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RFO#0172
SITE RFO Template
Rev. 3/16
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
Minnesota IT Services @ Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
Project Title: Minnesota Department of Health User Experience and Website Redesign
Category: Web Application Design & Development
**The vendor selected for this RFO will be prohibited from responding to any future solicitations for
the build of the MDH website.
Seeking a team of resources to fulfill the project deliverables – vendor must be able to provide a full
team of resources necessary to complete the project deliverables in order to respond.
Business Need The Office of MN.IT Services @ MDH is requesting proposals to develop a content strategy and a
conceptual design plan for the MDH website that focuses on the user interface and meets the needs of
all website visitors. The plan will define the content structure, functionality, navigation, usability,
branding and design necessary to best serve the public’s needs and uses for a new website. We are
looking for a user experience vendor team of 3-5 members to work on this project.
An important part of implementing MDH’s commitment to improving user experience is to implement a
content management system (CMS). A clear content strategy and fresh design are needed before
building the new website and populating the CMS. The MDH website will be current, credible, accurate,
strategic and designed to meet specific user objectives. It must be easy to navigate, visually appealing,
written in plain language, always available, responsive and accessible. The security of the website and
the CMS are also important design considerations.
In addition to improving usability and creating a new ‘look and feel’, the MDH website design plan will
provide a content strategy and conceptual design plan that addresses user experience and the identified
needs of MDH website audiences. This conceptual design must emphasize usability, accessibility and
responsiveness as the website is the primary communication vehicle for the department.
Work completed by the user experience vendor team as part of this project will not include building the
new website, nor technical design or infrastructure required to support the new website. This proposal
will not determine which content management system will be used.
The user experience vendor team will also provide consulting and professional services during the Execution Stage of the project. The scope will be based on the content strategy and conceptual design deliverables. These services will be provided to the website implementation vendor and the project team in support of a prototype of the new website and CMS.
The vendor selected for this RFO will be prohibited from responding to any future solicitations for the build of the MDH website.
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Background The MDH website provides an authoritative source of public health information for a wide range of
audiences, including the general public, medical professionals, public health professionals, policymakers,
and regulated entities. The site receives more than 500,000 visits each month (nearly 400,000 new
visitors and 150,000 returning visitors). MDH web visitors are looking for disease information, health
care provider information, birth and death records and environmental information.
The website was last redesigned in 2010, and user needs have changed. Challenges include outdated content, inconsistent and confusing navigation, difficulty viewing on mobile devices, limited use of photos and video, outdated design and the lack of a CMS.
Project Considerations
MDH will make the following resources available to the vendor for assistance in completing the project
deliverables outlined below:
User feedback and analytics that have already been compiled to identify users’ key needs
and purposes.
Previously developed user personas and use cases.
Relevant MDH and State of Minnesota policies, standards and guidelines.
Additional review and evaluation (i.e. user testing, focus groups, surveys, card sorting, etc.) may need to
be completed by the selected vendor to complete deliverables.
All content strategy and design plan deliverables for the site should take the following into account:
User needs.
Web design best practices.
Responsive design layouts.
All relevant functionality and content areas of the current site.
Scalability for new and anticipated growth of information, services and e-government functions.
Encouragement of public engagement through social media or other approaches of interactivity with our audiences.
Visually appealing with a mix of text, photos and graphics.
Project Deliverables
1. Content Strategy Deliverables a. Document business and usability requirements needed for content strategy and design as
identified by information gathering from MDH divisions and leadership. This will be delivered and approved before work on the content and design plans begins.
b. Provide a content strategy document that includes: i. Content hierarchies, which must include (at a minimum):
1. Global navigation menu. 2. Sub-navigation menus strategy. 3. A taxonomy that can be used throughout sub-sites (for instance, for
titles, subheads and other standard content areas). ii. A detailed site or content map that shows proposed structure and content types
and how they relate to one another. iii. Content style guide, which includes (at a minimum): recommended writing
style, tone, voice and provide examples of page titles, subheads and other
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content types that follow the writing and visual recommendations. This guide should also take into account responsive design and social media interaction.
iv. Recommended approach for presenting content in a user-centered point of view instead of the organizational and topic structure of the current site.
v. Recommended approach for providing new or “breaking news” content as well as reference, or historical, content that must remain available on the site.
vi. Recommend an approach for promoting engagement with users through the website itself and through MDH’s social media sites.
vii. Recommended approach for collecting feedback and other data from users. viii. Recommended approach for integrating web applications.
2. Design Deliverables a. Develop three different design concepts that include:
i. Concepts for the homepage, any major sublevel pages, typical content pages, a
form, search results and a data search page (for example the flu shot clinic look
up page).
ii. Must include concepts for each level of site navigation.
iii. Must follow Minnesota state branding guidelines.
b. Conduct usability tests on paper or through interactive prototyping on the chosen conceptual
design with internal and external user groups to ensure that the design is usable and acceptable
to the user base.
c. Include design mock ups with descriptions, or show using a prototype, the behaviors of the
design elements, how each of the elements work together, would be accessible, and would
respond to mobile devices.
d. Develop a design style guide or pattern library based on the design concept chosen, this should
include:
i. Page title and header styles. ii. Content element styles such as: tables, lists, expand/collapse areas, etc. that
might be used. iii. Show design changes needed as related to responsive design. iv. Provide Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for the styles provided in the style
guide/pattern library. v. Refer to Minnesota State branding guidelines for guidance.
e. Provide final design assets in a file format specified by MDH. 3. Technology recommendations
a. Compile a list of recommended optional/modular features, e.g. calendaring and plug-ins (social media, etc.).
4. Planning a. Provide consulting and professional services to adapt the content strategy and conceptual
design plan deliverables for a prototype of the new website and CMS during the Execution Stage of the project.
5. Project Management a. Produce and maintain a project management plan with work plan, milestones and work
breakdown structures, budget estimates and actuals. b. Provide weekly reports on milestones, work plan progress, to-date costs, and exceptions. c. Provide documented rights of ownership of all deliverables to MDH.
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.
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The vendor Web Application Lead will meet weekly with the MNIT Project Manager, MDH Business
Leader, and MDH Communications Manager to review current deliverables and provide project status
updates. The vendor Web Application Lead must be available for periodic presentations/updates to
MDH leadership.
Audience research and engagement of MDH leadership will be at the discretion of MDH.
Project Milestones and Schedule The estimated project duration is 20 weeks, starting on the date of the project kickoff. The duration is
based on time allotted for each of the milestones listed below. Responders can make recommendations
on the timeline.
1. Project start date (to be determined)
2. Milestones
a. Project kickoff
b. Discovery/Research activities complete (requirements deliverable)
c. Content strategy documents complete
d. Design documents complete
e. Review and testing of content strategy and design documents
f. Acceptance of content strategy and design documents
g. Project close
3. Project end date (Project kickoff date + 20 weeks)
Project Environment The engagement will involve approximately 8-9 team members from MDH, MNIT Enterprise Services
and MNIT partnering with MDH. The assigned roles are listed below.
MDH Team
In the proposal the vendor will provide a listing of project roles, associated tasks and resource
availability as described in the Work Plan section of this document.
Project Role
Project Sponsor
Business Leader
Communications Manager
MDH Web Manager
MNIT Project Manager
IT Resource Manager
Development Manager
Business & Quality Assurance Analyst
Accessibility Analyst
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Project Requirements The following items are organization implementation requirements for this project:
Compliance with the Statewide Enterprise Architecture.
Complies with MNIT security policies and standards.
Compliance with statewide project management methodology.
Compliance with applicable industry/organization standards.
Design layouts meet State and MDH branding guidelines.
Adheres to MDH web standards, Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility guidelines.
Responsibilities Expected of the Selected Vendor In addition to the project deliverables listed above, these are some vendor responsibilities:
Provide a Web Application Lead, who will report to the MNIT Project Manager.
o Main point of contact for questions and information
o Coordinate resources & schedules
o Report on deliverables, budget and schedule
o Present engagement deliverables to MNIT project team
A project work plan will be provided in the vendor response to the RFO.
A structured change management process will be used for all changes.
Staff is available for scheduling to meet project schedule.
Appropriate training and knowledge transfer will be provided.
Vendor will provide a testing plan and list of acceptance criteria.
Mandatory Vendor Qualifications (to be initially scored as pass/fail. Thereafter, proposals where the
vendor meets the Mandatory Qualifications will be scored in part on the extent to which the vendor
exceeds these mandatory minimums. See RFO Evaluation Process, below.)
Please provide the requested information for the criteria listed below:
Vendor must propose hourly rates for each resource that do not exceed vendor’s Maximum
Hourly Rate for the Web Application Design & Development. (See Cost Proposal instructions,
below.)
Vendor must have a minimum of five years of experience, within the past 8 years providing
audience research, usability and user interface design.
Vendor must have a minimum of three user experience projects successfully completed in the
past two years with sites servicing multiple personas.
Vendor must have experience working on a minimum of two website projects with
governmental or non-profit agencies whose sites have more than 5000 pages and multiple topic
areas.
Vendor must have a minimum of five years’ experience creating site navigation, site maps,
information architecture and content strategy.
Vendor must have a minimum of five years’ experience with responsive design.
Vendor must have a minimum of two years’ experience designing accessible content for
websites.
Vendor must have a minimum of five years’ experience conducting usability tests.
Vendor must have a minimum of five years’ experience with graphic design and branding.
Desired Skills of the Vendor
Experience with web security protocols for CMS.
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Process Schedule
Process Milestone Due Date
Deadline for Questions Wednesday, February 15, 2017; 2:00 PM CT
Anticipated Responses to Questions Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Proposals Due Monday, February 27, 2017; 2:00 PM CT
Anticipated proposal evaluation complete Friday, March 24, 2017
Anticipated work order start Monday, April 3, 2017
Questions Any questions regarding this Request for Offers should be submitted via email according to the date and
time listed in the process schedule to:
Name: Leah Wilhelmy
Organization: Minnesota IT Services
Email Address: [email protected]
Questions and answers will be posted via an addendum to the RFO on the Office of MNIT Services
website (http://mn.gov/buyit/14atm/rfo/active.html) according to the process schedule above.
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 The categories and criteria to be used in the scoring, and each category’s weighted value, are listed
below for evaluation of Vendor proposals:
Vendor’s Mandatory Qualifications score (40%)
Vendor’s Desired Qualifications (5%)
Narrative describing the proposer’s understanding of the project (5%)
Project Role Availability and experience/training/level of competency of resources as listed in
Vendor’s Work Plan Section 4.b (10%)
Level of detail provided in the Work Plan (10%)
Cost (30%)
All responses received will be reviewed by the State. Proposals will first be reviewed for responsiveness
to determine if the minimum requirements have been met. Proposals that fail to meet minimum
requirements will not advance to the next phase of the evaluation.
The State reserves the right to interview any or all vendors. In the event interviews are conducted,
technical scores may be adjusted based on additional information derived during the interview process.
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The State further reserves the right to remove a vendor from consideration if the vendor is unavailable
for interview as requested by the State.
The State also reserves the right to contact the vendor’s references and to adjust the technical scores
based on additional information derived from the reference checks.
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.
The organization reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.
Submission Format The proposal must include the following:
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
2. Narrative describing the proposer’s understanding of the project Provide a narrative describing the proposer’s understanding of the objectives, goals and tasks to demonstrate the responder's understanding of the work required for this project.
3. Experience a. Describe the firm, its capabilities and its experiences in providing audience research, usability
and user interface design. Include a company profile, length of time in business, core
competencies and an explanation of the proposer’s business model. Include the percent of total
revenue derived from website development.
b. Please complete the mandatory qualifications matrix below and include in your proposal. If
pass/fail requirements are not met, further scoring of the proposal will be discontinued.
c. An outline of the proposer’s background and experience with examples of similar work done and experience working with public health or similar governmental or non-profit agencies. Include the name of each project, a brief description of the project, how user experience information was gathered and incorporated into the web design, the year it was completed/will be completed and the cost of the project. Include the URLs for the sites.
d. Include a list of personnel, and their assigned role, who will conduct the project, detailing their training, work experience and current competency level (intermediate, advanced, or expert). Resumes or other information about project personnel should not contain personal telephone numbers, home addresses or home email addresses. If part of the service will require the use of sub-contractors, identify the contractors, their capabilities and their experiences.
e. Provide current reference information for a minimum of three former or current clients, including the name, address, phone number and email for each.
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VENDOR RESPONSE MATRIX
MANDATORY QUALIFICATIONS:
Provide Dates and Company Name
Vendor must have a minimum of five years
of experience, within the past 8 years,
providing audience research, usability and
user interface design.
Vendor must have a minimum of three user
experience projects successfully completed
in the past two years with sites servicing
multiple personas.
Vendor must have experience working on a
minimum of two (2) website projects with
governmental or non-profit agencies whose
sites have more than 5000 pages and
multiple topic areas.
Vendor must have a minimum of five (5)
years’ experience creating site navigation,
site maps, information architecture and
content strategy.
Vendor must have a minimum of five (5)
years’ experience working with responsive
design.
Vendor must have minimum of two (2) years’ experience designing accessible content for websites.
Vendor must have a minimum of five (5) years’ experience conducting usability tests.
Vendor must have a minimum of five (5) years’ experience with graphic design and branding.
DESIRED SKILLS:
Provide Dates and Company Name
Experience with web security protocols for
CMS.
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4. Work Plan
a. A detailed work plan that identifies the major tasks to be accomplished, completion dates
and time estimates. This work plan will be used as a scheduling and managing tool. Cost should not be included in this document
b. Provide a staffing plan that lists the project roles, descriptions of each role’s responsibility and the number of hours per week they are available for the duration of the project.
c. Provide a description of the proposer’s process for gathering user feedback that will guide site design.
d. Provide a description of the proposer’s approach to usability testing of conceptual designs.
5. Cost Proposal
Provide a line-item budget and budget justification. Include a separate document labeled “[Vendor
Name], RFO0172, COST PROPOSAL” which includes the name of each resource being submitted and
their corresponding proposed hourly rate. The cost proposal must be submitted as a separate
document and not included in any other place in the submission.
State the total price of the proposed services. Include estimated number of hours and rate per hour broken down by resource(s) for each of the deliverables identified above.
6. Additional Statement and forms:
1. Conflict of interest statement as it relates to this project
2. Affirmative Action Certificate of Compliance (required if vendor proposal exceeds $100,000, including extension options)
3. Equal Pay Certificate (required if vendor proposal exceeds $500,000, including extension options)
4. Affidavit of non-collusion
5. 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 limited to submission of 1 proposal in response to the Request for Offers
Response Information: The proposal and required forms must be transmitted via e-mail to:
o Email subject line must read: Vendor Name, RFO0172, UX Vendor Proposal, LJW
Cost must be submitted in a separate attachment with the attachment titled as follow:
“[Vendor Name], RFO0172, COST PROPOSAL”
o Cost should be submitted according to the following:
Provide the hourly cost of each project role being offered for this project.
Provide a TOTAL overall amount for the entire project for all years.
o Do NOT include cost in the body of the resume or email.
Submissions are due according to the process schedule previously listed.
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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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. Failure to do either of these tasks will count against your
program activity and may result in removal from the program.
Please proofread your offering to ensure it references this posting only, that you have included all the
required documents, and that the readers of the proposal can easily discern your qualifications.
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.
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The State will not consider the prices submitted by the Responder to be proprietary or trade secret
materials.
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/.
Preference to Targeted Group and Economically Disadvantaged Business and Individuals
In accordance with Minnesota Rules, part 1230.1810, subpart B and Minnesota Rules, part 1230.1830,
certified Targeted Group Businesses and individuals submitting proposals as prime contractors will
receive a six percent preference in the evaluation of their proposal, and certified Economically
Disadvantaged Businesses and individuals submitting proposals as prime contractors will receive a six
percent preference in the evaluation of their proposal. Eligible TG businesses must be currently certified
by the Office of State Procurement prior to the solicitation opening date and time. For information
regarding certification, contact the Office of State Procurement Helpline at 651.296.2600, or you may
reach the Helpline by email at [email protected]. For TTY/TDD communications, contact the
Helpline through the Minnesota Relay Services at 1.800.627.3529.
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
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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.
Foreign Outsourcing of Work Prohibited
All services under this contract shall be performed within the borders of the United States. All storage
and processing of information shall be performed within the borders of the United States. This
provision also applies to work performed by subcontractors at all tiers.
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
