NewsRequest for Proposal

Request for Proposal: Logo Design and Website Refresh for World Press Freedom Canada

By December 18, 2023 January 8th, 2024 No Comments

World Press Freedom Canada (WPFC) is a non-profit organization that advocates for press freedom and monitors press freedom issues nationally and globally. WPFC’s mission is to raise public awareness for the fundamental charter right of press freedom, identify violations, and pro-actively defend freedom of the press.

WPFC is seeking proposals from qualified Canadian vendors to refresh its website with an integrated payment system and to design a new logo. The goal of this project is to enhance online presence, visibility, and impact of WPFC, and to provide a user-friendly and secure platform for processing paid registrations to our annual awards luncheon and to accept donations,

The expected deliverables are:

  • A new logo that reflects the identity and values of WPFC
  • A brand guide for use of the logo along with related fonts and colour palette
  • A redesigned bilingual website that is modern, attractive, responsive, and accessible
  • A payment system that is integrated with the website and allows for online transactions
  • A content management system that is easy to use and update
  • A training session and documentation for WPFC staff on how to manage the website and the payment system

The evaluation criteria are:

  • The quality, creativity, and relevance of the proposal and the samples of previous work
  • The experience, qualifications, and references of the vendor and any team members
  • The feasibility, clarity, and completeness of the project plan, timeline, and budget
  • The alignment of the proposal with the requirements and the goals of WPFC

Please note we are only accepting proposals from Canadian vendors.

Background

WPFC organizes an annual event to celebrate World Press Freedom Day, which is recognized by the United Nations on May 3. WPFC also presents awards to journalists and media professionals who have demonstrated courage and excellence in their work.

WPFC’s current website has not been substantially updated since 2019. We are seeking modernization in the following:

  • Responsive design
  • User experience
  • Navigation
  • Ability to adapt to different devices and screen sizes
  • Accessibility compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
  • Payment system to accept online donations and event registration
  • Seamless and easy-to-use content management system

The desired outcome of this project is to have a new website that is:

  • Modern, attractive, and consistent with WPFC’s brand and identity
  • Informative, engaging, and easy to navigate
  • Responsive and accessible to all users and devices
  • Secure and reliable for online transactions
  • Easy to use and update for WPFC staff

The target audience of the website is:

  • Parliamentarians, bureaucrats, the diplomatic community, and anyone who works on media issues to influence policy.
  • Journalists and media professionals, with a tool kit for those who are facing threats or challenges in their work
  • The general public, especially those who are interested in press freedom and public policy that pertains to it.
  • Donors and supporters, who want to contribute to WPFC’s mission and activities
  • Like-minded organizations who want to join or collaborate with WPFC
  • Event attendees, who want to register and participate in WPFC’s events

Requirements

The functional and technical requirements for the new logo and website are:

  • A new logo that reflects the identity and values of WPFC. The logo should be simple, memorable, and versatile. It should work well in different sizes, colours, and backgrounds. It should also be compatible with WPFC’s existing name and tagline in both official languages.
  • A brand guideline for use of the logo, to include fonts and colour palette. Logos should be provided in full colour, reverse, black, white and in EPS, JPEG and PNG files.
  • A completely bilingual website with English and French toggles, preferably not using AI.
  • The website should have an easy to use and easy to understand information architecture that takes into account archival products. For the most part, the vendor will transfer content from the old website to the new website and organize it appropriately. Where needed, WPFC members will provide new content.
  • A redesigned website that is modern, attractive, responsive, and accessible. The website should have a clean, professional, and consistent look and feel. It should also be responsive and adapt to different devices and screen sizes. It should also be accessible and comply with the WCAG 2.1 standards.
  • A payment system that is integrated with, or connected to, the website and allows for online transactions. The payment system should be secure, reliable, and easy to use. It should accept various payment methods, such as credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and Google Pay. It should also provide receipts, confirmations, and reports for the transactions. The payment system should enable WPFC to accept online donations and event registrations.
  • The website should have forms integrated for the purposes of submitting award nominations, including high-res cartoons.
  • A content management system that is easy to use and update. The content management system should allow WPFC staff to create, edit, delete, and publish content on the website without requiring technical skills. It should also provide templates, tools, and features to manage the website’s layout, design, and functionality. The content management system should be compatible with the payment system and the website’s hosting and domain.
  • A training session and documentation for WPFC volunteers on how to manage the website and the payment system. The vendor should provide a training session and documentation for WPFC volunteers on how to use and update the website and the payment system. The training session should be conducted online or in person, depending on the availability and preference of WPFC committee members. The documentation should be clear, comprehensive, and user-friendly.
  • The expectations for the vendor’s qualifications, experience, and references are:
  • The vendor should have at least three years of experience in web design, development, and payment integration. The vendor should also have experience in working with non-profit organizations, especially those related to press freedom.
  • The vendor should have a portfolio of previous work that demonstrates their skills, creativity, and quality.
  • The vendor is expected to deliver the project on time and on budget. If working with a team, the vendor should also assign a project manager who will be the main point of contact and will oversee the project from start to finish.
  • Other as outlined following an onboarding session.

Proposal

The proposal that the vendor should submit should include the following sections:

Executive summary: This section should provide a brief overview of the vendor, the proposal, and the main benefits and value proposition for WPFC.

Project understanding: This section should demonstrate the vendor’s understanding of WPFC’s mission, goals, and needs. It should also highlight the vendor’s approach and methodology for the project.

Project deliverables: This section should describe the project deliverables in detail, such as the new logo, the redesigned website, the payment system, the content management system, the training session, and the documentation. It should also include mockups, wireframes, or prototypes of the proposed design and functionality.

Project plan: This section should outline the project plan, including the timeline, milestones, tasks, and responsibilities. It should also indicate the expected start and completion dates, and the deliverable acceptance criteria.

Project budget: This section should provide the project budget, including the breakdown of costs, fees, and expenses. It should also specify the payment terms and conditions, such as the payment schedule and method of payment.

Project lead (and team if applicable): This section should introduce the project lead, and if applicable, the names, roles, qualifications, and experience of any team members. It should also provide the contact information of the project manager and the communication plan for the project.

Project samples: This section should provide samples of previous work that are relevant and similar to the project. It should also include links to the websites or portfolios of the vendor.

Project references: This section should provide at least three references from previous clients who can attest to the vendor’s performance and satisfaction. It should also include the contact information of the references and the details of the projects they worked on with the vendor.

Timeline

The draft logo deadline is February 5th, which will be three weeks after selection and signing mid-January.

The website needs to be ready for beta-testing on February 12th, 2024 for a launch date of February 19th, 2024.

Submission

The deadline for submitting the proposal is January 12, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. EST

The contact person for the proposal is Heather Bakken, president of WPFC. Please submit via email to: heather@pendulumgroup.ca

The proposal should be sent as a PDF attachment with the subject line “RFP: Website Refresh for WPFC”.

The winning candidate will be chosen for a combination of design aesthetic, functionality, and cost.

The successful candidate will be notified by January 19, 2024.