Terms of Reference for Engagement of Contractor for Development and Maintenance of a Website
1. Description:
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organisation working in more than 30 countries throughout the world.
2. Context:
The Danish Refugee Council hosts the Afghan Displacement and Solutions Platform (ADSP), which is a joint initiative of several INGOs working with Afghans affected by displacement.As the ADSP grows and generates content, it requires an online presence. Initially, the website will be used to achieve the following objectives
-Act as a repository for ADSP publications and research, including newsletters, reports and briefing notes
-Support the exchange of information between ADSP members and other actors on issues relating to Afghan displacement by allowing the publication of information such as documents and reports.
-Provide news and updates on the work of the ADSP, and to provide information on upcoming events
3. Scope and Focus:
The contractor is required to develop the website and to ensure that it is functional and well maintained. The ADSP will provide the website design and all content.
The scope of work includes two main areas of work:
- Website development
-Build the website, using Wordpress. The website will initially have three pages, but the development must allow the addition of pages at a later date. The pages will contain both images and, and must have the ability to store uploaded documents, and to enable these documents to be downloaded by users.
-As required, build new pages for the website, modify existing pages, or develop additional functionalities. It is anticipated that an average of three documents will be added a month. Any new pages will be added irregularly – probably annually.
- Website maintenance
-Provide ongoing maintenance, ensuring that the website is fully developed and functional.
-Provide periodic technical support to the ADSP to ensure that the website functions optimally, and that content is easily accessible, where necessary making suggestions for modifications or improvements.
4. Objective/expected results
-The ownership of the whole project, including but not limited to the website, domain, hosting, interface and the source code will belong henceforth to DRC upon delivery of the project.
-DRC must have access to all the source code that is used in this project (no proprietary undisclosed code/module/plugin/theme will be accepted).
-A website which is responsive, fully developed, functional and operational online
-The website is designed and programmed in such a way that ADSP is able to carry out basic tasks, such as upload content to existing pages.
-The Contractor should provide ADSP staff with training to conduct basic tasks online.
-Ongoing technical support to ensure that the website remains functional and operational
-All the website components and modules including but not limited to the Wordpress core, plugins, and themes must be updated regularly as needed to access the latest features, bug fixes, security patches, etc.
-The website needs to be protected against security threats, hacks, and attacks (e.g. SQL injection, password brute force attacks, (D)DoS, unauthorized access, heartbleed, directory traversal, buffer overflow, etc.) using proper security measures.
-The website must feature proper valid functional SSL certificate (https).
-The website components must be patched regularly as needed against discovered security vulnerabilities.
-The website needs proper continuous encrypted backup system with at least 2 full backups on different secure locations. The recovery/restore mechanism also needs to be healthy and ready to be deployed should any issues happen. The backup/restore mechanism must be tested periodically to ensure proper function.
-The website in combination with the hosting should offer an uptime of at least 99% with a proper monitoring system that informsof any downtime.
-The website and its theme must provide a seamless, consistent, and optimized experience across all major devices and browsers (responsive web design). Devices include but are not limited to mobile devices (like smartphones, tablets, etc.), desktops, and laptops. Browsers include but are not limited to Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge, and Opera.
-All issues related tothe appropriate domain and hosting procurement must be arranged by the contractor.
-Delivery of a document is expected, containingall the usernames and passwords of all the accounts required to maintain/operate the website (domain, hosting, Wordpress control panel, etc.). If any account is required to be created in the process of developing/maintaining the website (for backup etc. for example), a new dedicated account must be created solely for DRC’s use and shared accounts must be avoided.
-The website needs a search function so visitors can search for documents etc.
5. Competencies required
Any contractor that is willing to submit a RFQl is expected to meet the following:
-Proven experience of delivering well-functioning and user-friendly Wordpress websites, in which information is presented clearly.
-Experience in designing websites forNGOs, humanitarian organizations, or similar organizations (research institutes, knowledge management organizations, universities, etc.) is a plus.
-Proven track record of efficient, effective website maintenance
-Ability to work within tight timeframe
-Ability to communicate in English
In the RFQ, please include:
-A portfolio of prior completed successful projects in detail, including links (URLs) to them
-A technical documentspecifying the steps for the development/design of the website
-A technical document specifying the maintenance plan
-Your proposed bid (price)
-A timeline with major milestones / deliverables (for instance initial meeting, beta version, etc.).
-List of optional elements you can offer (if any)
6. Timeframe and Process:
-The expected duration for the completion of the project is threeweeks, with a beta-version completed after the first 10 days.
-The process will commence with a meeting between DRC and the website development team to clarifyobjectives, expectations and timelines. The list of certainnecessities for the website and specifics of the contractor’s RFQ will be negotiated and approved in this meeting.
-An iterative process is expected, in which the developers will send drafts and take DRC’s feedback into consideration prior to the approval of the final beta version of the website.