REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL WEBSITE REDESIGN SERVICES RFP #15-004 Issue Date: September 25, 2014
Proposal Submission Deadline: Thursday, October 23, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. CST
Mail or deliver proposals to: University of Houston-Clear Lake Procurement Department North Office Annex II (NOA II) 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Mail Code 137 Houston, TX 77058
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TABLE OF CONTENTS: SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
SCOPE OF SERVICES ............................................................................................................................ 3 ACCEPTANCE OF CONTRACT TERMS .................................................................................................. 3 ACCOUNT MANAGER .......................................................................................................................... 4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ........................................................................................................................ 4
SECTION 2 - GENERAL INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS ................................................................ 5 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9
PUBLIC INFORMATION ......................................................................................................................... 5 COMMUNICATION RESTRICTIONS ....................................................................................................... 5 PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE ............................................................................................................. 5 QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS ..................................................................................................... 5 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS ............................................................................................................... 5 DISCUSSION WITH RESPONDENTS ....................................................................................................... 6 BEST AND FINAL OFFERS .................................................................................................................... 6 UNIVERSITY’S RESERVATION OF RIGHTS ........................................................................................... 6 NO REIMBURSEMENT OF RESPONDENTS’ COSTS................................................................................ 6
SECTION 3 - REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL ........................................................................................ 7 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6
FORMAT OF PROPOSALS - GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS .......................................................................... 7 EXECUTION OF OFFER......................................................................................................................... 7 INCUMBENCY CERTIFICATE ................................................................................................................ 7 HUB SUBCONTRACTING PLAN............................................................................................................ 7 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................ 7 SUBMITTALS ........................................................................................................................................ 8
SECTION 4 - SELECTION AND RATING CRITERIA ................................................................................... 9 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4
EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS .............................................................................................................. 9 CONSIDERATION OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ............................................................................... 9 BEST VALUE STATEMENT ................................................................................................................... 9 RATING CRITERIA................................................................................................................................ 9
EXHIBITS A B C D E
PROJECT OVERVIEW STANDARD PURCHASING AGREEMENT EXECUTION OF OFFER HUB SUBCONTRACTING PLAN HUB SUBCONTRACTING PLAN (QUICK CHECK LIST)
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SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION General: The University of Houston-Clear Lake (“University” or “UHCL”) is soliciting competitive sealed proposals (“Proposals”) for Website Redesign Services (the “Services”), at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, Click here for link to Maps & Directions.
Since opening its doors in 1974, the university has awarded more than 53,000 degrees. More than 2,000 students graduate each academic year. The University is an upper-level and graduate university that serves approximately 8,500 students. The University offers students over 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in four schools including Business, Education, Human Sciences & Humanities, and Science & Computer Engineering. Academic programs are offered on campus, at remote sites and via distance education technology. Nestled on a 524-acre wildlife and nature preserve, UHCL has become a cornerstone of higher education along the upper Gulf Coast of Texas. Located midway between Houston and Galveston, Texas, adjacent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the Armand Bayou Nature Center, the University serves a diverse student population from the state, the nation and abroad. In 2007, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved creation of UHCL Pearland Campus. The new campus was developed as a partnership between UHCL and City of Pearland. Classes began at Pearland Campus in fall 2010. In fall 2014, UHCL welcomed its first freshmen and sophomores. 1.1
Scope of Services: The University seeks a digital communications agency to develop a website redesign that is based on a Responsive Web Design (RWD) framework using progressive enhancement and established university branding/messaging. The new website redesign will be implemented as part of the university’s transition to a new Content Management System. The agency selected will utilize industry standards/best practices and work in collaboration with the University’s project team to deliver responsively designed webpage templates and technical specifications to the CMS vendor, OmniUpdate. The total project overview is located on Exhibit A.
1.2
Acceptance of Contract Terms: The University requests that the successful proposer enter into the University’s Standard Purchasing Agreement (the “Contract Form”), which can be found at: http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/PROPAY/Procurement_Payables/Contracts/Contract_Forms/Standar d%20Purchasing%20Agreement%20(OGC-S-2010-6)%202012-02-08-.pdf. See Exhibit B for sample
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agreement. By submitting a response to this RFP, each respondent affirmatively accepts and consents to the contract in its entirety except to the extent specifically set forth in its response. The Contract shall begin upon execution of the Contract Form, but not before February 2, 2015 and will extend through January 31, 2016. The University does not guarantee any minimum or maximum contract amount. The contract amount is based strictly on the University’s need for the Services. The University or successful Contractor may cancel with sixty (60) days’ notice in writing for any reason. The University reserves the right to terminate an agreement immediately in the event the Contractor shows a pattern of failure to meet needs or otherwise poor performance. Should the contract be canceled, the University may award to the next Respondent meeting specifications and providing the best value. This contract is also subject to cancellation, without penalty, either in whole or part, if funds are not budgeted by the University for these Services. 1.3
Account Manager: The successful Contractor shall provide during the life of the contract one (1) person at all times to serve as the one point of contact for issues regarding the Contract. This person will serve as the liaison between the University and the Contractor. The University reserves the right for reasonable issues to request a change of the Account Manager at any time. Any substitution of the Account Manager must be submitted in writing to the University for approval.
1.4
Schedule of Events: The University will make a good faith effort to follow the timeline below for evaluating, negotiating and issuing an award: Event:
Date:
Issue RFP Pre-Proposal Conference Questions Deadline Proposal Deadline Proposals Evaluated Interviews Award Expected Contract Start Date
Thursday, September 25, 2014 There will not be a pre-proposal conference. Thursday, October 9, 2014 Thursday, October 23, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. CST Week of November 3, 2014 Week of November 10, 2014 Week of December 1, 2014 Monday, February 2, 2015
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SECTION 2 - GENERAL INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS 2.1
Public Information: Proposals and any other information submitted by Respondents in response to this RFP are the property of University. University considers all information, documentation and other materials submitted in response to this RFP to be non-confidential and/or nonproprietary and therefore subject to the public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act (Texas Government Code Chapter 552.001, et seq.) after a contract is executed. BY SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL, RESPONDENT RELEASES UNIVERSITY FROM ANY LIABILITY RESULTING FROM UNIVERSITY’S DISCLOSURE OF SUCH MATERIALS.
2.2
Communication Restrictions: University designates the following person as its representative and Point of Contact in connection with this RFP: Patti Bozeman Procurement Department North Office Annex II (NOA II) 2700 Bay Area Blvd. Houston, TX 77058
[email protected] Respondents shall submit by email any questions which may arise during the preparation of the Proposals to the Point of Contact. Except as provided in this RFP and as is otherwise necessary for the conduct of ongoing University business operations, respondents are expressly and absolutely prohibited from engaging in communications with University personnel who are involved in any manner in the review and/or evaluation of the proposals; selection of a respondent; and/or negotiations or formalization of a contract. If any respondent engages in conduct or communications that the University determines are contrary to the prohibitions set forth in this section, the University may, at its sole discretion, disqualify the respondent and withdraw the respondent’s proposal from consideration. All Respondents’ communications with respect to this RFP must be with the Point of Contact and not with any other employee, officer, agent, representative or contractor of the University, except as expressly permitted by this section.
2.3
Pre-Proposal Conference: There will not be a pre-proposal conference.
2.4
Questions and Clarifications: All questions and requests for clarification will be submitted in writing, preferably by email, to the Point of Contact by the Questions Deadline, and must reference “RFP #15-004 ” The Point of Contact will publish all questions and requests for clarification with their respective responses, as well as any other addenda to this RFP at the Electronic State Business Daily website, http://esbd.cpa.state.tx.us/ under the RFP.
2.5
Submission of Proposals: Proposals must be in writing and received by the Point of Contact on or before the Proposal Deadline. University will not accept Proposals received after the Proposal Deadline, that do not include the Execution of Offer (as identified in Section 3.2 below), or that do not conform with the requirements of this RFP regarding the required format and size. Likewise, Proposals that do not address all aspects of the required Services or the requirements of this RFP in a complete and meaningful way will be subject to rejection as non-responsive. Proposals that are qualified with conditional clauses, alterations, items not called for in this RFP, or irregularities of any kind will subject the Proposal to rejection. Unnecessary or extraneous attachments shall NOT be included with the Proposals. Only the responses provided by Respondent to the requirements identified in this RFP will be used by University for evaluation. 2.5.1
All Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by University’s selection committee. The selection committee may interview short-listed Respondents. Respondents will be notified of the date, time and location of interviews, should they be required. The exact composition of the selection committee is not a matter of public information.
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2.5.2
Each Respondent will be represented at its interview (if any) by its proposed Account Manager who would be working directly with University’s representatives if the contract for the Services were awarded to Respondent.
2.6
Discussions with Respondents: The University may conduct discussions and/or negotiations with any Respondent that appears to be eligible for award pursuant to the selection criteria set forth in this RFP. In conducting discussions and/or negotiations, the University will not disclose information derived from Proposals submitted by competing Respondents, except as if the law requires.
2.7
Best and Final Offers: The evaluation committee will determine if Best and Final Offers are necessary. Award of a contract may be made without Best and Final Offers. UHCL may, at its discretion elect to have Respondents provide oral presentations and respond to inquiries from the evaluation committee related to their Proposals. A request for a Best and Final offer is at the sole discretion of UHCL and will be extended in writing. The evaluation team will evaluate the finalists and make a recommendation of the award.
2.8
University’s Reservation of Rights: University makes no representations of any kind that an award will be made as a result of this RFP or for the Services. University reserves the right to accept, reject, or re-issue any or all Proposals, waive any formalities or minor technical inconsistencies, or delete any item/requirements from this RFP when deemed to be in University’s best interest. Selection of a Proposal, if any, will be made in strict compliance with Chapters 2155 and 2156 of the Texas Government Code.
2.9
No Reimbursement of Respondents’ Costs: University will not reimburse Respondents for any costs incurred in the preparation, reproduction, or delivery of the Proposal or any other material submitted in connection with this RFP.
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SECTION 3 - REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSAL 3.1
Format of Proposals - General Instructions: Failure to comply with all requirements contained in this RFP will subject the Proposal to rejection. 3.1.1
Each Proposal must be submitted as one (1) original signed document plus seven (7) bound hard copies plus one (1) electronic copy as a single PDF file less than 15 MB in size. The submission must be labeled “RFP #15-004 Website Redesign Services.” University prefers simple and economically produced proposals describing Respondent’s ability to meet the requirements of this RFP in a straightforward, concise manner. In evaluating Proposals, emphasis shall be on the quality, completeness, clarity of content, responsiveness to the requirements, and Respondent’s understanding and anticipating of University’s needs.
3.1.2
The required hard-copy counterparts of Proposals must be printed on 8 ½” x 11” lettersize paper assembled in 3-hole punch metal ring binders. Each section must be separated with a divider sheet for quick reference. Respondent’s published materials may be submitted in their entirety as an attachment or incorporated by reference.
3.2
Execution of Offer: Each Proposal must include the completed, fully executed and acknowledged Execution of Offer in form and substance identical to the form attached.
3.3
Incumbency Certificate: Each Proposal must include an incumbency certificate establishing the individuals authorized to sign on behalf of Respondent. If Respondent is a limited partnership, the incumbency certificate must be for the individual authorized to bind the partner of limited partnership.
3.4
HUB Subcontracting Plan 3.4.1
3.5
UHCL has determined that there is a possible subcontracting opportunity in this proposal. The list of certified State of Texas HUBs can be found at: https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/tpasscmblsearch/index.jsp . The attached HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) must be returned with the proposal documents in order for it to be eligible. Failure to include the HSP or complete it correctly is an immediate disqualification. Jeanne Cumpian, Director of Procurement and HUB Activities, is available to discuss any question or concern relating to the HSP; direct questions by phone to 281-283-2150 or e-mail to
[email protected]
Mandatory Requirements 3.5.1
3.5.2
Qualification: Respondents are required to qualify for each of the following criteria. RFP responses, which fail to show that a Respondent is qualified under any section, may be rejected and excluded from further consideration. References and Technical Experience: Respondents ability to demonstrate that they have worked with higher education clients on digital communications within the past five years will be a requirement of this RFP response. Respondents are also required to show Responsive Web Design and OmniUpdate experience. Respondents must have demonstrated that management has directly managed a contract of this size and complexity within the past five years. The university will thoroughly check references.
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3.6
Submittals Respondents are required to submit the following information with their proposal: 3.6.1
A proposed timeline, that specifies anticipated project schedule, frequency of project status reports and estimated labor hours, deliverables, milestones, and testing for usability / accessibility.
3.6.2
Approach to web strategy, project management and design methodology including but not limited to: tools used, sample deliverables from similar past projects (wireframes, testing outcomes, style guides, etc.), how options are presented, the number of iterations as well as duties and responsibilities of the University during the redesign process, testing/optimization plans and the how the project will be managed by the agency.
3.6.3
Information about the company including a profile, length of time in business, core competencies, size of the agency, current workload, customer service approach, an explanation of how they quantify quality work and ability to complete the project.
3.6.4
Information about the team proposed for the University’s project with details about individuals’ role, qualifications, experience (project name, type and size), years with company and educational/career background.
3.6.5
At least three references (contact information, scope of work and website link) from higher education clients who contracted the agency for responsive web design.
3.6.6
One to three references (contact information, scope of work and website link) from higher education clients who contracted the agency for responsive web design and use the OmniUpdate Content Management System.
3.6.7
A design portfolio with three or more website links that reflect the agency’s work. The portfolio must include details about the agency’s role in each project in addition to the project objective and timeline.
3.6.8
Pricing quote that includes information on recommended services as related to the RFP objectives. Within the pricing quote, indicate specific cost breakdowns according of the objectives and scope of work. Additionally, provide cost estimates for additional services, information on the agency’s hourly rate and how pricing is handled when changes are made to project objectives or scope of work.
3.6.9
Provide details of any past litigation that may affect Respondent’s performance under a contract with University for the Services, as well as any pending litigation or claims filed against Respondent.
3.6.10 Provide details, including name and docket number, of any litigation involving Respondent relating to alleged or adjudicated construction defects. If you have received notice of any claims against Respondent within twelve (12) months preceding the Proposal, disclose the details as to such claim(s) though no litigation may as yet been filed. 3.6.11 Explain any relationship (relative, business associate, capital funding agreement, or any other close relationship) between Respondent and any employee, officer or Regent of the University of Houston System including any component(s).
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SECTION 4 - SELECTION AND RATING CRITERIA 4.1
Evaluation of Proposals: The Proposals will be reviewed in accordance with the criteria set forth in this RFP. Proposals that are 1) incomplete, 2) not properly certified and signed, 3) not in the required format, or 4) otherwise non-compliant, in whole or in part, with any of the requirements set forth in this RFP may be disqualified by the University. This Proposal will not be awarded on low cost alone. The University will award the Proposal to the Respondent that provides best value to the University.
4.2
Consideration of Additional Information: The University reserves the right to ask for and consider any additional information deemed beneficial to the University in evaluation of the Proposals. The University may also consider other information it deems relevant to the selection of a Contractor.
4.3
Best Value Statement: In determining which products or services are in the University’s best interest, the University shall consider the following minimum factors: quality of work, approach and processes, web development capabilities, service, references, pricing and experience with RWD and OmniUpdate. Contracts will be awarded only to direct-service providers and not to brokers or third-party representatives.
4.4
Rating Criteria: The University will rank Respondents based on the data furnished by the Respondents in their respective Proposals in accordance with the following scale: Criterion ONE:
TWO:
THREE:
FOUR: FIVE:
Description
Value
Approach and range of services in relationship to the RFP objectives/technical and functional specifications: Evaluation in this category will be based on the respondent’s understanding and grasp of the project objectives and ability to meet the specifications/requirements requested.
25.0%
Design Portfolio: Evaluation in this category will be based on the overall quality of the respondent’s design work in each project included in the portfolio.
20.0%
Resources, depth of talent, experience and references: Evaluation in this category will be based on information provided about the respondent’s company including the project team and resources available. This category will also be scored based on the responses from Respondent’s references in regard to satisfaction and evaluation of the agency’s services, and qualifications and experience of the respondent with responsive web design, institutions of higher education and OmniUpdate.
20.0%
Timeline: Evaluation in this category will be based on the timeline for the project provided by the respondent.
15.0%
Pricing (Best Value): Evaluation in this category will be based on the total cost of the project. Respondents providing the best cost for proposed services will be given the highest score available in this category; remaining respondents will be proportionately scored.
20.0%
TOTAL OF WEIGHTED VALUE
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100.0%
Exhibit A Project Overview: The University website has evolved during the past decade as the University’s branding has developed and solidified. As with many successful organizations, the web has become a primary communications, marketing and business tool. The current website is managed through a decentralized, organization-centric model in the Oracle Portal Content Management System. Various department content contributors and web developers are in charge of publishing web content; technical skill levels range from non-technical to developer level. Branding, messaging and design differ between the university’s printed materials and throughout the website’s department, school and university-level web pages. The only universal branding elements used site-wide are in the banner and footer, which are consistent with branding elements from the institution’s printed materials, digital ads and other marketing communications. Functional issues with the current site include:
inconsistency in templates/page structure; inconsistent navigation styles; inconsistency in site wide branding/graphic elements; no defined site wide mobile strategy; organization-centric information architecture; ineffective content strategy resulting in too much content and too many pages; lack of effective search and SEO strategies.
These issues result in a website that provides an inconsistent and poor user experience that does not reflect the University’s brand or its brand promise. The initiative to implement OmniUpdate’s OU Campus as its new website Content Management System has provided the University with an opportunity to create a user-centric and future-friendly website with improved visual design, structure, navigation and content. A leadership team, comprised of members from the Offices of University Communications and University Computing and Telecommunications, was formed to implement the new web CMS OmniUpdate and identify issues to be addressed to ensure the long-term efficiency and effectiveness of UHCL’s new website. The leadership team has established the following project goal: A redesigned, sustainable UHCL website that provides a streamlined, device-independent user experience and well-organized, relevant content to key audiences consistent with the university branding, messaging and identity. The overall strategy created by the team is to develop a plan for transitioning from the current UHCL Oracle Portal website to a new website that has the characteristics identified in the goal, and uses the OmniUpdate Content Management System (CMS)
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Areas to be addressed by the leadership team include:
Website Redesign – Define and implement organizational processes, procedures and expectations to produce the new website with the desired characteristics based on a Responsive Web Design (RWD) framework using progressive enhancement. Website Governance – Define and implement organizational processes, procedures and expectations to keep the new website up to date and relevant from the outset. Training – Develop and implement processes and procedures for pre- and post-implementation training for all stakeholders to set expectations based on the critical objectives from each of the website redesign and governance strategies.
Primary Project Contacts and University’s Project Team: The project is a collaborative initiative between the Office of University Communications and the Office of University Computing and Telecommunications. Primary contacts from each department will work with the contractor on the redesign project. University Communications: The Senior Coordinator of Web and Digital Communications is the primary contact for all aspects of the project, particularly those areas that impact the external presentation and audience experience, including content strategy, information architecture and branding. The Senior Coordinator will consult with the University Communications team and others involved in university marketing communications as needed to ensure the redesign is in line with university marketing communications goals. University Computing and Telecommunications: The Director of Web and Multimedia Services is the primary contact for aspects of the project that impact computing technology issues. The Director will consult with the University Computing and Telecommunications team and others involved in university computing initiatives as needed to ensure the technical aspects of the redesign are in line with university technology goals and website governance strategies. Contractor should provide a single point of contact for the redesign project. All communications between the University and the Contractor should include the primary contacts for both parties to ensure open, timely communication among the two areas. The primary contacts will also consult on key decisions with members of the UHCL Web Leadership Team and key staff members assigned to this project. University staff currently involved with the project include the following.
Associate Vice President for Information Resources Executive Director of University Communications Executive Director of University Computing And Telecommunications Director of Application Development Associate Director of Technology Advancement
Redesign project decisions will require approval and sign off by the UHCL Web Leadership Team chair and co-chair, both of whom will consult as needed with University executive administrators.
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Objectives: The objectives for the website redesign include the following. Evaluate the University CMS implementation leadership teams’ research and plans regarding web redesign strategy, information architecture and content strategy. Recommend strategies and tactics to enhance the web redesign project in these areas based on higher education web experience. Contractor may perform additional research determined to be necessary by the University. Additionally, recommend a web analytics strategy and SEO plan for benchmarking website performance/search-ability after implementation and over the long-term. The plan should recommend the practices, guidelines, assessment processes, and oversight structure required to ensure content is maintained to meet the metrics for SEO analysis. Design and develop responsive web design template prototypes including navigation layout and site-wide elements such as forms, data tables, image galleries, call to actions, spotlights, calendar/events listings and interactive elements. Recommend additional features and functions that could enhance the overall site usability and design in addition to audience engagement. Finalize templates so files are ready for handoff to the CMS vendor, OmniUpdate. Develop plan for testing proposed template prototypes with key University audiences in addition to testing templates for accessibility, cross-browser/device compatibility and W3C standards. Create or assist University CMS implementation team in the development of documentation for template use, site-wide features and components that will be available to guide university content editors/developers during the implementation process and beyond. Outline functional specifications of how the template/site elements work with the tools available within OmniUpdate. Provide dedicated technical/design support to the university project team during the implementation phase of the project to ensure template designs and site-wide features are functioning as desired. Provide consultation to the University project team during the content conversion phase of the CMS implementation project. Scope of Work Deliverables: Wireframes/prototypes Universal style sheets (CSS) Navigation styles (location and behavior) Graphic design/coding for site-wide elements, which may include o Form styles o Data table styles o Calls to action/button styles o Spotlighters/ads o Events Calendar o Campus Map o Image galleries o Program Finder HTML Page templates, plan for 5-10 template designs, which may include o Landing Pages (Homepage, Audience Tabs, School/Department Homepages) o Secondary pages (Section, Detail) o Tertiary pages o Faculty/Staff Profiles and index o Custom templates depending on university needs
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Technical Specifications document for OmniUpdate implementation Style guide/content template guides Documentation for ongoing template creation and maintenance
All source files, including wireframes, graphic designs, HTML templates, Javascript, CSS and other deliverables, created as part of the project will become the sole property of University of HoustonClear Lake. Markup of new templates/site-wide elements and on-going site maintenance will be the responsibility of the University’s web team. Contactor shall agree not to retain any source files that would hinder the future creation of and management of the university’s website. Complete files are to be delivered to the University within 7-10 business days after the conclusion of the project. Technical and Functional Specifications:
All designs must be original, custom and consistent with current university branding, messaging and identity. The designs created will use a color palette, logos and visual design elements compatible with the standards set forth by the university’s Office of University Communications (information about the university’s brand can be found online at www.uhcl.edu/brandguide). Templates/site-wide elements must be built to accommodate the University’s ability to update the look and feel of the site on an as-needed basis. Template designs/site-wide elements must be built on responsive web design framework based on a progressive enhancement/mobile-first approach, starting with the basic content and functionality, and enhancing it for advanced platforms while optimizing content for a range of displays. Vendor may use a framework (such as Bootstrap, LESS, Zurb Foundation) approved by the University to build out templates. All coding must use best practices for semantic markup. No tables can be used for template layouts; table use is restricted to data tables only and these must be built to scale accordingly. Template designs/site-wide elements must meet the Federal and State Accessibility requirements (i.e. Section 508, WCAG 2.0 AA) and offer a skip to navigation/content feature to enhance website function for screen readers. Template designs/ site-wide elements must support content reuse throughout the University website and integrate with outside content sources including social media, RSS and other thirdparty content. Graphic elements (images and media) must scale for high PPI or retina devices and must scale to accommodate a responsive layout. Templates/site-wide elements must be built using W3C valid HTML/XHTML, JavaScript code and CSS that executes across a variety of browsers and devices, in addition to using HTML 5 structural tags and CSS3 media queries. Vendor must use Javascript in a manner that won’t prevent non-Javascript users from using the site (i.e. collapsible content shows by default and is only hidden if the user has Javascript enabled). The University currently uses a third-party emergency alert product, The Pier System. Respondents must also recommend methods for the site-wide distribution of emergency/alert notifications within the template design or integration with a third-party provider. Templates/site-wide elements must be built to follow best practices for light-weight, optimized website performance. Respondents must also recommend methods to optimize the user experience on mobile devices, including, but not limited to: remove the 300ms delay on click on a per-element basis, increase render speed, substitute mobile-friendly navigation, etc.
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