Web Portal Program

The Vendor is required to provide web portal program.
- The selected vendor will be responsible for overseeing several services associated with the web portal, including:
- provide support and maintenance of government solutions and modification of existing services, in accordance with the applicable sow
- Managing payment processing and maintaining the system for efficient use.
- Configure, construct, deploy, and maintain the system for efficient and effective use in state
- Provide system updates and technical support to the state
- Manage the system in the contractor’s hosting environment
- Ensure that all state provided content, including documents and media, can be easily surfaced via API for access by other state systems for additional archiving and delivery on other platforms.
- Provide support and maintenance of government solutions and modification of existing services, in accordance with the applicable sow. existing services are subject to change and currently estimated as:
o115 state of state websites
o160,000 standard webpages
o130,748 pdfs
o464 state of state web forms
o32 digital applications
• Must support and may provide payment processing services;
• Configure, construct, deploy, and maintain the system for efficient and effective use in state;
• Provide system updates and technical support to the state;
• Manage the system in the contractor’s hosting environment.
- Provide a hosting environment capable of housing all State Web sites.
- Contractor may provide and must support a Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant financial transaction service.
- Contractor will develop new government services by implementing designs, vetted and prioritized by the state Web Services Director.
- The design strategy for all such services will be for the state business process owner to work with the
Office of the Director of Web Services and the vendor through a series of workshops to produce:
• A basic design based on interpreting the business process for online implementation
• A specific design indicating page layout and functionality
• A step-by-step description of all functionalities of the service
• A final state for the requirements
• A change management strategy
- Provider must seamlessly integrate external tools and embeds, allowing agencies to embed any media format on their websites without restrictions. The provider must ensure compatibility with a variety of third-party services, enabling effortless functionality.
- The system must include a state-of-the-art search feature available from every page.
- System availability will be governed by a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with appropriate penalties for failure to meet uptime requirements.
- Data and Application Management
• The State will retain ownership of all data and software, including source code, when the contract is terminated, for any valid reason such as contract expiration or violation of contract terms.
• Contractor must provide for management of data and definition of interfaces to and from agency applications.
• Contractor must ensure compliance with all applicable statutes, regulations, rules, policies, and other restrictions regarding data collection use and other data rights for each of the state's agencies.
• Different agencies may have unique legal requirements, and the contractor must take responsibility for understanding and adhering to these statutes in all data collection practices.
• Contractor will be required to create a system that is not browser or platform specific.
• Contractor will be required to create, document, and test backup, site restoration, and disaster recovery procedures.
• Contractor will be required to engineer their system, including the hardware and software platform and communications links to state servers that meets the state’s service level agreements; interoperability using the state’s evolving information technology standards is critical.
• Contractor must provide a plan for expansion of the platform to accommodate growth in data and applications.
• Contractor must incorporate the business-critical online applications already in use into the portal system.
• Contractor will develop a plan to assure agreed on uptime (99.9% of the time, calculated weekly) of business-critical applications and websites with provision for penalties if uptime targets are missed. - The contractor will design a user interface (UI) for the portal system that meets the following criteria:
• Editor usability: the UI must easy to use by state staff and content managers who may have limited experience with web development or management; it must include an intuitive backend editor to allow users to easily create, edit, and manage content without requiring technical skills; the system should also offer simple, accessible tutorials and help menus to guide non-technical users through the process of managing the site.
• Frontend user experience: the UI must provide state websites that are intuitive and easy to navigate, particularly for state residents who are not tech-savvy; information and services should be organized in a way that allows users to quickly and easily find what they need, with minimal effort; navigation should follow familiar web standards, and the design should emphasize simplicity and clarity to ensure users can efficiently access government services and information.
• Compliance and accessibility: the UI will adhere to all state web policies and comply with evolving federal mandates for accessibility, aligning with WCAG guidelines to ensure all users, including those with disabilities, can navigate and interact with the websites easily.
• Consistency across platforms: the UI must be consistent across all services and platforms, ensuring a seamless user experience on all devices, whether accessed on a desktop, tablet, or mobile phone.
• Search functionality: the system will feature a user-friendly search engine that allows for natural language keyword searches, making it easier for users to find relevant content without needing to know specific terms or categories.

- Contract Period/Term: 3 years