Website RFP Q and A as of 11.9.23.pdf

NWSDS Website Redesign RFP Issued October 19, 2023

Questions and Answers from 11/2/2023 to 11/9/2023

Reminder: All Proposals Due by 11/17/2023

This is the second Q&A Document. Please see the document posted on

11/2/2023 for other Q&A. (can we link that here?)

1. Could you provide examples of websites that represent the look and feel you are aiming for?

a. There are components from each of these that we like – particularly the large drop down menus for accessibility purposes, clear navigability, and high contrast design

i. Disability Rights Oregon

ii. Easter Seals

b. The following have multiple options for navigation that are great for accessibility and address how different generations might engage with a website

i. The Arc

ii. Disabled American Veterans

2. Does the experience need to support designs for other subdomains or portals? Or will all have the same user experience?

a. We believe we can utilize the same User Experience across all subdomains, thus presenting a unified Branding.

3. Are there specific features or functions that need to be replicated or improved within these subdomains?

a. Not at this time.

4. What are the specific functionalities required for the departmental, county, and main calendars? And are there any integration requirements with existing systems for calendar management?

a. Ideally, one would be able to click on a program/county and see just the corresponding calendar events. We are open to suggestions for calendar management.

5. What types of system integrations and/or SSO should we plan for in scope?

https://www.droregon.org/ https://www.easterseals.com/ https://thearc.org/ https://www.dav.org/

a. The NWSDS.org site could be treated as a standalone tool with no outstanding need to integrate. The intranet would be nice to integrate with Active Directory for authentication and access.

6. What is your anticipated role in the content migration? Is there a substantial amount of clean-up, content redevelopment, or optimization needed?

a. There will be clean up in content migration – everything needs to be optimized in the sense of reorganization. We do not intend for the successful vendor to re-write or redevelop any written content.

7. Is hosting also required for this Project, Does the City (or your specific team) have a preference on AWS vs Google Cloud for the infrastructure? Are you open to switching both the intranet and website to a managed cloud-hosting solution that specializes in

WordPress such as WP Engine?

a. Hosting is not required

b. We are not open to switching unless there are significant improvements to functionality that would only make sense if we moved. Our current host is paid through 2027 and internal hosting costs us nothing, so the benefits would have to far outweigh the costs

8. Is there the need to develop & manage more websites in the future, or will there only be 1 site in scope for the foreseeable future?

a. We only are looking for the nwsds.org website – there will no expansion to a second external website – but this project also includes the intranet.

9. What 3rd-party integrations are included?

a. We do not have any third-party integrations

10. Are there specific SEO goals or targeted keywords?

a. No. SEO is not necessarily a part of this RFP.

11. Do we need to submit EXHIBIT A: Affidavit of Trade Secret along with the proposal?

a. All information submitted by a proposer shall be public record and subject to disclosure pursuant to the Oregon Public

Records Act (ORS 192.410 et seq.), except such portions of the proposals for which proposer requests exemption from disclosure consistent with Oregon law. If a proposer believes that any portion of its proposal contains any information that is a trade secret under ORS Chapter 192.501(2), or otherwise is exempt from disclosure under the Oregon Public Records Law

(ORS 192.311 through 192.478), the proposer shall complete and submit the Affidavit of Trade Secret (Exhibit A) and a fully redacted version of its proposal. If a proposer fails to identify the portions of its proposal that proposer claims are exempt from disclosure, the proposer has waived any future claim of non-disclosure of that information. Identifying the proposal, in whole, as exempt from disclosure is not acceptable.

12. Is this mandatory to submit 3 govt references or can we submit both govt and commercial references?

a. We are asking for 3 government references. If you do not have

3 government references, you can submit others, but it will be calculated into the “Experience and Technical” score

13. Do you already have/use HIPAA-compliant hosting/server?

a. We use HostPapa, and it is not HIPAA-compliant on its own.

The chat module while launched from scripts hosted on

HostPapa, actually communicates with Xima and with our own server using TLS encryption while in transit and stores on our

Server here encrypted – so it complies.

b. None of the forms we currently use on the nwsds.org site require HIPAA compliance – we are looking to future possibilities

14. To clarify, will the HIPAA-compliant online forms (Document

Management section) be for both the public-facing nwsds.org AND the internal intranet site or just one of them?

a. Just nwsds.org – we do not house or hold any consumer data on the intranet https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fnwsds.org&c=E,1,HSOf18cnVtQHZzpm7BIyWRAqG4JHU2llnBkH9uOhS7i-9P18k_45m-Ka_y12MTCAL482z7Z5dJuIgwzt8aIdnAP_yvGLLX9RSh3O4TtjHU-NsqlTu5q8&typo=1&ancr_add=1

15. What are the specific HIPAA compliance requirements for the chat functionality? Is there an existing chat solution that needs to be migrated or improved upon?

a. The agency uses Xima’s Chronicall Multimedia Chat for this. It will need to be migrated to the new system. Chronicall

Multimedia Chat uses URL Based filtering to determine to whom it should route individual consumers for best service, so specific URLs for Adult Protective Services-related pages are needed. All other chat requests can be routed to the ADRC chat team

16. Beyond HIPAA, are there other regulatory compliances needed for document storage and online forms?

a. Not that we are aware of at this time

17. What is the timeline for this project (vendor decision, work begins)?

a. We have an estimated timeline we hope to work within that has a project completion date before June 30, 2024

18. Is there an incumbent provider (did they design the current website

5 years ago), and have they been invited to respond to this RFP?

a. There is no incumbent provider. The previous design was done in-house

19. What was the budget for the initial design 5 years ago?

a. There was no previous budget, the design was done in-house

20. On Exhibit B, question 8: What do you mean by customizable templates?

a. If any part of the website design requires CSS coding, we would be given a template that would allow us to customize it since we are maintaining the website internally

21. On Exhibit B, question 10: What do you mean by Banner Ads?

a. Banner ads referring to either the first images you see when you enter our home page or the banner at the top of each page on our website – we would refer to it more as a rotating image or banner as opposed to an actual ad, but we know that is a common reference point. The goal being easy access and editing to drive people to the most important pages on our website.

22. On Exhibit B, question 31: Would the staff directory be manually updated, or would data be fed in through a third-party software?

a. The current Directory uses a VB script to pull data from Active

Directory fields as follows:

b. ThumbnailPhoto, Name, Email, Street address (though we’ve co-opted this field in AD for our own usage as load code), Location (from the AD Office field), Phone number, Extension

(which is coopted from the mobile filed in AD), and

Manager. The current iteration compiles the information from

AD and Writes it to a HTML file which gets copied to a web server and displayed within an iFrame. So doesn’t talk to HR but does use AD integrations.

23. Is there a current ADA compliance level that the website meets, and what are the target compliance goals for the redesign?

a. Our current website does not meet any specific standards. Our target compliance goals are for at least WCAG 2.1 via the W3C

Recommendations

24. Would you prefer an integrated tool for ADA compliance checking, or are you open to third-party solutions?

a. We are open to suggestions. However, overall, we would like to keep third-party integrations to a minimum for the entire project. We do not want to incur high monthly or yearly costs over a significant amount of external integrations.

25. Are there any specific design elements or complex functionalities that need special attention for mobile responsiveness?

a. Currently, we use Divi. The lack of responsiveness in automatically adjusting font and image for design elements like our front page “slider” on different size screens (not just mobile, but different desktop screen sizes) has caused significant frustration

26. What specific metrics are important to track for your organization, and are there any existing tools currently in use?

https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/ https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/

a. Currently, we only have basic website visit trackers. We would love to see where people are entering our website, which pages are the most visited, and paths users take on the website – essentially, information that will help us better optimize our website. Our concern with tracking information like this are the

HIPAA guidelines around this type of tracking coupled with the

PHI we might obtain via the chat function

27. What is the type of content that the search engine needs to handle on the Intranet?

a. Content varies but is primarily .doc, .docx, .docm, .xls, .xlsx, and

.PDF text

28. Are there specific indexing or search result prioritization requirements on the Intranet?

a. No

29. How many user roles and levels of access will there be, and what are the permissions associated with each on the Intranet?

a. All staff will have access to the intranet. Currently, only the IT department has permissions for editing, but we are open to expanding or changing that depending on the solution presented

30. How will document access be controlled and audited?

a. Generally, we haven’t used the intranet in this manner documents provided on the intranet are available to view by all

– if we had access control it would be permissioned using ACL or NTFS like structures. And Access auditing has not been a consideration.

31. What types of forms are required, and are there complex workflows or approval processes needed?

a. Currently, all of our forms are simple with no workflows or approval process needed

32. Can you elaborate on the different staff roles and the content management needs associated with each?

a. The IT Team manages the content on the intranet and has access to do so on the nwsds.org website with administrative access. Outside of the IT Team, the Advisory Council and Public

Affairs Specialist manages the nwsds.org website with administrative access

b. We want to at least maintain these roles, but are open to expanding roles and content management in certain instances for the intranet

33. How does the current permission structure work, and what improvements are sought?

a. At present all editors are admin level editors…

i. There is a list of those who have ultimate responsibility for each section, sub section and page of the intranet, but our IT Manager has the only copy and it is at least 17 years old. Our IT Managers has been working to make the paper copy electronic and replace the names of those who have left the agency with their analogues

ii. The responsibility for control of content and tone of the nwsds.org website falls on the Advisory Council and

Public Affairs Specialist

34. Are there certain complex content types that staff should be able to manage without HTML/CSS knowledge?

a. Tabs, accordions, toggles, and columnar layouts are all helpful but challenging w/o some form of plugin or tool

35. How many departments will require a themed homepage, and will there be any common elements across these pages?

a. That depends on how we ultimately decide to organize the departments – by job title/management or by site, etc. Our current intranet has 13 main tabs with dropdown menus. We are open to ideas, best practices, and staff feedback on this.

36. The RFP mentions Document Storage for files up to 1GB, image storage, and forms. How many users need to access this data? Can a proposal recommend a 3rd Party Solution, such as Dropbox, Zoho

WorkDrive, Microsoft OneDrive/SharePoint?

a. All of our staff have access to all of the intranet. We don’t believe something like OneDrive/SharePoint will adequately fill the role of the intranet for us.

37. Under the Intranet Specific requirements, please clarify "multiple logins to manage departments?" Does this mean individual logins with permissions by team? How many users access the intranet?

a. We are hoping for a solution that allows for expanded permissions from just the IT Team to include department managers ability to edit content within their department. All staff access all parts of the intranet, but currently on the IT

Team has administrative access to edit.

38. The RFP says "Ideally, the vendor would design and build both the nwsds.org website and intranet." Would you consider a proposal that relates only to the public nwsds.org website?

a. Yes, but that will be considered in your overall evaluation score outlined in Section D

39. Translation Plugin requirement. "translation program that allows other languages and takes into account grammar and proper slang translations – meaning, not Google translate or similar translation programs" There are several translation plugins for Wordpress, but they are all automated. Can I assume that an automated software solution is acceptable, rather than manual translation work? To some degree, all translation softwares is limited if it is software solution rather than manual translations.

a. We would prefer an automated software solution knowing that none are perfect, but there are options that are better than

Google Translate

40. HIPPA Compliant Chat. The existing nwsds.org site uses Xima Chat.

Does NWSDS prefer to keep this platform or open to other HIPPA compliant chat platforms?

a. Xima is our own phone software that provides chat and tracks stats and conversations for our call center. It is unlikely we would move from it. We are open to suggestions as long as https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fnwsds.org&c=E,1,hbwr-CSPvKBLO3hsfUkEQeB1XUVDqyuz2CS0LiZQ3ft4a7N-ZW5MM4t2MhRymx9FmZRM_6AcmIXjnDhfiD5Shx9H1ZmsL2x0Sx9Tzp0EjG-5cThdRZd_2Umi_nnr&typo=1 https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fnwsds.org&c=E,1,thU2I5liqyZ0qUOFt_-TO0Z9TFI66FgRsABh4Lj39TqIOPiMOX93XgSUzGFiWYnt7z7MO61ioQ_bQvOD6O4H-6lqnX2cIqA66KNm8vqLumdpV4ZOAOIfqgu_cA,,&typo=1 https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fnwsds.org&c=E,1,bUWogiBFRDaM1EFWIfq66dBVfzkR12K1SJ00nKWz85KqUCwY6TVkj4xcpsDSY3tqAJOAuIdeFiC0jLZjvvqT_M0767q12iDRBlWJQr98gM8ejQ,,&typo=1 they can fit within our current systems beyond the website itself.

41. NWSDS.org requirements "Provider payments for medical and/or training programs in a secure transaction" Can you please clarify what that means?

a. We currently accept payments from consumers for Oregon

Project Independence and Adult Foster Home training programs. We would like for people to be able to pay online for these in a secure transaction rather than having to send a check, come into the office to pay in person, or use our donation platform online that then needs to be reconfigured on the back end for accounting and auditing purposes.

42. Regarding this feature request "HIPAA compliant site traffic information with analytics and site audit reports" can you please give more details on what you are looking for? In the systems we use, there is no PHI in the site analytics or traffic information.

a. We use a chat function and have the possibility of using forms in which consumers share PHI. It is imperative that we take all the necessary precautions to ensure none of that data could possibly be compromised. We also know the necessity of collecting analytics for how our website is used, so we are looking for a solution that takes both of these things into consideration.

43. Can you define what "site audit reports" are?

a. An examination of page performance prior to a website redesign. We would like as much information as is available to make educated decisions on the website redesign and to inform how internally we might like to improve SEO once the redesign is complete.

44. Are there any CMS platforms NWSDS has been exploring as an alternative to WordPress?

a. We have not explored any alternatives

45. Are there any additional long-term technical limitations or existing licenses to be mindful of?

https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fNWSDS.org&c=E,1,hMuN5DsAkwL_bJXU9itfQZFPknpIdbyOsSvfODvDaCvXzTtvtGr5xvwQw3YeQL_cuGgGBhfyKqACBv836kI0DTwVCYwnwfMUoPJKrXn7VrWL6O3BHlY,&typo=1&ancr_add=1

a. Just hosting with HostPapa

46. Is there any existing research or write ups on the target audience’s desires for the new platform?

a. We do not have any existing research or write ups, but our target audience is older adults, adults with physical disabilities, and family/individuals who might be helping them through processes associated with navigating issues relating to these populations