Grow America has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create and maintain a new initiative aimed at revitalizing the agency’s Revolving Loan Funds (RLF) program.
Our proposed five-year approach includes developing a Community of Practice (CoP) that will serve as a platform for invited participants to exchange best practices, collaborate, and document insights. We seek proposals from experienced web developers to build a microsite that will facilitate these activities.
Submitted Questions with Answers
All questions submitted before the deadline have been included and answered below.
Given the budget and timeline constraints, are you open to a phased approach to the microsite, with certain key features being added after the initial launch?
No. The microsite will need to be launched on October 1st in order for us to be able to comply with our obligations of this grant.
Could you provide a range for the total budget allocated for this project, including potential enhancements post-launch? Or put differently: Are there any specific budget constraints beyond the $25,000 we should be aware of when proposing solutions?
No, $25,000 is the limit for the design and creation/development of the microsite and there are no additional constraints.
Can your organization describe its preferred process for feedback and iterations during the design and development phases? How does Grow America balance stakeholder input with project timelines? What level of involvement and availability can we expect from your team during the project?
Regularly scheduled calls and emails are to be expected but we ask that you include your approach to implementing the scope of service, including frequency and format.
Will there be an opportunity for us to present our proposal prior to a decision being made?
We do not anticipate a need for presentations of the proposals. We will let you know if that changes and we require presentations later. In the meantime, we will reach out if we have further questions about your proposal.
Do the resources and forum conversations need to be visible to anonymous/non-authenticated users?
As of right now, a person must be a registered user to see resources and forum conversations. There may be a point in the future where the site must become public facing but not in the near future.
What pre-existing solutions have you explored to meet the requirements of your RFP?
Grow America uses WordPress for a similar solution operated from a different federal grant.
Are there any existing systems or tools that the microsite needs to integrate with?
As of now, we do not anticipate that the microsite will need to integrate with tools or systems outside of a standard list (ie Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, etc.)
Are there specific third-party systems or tools that the new website needs to integrate with or future integrations to take into consideration?
Not at this time; unless you have recommendations based on your expertise.
Could you share any specific requirements, preferences, or expectations regarding web hosting solutions for the new website, including considerations for scalability, security, and performance? Or if there are expectations for this service being something that your vendor would be responsible for?
We need to adhere to federal guidelines at a minimum. Further clarification of these guidelines can be confirmed after award. Additionally, we look for the vendor to provide recommendations.
Are there any specific security protocols that we need to adhere to?
We need to adhere to federal guidelines. Further clarification of these guidelines can be confirmed after award. We encourage you to make recommendations based on your experience.
Prioritization of Features: Can you rank the key features listed in Section 3 by priority? This will help us allocate resources effectively and ensure we meet your most critical needs first. Are there any features that you consider non-negotiable for the initial launch, and which ones could be part of a subsequent phase if needed?
All of the features are important, as they are all needed for a successful site.
User Registration and Profiles: Could you provide more details on the user profile requirements? For instance, what specific information needs to be captured and managed for each user? Are there any existing systems or databases that this registration and profile system needs to integrate with?
First and last name, Organization, State abbreviation, zip code, are requirements that we see the need for now, but there may be additions added during the development process or from your recommendations. No, there aren’t existing systems or databases that this registration and profile system needs to integrate with.
Discussion Forums: Are there specific functionalities within the discussion forums that are crucial, such as threaded discussions, moderation tools, or private messaging? Can you provide examples of discussion forums from other sites that meet your expectations?
We don’t need private messaging, but threaded discussions and moderation tools will be necessary. Similar to OFN’s Member Portal. We look forward to your recommendations as well.
Resource Library: What types of documents and media will the resource library need to support (e.g., PDFs, videos, interactive guides)? Are there any existing platforms or tools that the resource library needs to integrate with?
Nothing additional than what has already been stated. We welcome your recommendations.
Search Functionality: Can you elaborate on the level of search functionality required? For instance, is there a need for advanced filtering options, tagging, or metadata searches? Are there any specific search technologies or frameworks you prefer or have used previously?
Other than simple search features for the resource library and within the forums, we don’t anticipate the need for more, however we will work with the selected vendor on recommendations.
Collaboration Tools: What collaboration features are most critical (e.g., real-time editing, version control, tagging, or file sharing)? Could you provide examples of existing platforms or tools that you find effective for collaboration?
Please refer to the RFP. They are all equally important.
User Management: What specific administrative functions are needed for user management? For example, user role assignments, content moderation, or usage tracking. Are there any compliance requirements or data security standards that must be adhered to for user management?
We require that it meet Federal guidelines. We encourage you to make recommendations based on your experience. We must be able to keep the records for at least the lifetime of the grant or as long as the grant requires after the end of the program.
Analytics and Reporting: What specific metrics and KPIs are important for tracking user engagement and site activity? Do you have any preferred analytics platforms or tools that should be integrated into the microsite?
We welcome your recommendations.
We understand the EPA grant has budgeted up to $25,000. Is that a hard cap in terms of spending on this project?
Yes, for the design and creation/development.
What specific metrics and KPIs are important for measuring user engagement and site activity? Are there existing reporting tools or dashboards in use?
The metrics used to measure user engagement are the total number of subscribers, the number of NEW subscribers for that reporting period, the number of users who have deleted their profile, number of forum discussions (posts and replies), number of resources uploaded to the library, and the number of resources viewed from the library.
Could you clarify the required functionalities for the discussion forums? Are there any specific features (e.g., thread categorization, private messaging) that should be included?
The discussion forums are intended to foster collaboration and discussion. Therefore, the discussion forums should include thread categorization. All registered portal members should be able to respond to and read a discussion thread. Private messaging should only be allowed for admin and not be a functional part of discussion forums.
Can you elaborate on the user registration process and any necessary verification steps?
Registration for the portal will be free. To register for the portal, users will need to provide their name, organization name, and an email address. They will then need to confirm their email address to finalize the registration process. After they register, users will have the option to provide additional information to their portal, such as XYZ.
Can you provide more details about the types and volume of content expected in the Resource Library? Are there specific formats or content management systems preferred?
This is a bit of an unknown. The idea of the Resource Library is to gather various documents, trainings, etc., and make them available to portal members. The resources will most likely be PDFs and videos but there could be others. Additionally, users should be given permission to suggest documents be uploaded to the portal after an internal review.
Is the October 1 launch deadline a hard date or is there flexibility in that?
October 1st is a hard date.
We noticed in your email that you mentioned maintenance as part of the proposal; however, we didn’t see anywhere in the RFP a mention of post-launch maintenance. Can you please clarify expectations here?
This RFP is strictly for the design and creation of the microsite, however should maintenance be necessary it will be considered as an amendment or addendum to this contract.
What location is the Grow America team located in?
Across the United States.
Are you open to leveraging a platform to do a majority of the heavy ‘technical’ lifting vs. a complete custom site?
We are open to either.
What is your budget range / grant funding amount for this project?
The EPA grant has budgeted up to $25,000 for the design and creation of the microsite.
Do you have a preferred Content Management System (CMS) and/or any other open source/third-party tools/platforms that you want/prefer incorporated into the microsite?
No, there is not a preference.
Please provide the document/URL listing the EPA grant requirements the microsite must meet.
EPA requires the site be created so that it is eligible to download for their use, but no specifics were provided. All other requirements were listed in the RFP.
Is there a developer you are already working with that will be submitting a proposal for this RFP?
Grow America is working with a developer on other initiatives and that developer was also sent the RFP.
In addition to the above, if you have other Q&As, updates and/or amendments could you please send it to us?
Any additions, updates, and answers to all submitted questions will be posted on the RFP announcement page of our website (this page). Proposers are responsible for checking/tracking information on the RFP by visiting this page.
Call interest
Due to limited time, we will not be able to have a call with interested parties before the submission deadline. All questions must be submitted via email by 12:00 p.m. PST on Thursday, August 1st, 2024.