9A, Contract with CivicPlus for Redesign of the City Website

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,fiZEN HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: February 27, 2012 TO: Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers FROM: Jill Hutmacher, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Website Redesign Project Background On September 26, 2011, the City Council authorized a preliminary website redesign budget of up to $35,000 which would include the cost of a vendor contract and a Project Manager. On October 10, 2011, the City Council appointed a website ad hoc committee to make operational decisions so that the website redesign project could move forward on a timely basis. The City Council directed staff and the ad hoc committee to request vendor proposals for the website redesign project and present a recommendation and final budget to the City Council for consideration. The website ad hoc committee has spent the past several months reviewing municipal websites and evaluating potential website design vendors. Through research, contacts with other municipalities, and preliminary interviews with City staff, the ad hoc committee narrowed the list of potential vendors to two qualified candidates—CivicPlus and Vision Internet. After presentations from each vendor, a detailed review of both proposals, and discussions with municipal references for each vendor, the website ad hoc committee is recommending that the City enter into a website design contract with CivicPlus. Selection Process The ad hoc committee identified the most important criteria in the selection of a website design vendor as follows: • Cost including design, hosting, and support over a five-year period; • Aesthetic qualities and flexibility in site design; • Ease of site updates and maintenance; • Capacity for social media and e-notification; • Features included in the cost of design; City of Arden Hills City Council Meeting February 27, 2012 Page 1 of 4