REQUEST FOR
PROPOSAL
Website Design, Content Management System, and
Hosting Services
RFP Issued: March 28, 2016
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Contents
I. PURPOSE ... 2
II. BACKGROUND ... 3
III. PROPOSAL SUBMITTALS ... 4
IV. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND REQUIREMENTS ... 5
V. PROJECT SCOPE ... 8
VI. PROJECT GUIDELINES ... 9
VII. SELECTION PROCESS ... 15
VIII. TERMS AND CONDITIONS ... 16
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I.
PURPOSE
The Village of Palatine (“Village”) seeks to identify and select a vendor with a proven record of accomplishment in the planning, development, implementation, redesign, support, and hosting of government websites. The selected vendor must be capable of providing all services, including ongoing hosting, to implement the Village’s website. In addition, the vendor must offer a robust Content
Management System (CMS).
The Village’s needs are outlined in this RFP. The selected firm will be issued a contract for the original development and design of the website as well as an agreement for ongoing hosting and maintenance of the site.
Each proposal shall specify each and every item as set forth in the attached specifications. Any and all exceptions must be clearly stated in the proposal. Failure to set forth any item in the specifications without taking exception may be grounds for rejection. The Village reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, and to waive any irregularity or informality in any proposal or in the Request for Proposal process, as long as, in the judgment of the Village, such action will not negate fair competition and will permit proper comparative evaluation of the proposals submitted.
If your firm is interested and qualified, please submit the required copies and formats of your completed proposal by 3 p.m. on Monday, May 2, 2016 to:
Village Manager’s Office – Website RFP Village of Palatine
150 W. Wilson St. Palatine, IL 60067
If you have any questions about the proposal process, please contact Larry Schroth, Director of
Information Technology, at (847) 963-6270. All questions pertaining to the content of this RFP must be submitted via e- mail to Larry Schroth at lschroth@palatine.il.us. Questions must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 22, 2016.
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II.
BACKGROUND
Located approximately 30 miles northwest of the City of Chicago, the Village of Palatine (“Village”) is a full service community with approximately 69,350 residents. Palatine represents one of over 130
communities in Cook County. The Village employs 338 full-time equivalent positions (not including seasonal positions) between its several departments: Village Manager’s Office, Mayor’s Office, Clerk’s Office, Information Technology (IT), Human Resources, Community Services, Engineering, Public Works, Fire, Police, Planning and Zoning, and Finance and Operations.
The Village currently maintains a website (http://www.palatine.il.us) consisting of approximately 500 web pages containing valuable information that is in constant need of updating. The current website, hosted by a third party, is built in HTML with limited applications using CGI, PHP, and active server pages (ASP). All structural modifications to the website are channeled through a central point of contact at the Village, which is a tedious, time consuming, and costly process. In addition, Village staff has found it difficult to maintain and enhance website content without significant technical assistance from the IT Department and/or hosting provider. In terms of visual appeal and user-friendliness, the design of the website is in need of refreshing and navigation of the site is difficult. Moreover, the Village’s current website does not fully take advantage of the latest technological advances that are deemed important to citizens and Village staff.
The Village desires to update its website to enhance the user experience, simplify content management, and provide better information and customer service to its large residential and business community, while meeting high standards for design quality, and visual appeal.
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III.
PROPOSAL SUBMITTALS
1. All proposals, consisting of three (3) hard copies and one (1) digital copy, must be received by mail, recognized carrier, or hand delivered no later than 3 p.m. on Monday, May 2, 2016. Digital copies may be submitted on CD, DVD, or thumb drive. Late proposals will not be considered, and no faxed, emailed, or telephone proposals will be accepted.
2. All documents submitted to the Village in response to this RFP will become the exclusive property of the Village.
3. All correspondence should be directed to:
Larry Schroth, Director of Information Technology Village of Palatine
150 W. Wilson St. Palatine, IL 60067
Telephone: (847) 963-6270 Email: lschroth@palatine.il.us
4. All questions should be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 22, 2016.
5. All costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals and related documentation shall be borne by the firm.
6. Proposals must contain a manual signature of an authorized representative of the responding firm(s). The “Vendor Signature Form” can be found in Appendix A.
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IV.
PROPOSAL FORMAT AND REQUIREMENTS
A qualifying proposal must address all of the following points and shall be in the format outlined in this section:
Cover Page
Please include the project title and applicant or firm name.
Section I: Executive Summary
Please provide a brief overview of the key elements of your proposal. Highlight any features or areas that differentiate your services and products from competitors.
Section II: Corporate Profile
This section is a brief overview and history of your firm. Please include the following: 1. Contact information.
2. Address of office locations(s).
3. Firm’s background information, including size, history, specialties, professional registration, and affiliations.
4. Names, titles, and qualifications of staff to be assigned to this project.
Section III: Firm Qualifications
Please provide sufficient detailed information that demonstrates successful completion of comparable work on similarly complex projects. It is highly recommended that you emphasize any municipal website design experience. Please include the following:
1. Outline of recent projects completed that are directly related to this project. Firm is required to demonstrate specific design and project expertise relating to the Project Scope and Project Guidelines.
2. Design portfolio (minimum of five screenshots with URLs). If no previous experience with municipal governments, please explain relevant website experience (please list client URLs). 3. Client references from recent related projects, including name, address, email address, and phone
number of individual to contact for referral. Please include only references that are directly relevant to this RFP and are current (last 4 years). Please provide a minimum of three (3) client references.
4. List of any municipal award winning websites designed by vendor (please list city name and website URL).
Section IV: Technical Specifications
Provide the technical information about the proposed system as requested in the “Guidelines” section. For each item requested, please provide information as it relates specifically to the Village of Palatine. Do not simply include brochures or technical documents as an explanation of the system proposed.
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Additionally, please provide all software licenses models, including purchase, Applications Services Provider (ASP), or Software as a Service (SaaS) agreements with the supplier. The SaaS or ASP agreement must breakout all web site hosting and software licensing necessary for a five (5) year period.
Section V: Implementation/Conversion
This section should begin with a summary of the approach to be taken, including a description of the staffing to be used for the project, indication of information and participation the vendor will require from Village staff, and a general timeframe in which you expect the project to be completed. This section should also include (in detail):
1. A phased implementation plan for installation of the proposed solution, including an expected payment schedule.
2. An approximate timeline for installation of each phase of the project, including the name and contact information of the project manager responsible for each phase of implementation. 3. Any requirements, activities, information needed for each phase of implementation that will be
the responsibility of the Village.
Section VI: Training
The vendor must aid the Village in transitioning to the new website, including staff training and the production of a guide book or instructions on changing/updating the website. Please outline a training process for system administrators and departmental users to effectively and efficiently update content on a daily basis. For system administrators, the Village desires training that covers topics such as installation, configuration, and maintenance of the proposed solution. The outline should also include the estimated number of days/hours of training, number of employees to be trained, and if the training will be on-site or via webinar.
Section VII: Warranties and Support
The vendor must address how the website is to be supported and maintained. This support should address operational support and establish roles with clear responsibilities, accountabilities, and skills to maintain a cohesive, consistent, state-of-art website. Please also include information on the following:
1. Normal support hours and emergency support hours.
2. Annual maintenance and ongoing enhancement options (for custom design-work, assistance with significant site changes, etc.).
3. Software licensing (if any).
4. Continued communications post website implementation (with consultants and support staff).
5. A description of the proposed hosting and maintenance plan, as well as details on any applicable warranties, terms and conditions of this plan.
Section VIII: Compensation
Please price services relative to requested services and resources; please be very explicit in listing and describing services and the corresponding fees. The proposal should also include a detailed list of “one-time” fees and a detailed list of reoccurring fees. The initial project should be quoted on the basis of a fixed-fee proposal. Proposal fees should be broken down by the major fee categories.
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If there are additional abilities and/or traits provided with the base service, please provide additional information. The Village may not choose to utilize all of these capabilities in its initial rollout, instead phasing-in additional capabilities. Please provide an estimate of the fees that would be associated with the proposed service.
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V.
PROJECT SCOPE
The primary goal of this project is to replace the existing website with one that responsive and accessible across multiple devices (particularly mobile and tablet). The new website will be easier for users to navigate, more efficient for Village staff to manage, and provide a wide variety of services to the citizens of the Village of Palatine. The vendor will provide the Village with an information ready, turn-key website that Village staff can immediately provide content to. The Village seeks the most cost-effective way to achieve the project’s goals.
The Palatine website will serve as a "Virtual Village Hall" where a wide range of services are available to users 24/7. It will introduce Palatine to prospective visitors, residents, and business owners and make it easier for those who currently live and work in the Village to get the help they need from local
government. Palatine’s website should be cost-effective, easy-to-use, interactive and flexible.
Design of this site is extremely important. Each section of the site should have a unified look and visually relate, yet retain some degree of individuality that reflects the service, department, or audience being served. The website should be a marketing tool that conveys the upscale look and feel of a highly desirable destination. The user interface, images and copy tone should be consistent with this objective. The CMS should allow multiple users in different departments to have responsibility in managing their information and provide a framework that permits both integration of back-office business applications and e-commerce functions, but also for future expansion/the addition of new online services as dictated by the Village’s needs. The solution must be web-based and not require the installation of any special software. Updating website content should not require knowledge of HTML; it should be easily updated by even the employees with only basic computer skills. There is also a desire to decentralize website maintenance; therefore, the solution needs to provide the appropriate level of security and content approval.
The scope of services should include all software, hardware, training, and other services required to support the implementation, support and ongoing hosting of the new site. At a minimum, the vendor services should include the following:
Website design and development (including a responsive solution) CMS software
Website hosting services (through an ongoing contract) Documentation and training
Ongoing maintenance and support for the website and CMS including software updates (through an ongoing service contract)
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VI.
PROJECT GUIDELINES
In preparing their proposals, including cost breakdown, respondents should address the following criteria:
A. INTERNAL USER CAPABILITIES
1. Capabilities of Non-Technical Content Contributors:
A way to add, edit, and move content directly on an assigned webpage. A rich text editor with spell checker.
Content editors should be able to add and update menu items if assigned the appropriate permission level.
Set delayed posting and automatic expiration abilities.
All published content on the website shall be automatically archived and retrievable at any time without having to refer to backups (i.e.: a recycle bin).
The solution must not limit the number of pages the Village can create. However, each newly created page should have consistent navigation and design.
A method to create friendly or short URLs.
The solution must allow for the creation of a standardized format for all pages, thereby establishing a unified theme, but allowing some level of individuality in terms of unique formatting and functionality if necessary if the content editor has the appropriate permissions to do so. Additionally, the site should include a flexible design template that can easily accommodate the addition of new functionality at a later date.
1. Capabilities of Advanced Administrative Users:
The ability to manage administrative access to the site through a user permission system that defines in-system rights and workflows for both general content and modular applications that are included as a part of the CMS.
Administrators shall have the ability to add, edit, update, and move menu items, affecting overall site structure and organization. When moving pages, all links in the managed site should be automatically updated with the new path information.
Feature area control on website pages, including the ability to add featured areas and assign content to those areas.
Administration of site banners and graphics, with the ability to add new banners and on-site graphical elements and assign those elements to specified areas of the on-site.
B. SYSTEM OPERATIONS AND TECHNICAL FEATURES
1. Security: The vendor must consider the appropriate and secure use of interactive forms for
confidential information such as personnel applications and records. Provide measures that prevent security breaches and access to confidential data collected and stored. In addition, provide immediate notification of any known or suspected breach and follow on investigation to assess breach and implement changes to remove risk.
2. Image and File Uploading: The solution must allow multiple file types to be easily uploaded to
the site. File types include PDF, Microsoft Office files, graphics, audio, video, etc. Once on the site, these assets must be able to be renamed, with any pages containing the link to the asset be automatically updated with the new path information. Pages must be able to display/process multiple images and/or files. Unlimited file size for uploading via integrated administration tools is highly desirable.
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3. Links: Ensure that every page is consistent in offering the ability to return to top of the
navigational path.
4. Web Application Integration: The solution must allow integration with other web applications
in order to maximize the types of information and functionality supported by the site. Web application integration must support the ability of web applications to maintain context as the user navigates the application, while still presenting the user with the navigation and style elements of the website. Examples of key applications are ESRI Geographic Services, New World eSuite, Accela Media Streaming, and Accela Agenda Management.
5. External Search Engine Support: The solution must maintain its content is such a way as to
maximize the ability of third-party search engines (ie. Google or Yahoo) to index and categorize the site. For example, database-driven content management solutions must not rely on query string parameters to determine the content to render because the query string information is often truncated by the search engines when indexing the page. The solution must be able to provide a site search capability, allowing users to search content or assets for user-defined terms.
6. Email Hiding: The solution must provide a method to allow users to contact key Village officials
via email, without publishing the actual email address(es) the message is being sent to, with the ability to have designated personnel also copied or blind copied on the message. Village employees must be able to reply to the original email sent.
7. Navigation: The site should be easy to navigate, with information grouped and presented in a
logical manner.
During the initial phase of the project, the successful contractor will be required to develop a comprehensive site map, which shows the strategy for information architecture decisions. Navigation should be focused on offering an intuitive, simple, and straightforward experience
that has a full-site searching ability.
The solution must provide hierarchical navigation bars that can be easily managed by adding or removing pages and external links to the navigation bar.
8. Sharing/Printing Ability: Each page must be appropriately sized to permit printing (without
losing page content) or contain a printer-friendly version with the opportunity to share on social media, via email, etc.
9. Record Archiving: It must have capability to maintain an archive of existing and past records,
such as press releases, e-newsletters, with version control. Additionally, the website must provide a historical view of all published pages that can be retrieved on demand. All published content and assets must be maintained for FOIA requests.
10. Reports, Tracking, and Analytics: The Village should be able to access site search statistics,
including the ability to filter searched terms by date and time; search terms should have the ability to be exported. The Village should either be able to run the following reports or gain access to reports from the vendor upon request on the following:
Reports detailing broken links on the website, including the referring page location so that links can be corrected.
An audit report detailing all changes and activity taking place on the website through content contributors and administrators.
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A separate history report detailing user login history, including the user type, the date and time of the attempted login, the IP address of the user and whether or not the login attempt was successful.
C. WEB FEATURES
1. Emergency News: Support the display of “Emergency” content in overlay/highlighted fashion,
delivering time sensitive messages to users visiting the website.
2. Forms and Questions: The solutions must allow any number of forms and associated questions
to be created and displayed on any page of the site. A form is defined as a page that allows a visitor to supply information. Questions are considered to include free-form fields such as Name, Telephone, Birth date, etc. The forms must also allow for the user to define questions with a limited set of valid responses from which the respondent may choose. The responses to the questions on the forms must be captured in a database for reporting purposes.
3. RSS feeds: The solution must enable content to be identified as an RSS feed item, allowing
external users to subscribe to Village of Palatine’s RSS feed(s). RSS feed must be derived from only the active content.
4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Section: The solution must provide a searchable FAQ
functionality that is easily updated.
5. Calendar of Events: The solution must provide graphical event calendar(s). The community
calendar must have the capability to receive submissions from public that would need approval by Village staff. The calendar(s) must be searchable, and have the ability to be filtered by event location and event type. Integration to Office365 calendaring is a plus, but must not rely on it.
6. Social Media: Ability for the website to automatically integrate social media channels to allow
for up-to-date, seamless communication.
7. Subscription Alerts: Provide capability to subscribe to a variety of Village documents (agendas,
minutes, press releases, list serves, RFP’s, etc.) with links to chosen documents as they are published on the Village’s website.
8. Electronic Newsletters: The solution must allow multiple newsletters and associated mailing
lists to be maintained through the administration site for at least 50k emails per month. Website visitors must be able to subscribe and unsubscribe to the newsletter(s) of their
choice.
There should be a sharable link to the subscription page that can be included in email correspondence, etc.
E-Newsletter editor must be able to select content on various web pages to be imbedded in the E-Newsletter.
The E-Newsletter should have a design consistent with the website design.
All E-Newsletters sent should be able to be automatically posted on the website upon transmission with an archiving system in place.
The administrator must be able to use the site to transmit the newsletters in HTML or plain text format.
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D. VISUAL DESIGN
The successful vendor will redesign the Village website’s look and feel to support the Village’s updated logo (in process of being designed) as well as the design needs of specific departments/services. The Village is open to proposals on potential color schemes and fonts to consider in the Village logo design process. Please take into considering the following:
1. Common Theme: Each section of the site should have a unified look and feel that reinforces
Palatine’s image. Each section of the site should be visually relate, yet retain some degree of individuality that reflects the service, department, or audience being served.
2. Rights to Design Elements: All design elements employed must include appropriate licenses
and/or right-to-use given to the Village of Palatine.
3. Icons: Icons should be integrated throughout the website to guide users to important information
and limit the overuse of text information. The design of the icons should be consistent and scaled.
4. Logos: The Village logo and other branding techniques (e.g. type, font, color, and placement)
will need to be considered as part of the detail design phase and must be used to maintain consistency throughout the primary site as well as sub-site(s). The logo should appear on ALL pages and hyperlinked back to the homepage.
E. ACCESSIBILITY AND USER EXPERIENCE
The website must be user-friendly and incorporate the requirements or principles identified below:
1. ADA Compliant: The Village requires website design to be as compliant with Section 508 and
Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines as reasonably possible. Vendor should make an effort to comply with guidelines; however, the usability of the website and ability for staff to easily update the website and content contained within the website should be considered. Compliance with the standards should not prevent any other requirements from being met.
2. Responsive Design: The Village’s website needs to be accessible by mobile devices, tablets, and
other emerging technologies. There should be minimal to zero loss of the website’s capabilities when viewed with electronic devices. The website should automatically adjust to fit the screen of the user’s device.
3. Organized: The website must be organized in a manner that allows viewers with limited
computer experience to easily find and access information.
4. Quick Access: Provide simple, clear, and direct access to information. This includes reducing
clicks to no more than two, if possible, to retrieve the desired information.
5. Search Function: Enhance search capabilities with appropriate meta-tag utilization.
6. Technology: Utilize common technology platforms whenever possible. The website should be
designed to be accessible by viewers with limited computer knowledge and should avoid using technology that may not be compliant with some browsers. In the event such technology is used, the site should provide alternate means for accessing the information. The website must be accessible and useable, at a minimum, with current versions of commonly used browsers
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of the service contract, the website will be updated to support new versions and features of popular browsers at no additional costs to the Village.
7. Ease of Access and Viewing of Assets: All documents, including maps and tables, should be in
HTML, PDF, or in a format approved by the Village to provide ease of viewing, printing and downloading. All documents formatted in PDF must include the ability to perform a full text search within the PDF document and all standard documents.
8. Downloading Capabilities: The website must provide for high-speed upload/download response
times for low-end to high-end computers that are used by the average citizen and the site should be developed to minimize loading times.
F. ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Please include the following features as separate line item options not incorporated in the proposed based price.
1. Workflow: The solution must support a workflow process for online forms, payments,
applications, and requests, enabling business processes to be embodied within the website.
2. Search Customization: The solution must allow the Village to identify certain keywords within
specific pages in the site. The pages containing those keywords would be ranked highest in the result of any search containing that keyword.
3. Property Information Lookup Feature: Currently the Village’s website includes a Property
Lookup feature that allows residents to enter in a Village address to obtain property information such as the zoning, police beat, recycling/garbage pickup day, leaf collection date, Council District, etc. This feature must be replicated and supported by the vendor for the length of the contract.
4. Video Streaming: Provide capability to embed streaming video of Village-produced
programming. The video streaming must be viewable on multiple platforms including mobile devices.
5. Redesign Options: Provide fixed option costs for future redesign of the website during the
duration of the contract.
6. Content Conversion and System Integration: The Village anticipates the new website will
feature some existing and new content. Content will be provided by Village staff. Option for the conversion of existing content and/or providing technical assistance for the conversion of existing online interactive applications must also be included. Features such as interactive maps and forms must also be included. The following are current features of the Village’s current website that will need to be integrated as part of the solution:
Address Verification Services E-Commerce/E-Bill Payments Citizen Request Training System
Geographic Information Systems Map Publishing Permit/License Applications
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7. Application Service Provider Specifications: Rather than license the software for the Internet,
the Village would prefer to enter into a SaaS or ASP agreement with the vendor. The SaaS / ASP agreement must include we site hosting and software leasing. Minimum requirements for the hosting portion of the ASP agreement must include the following services:
Website hosting for the public website and administration site (if separate). Public IP addresses and (1) outbound SMTP mail server.
Database access via website and defined IP only. SSL certificate for secure transmission of information.
Online website usage statistics and dynamic reporting for all pages accessed from the site. Backup of data to disks (daily and weekly).
High-speed, Internet connections.
24/7/365 monitoring of website with text or email alerts to support personnel in the event of system failure.
Server hardware maintenance.
Physical data center security, power, and climate control.
Data Storage: up to 30 gigabytes for web pages and database (not including video services). Bandwidth: at least 60 gigabytes of data transfer per month.
Page Views: at least 10,000,000 web page views per month. Email: up to 50,000 outbound emails per month.
Automated alerting of changes to public website from unauthorized users.
8. Additional Web Modules - Please provide a list and cost of other optional web-based modules
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VII.
SELECTION PROCESS
1. The Village reserves the option to accept or reject any or all proposals, wholly or in part, received by reason of this request, and make more than one award, or no award, as the best interests of the Village may appear.
2. Selection of qualified firms will be by an impartial selection group comprised of representatives from various Village departments. All requirements in this RFP must be satisfied to ensure that the proposal will qualify for consideration. The proceedings of the selection group are
confidential, and members of the selection group are not to be contacted by the firms. 3. Selection will be made on the basis of the proposals as submitted; however, responding firms
should also be available for presentations and/or interviews as requested by the Village.
4. The Selection Committee will present their recommendation to the Village Manager and Village Council.
5. Timely information with regard to progress in the selection process and its results will be provided to any interested parties.
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VIII. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Upon receipt of this RFP, contact with any elected or appointed official, authority or board member, or employee of Village, other than the contact listed above, initiated by a firm representative to promote the firm(s) selection may result in disqualification.
2. The Village reserves the right to request clarification of the information submitted and to request additional information from any bidder.
3. The Village will not be liable for any errors in the vendors’ proposals. Vendors will not be allowed to alter proposal documents after the proposal submission’s deadline. The Village reserves the right to make corrections or amendments due to the proposal’s errors identified by the Village or the vendor. This type of correction or amendment will only be allowed for such errors as typing, transposition, or any other obvious error. Vendors are liable for all their proposals’ errors or omissions.
4. Any proposal may be withdrawn up until the date and time set above for the opening of proposals.
5. Any contract awarded pursuant to this RFP will incorporate the requirements and specifications contained in this RFP. All information presented in a firm’s proposal will be considered binding upon selection of the successful firm, unless otherwise modified and agreed to by the Village during subsequent negotiations.
6. The contract resulting from acceptance of a proposal by the Village shall be in a form supplied or approved by the Village Council and shall reflect the specifications in this RFP or the agreed upon modifications.
7. The Village reserves the right to award any contract to the next most qualified bidder if the successful bidder does not execute a contract after the award of the proposal within the agreed upon date.
8. A mandatory bi-weekly meeting/conference call between Village personnel and key members of the selected vendor’s project management team until project completion. If the vendor’s primary point of contact is unavailable for a particular meeting, another representative must be available to attend the meeting or participate in the conference call.
9. Under the provisions of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (the “Act”), all “public records” of a local agency, such as the Village, must be available for inspection and copying upon the request of any person. Under the Act, the Village may be obligated to provide a copy of any and all responses to this RFP, if such requests are made after the contract is awarded.
10. This RFP does not constitute an offer of employment or to contract for services.
11. Upon completion of the contract, all content, site design, site templates, and any other item or idea used in the completed website or contained therein will become property of the Village. Contractor will relinquish all rights to the website and the Village will have sole control over website design, content, and appearance.
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APPENDIX A. VENDOR SIGNATURE
By submission of this proposal, the offered certifies that he/she has arrived at costs independently, without consultation, communication, or agreement for the purpose of restricting competition.
________________________________________________________________________ Business Contact Representative
________________________________________________________________________ Operational Contact Representative
________________________________________________________________________
Vendor’s Name Federal ID #
________________________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________________________ Vendor’s Website ________________________________________________________________________ Phone Fax ________________________________________________________________________ Email ________________________________________________________________________
Authorized Signature Date
________________________________________________________________________ Printed Name & Title
