Discover Ulster Scots in Belfast Tender

Discover Ulster-Scots in Belfast

tourism web application

Tender

CONTENTS

1Background3

2Need3

3Objectives3

4Summary of requirements4

5Proposals and additional information5

5Submissions7

A summary document of mandatory requirements is available to accompany

this project outline.

Discover Ulster-Scots in Belfast

Summary

Ulster Historical Foundation invites competitive tenders for the development of a web application to run under the existing website, to showcase the culture and history of the Ulster-Scots in Belfast with the objective of supporting tourism in the region and encouraging visitors to visit locations across greater Belfast.

1.Background

Ulster Historical Foundation, the Ulster-Scots Agency and the Ministerial Advisory Group, Ulster-Scots (formerly DCAL/now DfC) wish to appoint a contractor to develop a tourism web resource –known as ‘Discover Ulster-Scots in Belfast’ (DUSB) – which will increase awareness of the rich connections between Ulster and Scotland among locals and visitors, and to tell this story through the individuals, businesses, buildings and other historic locations across the city of Belfast with Ulster-Scots connections.

This is a heritage tourism resource intended to encourage visitors to visit the sites identified, learn more about Belfast’s Ulster-Scots connections and encourage greater engagement of visitors in the Ulster-Scots sites across the city, including the Ulster-Scots Visitor Centre at The Corn Exchange.

The contractor will be responsible for the design and development of a web application as an extension of the existing parent website. The successful supplier will be expected to work closely with staff from the Ulster Historical Foundation, who have been appointed by the other partners to manage the development and upload of content to the website as it is developed.

Hosting will be provided by a third party, it is not part of this contract.

2. Need for the Discover Ulster-Scots in Belfast (DUSB) website

The three partners have developed historically rich content on sites and personalities associated with the Ulster-Scots story in the city of Belfast as part of a strategy to bring the connections between Belfast and Scotland to a wider audience, specifically for the visitor/tourism market.

The partners wish to extend the content and functionality of the existing site ( to showcase this historical content and offer a series of themed (walking) tours for visitors to take at their own pace, visiting the most important sites around the city with Ulster-Scots connections.

A bespoke ‘Discover Ulster-Scots in Belfast’ resource is needed to promote the work undertaken to date, and to disseminate the research which has been completed. The resource will complement other Ulster-Scots online material, especially the existing content on discoverulsterscots.com and related Discover Ulster-Scots apps which are made available through this and other kindred websites.

3. Objectives for Discover Ulster-Scots in Belfast

The website will:

  • raise the profile of the connections between Belfast and Scotland
  • attract more visitors to Belfast interested in Ulster-Scots heritage
  • highlight the most interesting and accessible sites and stories for visitors and make these available through a series of themed trails/tours (see next bullet point)
  • provide a series of sample themed Ulster-Scots trails which visitors can use to explore the story across the city, and a broader database of content on locations and personalities to enable visitors to follow their own trail
  • contribute to economic development in the heritage tourism sector in the city
  • increase the number of people interacting with Ulster-Scots, the Ulster-Scots Visitor Centre and partner organisations
  • signpost the work of other Ulster-Scots partners

4.Summary of requirements

Ulster Historical Foundation has developed databases of historical content relating to sites and individuals of Ulster-Scots interest from across the city of Belfast. The web resource will comprise a series of 12 walking trails and three audio-trails (drawn from the list), plus a database of content relating to sites and individuals from which the themed trails will be drawn, and which visitors can use to develop and plan their own visitor trail.

4.1Website Trails

There will be 12 walking trails. Some will be themed by subject, while others will be based on geographical area:

Confirmed themed tours

1. The ‘best of’ Belfast Ulster-Scots trail

2. Presbyterian trail

3. Radical politics and the 1798 Rebellion

4. Built heritage

5. Donegall Square

6. Queen’s Quarter

7. Cathedral Quarter

8. Maritime

Other themed tours (themes yet to be confirmed)

9. Tour 1 (e.g. Entrepreneurs, industrialists and scientists)

10. Tour 2 (e.g. Writers, poets and printers)

11. Tour 3 (e.g. Educators and philanthropists)

12. Tour 4 (e.g. Politics in the late 19th and early 20th century)

For each trail there will be:

1. Introductory text providing information on the focus of the trail

2. A list of sites which will include:

a) description of the site

b) postal address

c) trail(s) that it is part of

d) the individuals associated with each site

e) where available at least 1 image for each location

4.2Audio trails

The website will also require the development of three audio trails to accompany the main list. The three audio trails are:

  • The ‘best of’ Belfast Ulster-Scots trail
  • Presbyterian trail
  • Donegall Square (Ulster-Scots in ‘half an hour’ short trail)

Note: The successful supplier will be required to prepare the script based on information provided and provide the voiceover.

4.3Historic Sites

The 100 sites are held in a database. The key fields contained in the database include:

  • name of location
  • address
  • description
  • theme categories (relate to the tours to which the location is relevant). Several locations may

fall within several categories, eg Clifton Street Graveyard

  • personality associated with location (there may be more than one individual associated with a

given location, and that individual might be associated with more than one location)

  • web address or other contact details where appropriate (eg telephone number to gain access to

Clifton Street graveyard)

Note: The exact GIS co-ordinates, if required, will need to be plotted by the successful supplier.

4.4Biographical sketches of approx. 200 Belfast individuals

A separate database includes short biographical sketches of approx. 200 inhabitants of Belfast. The fields in this database will include the following information:

  • the surname and first name of the individual (or family)
  • dates of birth/death if known
  • Profession or ‘claim to fame’
  • Biographical information
  • trail(s) that he or she is associated with (an individual may be linked to more than one trail)
  • locations associated with the individual (refer to 4.3 historic sites above)

4.5Supply of content by Ulster Historical Foundation

This content has already been researched and written, and will be made available to the successful supplier. It will be supplied in MS Access database format, with relevant themes, locations and links to other trails marked for each entry.

A collection of images for use on the website has also been collated. The partners will supply the relevant image content to the successful supplier.

Note as referred above (4.2 and 4.3): For the audio trails the successful supplier will be required to prepare the script based on information providedand provide the voiceover. Also the exact GIS co-ordinates, if required, will need to be plotted by the successful supplier.

4.6Location of online resource

This web resource will be developed as part of the ‘Discover Ulster-Scots’ brand and will be located at the existing URL for this tourism-focussed website:

The successful supplier will need to ensure the new resource knits neatly and seamlessly in to the existing online offering at Discover Ulster-Scots –

5Proposals

Tenders for the development of theDiscover Ulster-Scots in Belfast resource will require:

  • Delivery will be in agreed phases. Delivery of the final phase must be on or before 30th

September 2016.

  • development of a web application to run on the discoverulsterscots.com website

using that site’s existing architecture.

  • A mobile website built using responsive design. (This is a visitor resource to be used on

handheld devices as individuals follow the themed trails and thus a mobile website solution is required.)

  • On year support and maintenance following the ‘go live’ date (must be included within the

budget).

  • Additional training for in-house staff on the operation and support of the CMS.
  • Transfer the code base on completion of the development phase of the project and provide

user guides for chosen solution and a website development report that details how the website has been constructed and the add-in/plug ins used.

  • Appropriate code standards should be adhered to.
  • The successful supplier will enter into a contract for development and support with the

partners.

5.1Look and Feel of Discover Ulster-Scots in Belfast

The new resource must follow the same brand identity and styling for

As with the existing website, the look feel of the resource should be clean, uncluttered and end-user friendly. The ‘home’ page for DUSB content will display a simple menu structure (of up to 5/6 top line menu entries, similar to the parent website) some embedded social media feeds and/or audio/video links appearing in boxes to provide sample dynamic content for users.

The partners are seeking an attractive design (in keeping with the parent brand) which will exploit this data and engage the locals and visitors in exploring the Ulster-Scots tradition in Belfast. Provided with this document are two heritage maps in PDF format produced by the Foundation which, although not intended to be proscriptive, give some ideas as to possible presentation and look and feel of the material. The website should also include information on and links to organisations working to promote Ulster-Scots culture and history (these partially exist already on the parent website).

5.2Go-live date

It is expected that the website will be completed, through testing and go live no later than 30 September 2016 (but with phased completion of elements prior to the go-live date).

5.3Contract Duration

After completion of design and development of the website, the contract period for support will be for one year at the ‘go live’ date.

5.4Costs

The project has a budget of up to a maximum of £18,000 (exclusive of VAT).Note: cost/value for money is one of the key criteria for awarding the project.

This budget will include the design and development of the web application, population of historical content, images and audio files, and production of related content including the audio trails and plotting GIS co-ordinates, if required.

In addition to designing, developing and populating the site content, in the ‘development phase’ prior to the go live date, tenders must include testing, staff training on use of the CMS, any remedial action required, plus one year’s maintenance and support following the ‘go live’ date.

Price Schedule

The cost of the service should be provided as follows:

Breakdown of Costs / Tender prices must be in £ sterling
(UK Pounds)
Total cost of providing the service
(excluding VAT) / £
The VAT element / £
Total cost of providing the service
(including VAT) / £

5.5Additional Information

The details supplied above represent an outline of the requirements of the project. The successful tenderer will work with the partners in the early stages to fully define the detail of the project, and weighting will be given to those tenderers that can show a track record of delivery to deadlines and ability to work closely and communicate regularly with the partners during the development of the project.

Each tenderer should submit a written proposal. It must provide sufficient detail to allow the proposal to be evaluated against the criteria outlined below and demonstrate that the tender meets the mandatory technical requirements.

5.6Criteria

Tenders will be evaluated taking the following criteria into consideration:

Criteria Weighting(%)

Cost and value for money70

Experience and ability to deliver20

Understanding the project brief10

Note: The Foundation is not obliged to accept the lowest priced or any tender.

Appointment will be by a process of competitive tender. An evaluation panel will consider all tenders correctly submitted. The evaluation panel will select one tender with a view to reaching a contractual agreement subject to clarification of any outstanding matters.

Where it is considered necessary a shortlist maybe drawn up of vendors who may then be asked to make a further presentation.

When the final decision of the panel has been made all vendors will be informed by email whether or not they have been successful.

5.7Further information

For further information contact Ulster Historical Foundation at 028 9066 1988 or

The partners delivering this project are situated at the Corn Exchange, 31 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG.

6Submissions

This tender was issued on Friday, 03 June 2016.

The closing for receipt of submissions will be 17:00 (BST) on Thursday, 30 June 2016

Note: Late or incomplete tenders will not be accepted. Tenders received after this time will NOT be considered.

Applications should be submitted to in Microsoft Word (.doc), Open Office (.odt) or PDF format, or in hardcopy format to: Ulster Historical Foundation, The Corn Exchange, 31 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG. Tenders may be submitted by post, hand-delivered or by email.

To be considered applications must include:

  • A written proposal (tenderers should refer to the documents supplied for the project specification).
  • A price schedule showing total cost before VAT, the VAT element, and the total cost including VAT element.
  • The Form of Tender declaration.

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Ulster Historical Foundation –