North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Purchasing IMPORTANT ADDENDUM June 4, 2018 FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BID ADDENDUM IN ACCORDANCE WITH INSTRUCTIONS SHALL SUBJECT YOUR BID TO REJECTION. RETURN ONE PROPERLY EXECUTED COPY OF THIS ADDENDUM WITH BID RESPONSE OR PRIOR TO THE BID OPENING DATE/TIME LISTED BELOW. Bid Number: 10-RFP-007688 Commodity: Web Hosting Services for NC State Fair Addendum Number: 01 Using Agency: NCDA&CS Purchaser: Harry M. Hamilton Opening Date/Time June 14, 2018 @ 3PM EDT INST RUCT IONS: 1. The following questions have been answered for clarification purposes: ITEM# VENDOR QUESTION STATE RESPONSE 1. Section II. A.; Is there an anticipated month for the awarding of the project? ASAP. No later than 120 days after bid opening. 2. Section II. C. 15; Do all partner or co-vendor companies need to be registered in the NC IPS? 3. Section III. 11; Do you require an email configuration or is that handled through existing state infrastructure? No. Only the awarded vendor, that will be receiving POs, must be registered in E-Procurement, pursuant to Section B. Instructions to Vendors, #7 E-Procurement and paragraph #33 of the attached North Carolina Department of Information Technology Terms and Conditions Services We don t require email configuration; State email addresses are setup through the existing State infrastructure. 4. Section III. 11 C.; Is the NC State Fair Division website breaking away from the NC Agriculture & Consumer Services website template? 5. Sect E, page 17; What are your metrics or KPIs for success that will be applied to this project? Yes.
6. Sect E, page 17; Is overhauling the existing Information Architecture (IA) considered in scope? Or is the plan to keep the IA the same? 7. Sect E, page 17; For the migration of existing pages of content for the redesign, what percentage will be kept as is and what will be added as new? 10-RFP-007688 Addendum 1 Page 2 of 9 Overhauling is acceptable, since both websites will be hosted by the Vendor; Section I. Introduction, page 6: The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), N.C. State Fair Division, is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to provide website design, build, implementation, and hosting services for its annual N.C. State Fair website and year-round N.C. State Fair Division website. All content will be migrated. Any new content will be determined upon award, during planning and analysis. Scope of Work, D. Project Deliverables, j) Solution Deployment, page 16: j) Solution Deployment - Fully Functional solution, to include annual N.C. State Fair website and yearround N.C. State Fair Division website accessible from a splash page, password protected access to a content management system, website accessibility and complete functionality on mobile devices, and migrated content of approximately 300 pages, that meets or exceeds the technical specifications as stated in this document. The awarded Vendor will be expected to implement a new graphic template each year on the N.C. State Fair annual website. 8. Sect E, page 17; Has there been any user, market research or user testing completed? If so, can this be shared? 9. Sect E, page 17; Can we have access to Google Analytics or any usage data reports? (Google Analytics can be shared out to analytics@atlanticbt.com). 10. Sect E, page 17; Does your site integrate (or will need to integrate) with any 3rd party services to be factored into website redesign? If yes, please list all integration points. Please note which are mandatory, or can be recommended/replaced. This information will not be disclosed. Scope of Work, C. Business Objectives/Desired Outcomes, page 14: NCDA&CS needs to partner with a Vendor who will provide the following: A web based, password protected content management system hosted in a secure environment, integrated with NCID, to allow immediate changes to the sites, as needed.
10-RFP-007688 Addendum 1 Page 3 of 9 E-commerce to aid in the sales of N.C. State air merchandise year-round, with mandatory integration with First Data s online payment gateway. 11. Sect E, page 17; Are there any existing or new ecommerce applications or payment gateways that need to be developed and/or integrated? Please list out what s deemed critical for this project. 12. Sect E, page 17; What other web properties beyond the primary domain ncstatefair.org that will need to be considered as part of the redesign and development? Please list all relevant URLs deemed critical for this project. Specifications, page 17: w) Explain how your solution will integrate with third party ticketing technology by redirecting to the Etix website. (see answer to question #10 above) Scope of Work, C. Business Objectives/Desired Outcomes, page 14: NCDA&CS needs to partner with a Vendor who will provide the following: A web based, password protected content management system hosted in a secure environment, integrated with NCID, to allow immediate changes to the sites, as needed. E-commerce to aid in the sales of N.C. State air merchandise year-round, with mandatory integration with First Data s online payment gateway. Scope of Work, D. Project Deliverables, d) Project Management Plans, page 15: iv) Content Migration Plan This plan will describe the awarded Vendor s method of migrating existing legacy content, to include a link to the Food and Ride Finder.
10-RFP-007688 Addendum 1 Page 4 of 9 Specifications, page 17, w) Explain how your solution will integrate with third party ticketing technology by redirecting to the Etix website. 13. Sect A, page 13; What is your current CMS? Adobe Contribute. 14. Sect E, page 17; What is your willingness to move to another CMS like WordPress / Drupal, etc.? The Vendor must provide a content management system. Scope of Work, C. Business Objectives/Desired Outcomes, page 14: NCDA&CS needs to partner with a Vendor who will provide the following: A web based, password protected content management system hosted in a secure environment, integrated with NCID, to allow immediate changes to the sites, as needed. 15. Sect B, page 14; Can you provide the referenced style guidelines or brand guidelines document for our review? 16. Sect C, page 14; If the scope of the project requires deployment to your hosting platform. Please provide technical details of the hosting infrastructure 17. Sect C, page 14; How many key stakeholders will be involved in the decision making/revisions/input process of the project? 18. Sect C, page 14; How many in-house resources are committed to this project? What are their roles for the redesign project? There is no mention of style guidelines or brand guidelines in section B, page 14. The Vendor is expected to host the solution. Section I. Introduction, page 6: The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), N.C. State Fair Division, is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to provide website design, build, implementation, and hosting services for its annual N.C. State Fair website and year-round N.C. State Fair Division website. 2-3 key stakeholders 1 Project Manager (NCDA&CS Information Technology Services Division) 2-3 Subject Matter Experts (NC State Fair Division)
19. Sect B, page 14; Is there an incumbent agency or vendor participating in this RFP? 10-RFP-007688 Addendum 1 Page 5 of 9 The RFP will be awarded to one Vendor. Incumbent Agency North Carolina State Department of Information Technology (NCID integration). NCDA&CS Emergency Programs (Food and Ride Finder link). Incumbent Vendor First Data (State DIT contracted Vendor for E-commerce integration). Etix (E-commerce integration). 20. Sect B, page 14; Are there are other vendors or partners that will be involved in this project? 21. Sect B, page 14; Who will be producing new content? Vendor, client, or other 3rd party? 22. Sect C, page 14; What is the expectation for content creation and/or migration? Is selected vendor expected to inventory existing content? (see answer to #19 above) Awarded Vendor and client. Scope of Work, D. Project Deliverables, page 16: h) Content Migration The awarded Vendor will need to migrate existing legacy content from the N.C. State Fair annual and year-round websites, to include a link to the Food and Ride Finder. **** The selected Vendor is expected to migrate existing content and work with NC State Fair SMEs on content creation. We expect to inventory existing content in our efforts to streamline content for the new websites. 23. Sect C, page 14; How many staff members need training on 5-7 Subject Matter Experts. CMS? What are their roles? 24. Sect C, page 14; What is the project budget for this project? This information will not be disclosed. 25. 11 B Page 14; What is driving the February 2019 deadline? What flexibility, if any, exists around that deadline? 26. 11 C Page 14; We assume that the State will require two separate websites to meet its needs. Are there any content sharing requirements between the two sites? 27. 11 C Page 14; What products (or types of products) would the State like to sell via e-commerce? What products, if any, are currently being sold? Given the anticipated award date, it is reasonable to expect the Vendor to complete the project by February 2019. E-commerce capabilities will be shared between the two sites as well as some mapping and content that appears on both sites. Scope of Work, B. Statement of Need, page13:
10-RFP-007688 Addendum 1 Page 6 of 9 Those goals are increased sales of both leased real property and annual N.C. State Fair admission tickets and merchandise, improving communication with the state's citizens through simple, intuitive interfaces and incorporating the latest technologies in digital online forms, applications, video, e- commerce, and advertising. 28. 11 C Page 14; How satisfied is the State with the current etix solution for ticketing? Is the State looking to replace that solution? 29. 11 C Page 14; What Key Performance Indicators would you like to have reported on the analytics Dashboard? **** Merchandise and Fair tickets are currently being sold. The State is satisfied with this solution, and it will not be replaced. Scope of Work, C. Business Objectives/Desired Outcomes, page 14: NCDA&CS needs to partner with a Vendor who will provide the following: Dashboard analytics of site traffic, sales, and post-test analysis to aid in continued site improvement and marketing initiatives. Specifications, Functional Specifications, page 17: 30. 11 C, Page 14; What analytics Dashboards do you currently use (or have used) that you would like to emulate? 31. 11 D d iv, Page 15; In what format(s) is the current site s content stored (e.g. MySQL, Oracle)? 32. 11 D d iv, Page 15; Does the State intend to perform a content audit prior to content migration? 33. 11 D d iv, Page 15; Is the intention of the State to replicate the content from one or more past State Fairs? (That is, should the new site only replace 2018 content or should it contain historical archives?) 34. Functional Specifications, Page 17; How many editors will need to perform work on the two sites? 35. Functional Specifications, Page 17; What types of actions should each editor role be able to perform? 36. Functional Specifications, Page 18; Can you explain the use-case for requirement h) Explain how your solution will allow the public to access both the year-round NC State Fair Division and annual N.C. State Fair websites from a common, shared web page Has this design assumption been tested with site visitors? d) Discuss how your solution will provide Dashboard analytics capabilities, to include monitoring and tracking of website traffic, sales, and post-test analysis Html. Yes. The new site should only replace 2018 content. 5-7 editors. Administrative and general content editing. In the future, the Vendor should provide the ability for both sites to be accessible from a single location, for ease of use. We have tested this concept for ease of use by the customer.
37. Functional Specifications, Page 18; How should the RFP response include pricing for the new graphic template each year on the NC State Fair annual website? What is the scope of that new template? 38. Functional Specifications, Page 18; Does the State use or intend to use any specific advertising technologies or services? 10-RFP-007688 Addendum 1 Page 7 of 9 Complete Section IV. Cost Proposal. A new template should be provided yearly. This includes overhaul of all graphics and the creative look of the site to coincide with changes to the annual State Fair theme. This would include placement of sponsor logos as well as pixel tracking implementation. Specifications, Functional Specifications, page 18: 39. Functional Specifications, Page 18; Does the State use or intend to use any specific advertising technologies or services? 40. Functional Specifications, Page 18; What languages will the State need to publish content in? Will editorial and administrative interfaces need to be provided in these languages? 41. IV. Cost Proposal, page 20; What budget, if any, has been allocated for this project? 42. Non-Functional Specifications, Page 18-19, What personnel and roles will the State assign to this project? 43. Non-functional Specifications, ff page 19; Does the State wish to take ownership of site maintenance and development after Go Live? 44. General; What are your expectations around the design of the N.C. State Fair Division with regard to its relationship to http://www.ncagr.gov/? 45. General ; What are some peer sites that you admire? What about them do you wish to emulate? 46. General ; What photographic and media resources does the State have that are available for use in this project? 47. D. Project Deliverables j, page 16; How does the desire for new graphic templates align with the contract term? 48. General; The State architecture requirements favor the use of Drupal. We understand that the State uses Drupal 7.59. We assume that future work should be done on Drupal 8, is that in line with the State s requirements? 49. General; Is the Deep Fried Blog (http://info.ncagr.gov/deepfried/) part of the content migration? s) Discuss how your solution will support various methods of advertising, to include links to sponsors. (see #38 above) Specifications, Functional Specifications, page 18: z) Discuss how your solution will translate the website into other languages. List the languages that you can translate your site in. This information will not be disclosed. (see answer to #18 above) The State expects to take ownership of site content editing, with the vendor providing architecture and technology upgrades and maintenance. (see answer to #4 above) The Vendor is expected to provide a new graphic template for the duration of the contract. Yes. No. The Deep Fried Blog will be linked to its current site.
10-RFP-007688 Addendum 1 Page 8 of 9 2. Change the Delivery Instructions to read as following (changes blue highlighted); DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS: The Vendor must deliver one (1) signed original and one (1) copy of the Offer to Issuing Agency in a sealed package with Company Name and RFP Number clearly marked on the front. Vendor must return all the pages of this solicitation in their response. The Vendor must also submit one (1) signed, executed electronic copy of its offer on a USB Flash Drive(s). The files should not be password-protected and should be capable of being copied to other media. Address envelope and insert offer number as shown below. Please note that the US Postal Service does not deliver any mail (US Postal Express, Certified, Priority, Overnight, etc.) on a set delivery schedule to this Office. It is the responsibility of the Vendor to have the offer in this Office by the specified time and date of opening. MAILING ADDRESS FOR DELIVERY OF QUOTE VIA U.S. POSTAL SERVICE RFP NUMBER: 10-RFP-007688 NCDA&CS Purchasing Attn: Harry M. Hamilton 1001 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1001 OFFICE ADDRESS FOR DELIVERY BY ANY OTHER MEANS, SPECIAL DELIVERY, OVERNIGHT DELIVERY, OR BY ANY OTHER CARRIER (Do not use this address if the US Postal Service will be the delivery service.) RFP NUMBER: 10-RFP-007688 NCDA&CS Purchasing Attn: Harry M. Hamilton 2 West Edenton Street Raleigh, NC 27601 Sealed offers, subject to the conditions made a part hereof, will be received at 2 West Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27601 until 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time on the day of opening and then opened, for furnishing and delivering the commodity as described herein. Offers must be submitted in a sealed package with the Execution page signed and dated by an official authorized to bind the Vendor s firm. Failure to return a signed offer shall result in disqualification. All offers must comply with Section VI, Proposal Content and Organization. Offers will not be accepted by electronic means. This RFP is available electronically at https://www.ips.state.nc.us/ips/. All inquiries regarding the RFP specifications or requirements are to be addressed to the contact person listed on Page One. NON-RESPONSIVE OFFERS: Vendor offers will be deemed non-responsive by the State and will be rejected without further consideration or evaluation if statements such as the following are included: This offer does not constitute a binding offer, This offer will be valid only if this offer is selected as a finalist or in the competitive range, The Vendor does not commit or bind itself to any terms and conditions by this submission, This document and all associated documents are non-binding and shall be used for discussion purposes only, This offer will not be binding on either party until incorporated in a definitive agreement signed by authorized representatives of both parties, or A statement of similar intent. THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
10-RFP-007688 Addendum 1 Page 9 of 9 Check ONLY one of the following categories and return one properly executed copy of this addendum prior to the invitation for bid/request for proposal opening time and date. Bid has already been mailed. Changes resulting from this addendum are as follows: Bid has already been mailed, no changes resulted from this addendum Bid has not been mailed and any changes resulting from this addendum are included in our bid. Execute Addendum: VENDOR AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR TITLE PRINTED NAME DATE Instructions: Sealed addendums, subject to the conditions made a part hereof and the receipt requirements described below, shall be received at the address indicated in the table below, for furnishing and delivering those items as described herein. MAILING ADDRESS FOR DELIVERY OF BID VIA U.S. POSTAL SERVICE BID NUMBER: 10-RFP-007688 NCDA&CS Purchasing Attn: Harry M. Hamilton 1001 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1001 OFFICE ADDRESS FOR DELIVERY BY ANY OTHER MEANS, SPECIAL DELIVERY, OVERNIGHT DELIVERY, OR BY ANY OTHER CARRIER (Do not use this address if the US Postal Service will be the delivery service.) BID NUMBER: 10-RFP-007688 NCDA&CS Purchasing Attn: Harry M. Hamilton 2 West Edenton Street Raleigh, NC 27601 IMPORTANT NOTE: It is the responsibility of the Vendor to have the signed addendum physically in this Office by the specified time and date of opening, regardless of the method of delivery. This is an absolute requirement. The time of delivery will be marked on each addendum when received, and any addendum received after the bid submission deadline will not be accepted or evaluated. All risk of late arrival due to unanticipated delay whether delivered by hand, U.S. Postal Service, courier or other delivery service or method is entirely on the Vendor. Note that the U.S. Postal Service does not deliver mail to the street address above, but to the State s Mail Service Center. Vendors are cautioned that addendums sent via U.S. Mail, including Express Mail, may not be delivered by the Mail Service Center to the agency s purchasing office on the due date in time to meet the bid deadline. All Vendors are urged to take the possibility of delay into account when submitting addendums. ATTEMPTS TO SUBMIT ADDENDA VIA FACSIMILE (FAX) MACHINE, TELEPHONE OR ELECTRONIC MEANS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO E-MAIL, IN RESPONSE TO THIS ADDENDUM SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED.