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Vendors must have an active, approved master contract under the SITE program and be approved in the

category or categories listed in the RFO document in order to respond to and RFO. Vendor is responsible for

reading all addenda associated with the RFO.

IT Professional Technical Services

SITE Program

T#:14ATM

Request for Offers (RFO) For Technology Services Issued By

Office of MNIT Services @ Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)

Project Title: MDA Website

Categories: Developer/Programmer (1-3)

Web Application Design & Development (1-3)

Program/Project Management (1)

Seeking a team of up to seven resources from a single vendor. The vendor must be approved in all of the

above categories in order to respond to this RFO. (All proposed resources must fall under the

Developer/Programmer, Web Application Design & Development, and Program/Project Manager categories.

Any resources not identified as one of the above listed categories will not be considered when evaluating a

proposal, and may result in the disqualification of the entire proposal.

Business Need

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) website is a portal to communicate important

information to farmers, agricultural businesses, the general public and employees. Internal and external

feedback received from customers and Stakeholders provided the business justification to support a

complete redesign of the existing MDA website. As demand increases for completely seamless website

experiences, MDA must reevaluate our web strategies to meet these expectations. Having an easy-to-use,

easy to navigate and overall customer-centric website plays a crucial role.

MDA will collaborate with vendor to build a new MDA Website. The final product will be optimized, mobile-

friendly and offer a customer-centric look and feel to make it easier to locate information and the resources

required.

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The new MDA website will be compatible with modern mobile devices, multiple web interfaces (Internet

Explorer, FireFox, Google Chrome, Safari) and will adhere to the Minnesota State Accessibility Standard and

MNIT Branding standards.

The new MDA website should go live on or before June 15, 2018. The website will be hosted on the

Acquia/Drupal platform.

Project Deliverables

1. Project Planning & Kick off

Deliverable: Develop a schedule and timeline of activities for the project; hold kickoff meetings with key

stakeholders to identify project goals, outcomes, and expectations.

2. Strategy Workshop(s): Internal Stakeholders

Deliverable: Conduct strategy workshop(s) with a group of key MDA internal stakeholders. Summarize

the results from this strategy workshop to differentiate true vs. perceived needs.

3. Strategy Workshop(s): External Users

Deliverable: Conduct strategy workshop(s) with up to fifteen (15) individual external stakeholders.

These are members of the public, businesses, and other key external visitors to the MDA website.

Summarize the results from this strategy workshop to differentiate true vs. perceived needs.

4. Card Sort

The card sort process collects user input as a means to categorize and structure website content so it is

intuitive for all the different audience groups using the website. A card sort evaluation helps determine

an Information Architecture, but most importantly it ensures a more user-friendly website.

Deliverable: Develop and conduct card sort processes for the following:

o Two groups of up to ten (10) external users (20 total) will be engaged in a proctored online card

sort process. The first group of ten external users will participate in an “open card sort” while

the second group of ten external users will participate in a “closed card sort”.

o Two groups of up to ten (10) internal users (20 total) will be engaged in a proctored online card

sort process. The first group of ten internal users will participate in an “open card sort” while the

second group of ten internal users will participate in a “closed card sort”.

5. Content Inventory

A content inventory breaks down the content, metadata and associated assets. This searchable

inventory will be utilized in evaluating existing content and developing a new integrated content

strategy.

Deliverable: A searchable content inventory of the existing MDA website in an Excel workbook format.

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6. Information Architecture

Information architecture (IA) focuses on organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and

sustainable way. The goal is to help users find information and complete tasks. To do this, you need to

understand how the pieces fit together to create the larger picture, how items relate to each other

within the system.

Deliverable: Create an Information Architecture document identifying how the site should be structured,

what kind of content it should host, and how to accommodate future growth and change.

7. Sitemap

A sitemap is to determine current user browsing patterns, identify problem areas or areas of confusion

and focus on guiding users to their desired goal.

Deliverable: Create a sitemap which prioritizes content into logical groupings and connects related

information together.

8. Wireframe designs

Wireframes communicate the order, structure, layout, navigation and organization of content, and not

the visual aspects of the design such as imagery, color and typography. Wireframes will also be

designed reflecting a responsive design implementation of the updated Information Architecture.

Deliverable: Create wireframes to illustrate the key content areas and features of each page type.

Wireframes will focus on desktop and mobile wireframes for 5-10 page types.

9. Visual design

The visual design phase of this project is the marrying of the overall page architecture and website goals,

creating the “look and feel” of the user interface.

Deliverable: Create three (3) visual design prototypes for review and feedback from MDA. Once a design is chosen, further refine the design using MDA branding standards, graphics, and images. Up to three (3) rounds of refinement should be provided before the design is considered production ready.

10. Style Guide A style guide documents the general design principles which should be followed. It ensures the site stays consistent year after year. Deliverable: Create an MDA Website Style Guide documenting elements such as the layout, color palette, typography, navigation, html elements, media, assets, and any other important stylistic information.

11. Content Migration Tool

Deliverable: Provide a technology solution which enables MDA users the ability to enter content into a standard format that can be exported easily into the Acquia/Drupal environment.

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12. Website Build Build the new website using the Acquia/Drupal CMS pursuant to the defined functional build specifications. Deliverables:

o Milestone 1 – Creation of data structure and content organization o Milestone 2 – Creation of navigational elements, page templates, layouts, and sub-layouts

(content presentation layer) o Milestone 3 – Build additional templates to accommodate responsive design using Bootstrap,

Skeleton, or a similar framework o Milestone 4 – Adaption, support and adjustments based on unique content needs o Milestone 5 – Integration of existing MDA applications for display and access within the MDA

website including ‘skinning’ of apps with appropriate CSS o Milestone 6 – Set up site search and search templates

13. Testing

Perform functional testing and quality assurance (QA) reviews to ensure that all aspects of the website comply with the wireframes and design standards as defined in the functional build specifications. Perform accessibility compliance testing to ensure the MDA website is compliant with Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 level A and AA. Deliverables:

o Conduct at least three (3) separate functional testing and QA reviews throughout the website build

Testing will include using a variety of browsers (current release and previous two releases)

Chrome

Firefox

IE

Safari

Opera o Development of design and layout practices that include a Disabilities – ADA compliance

checklist and processes o Conduct at least two (2) separate accessibility tests to ensure new designs across the entire

MDA website comply with current 508 and WCAG A and AA compliance standards and requirements.

14. Documentation / Training Create site management guide and Drupal editor documentation, and conduct knowledge transfer training to designated MDA and MNIT staff, including content migration assistance. Deliverables:

o Site management guide documentation detailing site structure security and permissions management and monitoring tools

o Drupal content editor guide documentation detailing style guide content entry tips

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content items – shared / local content types o Training and knowledge transfer

Drupal content editor training site maintenance training site build knowledge transfer

15. Deploy

Deploy the new MDA website to production; and provide stabilization support. Deliverables:

o Launched website

o Post-launch support for two months

Project Milestones and Schedule - to be determined at time of posting

Anticipated Project Start Date: January 16, 2018

Site Go-Live date: on or before June 15, 2018 (this is a hard deadline)

Anticipated Project End Date: August 31, 2018

The State will retain the option to extend the work orders in increments determined by the State.

Proposed schedule:

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Project Environment

The Acquia/Drupal platform will be acquired through a separate contract. That cost does not need to be

accounted for in this request. The vendor for this project is expected to participate in planning and

selected technical sessions with the Acquia/Drupal platform implementation team.

MDA Staff have three implementation teams: Executive team, Content Migration team, and Project

work group team. Members have been identified for each team. In addition, MNIT staff at MDA will be

assigned to assist with various technical project work.

Existing website content will not be automatically migrated to the new site. All site content will go

through a review process for accuracy and plain language. The cost for reviewing content does not need

to be accounted for in this request. The vendor for this project is expected to participate in planning

and selected working sessions.

Project Requirements

The new website must go live on or before June 15, 2018.

Concurrent activities will occur. The vendor should ensure the project team can maintain the required

pace to complete all activities on time.

The new website will meet State of Minnesota Accessibility requirements and branding standards.

Responsibilities Expected of the Selected Vendor

The majority of the work should be performed onsite. On the work plan, indicate work activities not

performed onsite.

Selected deliverables include reports or template files which should be delivered in a format readable by

MDA without the need for any specialized non-standard third-party software.

The vendor is responsible for project management responsibilities of their staff assigned to the project.

The vendor is responsible for providing training/ knowledge transfer to MDA and MNIT staff.

The vendor will provide a weekly project plan report to project team via an agreed-upon method. The

vendor will regularly update the project plan and related documents and present these updates to the

MNIT Project Manager for review and approval.

The vendor Project Manager will meet regularly with the Executive Team to review current deliverables

and provide project status updates. The vendor Project Manager must be available for periodic

presentations/updates to MDA leadership.

Mandatory Qualifications

To be initially scored as pass/fail. Thereafter, proposals that meet the Mandatory Qualifications will be scored

in part on the extent to which the proposal exceeds these mandatory minimums. See Desired Skills and RFO

Evaluation Process, below.

Note: The proposed team must have the following skills/years of experience (combined). All resources submitted

must be at or below the Vendor’s Maximum Hourly Rate for the identified category.

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Proposals that exceed 7 resources will not be considered

Website strategy and/or Group Facilitation experience – 3 years of experience

Acquia and/or Drupal experience – 3 years of experience

Web application development and design – 5 years of experience

CMS configuration experience – 3 years of experience

Web training and documentation experience – 3 years of experience

Project Management experience – 3 years of experience

Desired Skills

Proposals that meet the Mandatory Qualifications will be evaluated in part on the following Desired Skills.

Responder should demonstrate in its proposal the length, depth, and applicability of the proposed team’s

prior experience in the desired skills below.

Experience with content migration processes

Previous relevant work experience and performance

Web development & design for a governmental entity

Process Schedule

Process Milestone Due Date

Deadline for Questions 12/20/2017, 1:00 PM

Anticipated Responses to Questions Posted 12/22/2017

Proposals Due 12/28/2017, 3:00 PM

Anticipated proposal evaluation complete 1/5/2018

Anticipated work order start 1/16/2018

Questions

Any questions regarding this Request for Offers should be submitted via e-mail according to the date and time

listed in the process schedule to:

Name: Roleen Marchetti

Email Address: mnitcontracts@state.mn.us

Questions and answers will be posted via an addendum to the RFO on the Office of MN.IT Services website

according to the process schedule above.

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Other persons ARE NOT authorized to discuss this RFO or its requirements with anyone throughout the selection

process and responders should not rely on information obtained from non-authorized individuals. If it is

discovered a Responder contacted other State staff other than the individual above, the responder’s proposal

may be removed from further consideration.

RFO Evaluation Process

Criteria %

Required Skills and Experience of Team 30%

Desired Skills and Experience of Team 15%

Company Experience 10%

Work Plan Detail 15%

Cost 30%

The State reserves the right to interview any or all proposed teams. In the event interviews are conducted,

technical scores may be adjusted based on additional information derived during the interview process. The

State further reserves the right to remove a proposal from consideration if the team is unavailable for interview

as requested by the State.

Cost Scoring

Lowest cost will be determined by the bottom-line TOTAL PROJECT COST submitted by the Responder. The

Proposal with the lowest cost will receive 100% of the available points. The other Proposals will receive

points using the following formula:

Lowest Cost Proposal

-------------------------------------- x Maximum Points = Points Awarded

Responder’s Cost Proposal

EXAMPLE: (Using 30 points as maximum): If Responder A submitted the lowest cost proposal of $100,000, and Responder B submitted a cost proposal of $117,000, Responder A would receive 30 points and Responder B would receive 25.64 points (100,000.00 ÷ 117,000.00 x 30 = 25.64)

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This Request for Offers does not obligate the state to award a work order or complete the assignment, and

the state reserves the right to cancel the solicitation if it is considered to be in its best interest.

Submission Format

The proposal should be assembled as follows:

1. Cover Page

Master Contractor Name

Master Contractor Address

Contact Name for Master Contractor

Contact Name’s direct phone/cell phone (if applicable)

Contact Name’s email address

Resource(s) Name(s) being submitted

2. Company Background

Core Competencies

Technology Partner Certifications

3. Work Plan

Description of the methodology used

Project Management statement – how will all project artifacts be managed, frequency of status

meetings, project change requests

Milestones and high level tasks, including approximate duration of work

Indication of work activities performed offsite

Each deliverable identified above in the “Project Deliverbales” section and the estimated number of

hours for each resource assigned for the deliverable (do not include any costs in this section)

4. Team Experience:

Complete the response matrix below for each team member who will be working on this project.

Proposals without the years of experience and dates for each team member will be rejected.

Proposals that collectively do not meet the required years of experience for the mandatory

qualifications will be rejected.

RESPONSE MATRIX Resource Name:

Assigned Role For This Project

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RESPONSE MATRIX Resource Name:

MANDATORY QUALIFICATIONS:

(proposed team must have the following

skills/years of experience (combined)

Provide Dates and Company Name where the

resource has demonstrated the qualification; or

identify how the resource meets the requirement

(Yes/No is not sufficient)

Website strategy and/or Group Facilitation

experience - 3 years of experience

Acquia and/or Drupal experience - 3 years of

experience

Web application development and design - 5

years of experience

CMS configuration experience - 3 years of

experience

Web training and documentation experience - 3

years of experience

Project Management experience – 3 years of

experience

Subcontractor or Employee

DESIRED SKILLS: Provide Dates and Company Name where the

resource has demonstrated the skill (Yes/No is not

sufficient)

Experience with content migration processes

Previous relevant work experience and

performance

Web development & design for a government

agency

5. References

Include the name of at least two, but not more than four references who can speak to the vendor’s work

on a similar project. Include the company name and address, reference name, reference email,

reference phone number and a brief description of the project completed.

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6. Cost Proposal

Cost Proposal. Must be in a SEPARATE DOCUMENT and not listed in any other place in your submission. Include a separate document labeled “Cost Proposal” which includes:

o A proposed cost for each of the Deliverables set forth in the Project Deliverables section of this RFO (above). The proposed cost for each Deliverable must be broken down with the name(s) of the resource(s) being submitted, the category that each resource falls under (i.e., Developer/Programmer, Web Application Design and Development, and Program/Project Management), the proposed hourly rate for each resource, and the estimated number of hours that will be required from each resource for completion of the Deliverable.

o A bottom-line TOTAL PROJECT COST for completion of the entire project. (This should be the sum of the costs for the individual Deliverables.)

o The following chart, filled out with the high-level cost information as indicated. (This chart is meant to summarize the Deliverable costs and should not include the breakdown into resource / category / rate / hours as requested above. That information should be provided elsewhere in the Cost Proposal.)

Deliverable Total Cost for Deliverable

Deliverable 1: Project Planning & Kick off

Deliverable 2: Strategy Workshop(s): Internal Stakeholders

Deliverable 3: Strategy Workshop(s): External Stakeholders

Deliverable 4: Card Sort

Deliverable 5: Content Inventory

Deliverable 6: Information Architecture

Deliverable 7: Sitemap

Deliverable 8: Wireframe designs

Deliverable 9: Visual design

Deliverable 10: Style Guide

Deliverable 11: Content Migration Tool

Deliverable 12: Website Build

Deliverable 13: Testing

Deliverable 14: Documentation/Training

Deliverable 15: Deploy

Bottom-Line TOTAL PROJECT COST (sum of all of the above costs for the individual Deliverables)

Costs must be all-inclusive, i.e., any travel or living expenses must be pre-factored into the above costs. Please do not submit cost alternatives or ranges as the State requires singular costs in order to make a fair comparison of costs between the responders. If, despite this directive, cost alternatives or ranges are provided, the State will utilize the highest cost alternative and/or the highest cost in the range for purposes of cost scoring.

7. Additional Statement and forms:

Conflict of interest statement as it relates to this project

Workforce Certificate Information (required if vendor proposal exceeds $100,000, including extension options)

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Equal Pay Certificate (required if vendor proposal exceeds $500,000, including extension options)

Affidavit of non-collusion

Certification Regarding Lobbying (required if vendor proposal exceeds $100,000, including extension options)

The STATE reserves the right to determine if further information is needed to better understand the information

presented. This may include a request for a presentation.

Proposal Submission Instructions

Vendor is proposing a team of resources to achieve the desired objectives of the project. The Work Plan

must indicate each team member, their role, and their estimated number of hours of work.

Response Information: The resume(s) and required forms must be transmitted via e-mail to

o Roleen Marchetti at mnitcontracts@state.mn.us

o Email subject line should read: RFO0308 - MDA Website Proposal Response

Submissions are due according to the process schedule previously listed.

All responses are time and date stamped by the State’s email system when they are received.

Responses received after Proposals Due Date above will not be considered. The State shall not be

responsible for any errors or delays caused by technology-related issues, even if they are caused by the

State.

Vendor must copy MNIT.SITE@state.mn.us on any responses submitted for this RFO. Vendors that do

not intend to submit a proposal must send an email notification of a no-bid on the request to

MNIT.SITE@state.mn.us. Failure to do either of these tasks will count against your program activity and

may result in removal from the program.

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General Requirements

Proposal Contents

By submission of a proposal, Responder warrants that the information provided is true, correct and reliable for

purposes of evaluation for potential award of this work order. The submission of inaccurate or misleading

information may be grounds for disqualification from the award as well as subject the responder to suspension

or debarment proceedings as well as other remedies available by law.

Liability

In the performance of this contract by Contractor, or Contractor’s agents or employees, the contractor must

indemnify, save, and hold harmless the State, its agents, and employees, from any claims or causes of action,

including attorney’s fees incurred by the state, to the extent caused by Contractor’s:

1) Intentional, willful, or negligent acts or omissions; or 2) Actions that give rise to strict liability; or 3) Breach of contract or warranty.

The indemnification obligations of this section do not apply in the event the claim or cause of action is the result

of the State’s sole negligence. This clause will not be construed to bar any legal remedies the Contractor may

have for the State’s failure to fulfill its obligation under this contract.

Disposition of Responses

All materials submitted in response to this RFO will become property of the State and will become public record

in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 13.591, after the evaluation process is completed. Pursuant to

the statute, completion of the evaluation process occurs when the government entity has completed

negotiating the contract with the selected vendor. If the Responder submits information in response to this RFO

that it believes to be trade secret materials, as defined by the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Minn.

Stat. § 13.37, the Responder must: clearly mark all trade secret materials in its response at the time the

response is submitted, include a statement with its response justifying the trade secret designation for each

item, and defend any action seeking release of the materials it believes to be trade secret, and indemnify and

hold harmless the State, its agents and employees, from any judgments or damages awarded against the State

in favor of the party requesting the materials, and any and all costs connected with that defense. This

indemnification survives the State’s award of a contract. In submitting a response to this RFO, the Responder

agrees that this indemnification survives as long as the trade secret materials are in possession of the State.

The State will not consider the prices submitted by the Responder to be proprietary or trade secret materials.

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Conflicts of Interest

Responder must provide a list of all entities with which it has relationships that create, or appear to create, a

conflict of interest with the work that is contemplated in this request for proposals. The list should indicate the

name of the entity, the relationship, and a discussion of the conflict.

The responder warrants that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, and except as otherwise disclosed, there

are no relevant facts or circumstances which could give rise to organizational conflicts of interest. An

organizational conflict of interest exists when, because of existing or planned activities or because of

relationships with other persons, a vendor is unable or potentially unable to render impartial assistance or

advice to the State, or the vendor’s objectivity in performing the contract work is or might be otherwise

impaired, or the vendor has an unfair competitive advantage. The responder agrees that, if after award, an

organizational conflict of interest is discovered, an immediate and full disclosure in writing must be made to the

Assistant Director of the Department of Administration’s Office of State Procurement (“OSP”) which must

include a description of the action which the contractor has taken or proposes to take to avoid or mitigate such

conflicts. If an organization conflict of interest is determined to exist, the State may, at its discretion, cancel the

contract. In the event the responder was aware of an organizational conflict of interest prior to the award of the

contract and did not disclose the conflict to OSP, the State may terminate the contract for default. The

provisions of this clause must be included in all subcontracts for work to be performed similar to the service

provided by the prime contractor, and the terms “contract,” “contractor,” and “contracting officer” modified

appropriately to preserve the State’s rights.

IT Accessibility Standards

All documents and other work products delivered by the vendor must be accessible in order to conform with the

State Accessibility Standard. Information about the Standard can be found at

http://mn.gov/mnit/programs/policies/accessibility/.

Veteran-Owned Small Business Preference

Unless a greater preference is applicable and allowed by law, in accordance with Minn. Stat. § 16C.16, subd. 6a,

the Commissioner of Administration will award a 6% preference in the amount bid on state procurement to

certified small businesses that are majority owned and operated by veterans.

A small business qualifies for the veteran-owned preference when it meets one of the following requirements.

1) The business has been certified by the Department of Administration/Office of State Procurement as being a

veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business. 2) The principal place of business is in

Minnesota AND the United States Department of Veterans Affairs verifies the business as being a veteran-

owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business under Public Law 109-461 and Code of Federal

Regulations, title 38, part 74 (Supported By Documentation). See Minn. Stat. § 16C.19(d).

Statutory requirements and certification must be met by the solicitation response due date and time to be

awarded the preference.

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Work Force Certification

For all contracts estimated to be in excess of $100,000, responders are required to complete the Affirmative

Action Certificate of Compliance and return it with the response. As required by Minnesota Rule 5000.3600, “It

is hereby agreed between the parties that Minnesota Statute § 363A.36 and Minnesota Rule 5000.3400 -

5000.3600 are incorporated into any contract between these parties based upon this specification or any

modification of it. A copy of Minnesota Statute § 363A.36 and Minnesota Rule 5000.3400 - 5000.3600 are

available upon request from the contracting agency.”

Equal Pay Certification

If the Response to this solicitation could be in excess of $500,000, the Responder must obtain an Equal Pay

Certificate from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) or claim an exemption prior to contract

execution. A responder is exempt if it has not employed more than 40 full-time employees on any single

working day in one state during the previous 12 months. Please contact MDHR with questions at: 651-539-1095

(metro), 1-800-657-3704 (toll free), 711 or 1-800-627-3529 (MN Relay) or at compliance.MDHR@state.mn.us.

Certification of Nondiscrimination (In accordance with Minn. Stat. § 16C.053)

The following term applies to any contract for which the value, including all extensions, is $50,000 or more:

Contractor certifies it does not engage in and has no present plans to engage in discrimination against Israel, or

against persons or entities doing business in Israel, when making decisions related to the operation of the

vendor's business. For purposes of this section, "discrimination" includes but is not limited to engaging in

refusals to deal, terminating business activities, or other actions that are intended to limit commercial relations

with Israel, or persons or entities doing business in Israel, when such actions are taken in a manner that in any

way discriminates on the basis of nationality or national origin and is not based on a valid business reason.