Website Services

The vendor is required to provide from qualified vendors for the architecture, design, development, migration, troubleshooting and hosting of its municipal website.
- Base requirements:
1. Usability on all web-enabled devices
• Our website should prioritize usability and accessibility.
• The base layout or navigation of a page should not change drastically when switching from a desktop computer to a mobile device.
• Web content editors should not have to understand or account for reflow in order to create and maintain web pages.
2. Accessibility
• Vendor conforms to the most recently adopted version of web content accessibility guidelines
• Vendor must communicate all accessibility related updates at least 48 hours before implementation, when possible, and shall not implement said updates without the consent of the town unless said update is necessary to maintain the website’s functionality.
3. Security and reliability
• Our website must be hosted in the country a physically secure facility with immutable, off-site, air-gapped backup.
• Network security and monitoring must meet current best practices for the prevention of intrusion, denial-of-service attacks, and other efforts to corrupt our website or render it unusable
• The login process must follow current best practices for passwords. operating system and web framework updates must be timely, and be tested before being installed on our website environment.
• Updates must be able to be rolled back if they negatively impact our website.
- Design and layout
1. User-first design
• A user-first design that is clean, organized, and easily customizable to fit the needs of individual departments, programs, and services.
o We would like the overall design to convey a modern and professional aesthetic while still reflecting our community's historical significance.
o We’d like to prioritize professionalism, reliability, and efficiency.
2. Mobile editing preview
• The ability to preview and/or edit the mobile layout of a page.
o Web editors should not need to worry about how content will translate from desktop to mobile.
o The website should be able to seamlessly adapt to a mobile layout without formatting or accessibility issues.
o Web editors should also be able to view and edit mobile layouts separately from the desktop layout.
3. Responsive page layouts
• Page layouts should be responsive to all screen sizes, not just mobile devices.
• Our current page layout will appear differently when viewed on a smaller computer screen, such as a laptop.
• Buttons, text, containers, images, and general page formatting should be able to adapt to varying screen sizes without compromising formatting or accessibility.
4. Custom html and CSS access
• The ability to access the html and CSS of the page, not just the code within a specific widget (such as a text editor, custom html, or embed).
• This will enable us to identify and potentially resolve any design or accessibility issues that arise as we become familiar with the site and understand how it can best serve our staff and residents.
5. Comprehensive training
• We require comprehensive training on the design capabilities available to us at launch, easily accessible materials for reference, and dedicated staff members who can provide further assistance if necessary.
• Extensive training is required for administrators, but additional training sessions or material may be beneficial for lower-tier web editors.
- Accessibility
1. WCAG 2.2 aa compliance
a. Identification & remediation
• Accessibility issues that require manual remediation are automatically identified when page edits are saved. (i.e., missing alt-text on images, color contrast ratios, incorrect heading structure, inappropriately stylized text)
b. Style choice restrictions
• The ability to limit the style choices presented to web editors based on their level of access to the website (i.e., specific widgets, font size, style, color, etc.)
c. Front-end customization
• Front-end users should be able to customize the appearance and functionality of the website to accommodate any potential disability or other accessibility-related factor, including the ability to increase font size, pause animations and videos, adjust contrast, highlight links, hide images, and customize cursor size (e.g., dyslexia-friendly settings).
d. Content archive
• Create and maintain a content archive according to the standards outlined in the previously referenced DOJ ruling.
• This archive must be publicly accessible.
2. Alternative text for photos
• We need to maintain the ability to add alternative text for photos and images added to our website’s content center.
• Alternative text should remain attached to the image unless a backend user alters it.
• If a photo or image is uploaded to the content center without alternative text, an alert message will notify the user attempting the upload, and system admins will be alerted to its absence if the user completes an upload without alternative text.
- Content migration and management
1. Migration of existing content
• We will require a considerable amount of content, including pages, documents, and images, to be migrated from our current site to the new site.
• We will happily work with the chosen vendor to reduce our current inventory of content to a more manageable level.
o At the time of publication, we have:
a. Approximately 1,600 pages (published, drafts, hidden, linked)
b. Approximately 8,500 documents (pdf, jpg, PNG, etc.)
2. Content management & organization
• Once migrated to a new site, we would like to have the ability to manage that content easily and efficiently, ensuring the back end of our website remains clean and organized.
• This includes the ability to create folders and subfolders both during and after the initial migration.
- Roles and permissions
1. Current permissions
• Our current permissions structure is confusing, inefficient, and underutilized. back-end users can be classified into three categories: authors, publishers, and owners.
• The structure may have worked had it been implemented properly; however, of our 60+ staff members who are registered back-end users, all but two are owners, which grants them access to create, publish, and delete content on any page for which they have owner permissions.
2. Desired permission structure
• Our desired permission structure would be tiered based on individual circumstances (e.g., employee experience, page content, department structure), allowing for a top-down supervisory approach to ensure that all content published to the website has at least two sets of eyes on it unless circumstances dictate otherwise.
• Permissions and roles could be customized based on departmental needs, the user's technological capabilities, or other circumstances that would require restricted permissions.
• The permission structure does not need to be fixed at launch but should be available in some form to administrative users.
3. Front-end permissions
• We currently offer a range of services that require users to sign in to the website for full access.
• We would like to maintain this functionality, but we would also love to explore other “front-end” features exclusive to account holders.
• We also desire the ability to have secure web pages that can only be accessed by users from specific front-end groups.
• For example, we currently have a front-end group for the pickleball league, and only users added to this group can access the page with the league’s scheduling form.
• Such secure web pages would ideally be set up so that we can create or add to front-end user groups without manually adding each member.
- Other
1. Bid management
• Bid management that meets state regulations, including posting, managing prospective bids, emailing prospective bidders, posting addenda, and announcing the bid winner.
2. Agendas and minutes posting
• Ability to efficiently and properly post public meeting agendas, agenda packets, and minutes. we currently utilize peak agenda for our agenda management.
3. Compatibility with other vendors
• Our website must remain compatible with all existing external vendors contracted by the town, including, but not limited to, SeeClickFix, Laserfiche, OpenGov, and JotForm.
• This includes the ability to embed content from these and other external sites into our pages.
4. Incorporation of artificial intelligence technology
• As the use and capabilities of artificial intelligence grow exponentially, it’s essential for the town of stay informed about how, where, and when this technology can be safely and efficiently incorporated into our web experience.
• Examples of use cases include, but are not limited to, improved search functionality, program and event recommendation, and live updates on traffic, building closures, and other impacts on municipal services.
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: April 28, 2025