Request

for Proposals

In reference to the design of DestinationGNO 1/22/2013

DestinationGNO RFP 01/22/2013

DestinationGNO Web Portal

Greater New Orleans, Inc. is a regional economic development alliance serving the 10-parish region of Southeast Louisiana. The DestinationGNO portal will serve two objectives: 1.) A digital resource guide promoting the diverse and robust lifestyles opportunities throughout the region and, 2.) A moving resource guide for existing and prospective residents. GNO, Inc. is seeking the services of an experienced website design firm to develop, implement, and provide hosting and maintenance services for DestinationGNO. This project will encompass building upon the existing DestinationGNO collateral piece (print) as an interactive website with user-friendly features, capabilities, and different visual layouts as suggested by GNO, Inc. and the firm selected.

Background
Greater New Orleans, Inc. plays a vital role as the regional economic development hub, serving to coordinate, consolidate, and then catalyze economic development initiatives. The organizations aim is to generate wealth and improve the quality of life in the region. Attracting and retaining businesses, advocating for policies to improve the competitive climate, and ensuring the availability of a high-quality workforce, GNO, Inc. intends to counter negative perceptions and ensure that there is a clear understanding of the supreme opportunities available in the Greater New Orleans region. The organization is responding to a need for a regional resource guide of Southeast Louisiana area. As part of the Business Development and branding strategies, this guide will showcase and convey in detail why Greater New Orleans is a great place to live and work. The piece will serve both new and existing companies who are recruiting employees along with many others who will find the piece more organically.

Project Objectives
Destination GNO is a comprehensive marketing tool for existing and prospective residents seeking lifestyle information about the Greater New Orleans area. The site will also include a detailed moving checklist for each geographic area located in the region. There will also be a significant amount of detailed content regarding specific attributes of the region (e.g., flood protection, education system). The enclosed collateral piece highlights some neighborhoods and information to be included in the site. DestinationGNO will elaborate on each section and include a more descriptive and multi-faceted view of the parishes and their respective assets, demographics, and lifestyles. The site should encompass a regional perspective rather a New Orleans centric theme. The marketing themes and terms within the site should translate to those not familiar with the area. The users should easily navigate the site intrigued by lifestyle pictures, neighborhood information, interactive maps, infographics, searchable information, etc. The website shall meet the following criteria: Visually appealing layout that functions in desktop, laptop, and mobile environments. DestinationGNO should feature colors, themes, and design elements that easily relate the work to other GNO, Inc. marketing material. Fully integrated CMS from the back-end for GNO, Inc. control over all sections of the website. Ability for all information within the marketing and moving guide sections of the site to be searchable. Site should be easily upgradable and use standard programming languages.

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DestinationGNO RFP 01/22/2013

General and Desired Features

Desired features include, but are not limited to those listed below. Additional features, at the recommendation of the firms, are welcome and will be considered.

Marketing Component Build on the existing DestinationGNO collateral piece with additional parish research, local pictures, interactive maps, and infographics An interactive questionnaire to guide users to content that fits their needs or desires Listing of key attributes and issues specific to our region (e.g., flood protection, education system, tax structure) All content should be searchable by keywords Moving Guide Component Develop design template to display all information of each parish (e.g., voter registration, hunting license, grocery stores) All information should be accessible through searches based on a parish, city, or street address Function to export key data through email or download All content should be searchable by keywords All content in database must be easily editable by the GNO, Inc. staff, preferably via CMS Site Administration Traffic tracking should allow for GNO, Inc. to easily monitor the activity of users for insight into possible content additions and changes to terminology or hierarchy of the site. The site must utilize a standard CMS or similar site admin environment which is simple to maintain and be able to accommodate a visual overhaul performed with skills required by typical web standards. The data presented to users must be able to be edited by GNO, Inc. staff with minimal training. Functionality Full integration with social media for easy sharing of content and information Searchable database for content for both marketing and moving guide components Visual Features Layout should take advantage of space, including dynamic maps and site navigation tools Site must be easy to navigate. Assets featured on main homepage layout should be flexible providing ability to change areas of website around based on changing market. Content should have multiple points of entry throughout site (e.g., dropdown menus, searches)

Other requirements and features

This section of content would apply to the entire 10-parish area that defines the Greater New Orleans region. It is important to note that the target audience for this section would be comprised of individuals with little or no specific knowledge of the New Orleans area.

Services to be Provided
Full visual design Content creation Design and development of interactive maps and info graphics to better tell the story

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DestinationGNO RFP 01/22/2013

Additional research for content Complete admin functions and CMS backend ability All technical and design aspects of the project Training of GNO, Inc. staff, if necessary, to function as administrators of site Uploading and configuration of all necessary files for site to fully function upon delivery Complete setup and technical assistance with site for a minimum of 60 days from launch Site should be developed in compliance with traditional SEO practices Development of searchable database for content that can be editable by GNO, Inc. staff, preferably via CMS Hosting recommendations including preferred configuration and vendor(s)

Proposal Guidelines and Requirements

This is an open and competitive process. Your companys name, address, telephone number, main contact, fax number and email address must be included on the cover page. The proposal must contain the signature of a duly authorized officer or agent of the company submitting the proposal.

Budgets submitted for this project should not exceed $25,000. All hourly rates and fees, charges, costs, and anticipated reimbursable costs must be clearly stated. The price you quote should be inclusive. If your price excludes certain fees or charges, you must provide a detailed list of excluded fees with a complete explanation of the nature of those fees. Provisions of this RFP and the contents of the successful responses are considered available for inclusion in final contractual obligations. Proposal will be considered as a submission of the primary company, as listed on the cover. If there will be sub- contracted vendors, please provide details on their involvement and the names of the companies/individuals who will provide services for this project. Resumes of all individuals performing main duties on the project, with details on their roles and responsibilities for the proposed project. An estimated summary timeline and schedule for completion of each phase of the project, including references to design approval, soft-launch, and other notable milestones seen in a typical site launch. A detailed work plan describing your approach to the design, management, and coordination of this project. The description should include all tasks listed in the scope of work for all phases of the project and a tentative schedule. Include a strategy for obtaining all content necessary for the project including, but not limited to, GNO, Inc.s role in providing necessary content. Written and/or visual design concepts which encapsulate your companys vision for the site, once complete. A comprehensive list of references and past web projects. This would include URLs for each project and a point of contact which we can call or email. Detailed information regarding your companys experience in website development, including any relevant experience with other database-driven sites or similar projects.

A description of the qualifications and experience of the staff members that will be involved in the project. Please identify:
The project manager The proposed project team, including any sub-consultants

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DestinationGNO RFP 01/22/2013

Additionally, there will be an interview process to screen vendors that meet the majority of these guidelines. The number of vendors chosen to be interviewed will be determined by both the overall number of submissions and vendors which are eligible for the selection process. Vendors who are not chosen will be notified by Greater New Orleans, Inc. in a timely manner.

MWBEs are strongly encouraged to submit proposals. Greater New Orleans, Inc. will not reimburse applicants for any costs related to preparing this proposal. Respondents are encouraged to contact GNO, Inc. with any questions or concerns. Final proposals submitted are to be received by Greater New Orleans, Inc. no later than 4:00 p.m. CT on Friday, February 8, 2013. Four printed copies of the proposal must be submitted and one digital copy must be emailed to gpowers@gnoinc.org.

Physical copies should be mailed to: Greater New Orleans, Inc. Attn: Ginger Powers, Lead Development 365 Canal Street, Suite 2300 New Orleans, LA 70130

Schedule of Events for Proposal

Request for Proposals 1/22/2013 Proposals Due 2/8/2013 Finalist Interviews 2/18/2013 through 3/1/2013 We expect to award this contract in March 2013.

Scoring System 100 total points

Quality of Proposed Design concept (25 points maximum) Professional Experience of Team (25 points maximum) Familiarity with Content (15 points maximum) Proposed Work Plan (25 points maximum) Adherence to Proposed Project Budget (10 points maximum)

Confidentiality

Vendors who provide services to Greater New Orleans, Inc. and/or its partners, stakeholders, and users of DestinationGNO may receive confidential and proprietary information (Confidential Information) from the Greater New Orleans, Inc. and/or or its partners, stakeholders, and users of DestinationGNO. Vendors will be required to sign an agreement stating that all information received from either the Greater New Orleans, Inc. and/or its partners, stakeholders, and users of DestinationGNO will be kept confidential and shall not, without prior consent of Greater New Orleans, Inc. and/or its partners, stakeholders, and users of DestinationGNO, be disclosed or used, other than to provide services to Greater New Orleans, Inc. and/or its partners, stakeholders, and users of DestinationGNO in connection with the vendors work.

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