Ours is a digital world. As such, it’s more important than ever to have a website that’s both current and user-friendly. That means keeping up with the latest trends in tech, UX/UI, and visual style. Departments of Forestry, Wildlife, Fish, and Natural Resources (DNR) looking to modernize their websites usually do so by sending out request for proposals (RFPs). RFPs streamline the bidding process and make finding a qualified agency much easier. If you’re looking to get the best possible bids, here’s how to make sure your website RFP can help you receive more thorough and accurate submissions. 

Define Project Goals and Objectives

Step One: Ensure Your RFP Is Clear and Concise

One of the most common mistakes in website RFPs is a lack of clarity in project goals and objectives. Providing potential bidders with a detailed description of the project needs is essential for creating a successful RFP, and avoids unnecessary time-wasting going back and forth down the line. 

Step Two: Identify the Overarching Project Goals

Why do you need a new website? Begin by determining the primary goals you aim to achieve through the website development process. It could be as simple as determining if you’re looking to: 

  • Increase agency awareness
  • Provide public information 
  • Improve user experience
  • Online sales, such as hunting and fishing licenses

Step Three: Consider User-Centric Objectives

It’s important to include objectives that focus on ways of enhancing the user experience. These may include improving website loading speed, optimizing mobile responsiveness, or increasing user engagement metrics.

Define Your Scope

When creating your website RFP, it’s essential to understand the overall scope of the project and communicate that clearly to potential bidders. It starts with knowing what you need and the size of the project.

Technical Requirements

Begin by thinking through the technical needs of your website and the tasks that need to be completed to meet those needs. Consider questions like:

  • What government systems is the website integrated with, such as user portals?
  • What is the hosting set-up and configuration? 
  • Are there any third-party services used by the website?
  • How can content be migrated from the old website to the new website?

Functional Requirements

Your description should also include functional requirements. Clearly define what your website is intended to accomplish and what features are required. Describe the kind of content management system (CMS) that you’ll need. Some common requirements of the CMS include:

  • Different types of admin roles for back-end users
  • Taxonomy management
  • Content management features such as scheduling, metadata configurations, and search
  • Image and media storage
  • Contact forms
  • Social media functions
  • Commenting

This gives potential bidders a more in-depth understanding of the project scope, allowing them to deliver a proposal that meets your department’s needs. Provide more specific information about the website and the individual pages unique to DNR websites. For example, the need for a microsite for wildfire maps or hiking trails. 

ADA Web Accessibility Requirements

Most state and local government websites need to meet the requirements for the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Your RFP needs to target bidders who can build a website that meets those minimum requirements for accessibility needed for your website. The Section 508 website can help you generate procurement language for your RFP.

Ongoing Support & Maintenance

What happens after the launch? It may seem like something you’d want to think about down the road, but who is maintaining the website and when they’ll be taking over is something to consider from the outset. Not every agency provides ongoing maintenance for websites they create. Make sure to include exactly what you expect for emergency response and support in your RFP.

Define Website Key Audiences

To ensure that potential candidates fully understand your organization and its goals, provide comprehensive information about the internal and external users of the website. Providing this information will give your bidders a much greater sense of your website’s needs. Let’s look at some potential users of a DNR and what they’re looking for in your website.

Educators

  • Access to lesson plans and educational resources: Ready-to-use lesson plans, teaching materials, and educational resources related to natural resources, wildlife, and environmental conservation. These materials can help them incorporate interactive and engaging content into their curriculum.
  • Field trip information: Information about educational field trips organized by the DNR, including details about available locations, activities, and any necessary permits or guidelines.
  • Research and data access: Research publications, scientific data sets, and databases related to topics like ecology, biodiversity, or climate change. 

Park Visitors

  • Park information and maps: Detailed information about various parks, trails, and recreational areas managed by your DNR. Including things like park hours, amenities, trail maps, accessibility information, and any temporary closures or alerts.
  • Activity recommendations: Visitor suggestions for outdoor activities at your park such as hiking, fishing, or camping, along with any of the necessary permits or licenses needed.
  • Safety guidelines: Rules and regulations for park visitors. This may include tips for wildlife encounters and fire safety.

Hunters/Fishers

  • Licensing and regulations: Information on hunting and fishing licenses, permits, and regulations specific to the region. This can include season dates, bag limits, species-specific regulations, and instructions for applying for permits or tags.
  • Harvest reporting: A convenient platform for hunters and fishers to report their harvests, complying with legal requirements and helping with wildlife management efforts.
  • Wildlife management updates: Updates on wildlife populations, conservation efforts, and any changes in hunting or fishing regulations that could affect these activities.

Game Wardens & Law Enforcement

  • Enforcement and reporting: Portal/section dedicated to enforcement and reporting. Should you include access to databases for license verification, incident reporting tools, and communication channels with other enforcement agencies?
  • Training and resources: Training materials, resources, and guidelines related to wildlife law enforcement, conservation practices, and environmental protection.
  • Alerts and bulletins: Issue alerts to game wardens regarding emerging issues, law changes, or important updates related to their duties.

Know What Can Impact Your Timeline and Budget 

Clearly communicating your timeline and budget expectations is essential to your RFPs success. Make sure your timeline is realistic. Consider potential roadblocks that could reasonably arise when creating a website for government agencies. Working on a website for a government agency means a lot of red tape. And pardon the pun if you will, but some agencies just can’t cut it. Here are some issues you should communicate to potential bidders.

Technical Issues With the IT Department

Government agencies can often face technical challenges within their IT departments, such as outdated infrastructure, limited resources, or complex internal systems. These could ultimately lead to delays in website development, implementation, and maintenance.

A More Complex Approval Process

DNRs are like any other government agency and must follow a rather stringent approval process that involves multiple competing stakeholders, such as legal departments, higher management, and compliance teams. Obtaining the necessary approvals at each stage can be time-consuming, causing delays in project timelines.

Limited Resources 

Some DNRs are forced to operate within limited budgets, staffing, and external vendor procurement processes. These limitations can impact the available resources and capacity need to execute quality website projects.

Provide a detailed budget for your project, including any necessary resources or tools that will be required. Ensure potential candidates know what they’re in for. This will directly impact the candidate’s ability to deliver a proposal that meets your expectations.

Give Detailed Instructions for Responding to the RFP

No RFP is complete without detailed instructions for how a candidate is meant to respond to it. This should include how you’d like potential candidates to submit a proposal, what they should include in their proposal, and any deadlines or other important information.

Talk to a Genius About Your Website Needs

Mad Genius produces creative work and builds websites for state agencies like yours. Join us for a free, 30-minute Q&A to chat about your next project.