The vendor required to provide website services to assist with meeting its community engagement goals through implementing an intuitive, easily maintained and engagingly informative website that is ADA- and WCAG compliant.
- Website platform should include but is not limited to the following capabilities:
• Browser-based CMS accessible without special software.
• Simple WYSIWYG tools enabling staff to update pages easily, while preventing edits that may affect site performance or functionality.
• Role-based permissions supporting different levels of staff access.
• Version history and rollback capabilities.
• Ability, if needed, to link to third-party applications and to municipal, state, or commercial websites.
• Clearly accessible website-usage metrics, including at minimum those with an ability to download the information in either excel, MS word, or another editable format.
• Support for structured content templates to promote consistency across departments and committees.
- Content management system (CMS)
1. Accessibility standards
• Full ADA and WCAG 2.2 compliance, and WCAG 3.0 compliance if released before project completion.
• Final website must report zero ADA and WCAG errors when evaluated by audio-eye, user-way, or equivalent tools.
• Support for automated accessibility checking within the CMS editing interface.
2. Design and usability
• Mobile-responsive design that provides full functionality across phones, tablets, and desktops.
• Clear, intuitive navigation and effective, intelligent search tools.
• Branding consistent with the town’s identity.
• Page layouts that ensure left-hand navigation menus persist for departments and committees, with content displayed in a clearly legible main viewing area.
- Resident services and transactions
• Links to existing 3rd party software, including Uni-pay, permit applications package, package used by station.
• Support for residents to submit service requests; concerns and comments; or emergency situations such as toxic substance spills
• Support for town to generate push notifications and emergency alerts.
• Optimally a single push notification would communicate with the town Facebook page, generate a notice on the town website, and generate email and text notices for all residents signed up for such notices.
• This push notification system would have tracking of all edits.
- GIS integration
• Ability to embed read-only ArcGIS or other GIS data layers, including assessors’ property maps and multi-layered stormwater and sanitary sewer maps.
• Interactive map features (zoom, layers, search).
• Capacity and ability for future expansion of map-based resident tools (e.g., plow routes, construction zones, tree inventory).
- Meetings and public records access
• Integration with my town government for agendas, minutes, and meeting schedules.
• Preferably includes reminders and notifications.
• Document center with search, filtering, and archival capability.
• Optional but desirable: public records request functionality.
• Support for video or embedded meeting recordings when available.
- Resident engagement tools
• Subscription services (“notify me” or equivalent) enabling alerts about updates (news, emergency notifications, calendars, board updates).
• Email/SMS integration for push notifications.
• Social media integration with Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms.
• The exception will be the snapchat or similar social media platforms that do not have indefinite retention times.
• FAQ page with searchable topics.
• Clear left-navigation menus for department pages, with content displayed in a main right-hand field.
• Ability for community members to submit urgent safety or code-violation concerns.
• Availability of optional modules that support engagement dashboards, surveys, polls, or participatory decision-making tools.
- Additional suggested enhancements
• Proposers are welcome to recommend additional features or enhancements not listed above that could improve accessibility, resident engagement, or user satisfaction.
• Any such items must be clearly identified, described, and priced separately.
• Proposers may also suggest cost-reducing alternatives, each accompanied by a note describing how the substitution might affect resident engagement or functionality.
- Budget: $26,000
- Contract Period/Term: 2 years
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: February 5, 2025
