GOP.COM – REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DETAIL Project Summary The Republican National Committee (RNC) is looking to redo the GOP.com website and strengthen our overall technology platform. The three primary goals of this project are: to modernize our image and online presence; Create a more robust website platform that is capable of integrating 3rd party applications and scale to the needs of a given campaign or enterprise; and create a unified data highway that will empower state organizations through providing them with more control over their own websites and data management. We are looking to work in a rapid-prototype model that will enable the RNC to provide feedback on a regular basis over the course of the site’s development. Strong communication and the ability to work through challenges in a dynamic environment are key qualities of any vendor that we will select. Technical skills include advanced knowledge of the .NET framework, MS SQL Server 2008, XML, and the client side technologies of JavaScript and AJAX. Finally, we hope to have this project deployed at the first possible opportunity with an anticipated beta release 1.0 goal of the first week of June. Proposals (and questions) should be sent to Todd Van Etten at webrfp@gop.com
GOP.com – Requirements for the RNC’s Website The RNC is looking to upgrade GOP.com; the official, national location for information about all affiliate state-level Republican organizations throughout the United States. We envision this site becoming a comprehensive directory of all active Republican campaigns, upcoming events, and Republican leadership information. We see the site being updated, in real-time, through the various online actions of state and local organizations in addition to top-down, national contributions. The following list of key needs and their respective descriptions will provide you with further insight into our goals for this project.
A) Site Layout and Graphic Design We are looking for a design that is both appealing to new visitors and clean; with the use of white-space and comfortable spacing between sections of the site. More specifically, while we appreciate the features and rich design of sites like www.myspace.com and www.nfl.com, we are inclined to favor designs like www.facebook.com and www.ning.com. A couple other good sites that are less social oriented but data rich are www.foxnews.com and www.nbc.com. Note that GOP.com is not to be confused with our social networking portal MyGOP that will be outlined as part of a distinct project that will operate independently of this site - but will be fully integrated. Website design should speak to our national prominence as a leading political party in the United States and professional organization. 1|Page
B) “Subsites” – Affiliate Website Information on GOP.com While we appreciate the need for diversity and individual style at the state level, GOP.com should contain the ability to list information from any given state or campaign without having to leave the site. This design should be consistent with the overall GOP.com visual design and be arranged in a way that is “easy to learn” for a first-time user. In regards to the data, the following three points are good guidelines for how GOP.com will interface with affiliate websites. 1. The data for events, state leadership, and campaigns should be queried from the same DB that that feeds the local state. In other words, there will be differences between GOP.com and the affiliate site by way of design and how much information is displayed (possibly) but the source for the information should be consistent. 2. Users should be able to RSVP for an event or join a campaign through GOP.com, but should be redirected to the targeted state-level website upon completion of the form. 3. Nationwide events that are posted by the RNC to GOP.com should be displayed on all affiliate websites. These events should be listed like any other upcoming event in a given state or jurisdiction. State level (affiliate) website development and the RNC’s template deployment model will be outlined as part of a distinct project that will be managed by state organizations - but are fully integrated with the GOP.com website development platform.
C) Compliance / Cross-Browser Compatibility The visual design of GOP.com should remain intact across all major browsers actively in use. This includes Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and possibly Chrome. Additionally, browser compatibility should be designed to support the older browsers of IE 6.x and Firefox 2.x (or higher). The website’s design template should range between 800px and 1024px in width and can use an expanded array of colors. There is no limitation on height but the most important information should remain above the scroll line, “the fold” in printing jargon, so as to keep it as accessible as possible. Disability Standards and Section 508 Compliance Disability compliance standards of the ADA and Section 508 standards should be met to the maximum extent as is reasonable within the design of the new website. http://www.section508.gov/
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D) Content Management The information made available through GOP.com must be manageable through a comprehensive CMS. Examples of requirements for the type of content management that we would need are: • •
All content that contains markups should be editable via a WYSIWYG HTML editor. Form data should be validated on both the client-side before data submission and on the server side to further ensure data integrity. Validations should include, but are not limited to email construct validation, date validation, required field completion, and matching entrees (as in the case of password updates).
Security and Data Administration • •
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All information on the site should be accessible by a “super admin” with the ability to make data corrections, delete records, and otherwise manage overall data integrity. Information on the site should be editable by administrators of a given section and/or security group. (Security groups and site sections will be determined in early meetings of the project’s development.) Users may (or may not) edit their postings based on criteria that will be established in the initial weeks of this project’s development. Unless otherwise stated, all content and posts to the GOP.com website should be archived for later review, if desired.
Website Hosting •
Website hosting is not a requirement to bid for this project but if you/your company provides website hosting then you may wish to include that information in your proposal.
E) 3rd Party Applications / Widget Integration In addition to maximizing our use of in-house talent and our community of tech professionals throughout the country, it is very important that our platform possess the ability to integrate third party apps that are both valuable to the user and resourceful to the RNC. From fundraising to streamlining our social network activity, being able to engage and interact with our users may be the single greatest need of our web platform. • • •
Examples include Kimbia Fundraising, Voter Vault, Widgetbox, Twitter, etc. Flash, .NET web services, and AJAX are highly desirable interface enhancers. All sensitive information must be transacted over a secure connection.
To summarize this point, more than building a “Republican website,” we are looking to build a website that will organize and expand an online “Republican community”.
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F) “Must Have” Features In addition to the widgets and third party applications that we will include on the site, the following is a list of “must have” features that we feel will enhance the user experience of GOP.com. •
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An integrated search capability whereby content and posts, etc can be searched directly from the website. Ideally the search interface will be available on all pages. o Note: If security restrictions are implemented then the search results should comply with the limitations of the user. A “join our newsletter” form – with zip code A “become a member”/RNC activist form A “donate” button Tech support both for the Party headquarters as well as any sub-site users.
GOP.com – Project Timeline With the recent election of Michael Steele, the RNC now has an opportunity to present a new and more modern image to our online audiences. With this in mind we hope to move through the project initiation processes and begin to work on the site as soon as possible. More specifically, we plan to use the following timeline as a guide to measure project development and deployment expectations. •
Proposals should be submitted to the RNC no later than COB Friday, March 20th
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Initial interviews and vendor presentations will begin March 25th
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Vendor selection will be determined the week of March 30th with notifications going out shortly thereafter
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Following vendor selection we would like to host several collaborative meetings to get the project started with clear expectations and an understanding of what needs to be done and when. Over the course of these meetings we will outline the overall architectural concepts of security, interface, and design ideas. We estimate that this period of meetings will span approximately 2 weeks.
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Following these project initiation meetings we plan to work closely with the vendor throughout the month of May with the expressed goal of releasing a beta 1.0 website in the first week of June.
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We will then entertain feedback for 30 days while we roll out additional features. During this time we will encourage all state organizations to test and try the system so as to ensure high standards of quality and performance.
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Upon the successful release of the new GOP.com website we will begin the site development phases of our affiliate states. This will be in accordance with a project that will be outlined in a separate document/RFP.
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GOP.com – Proposal Requirements In addition to outlining your plan for meeting the requirements stated above, your proposal should include a detailed cost estimate of the project and a timeline for completion. Ideally, costs will be broken down by development phase where possible. If there are areas that are subject to cost adjustments, be sure to note that clearly wherever applicable. Our approximate budget allocated to the GOP.com redesign is $250,000, with a further $200,000 for subsites. Be sure to include the following in your proposal: • • • • • •
A point of contact for your company A brief overview of your company A brief overview of a project of this scale that you’ve completed in the past 3 years The team (positions, not names) that you would anticipate assigning to this project A list of up to 3 references from projects that you’ve worked on in the past 2 years A statement of confirmation that you/your company is prepared to begin working on this project in April and through May.
GOP.com – To Submit Your Proposal Proposals can be mailed to: Republican National Committee 310 First Street Washington, D. C. 20003 Or emailed to: (preferred) Todd Van Etten webrfp@gop.com If you have any questions, please contact Todd Van Etten at webrfp@gop.com. Thank you!
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