Request for Qualifications for Website Design & Development

Transcription

1 Request for Qualifications for Website Design & Development

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW... 3 DIRECTORS & OFFICERS... 3 HISTORY... 3 WHO WE SERVE... 4 BACKGROUND / OBJECTIVES... 5 BUDGET... 5 AUDIENCE... 6 REQUESTED SCOPE OF SERVICES... 6 COMMUNICATION & TIMELINE... 7 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS... 7 ATTACHMENT A

3 ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW The Vermont Municipal Bond Bank (the Bond Bank ) was created by the Vermont legislature in 1970 to assist eligible governmental units access public financing markets. The Bond Bank provides municipal loans for local infrastructure projects through the pooled loan program. Loans are primarily financed through the Bond Bank s issuance of publicly offered tax exempt bonds. On an on going basis, the Bond Bank services its loans and provides outreach and planning assistance to potential borrowers. The Bond Bank also co manages the State s Revolving Funds with the Department of Environmental Conservation. Loans are issued for the planning and construction of municipal drinking water and clean water projects. Please visit for more information. DIRECTORS & OFFICERS The Bond Bank is governed by a five member Board of Directors with four appointed by the Governor and the State Treasurer as an ex officio member. David Kimel, Chair Deborah Winters, Treasurer Kathryn Boardman David Coates Beth Pearce Mission To assist Vermont s municipalities and other qualified public bodies in gaining access to affordable, innovative and appropriate financing to meet their capital needs Vision To support Vermont s municipalities and other qualified bodies in making informed and knowledgeable financing decisions for present and future generations HISTORY The Bond Bank was created by the Vermont legislature in 1970 to assist governmental units access public financing markets. The VMBB has provided over $2.3 billion in loans for local infrastructure projects across Vermont through its pooled loan program. Loans are primarily capitalized with funds raised by tax exempt bond issuances. Over the last five years, the Bond Bank has issued nearly $500 million in bonds. 3

4 WHO WE SERVE The Bond Bank pooled loan program makes loans to governmental units throughout the state. Borrowers can include any county, municipality, school district, or other public body. The distribution of borrowers among the several Vermont counties, and the number and amount of loans to different classes of borrower, are shown below. 4

5 BACKGROUND / OBJECTIVES The Bond Bank is issuing this request for qualifications ( RFQ ) to solicit qualified firms capable of providing design, development, and on going maintenance services for the Bond Bank s website. The Bond Bank s current website, is the primary point of contact for borrowers as well as investors in the Bond Bank. In addition to general information, visitors to the website are centered around the following activities: Reviewing historic loan schedules; Downloading applications for financing; Downloading compliance forms; and Reviewing financial documents related to the Bond Bank s debt issuances. Broadly, the Bond Bank expects upgrades to the website to result in increased user engagement through design that matches the high quality of Bond Bank services and online tools that: 1. Consolidate steps required in using downloadable forms and applications through online submission; and, 2. Provide an interactive experience through direct access to database information held by the Bond Bank. Subject to further refinement, reorganization of the current website will result in the following topic headings: Macro Topics Loan Programs Impact Investors Current Borrowers Who we are How we work News Map to Old Headings Municipal Bonds and State Revolving Fund None Unchanged Unchanged About New topic Announcements BUDGET The Bond Bank has budgeted between $15,000 and $40,000 for the requested scope outlined below. This is an estimated range subject to refinement as the scope is refined. As a quasi governmental agency, however, the Bond Bank is conscious of the value proposition offered by prospective firms and may consider proposals that offer higher value through a more limited scope (and cost) or through an expanded scope (and cost). 5

6 AUDIENCE The primary audience of the Bond Bank s website consists of the following user groups. Borrowers, Potential Borrowers, and their Agents These are town, cities, villages, school districts, and other governmental units throughout the state who use the Bond Bank to finance their facilities and infrastructure projects. Most potential borrowers will have used the Bond Bank in the past, although staff turnover rates are high and many need to be educated on prior transactions with the Bond Bank. In addition, many of these new staff are unfamiliar with the Bond Bank s process for reviewing and awarding loans. This universe of borrowers is essentially fixed. Investors in the Bond Bank s Bonds The Bond Bank issues municipal bonds to raise the funds need to make loans to local borrowers. This includes both individuals purchasing as small as $1 thousand in bonds as well as large institutions purchasing more than $10 million in bonds. Most individuals purchasing bonds are Vermont residents. Increasingly, the Bond Bank has found that the impact of the projects financed as well as narrative descriptions of the projects is important to these individuals. Please see the annual report on the Bond Bank website at for guidance on how the Bond Bank communicates its impacts to investors. REQUESTED SCOPE OF SERVICES 1. Design charrette in which website design and functionality is reviewed and the following scope is refined or augmented based upon discussion. 2. Upgrades to the website design that reflect best practices, while adopting an easily to use content interface that will allow non technical Bond Bank staff to update and add content. 3. Upgrades allowing the website to become mobile compatible as well as compliant for any current or planned best practice security standards. 4. Functionality that integrates the Bond Bank s distributions sent through Mailchimp onto the website. 5. On line forms that will automatically populate CSV files with user data. These will replace many of the forms and applications on the existing website. 6. Creation of searchable database of borrower loans using a Bond Bank datafile currently maintained in Excel. The Bond Bank datafile on which the database is based will require on going updates. The baseline file can be provided upon request. 7. Addition of new Impact section of website that will highlight the Bond Bank s impact and highlight case studies. 8. Impact map showing project locations and summary details. 9. Enhancements to Investor and How We Work sections of the website that will allow integration with PDF and YouTube presentations. 10. Monitoring of web traffic to investor section for use in follow up activities. 11. On going web support for the new website. 6

7 COMMUNICATION & TIMELINE Questions regarding this request for qualifications ( RFQ ) will be accepted via to the distribution below until 10:00 pm ET on Friday, October 26th, Responses to questions will be provided on a rolling basis. Responses to this RFQ are due via to the distribution below by 10:00 pm ET on Friday, November 9 th, Please limit response to 10 pages. Submission Distribution Michael Gaughan Vermont Municipal Bond Bank michael@vtbondagency.org The Bond Bank reserves the right to delay, postpone, or not select a web design and development firm. Selection is expected to occur on or before December 19 th, The Bond Bank expects to conduct interviews prior to a selection of a qualified firm. Final website implementation is targeted for May 1, SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 1. Provide the name, title, and contact information for the Bond Bank s primary contact. 2. Describe your firm s process for project management and how the required website content will be identified, requested, and organized. 3. Please generally respond to the requested scope of services. How does this confirm with typical engagements by your firm? Do you have initial thoughts about design and organization? Are there complementary items missing or is too much being asked? 4. What are the top challenges you anticipate given the above scope? What will be needed to address? 5. Graphically or narratively describe your vision for the website. 6. Please provide three to five hyperlinks to websites your firm has developed that are like what the Bond Bank is requesting. If the key parts of the websites are password protected, please provide screen shots as an addendum to the response. 7. Please provide two references from above list of client projects. 8. Please review and/or reorganize the scope in a way that will be most effective. Provide a budget estimate with the understanding that the final budget will be subject to defining a mutually agreed upon scope. 7

8 9. Provide an estimate for the cost of providing on going website support. 10. Let us know anything else you think is important! 8

9 ATTACHMENT A PROPOSER WARRANTIES A. Proposer warrants that all information provided by it in connection with this proposal is true and accurate. B. Proposes warrants that it holds all required licenses and authorizations to undertake the services described in this RFQ. C. Proposer warrants that there are no existing or potential conflicts of interest that would prevent the proposer from fully performing the tasks described in the RFQ. Should a conflict of interest be discovered, the proposer shall make immediate disclosure to the Bond Bank. Signature of Official Authorized to Commit Firm: Name: Title: Firm Name: Date: 9

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