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Michigan Community College Association

Michigan Colleges Online

Graphical Design Support and Focus Group Engagement RFP

May 12th, 2014

Michigan Community Colleges Association – Michigan Colleges Online – Graphical Design Support and Focus Group RFP

Michigan Community Colleges Association

Graphical Design/UX Support and Focus Group Engagement RFP

RFP ID No.: MCO 03

Pre-Bid Conference Call: May 15th, 2014

Deadline to Submit Questions: May 22nd, 2014

Proposal Due Date: 12:00pm EST June 6th, 2014

Contact/Submit To: Randy MeltonMichigan Community Colleges Association 222 North Chestnut Street, Lansing, Michigan 48933-1000 Phone: (517) 372-4350Fax: (517) 372-0905Email: [email protected]

PLEASE NOTE THE ITEMS IN YELLOW.

In most cases these are the Actions Items required for this Bid.

2Michigan Colleges Online


Table of Contents

1.0 STATEMENT OF WORK.......................................................................................................................4

1.1 PURPOSE..........................................................................................................................................41.2 COVERAGE & PARTICIPATION.........................................................................................................41.3 SCOPE OF WORK..............................................................................................................................4

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION..................................................................................................................5

2.1 ORIGINAL RFP DOCUMENT.............................................................................................................52.2 THE ORGANIZATION........................................................................................................................52.3 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT.................................................................................................................52.4 VENDOR’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE RFP......................................................................................62.5 GOOD FAITH STATEMENT................................................................................................................62.6 BID RESTRICTIONS...........................................................................................................................62.7 BID RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS.........................................................................................................62.8 COMMUNICATION............................................................................................................................72.9 BID REGISTRATION..........................................................................................................................72.10 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION...................................................................................................................72.11 METHOD OF AWARD........................................................................................................................82.11.1 SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION.......................................................................................................8

3. GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES.............................................................................................................9

3.1 OVERVIEW.......................................................................................................................................9

4. USER EXPERIENCE AND FOCUS GROUP ENGAGEMENT.......................................................11

4.1 OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................11

5. ENGAGEMENT METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................12

6. VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS & REFERENCES.............................................................................13

6.1VENDOR CERTIFICATION................................................................................................................15



1.0 Statement of Work

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to invite prospective vendors to submit a proposal for graphic design and focus group engagement services for the Michigan Community College’s Association, Michigan Colleges Online operating unit.

1.2 Coverage & Participation

MCCA/MCO reserves the right not to enter into any contract, to add and/or delete elements, or to change any element of the coverage and participation at any time without prior notification and without any liability or obligation of any kind or amount.

1.3 Scope of Work

MCCA/MCO is seeking the services of a graphic design and UX firm/individual to assist in CSS theme development, creation of web graphical design elements, bootstrap less, style guidelines development and mobile component tuning.

The second component includes conducting a user focus group to access the user experience and validate web accessibility for student with disabilities.

This bid may be sub-divided into the following deliverables:

1. Bid Group 1: Graphical Design Services and Bootstrap CSS Theme Development

2. Bid Group 2: User Experience and Focus Group Engagement

Both of these bids may be extended to support additional projects.

2



2.0 General Information

2.1 Original RFP Document

MCCA/MCO shall retain the RFP, and all related terms and conditions, exhibits and other attachments, in original form in an archival copy. Any modification of these, in the vendor’s submission, is grounds for immediate disqualification.

2.2 The Organization

The Michigan Community College Association is a network-centric organization that provides leadership on issues affecting member colleges. In addition to providing core legislative and government advocacy for its members, MCCA members benefit from the activities of four Centers of Excellence including the Center for Student Success, Michigan Community College Virtual Learning Collaborative, Michigan New Jobs Training Program, and the new Center for Global Initiatives.

Industry: Higher Education Member Support Services

Public Sector

28 Community Colleges located in Michigan

2.3 Existing Environment

MCCA’s Virutal Learning Collaborative is in the process of being rebranded to Michigan Colleges Online (MCO). .


Author, 01/03/-1,

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Schedule of EventsThe following is a tentative schedule that will apply to this RFP, but may change in accordance with the organization’s needs or unforeseen circumstances. Changes will be communicated by e-mail to all invited bidders.

Issuance of RFP May 8th, 2014 Bid conference call May 15th, 2014 Technical Questions/Inquiries Due May 22nd, 2014 RFP Closes June 6th, 2014Final Award Notification June 12th, 2014

UPON FINAL SELECTION, MCCA/MCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EXTEND THE REWARD NOTIFICATION DATE IF NEEDED TO NEOGIGATE FINAL TERMS OR TUNE REQUIREMENTS.

2.4 Vendor’s Understanding of the RFP

In responding to this RFP, the vendor fully accepts the responsibility to understand the RFP in its entirety, and in detail, including making any inquiries to MCCA/MCO as necessary to gain such understanding. MCCA/MCO reserves the right to disqualify any vendor who demonstrates less than such understanding. Further, MCCA/MCO reserves the right to determine, at its sole discretion, whether the vendor has demonstrated such understanding. That right extends to cancellation of award if award has been made. Such disqualification and/or cancellation shall be at no fault, cost, or liability whatsoever to MCCA/MCO .

1. Rights to Reject Bid MCO reserves the right to reject or cancel a Bid on several conditions which are not limited to the following list:

TCO does not align within operating cost parameters (too expensive). Solution does not fully satisfy MCO Use Case due to architecture changes or service model

changes post bid. Viability of solution. Concerns with complexity or security. Limited skill sets within the state for supporting the solution. Alignment concerns.

2.5 Good Faith Statement

All information provided by MCCA/MCO in this RFP is offered in good faith. Individual items are subject to change at any time. MCCA/MCO makes no certification that any item is without error. MCCA/MCO is not responsible or liable for any use of the information or for any claims asserted therefrom.

2.6 Bid Restrictions

Any vendor subject to usage restrictions by the Department of Defense or State Department are prohibited from bidding.

2.7 Bid Response Instructions

Complete the Items Highlighted in Yellow within this Word Document. Save your Word Document as a PDF and email to [email protected].


mailto:[email protected]


2.8 Communication

Verbal communication shall not be effective unless formally confirmed in writing by a specified procurement official in charge of managing this RFP process. In no case shall verbal communication govern over written communication.

2.8.1 Vendors’ Inquiries. Applicable terms and conditions herein shall govern communications and inquiries between MCCA/MCO and vendors as they relate to this RFP. Inquiries, questions, and requests for clarification related to this RFP are to be directed in writing to:

Michigan Community Colleges Association 222 North Chestnut Street, Lansing, Michigan 48933-1000Phone: (517) 372-4350Fax: (517) 372-0905Email: [email protected]

2.8.2 Informal Communications. Inquiries for clarifications and information that will not require addenda may be submitted verbally to Randy Melton subject to the availability of time.

2.8.3 Formal Communications that are not clarifications shall include, but are not limited to:

Errors and omissions in this RFP and enhancements. Vendors shall recommend to MCCA/MCO any discrepancies, errors, or omissions that may exist within this RFP. With respect to this RFP, vendors shall recommend to MCCA/MCO any enhancements, which might be in MCCA/MCO ’s best interests.

Inquiries about technical interpretations, which must be submitted in writing and be received prior the date stated above in the schedule of events.. Inquiries for clarifications/information that will not require addenda may be submitted verbally to the buyer named above at any time during this process.

Addenda to this RFP.

2.8.4 Addenda. MCCA/MCO will make a good-faith effort to provide a response to each question or request for clarification within two business days.

MCCA/MCO will provide limited response to any questions/requests for clarification that require addenda, if received by MCCA/MCO after the date posted in the schedule of events.

2.9 Bid Registration

Please register your participation intention by email: [email protected] and specify which Bid Group you intend to submit a proposal for. You will receive a Goto Meeting Invite to the pre-bid meeting.

2.10 Proposal Submission

Proposals must be delivered by email: [email protected]. On the date posted in the schedule of events. MCCA/MCO shall not accept proposals received by fax. Vendors are to submit one electronic PDF copy of proposal marked “Original”.





2.11 Method of Award

The evaluation of each response to this RFP will be based on its demonstrated competence, compliance, format, and organization. The purpose of this RFP is to identify those suppliers that have the interest, capability, and financial strength to supply MCCA/MCO with a Hosting and Managed Services identified in the Scope of Work.Evaluation Criteria:

1. Graphic Design Portfolio Review

2. Mobile First Experience

3. Experience with Bootstrap and LESS

4. UX practice model

5. Style guidelines development

6. Focus Group Management Experience and Practice Model

7. Engagement methodology

8. Collaboration with other Teams located in Michigan

2.11.1 Selection and Notification

Vendors determined by MCCA/MCO to possess the capacity to compete for this contract will be selected to move into the negotiation phase of this process. Written notification will be sent to these vendors via –e-mail. Those vendors not selected for the negotiation phase will not be notified.

3.1



3. Graphic Design Services

3.1 Overview

MCO desires to add graphic design augmentation and UX validation support for its next generation statewide online course inventory. MCO has adopted bootstrap as its UI framework and utilizes a third-party template and JavaScript libraries. While this approach has been effective in building working interfaces, MCO desires to optimize the user experience. MCO desires to align design elements for consistency and aesthetics.

This engagement will primarily focus on refining UI elements, enriching the site with visual assets and turning the navigation system. At this juncture discovery may be limited to specific sections within the applications.

You must be willing to adopt to the current development process in-place.

There is a need to validate the UX for the following goals:

Provide a great mobile, tablet and desktop user experience. (Responsive design, adaptive widgets)

Provide coherent context flows. (Navigation, workflows, use of color, visual indicators) Provide an aesthetics user interface. (Color, design elements, flat, etc.) Provide Interactive elements where needed. (Covered under NDA)

Provide accessibility for visually impaired students. (Validate site against major screen readers)

Assumptions

HTML 5 is the minimum requirement and limited support will be provided for legacy browsers. Some content editing functions will be limited on devices less than 401 pixels wide. JavaScript must be enabled on all clients.

The Graphic Designer and/or Frontend Developer will work within a virtual team environment to support graphical assets, CSS and UI design for a web-based application development in the following phases:

Phase 1 – Project Overview and needs identification.Phase 2 – Concept Design as needed by the development teams and bootstrap template tuning. Phase 3 – Asset integration with development team.Phase 4 – Concept Refinement based upon focus group feedback. Phase 5 – Possible assistance with other projects.

Potential Scope of Work

Select or develop images that strengthen and align with existing web workflows. Usability Validation and Tuning - Don’t Make Me Think Site Review

o Student Use Case Reviewo Muddle Through Factoro Scanning Test and Key word identification o Pain Factor for Core Tasks o Click count o Visual learning factor

Work with stakeholders to refactor, tune or extend existing concept designs. Tune storyboards as needed that’s manages the user experience. Develop and refine Bootstrap templates using LESS that are Mobile and gesture friendly. Tune KendoUI CSS templates as needed to align with Bootstrap template. Create new designs illustrations that can be transferred to SVG for interactive user experiences.



Transform selected graphical artifacts to CSS 3 assets or optimized images. Style guidelines development Develop a color palette that aligns with client-provided messaging.

Requirements – Designer must be proficient in the following areas:

Familiarity with Bootstrap 3.0. Familiarity with JavaScript and JQuery. Work within a GIT Repository. CSS 3. Adobe Illustrator. HTML 5.

Engagement Rates

Graphic Designer/Front End Developer/Project Manager

CV Link or attach CV and provide portfolio (A)

Hourly Rate < 100 Hours (B)

Hourly Rate > 100 Hours(C)

Project ManagementPercentage(D)

Project Management Rate(E)

Some firms provide project management services for graphic designers. Please define in columns (D) and (E) the estimated project management overhead as a percentage of hours worked by the graphic designer/frontend developer

Areas ResponseDo you have production experience with Grunt or other web development workflow automation tools? If yes, please explain.Do you have any experience with Gesture based design? If yes, please explain.Do you have experience with Media queries? If yes, please explain.Do you have experience with Interactive SVG elements? Do you have an SME that is an experience JQuery developer?



4. User Experience and Focus Group Engagement

4.1 Overview

The Focus Group Researcher will work with key project stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of the User Experience for students using the Michigan Colleges Online Registration System.

Scope of Work

Develop an assessment criteria for validating the user experience with the Michigan Colleges Online Registration System

o Work with key stakeholders to develop a focus group engagement plano Build survey questions and validate the focus group criteria o Develop test cases to be validatedo Identify student demographic groups for engagement

Manage at least three focus group engagements (face-to-face) with students to gain insight into the user experience of interacting with the Online Registration System.

Validate Web Accessibility; ensure that web content is accessible to people with disabilities. Identify workflow gaps and provide recommendations for changes.

Engagement Rates

Resources CV Link or attach CV and provide three brief narratives of your most recent Focus Groups Engagements.

Hourly Rate

Some firms provide project management services for graphic designers. Please outline the estimated project management overhead as a percentage of hours worked by the graphic designer/frontend developer. Areas ResponseDo you have assessment experience with mobile? If yes, please explain.

Do you have experience with Web Accessibility testing? If yes, please explain.

Please explain your practice model for Focus Groups engagements.



5. Engagement MethodologyPlease describe your engagement methodology for how you manage customer relationships:

Ref Service Please explain your practices in this area1. Account Relationship Management

2. Project management Practices



6. Vendor Qualifications & ReferencesAll vendors must provide the following information in order for their proposal to be considered:

1. A brief outline of the vendor company and services offered, including:

a. Full legal name of the company.

b. Year business was established.

2. Contact information for three references (if possible) from projects similar in size, application, and scope, and a brief description of their implementation.

Relevant Client List:Reference 1

Organization Name

Industry

Contact Name and Title

Phone Number

Email Address


Organization Name

Industry


Phone Number

Email Address


Organization Name

Industry


Phone Number

Email Address



DEBARRED VENDORS AND EXCLUDED PARTIES SCREENING(Fill out completely and return with RFP)

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

I certify, buy submission of this offer, that neither __________________________________, (name of vendor, independent contractor, or offering party)

nor any of its principals, or sub-contractors that are a part of this offer is presently debarred, suspended,

proposed for disbarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in Federal assistance

programs or activities, and neither ____________________________________, nor any of its principals or (name of vendor, independent contractor, or offering party)

sub-contractors, is listed on the General Services Administration’s list of Parties Excluded from Federal

Programs and the HHS/OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (available through the internet at:

www.sam.gov).

Where the party is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, such party shall attach

an explanation to this offer.

Where a party fails to submit and complete this certification, such party’s offer shall be determined to

be an incomplete submission.



6.1 Vendor CertificationThis certification attests to the vendor’s awareness and agreement to the content of this RFP and all accompanying calendar schedules and provisions contained herein.The vendor must ensure that the following certificate is duly completed and correctly executed by an authorized officer of your company.This proposal is submitted in response to Request for Proposal for Collaboration Solution(s) issued by MCCA/MCO .

The undersigned, who is a duly authorized officer, hereby certifies that:

(Vendor Name)

agrees to be bound by the content of this proposal and agrees to comply with the terms, conditions, and provisions of the referenced RFP and any addenda thereto in the event of an award. Exceptions are to be noted as stated in the RFP. The proposal shall remain in effect for a period of [ Please Define ] calendar days as of the Due Date of the RFP.

The undersigned further certify that their firm (check one): IS IS NOT

currently debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment by any federal entity. The undersigned agree to notify MCCA/MCO of any change in this status, should one occur, until such time as an award has been made under this procurement action.

Person(s) authorized to negotiate on behalf of this firm for the purposes of this RFP are:Name: Title:

Signature: Date:

Name: Title:

Signature: Date:

Signature of Authorized Officer:Name: Title:

Signature: Date:

_____________________________________________________


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