StopWaste is seeking proposals from a firm or individual to lead a comprehensive website redesign project for the Agency.

The StopWaste website currently serves many different audiences such as residents, businesses, schools, and local government agencies, providing resources and information on a wide range of subjects focusing on waste reduction and sustainable practices in Alameda County. Leveraging insights from the strategic communications plan, the selected firm will develop an intuitive website structure with engaging visual elements. This will include wireframes, prototypes, and concepts for responsive design. Although this phase is focused on information architecture, user experience, and theme/template design, there is potential for the scope to include full website development and content migration, depending on the firm’s capabilities and the needs of the Agency.

For project details and submission requirements, please consult the full RFP document.

The deadline for submitting proposals has passed.

Timeline:
Release of RFP: January 31, 2025
Proposals Due: February 28, 2025
Short list Interviews (if needed): Week of March 10, 2025
Notification of Selected Contractors: Week of March 24, 2025

Questions and Answers

Budget & Timeline
Q: What is the anticipated budget range?
A: Budget will be determined based on RFP proposals. Both cost ranges and fixed totals are welcome. Proposals can be structured as hourly rates or milestone-based breakdowns. Project falls under Agency Communications budget.

Q: What is the target timeline?
A: Spring through Winter 2025

Content and Technical Details
Q: Will the site continue using Drupal? What integrations are required?
A: Site will continue using Drupal. No third-party integrations required. Single responsive theme needed. Will launch at .gov domain.  Additional technical details of the current website can be discussed if/when the project moves into the development phase, and can further inform the scope and budget for follow-up work.

Q: What are the current content volumes and functionality?
A: Site manages several thousand nodes and files across 20 content types and 40 views. Small number of custom modules handled internally.

Project Scope

Q: Which domains are included?
A: Only StopWaste.org

Q: What level of content migration assistance is needed?
A: Client will lead content migration and editorial process. May need assistance with process and planning.

Q: Does scope include development?
A: RFP focuses on strategy and visual design. Development will be handled either in-house, by selected contractor after additional scoping and budget negotiations, or through separate RFP.

User Experience

Q: What are the current site's pain points?
A: Disjointed information architecture, outdated structure, cumbersome navigation, rigid content layouts, outdated visual design.

Q: How should different user groups be prioritized?
A: Answering this question is one of the purposes of this project.  We have several diverse audience groups (residents, businesses, schools, government), all of which are looking for answers, or seeking specific information.  Getting them their answers quickly is paramount, as is spreading awareness of the mission of StopWaste.

Accessibility & Language

Q: What are the accessibility and translation requirements?
A: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance required. Machine translation minimum, with some content requiring human-vetted translations.

Process & Stakeholders

Q: Who approves decisions?
A: StopWaste communications team plus key project leads and administrators.

Q: What research exists from strategic communications plan?
A: Process in initial stages; will be major component of website redesign kickoff.

Q: Is there vendor location preference?
A: Seeking vendors with deep industry understanding, and familiarity with the legislative, cultural, and municipal nuances of Alameda County and our local communities.

Q:  What is your ideal process for design approval?
A:  Our internal team is small and responsive, so design iterations and approvals/decisions can be quick.  Number of iterations obviously depends on quality of work.

Q: What are the internal team details?
A: Less than 5 content editors. Training and maintenance handled internally. Content migration primarily internal with some vendor assistance.

Post-Launch Support

Q: What are the maintenance expectations?
A: Maintenance and ongoing operations will be handled in-house.

Brand & Design

Q: Are there brand guidelines?
A: Basic logo, color, and font guidelines will be provided. Open to creative direction.

Q: What level of visual design is needed?
A: High-fidelity, production-ready materials and assets covering all devices and formats for page templates and content layouts.

Analytics

Q: What metrics need tracking?  What metrics do you have?
A: Metrics to be determined during strategy planning. Current analytics data (GA4) will be shared as needed.

Operational Details

Q:  Are there any restrictions or requirements for individuals that are not based in the US to perform the work?  Is your agency flexible around insurance requirements that might not necessarily apply to our organizational setup?
A:  No nationality restrictions.  Insurance requirements may be flexible.