiations with the contractor. The agency may then negotiate with the next highest ranked contractor.

6.5.2. The negotiation process may continue through successive offerors, according to agency ranking, until an agreement is reached or the agency terminates the contracting process.

7. COST PROPOSAL

Offerors are required to give a firm, fixed-price quotation for the work to be done to complete this RFP.

Offerors may submit cost proposals for all elements of this RFP, individual elements, or a packaged proposal that includes acquisition of a CMS license as well as Web Development and Content Migration Services. As part of negotiating an Agreement, a formal, written payment process will be identified and indexed to these deliverables with an acceptance sign-off procedure based on the cost proposal submitted.

Offeror must organize the cost proposal by these three general areas and include specific project details within each:

7.1 Website Content Management System (CMS)

7.2 Ongoing maintenance options and associated costs