HomeMy WebLinkAboutC26510 Vision Internet Contract No. C26510
Website Development, Hosting and Maintenance Services
Terms and Conditions
1. This Terms and Conditions, and any attachment signed by the Parties attached
hereto, represent the complete agreement and understanding ("Agreement") between Vision
Internet Providers Inc. ("Contractor"), a California corporation, and City of Palm Desert ("City"),
and supersedes any other written or oral agreement with regard to the website development
services provided for herein. Any modification of this Agreement is valid only if the modification
is in writing and signed by both Parties. City and Contractor are sometimes individually referred
to as "Party" and collectively as "Parties."
2. Contractor will provide the following services to City in exchange for payment of fees
and compliance with the Terms and Conditions of this Agreement. This Agreement, City
activities and all discussions regarding City website development shall be treated as confidential
and shall not be disclosed to parties other than representatives of Contractor and the authorized
representatives of City. It is agreed that a designee of City, Douq Van Gelder, Director of
Information Svstems will be project manager, with decision making authority on behalf of City,
for purposes of this Agreement.
3. Contractor agrees to perform Website Development as described in "Attachment A" at
a price of 76 470.
(a) City agrees to pay Contractor as follows:
(i) An initial payment equal to 20% of the total cost;
(ii) A payment equal to 20% of the total cost upon City approval of the site
map;
(iii} A payment equal to 20°/o of the total cost upon City approval of homepage
design comp;
(iv) A payment equal to 20% of the total cost upon implementation of the
Vision Content Management Tool on a Contractor's server;
(v) A payment equal to 20% of the total cost upon completion of the website
and City approval.
4. Documents & Data; Licensinq of Intellectual Property: This Agreement creates a
non-exclusive and perpetual license for City to copy, use, or modify for its own use, any and all
copyrights, designs, and other intellectual property embodied in this website, which are
prepared or caused to be prepared by Contractor under this Agreement ("Documents & Data"),
to which Contractor retains ownership of ail intellectual property rights. City understands that
Contractor shall retain all right, title, and interest to the Vision Content Management Tool and
Dynamic and Interactive Components.
5. Contractor shalt provide for one unique domain, monthly website hosting and
database hosting on a shared server ("Hosting") for a period of twelve months commencing on
the date of the website launch. Hosting will be billed to City at the rate of $200 per month for a
period of twelve months ("Initial Term"). With respect to the Initial Term, unless one party has
given written notice to the other party of its intent not to renew this Agreement at leasf thirty (30)
days prior to expiration of the Initial Term, this Agreement will continue in effect on a year-to-
year basis thereafter until one pa�ty gives written notice to the other of its intent not to renew
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this Agreement at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of any renewal term.
6. Contractor shall provide at no charge, monthly website maintenance and updates
("Maintenance") for up to five hours each month for a period of three months commencing on
the date of the website launch. Maintenance beyond five hours per month in the first three
months is optional. Optional services and maintenance after the first three months are
considered Extra Work as described in Paragraph 7.
7. Additional services not covered in this Agreement and extra hours will be presented
to City for approval prior to commencement of work ("Extra Work"). Extra Work will be billed at
Contractor`s prevailing hourly rates, which are currently as follows: Data Input, $85/hr; Graphic
Production $95/hr; Quality Assurance, Testing, Debugging, Technical Support, Webmaster
Services, $105/hr; Consulting, Project Management, Database Design, Dynamic Programming,
$135/hr; Graphic Design, Training, $125/hr; Straight flatbed scanning will be billed at $10 per scan.
Touch up work to images will be billed at the Graphic Design hourly rate. City shall be responsible
for any or all additional fees including, without limitation: photography, stock images, illustration,
scanning, software, applications, online promotion, marketing, copy writing, redesign, change
orders, mailings, and fees to any third party vendors if applicable.
8. Intentionally omitted.
9. City shall supply all information to Contractor in digital format including wifhout
limitation copy, text, audio files, video files, pdf files, photographs, artwork and preexisting
graphics.
10. City understands that Contractor will develop website frontend to be compatible with
Internet Explorer 5.5 and above and Firefox 1.5 and above. Website backend will be
compatible with Internet Explorer 5.5 and above. Website may not be compatible with previous
or future versions. Website will be optimized for 800 x 600 pixels resolution or above. City
understands that the website will be developed with Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML"),
JavaScript, and Microsoft ASP.NET ("MS-ASP") interfaced with a database created in Microsoft
SQL Server 2005 ("MS-SQL"). City understands that the website is developed to run on a
Microsoft Windows 2003 Server ("MS-Server"). City is responsible for the costs of all software
licensing.
City understands that the website frontend will be designed to be compliant with Section
508 guidelines on accessibility. Content migrated into the website by Contractor will also be
compliant. Compliance standards wiff be verified via Watchfire's BobbyT"' software prior to
Completion. City understands that website backend and third party tools may not be Section
508 compliant.
11. Limited Warrantv: Contractor does warrant that all of the deliverables included in
this Agreement will be conveyed to City. All programming code developed by Contractor within
the project is warranted for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of the completion of the
website ("Completion"). Contractor will create a back up of the website on the date of
Completion. If any warranted problem arises while City or its designee is maintaining the
website, Contractor will restore the website back to its condition as it existed at Completion. If
Contractor is maintaining and hosting the website, Contractor shall restore the website back to
its condition as it existed at the day of the most recent backup. Contractor shall only be
responsible for any costs associated with correcting any unmodified programming code during
this twelve (12) month period following the Completion.
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Except as expressly set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, CONTRACTOR
MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS OF THIS SERVICE FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
WHATSOEVER. In no event, at any time, shall the aggregate liability of Contractor exceed the
amount of fees paid by City to Contractor and Contractor shall not be responsible for any lost
profits or other damages, including direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or any
other damages, however caused.
12. Contractor does not warrant any results from the use of any web pages created
under this Agreement, including but not limited to, the number of page or site visitations,
download speed, database performance, or the number of hits or impressions.
13. Although Contractor may offer an opinion about possible results regarding the
subject matter of this Agreement, Contractor cannot guarantee any particular result. City
acknowledges that Contractor has made no promises about the outcome and that any opinion
offered by Contractor in the future will not constitute a guarantee.
14. Contractor may use any web pages developed for the City in any of its own
promotional materials as examples of its work. City agrees that Contractor may place in the
website footer an unobtrusive text link reading "Developed by Vision InterneY' or the equivalent.
Contractor's footer text credit shall always be linked to a Contractor web page.
15. Each Party warrants that it holds all rights necessary to display all the images, data,
information or other items being displayed at the City's web pages during the effective period of
this Agreement. City expressly authorizes Contractor to display and/or modify any City supplied
images, data, information and other items in connection with the services provided herein.
16. City agrees to use the website in strict accordance with, but not limited to, all local,
state, and federal laws. City hereby agrees that any text, data, graphics, or any other material
published by City on its website is free from violation of or infringement upon copyright,
trademark, service mark, patent, trade secret, statutory, common law or proprietary or
intellectuai property rights of others, and is free from obscenity or libel.
17. Intentionally omitted.
18. With regard to web hosting, the Parties agree to the following:
(a) Contractor shall not be responsible for limitations including but not limited to
service interruptions, server down time, loss of data, or access speed. The reliability,
availability and performance of resources accessed through the Internet are beyond
Contractor's control and are not in any way warranted or supported by Contractor
Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, it is City's responsibility to maintain
the website and make back-ups of all hosted files.
(b) City agrees not to use any process, program or tool via Contractor for gaining
unauthorized access to the accounts of other Contractor clients, customers or
account holders or other Contractor systems. City agrees not to use Contractor
services to make unauthorized attempts to access the systems and networks of
others. Any attempt to do so will result in immediate termination of Contractor
services at Contractor's discretion.
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19. Contractor will defend, hold harmless and indemnify City from and against all
liability, loss, cost, damage, or expense, including reasonable attorney's fees, resulting from any
claim of injury to person, damages to property, or monetary damages arising solely out of
Contractor's negligence or intentional misconduct or failure to perform obligations under this
Agreement.
20. City will defend, hold harmless, and indemnify Contractor, its officers, directors,
shareholders, employees, and agents from and against all liability, loss, cost, expense,
including reasonable attorney's fees, resulting from any claim of injury fo person, damages to
property, or monetary damages arising out of City's negligence or intentional misconduct or
failure to perform obligations under this Agreement.
21. Estimated times are included for convenience. Actual times will vary depending on
City interaction and participation. However, the Parties agree to reasonably cooperate with one
another in the construction and design of the website in a timely manner.
22. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of
the United States of America, and the State of California. Any cause of action of City with
respect to the services provided hereunder must be instituted within one year after the claim or
cause of action has arisen or be forever barred.
23. The waiver by one Party of any term or condition of this Agreement, or any breach
thereof, shal! not be construed to be a general waiver by said Party or as a waiver of any other
term or breach.
24. Neither the course of conduct between the Parties nor any trade practice shall act to
modify the provisions of this Agreement except as expressly stated herein.
25. With the intent to be legally bound, each of the undersigned hereby covenants and
acknowledges that he, she or it (a) has read each of the terms set forth herein, (b) has the
authority to execute this Agreement for such person or entity, and (c) expressly consents and
agrees that the person or entity upon behalf of which the undersigned is acting shall be bound
by all terms and conditions contained herein.
26. It is understood and agreed that if any interpretation is to be made of this
Agreement, the same shall not be construed for or against any of the Parties.
27. The Parties have each been advised to seek independent legal counsel in entering
into this Agreement and the transactions described herein. In the event a Party chooses not to
seek independent legal counsel, that Party does so freely and knowingly and waives any such
rights to counsel. As a result, the Parties do not believe that the presumptions of California Civil
Code section 1654 retating to the interpretation of contracts against the drafter of any particular
clause should be applied in this case and therefore the Parties knowingly and freely waive its
effects.
28. Should a dispute, incfuding but not fimited to any litigation or arbitration be
commenced (including any proceedings in a bankruptcy court) between the Parties hereto or
their representatives concerning any provision of this Agreement, or the rights and duties of any
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person or entity hereunder, the Party or Parties prevaifing shall be entitled to reasonable
attorney's fees and court costs incurred by reason of such action.
29. Except for any injunctive relief or similar remedy, which may be sought in any court
of competent jurisdiction subject to Paragraph 22 above, any controversy, dispute, claim or
counterclaim, whether it involves a disagreement about this Agreement or its meaning,
interpretation, or application; the performance of the Agreement; questions of arbitrability as to
subject matter of the dispute; whether an agreement to arbitrate exists and, if so, whether it
covers the dispute[s] in question; or any other question of arbitrability or form of disagreement or
conflict among the Parties to the Agreement, shall be submitted to final and binding arbitration
at the request of either Party, in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the
American Arbitration Association. The arbitrators shall apply California substantive law and the
California Evidence Code to the proceeding. The arbitrators shall have the power to grant all
legal and equitable remedies and award compensatory damages provided by California law.
The arbitrators shall prepare in writing and provide to the Parties an award including factual
findings and the reasons on which the decision is based. The arbitrators shall not have the
power to commit errors of law or legal reasoning, and the award may be vacated or corrected
pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure sections 1286.2 or 1286.6 for any such error. In
the event the Parties are unable to agree as to the arbitrator, each shal( select an arbitrator who
shall, in turn, select the third and sole arbitrator. Each Party shall be responsible for one-half of
the costs for the arbitrator(s) and arbitration.
30. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be an original
and all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. This Agreement
becomes effective upon Contractor's receipt of an executed copy of this Agreement.
31. Force Ma1eure: Any delay in the performance by either Party hereto of its obligations
hereunder shall be excused when such delay in performance is due to any cause or event of
any nature whatsoever beyond the reasonabfe control of such Party, including, without
limitation, any act of God; any fire, flood, or weather condition; any computer virus, worm, denial
of service attack; any earthquake; any act of a public enemy, war, insurrection, riot, explosion or
strike; provided, that written notice thereof must be given by such Party to the other Party within
ten (10) days after occurrence of such cause or event.
32. In the case of any conflict between the Terms and Conditions, Proposal, and
Attachment A, the following order of priority shall be utilized: Attachment A, Terms and Conditions,
Proposal.
33. If any portion of this Agreement is declared invalid, illegal, or otherwise
unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full
force and effect.
34. The titles and headings of the paragraphs of this Agreement have been inserted for
convenience of reference only and are not intended to summarize or otherwise describe the
subject matter of such paragraphs and shall not be given any consideration in the construction of
this Agreement.
35. All notices under this Agreement shall be in writing and effective on the date of
delivery if delivered by personal service, Federal Express, or facsimile; or effective three (3)
days after deposit in first class U.S. mail, postage prepaid, to each Party as follows:
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Attachment A
SCOPE OF WORK
Following is the Scope of Work for the City of Palm DeserYs ("City") website to be
performed by Vision Internet ("Contractor"). In this document the words "we," "us," and
"ours" refer to Contractor. The word "you" refers to City.
Implementation of the website will include:
u Attractive Desiqn: A website design that reflects the City, draws people in, and
makes it immediately obvious that the website is the best place to get information
and access resources.
u Intuitive Naviqation: Information should be easy to find with the most important
information accessible from the homepage to make it easier for website visitors.
❑ Content Manaqement Solution: Contractor will implement the Vision Content
Management Tool (VCMT) to facilitate management of content to non-technical
staff throughout the City.
u Inteqrated Interactive Components: Interactive components should be
implemented to make the website more engaging and useful for users by
allowing them to quickly zero-in on the information most important to them.
❑ Intearation of Third-Partv Tools and Databases: Toofs and databases should
be used to enable citizens to access government services at anytime and from
anywhere.
Each of these recommendations is discussed in more detail in the sections that follow.
Attractive Design
City will have a design that makes it stand out among cities on both a regional and
national basis. The City's website will be inviting, easy to use, and will reflect your
unique identity. This will be accomplished through the following design characteristics:
o Creative desiqn that incorporates custom design elements and the most
important information and keeps both easily accessible from the homepage.
u Photos and collaqes of recognizable landmarks, scenery of the City, and the
local area.
❑ Consistent look and feel throughout the site to make it easier for website visitors
to navigate the site and find information they need.
❑ Use of Cascadinq Stvle Sheets to ensure future consistency as well as
separation of content and design. This makes it much easier to apply a new
design theme in the future without the need to redevelop the underlying website.
❑ Section 508 Compliant making it accessible to persons with disabilities.
� Easv to use drop down menus helping users to quickly understand navigation
and locate information with the least amount of clicks.
� Breadcrumbs showing the user's current path to let them know exactly where
they are on the website.
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Intuitive Navigation
For your website, we recommend organizing information by department, topic, and/or
target users. Contractor's approach allows users to find information in the variety of
ways that are most important to them. This is because content is availabie through
multiple "paths" making it simple for users to search the site regardless of their preferred
method.
Content Managemenf Solution
The City's website will utilize VCMT which was created in Microsoft ASP.NET and SQL
Server. Upon final payment, Contractor will provide City with the source code for City's
own use
Administration Tools
VCMT provides City with a dynamic website where you have the ability to modify content
on any page in the website through simple and easy to use administration screens.
Additionally, you can add new pages and insert them into the navigation of the website.
VCMT includes a number of functions that make it extremely easy for your non-technical
staff to manage website content. The most important include:
❑ Browser-Based Administration that allows for easy management of content by
anyone who is familiar with su�ng the Internet and using basic word processing
programs. There is no need for your staff to know programming when updating
content. This allows authorized staff members to update, delete, and create new
pages based on a predefined template, and insert them into the website's
navigation.
u WYSIWYG Text Editor that is based upon standard document creation tools that
make it easy for your non-technical staff to edit and format text. With the
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, they can change font styles,
colors, sizes, and formatting such as bold, italics, and underlining.
❑ Automatic Alt-Taqs for images ensuring future Section 508 compliance.
❑ Automatic Imaqe Resizinq to convert those large high-resoiution photos from
digital cameras into web-ready images.
❑ Undo, Redo, Restore, and Trashcan tools giving you the ability to recover from
mistakes and restore to the previous published version.
�� Stvles that can be applied to such elements as text, headers, and lists, thereby
enabling you to create web pages with a consistent look.
❑ Paste Text from Microsoft Word to make it easier to add content to the website
while stripping MS Word formatting and converting it to HTML.
;.� Spel! Check to help you create content that is free of any embarrassing spelling
errors.
u Search and Replace tool that replaces a word or phrase within the page.
u Secure Administration that offers password protection to content management
functions. Our sophisticated tool allows you to grant management rights to
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specific users or groups of users. Administration rights can be granted to the
entire site or restricted to specific areas or types of content (i.e. by department).
❑ Sinale-Source Web Publishinq that permits administrators to update a single web
page and reflect those changes on multiple pages throughout the site.
� Naviqation Control that allows you to add new pages or move pages anywhere
within the website.
❑ Paqe Linkina that enables you to easily create links to any page in the website or
to other websites.
u Email Address Maskinq which prevents spammers from getting the email
addresses of your employees when crawling your site.
u Document Central that allows for the storage of a single version of each
document in a cer►tral place and for them to be linked to virtually any page in the
website.
u Imaqe Library that stores a single version of each image in a central place and
subsequently adds them to virtually any page in the website.
❑ Content Schedulinq to save time and money. This allows all standard pages and
specific predefined component content to be setup to publish ahead of time and
be automatically removed or archived when it will no longer be relevant.
� Printable Paqes that enable your website visitors to print out virtually any page
on the website for reading offline.
Optional functions available under additional budget include:
❑ Content Approval Cvcle that allows staff persons to create content that passes
through multiple levels of review and approval before going "live."
❑ Multilinqual Support which allows you to publish web pages in any language
including multi-byte Asian and Arabic (anguages. Our tool can be configured to
accept your translated content. Configuration and translation services are not
included; however, they are available for an additional fee.
�s�i�Additionally, our websites support 98% of all commonly used browsers. This ensures
maximum accessibility for your community.
Included Interactive Components
In addition to the creative design, effective navigation, and easy to use VCMT, we will
provide the City with interactive components for managing special types of content.
The Interactive Components to be utilized are:
❑ Calendar u Image �ibrary
� Document Central � Job Postings
� Dynamic Homepage � News and Newsletter
u Dynamic Department Homepages u Site Search
u e-Notification u Sitemap Generator
❑ Form/Survey Tool u Staff Directory
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u Frequently Asked Questions
Each of these interactive components is described in detail below.
Customization of the VCMT includes the frontend graphic design and layout as well as
adding or subtracting fields for your specific needs.
Calendar
An interactive Calendar is a staple of local government websites and is an essential tool
for your site's success. The Calendar can be used to improve attendance at your events
and meetings by making it easier for users to find the types of events important to them.
It can also be implemented in a user-friendly monthly or yearly format. To assist users
further, the Calendar has filtering tools that allow them to find information by month,
category, or even departments. This makes it quite easy to locate specific information.
Our Calendar contains a number of advanced functions including:
o Recurring events function
❑ HTML editing capabilities (including ability to include photos and links)
❑ Automatic archiving
❑ Integration with e-Notification
❑ Ability to create and assign filtering categories to events.
u Ability to restrict use of categories by specific staff.
❑ Ability to control which events to include on the homepage of the site.
� Ability to insert Calendar pages anywhere in the site navigation.
❑ Ability to apply different Calendar formats including standard monthly Calendar
and a listing of events.
Document Central
One of the main reasons people visit a local government website is to get information
and download important documents and forms. With the Document Central, website
visitors can easily find the information they need, and you can slash printing and
distribution costs far all types of documents.
Based on our extensive experience in content management, we recommend a
centralized location for all documents. This allows website visitors to browse for
documents from a single, categorized location as well as to access information from
individual pages within the website. Furthermore, it allows easier administrator
management of files, thus preventing confusing links and ensuring there are not multiple
versions of the same document throughout the site. To prevent broken links in the
website, the Document Central prevents deletion of linked documents and provides a
complete list of pages linking to the document to simplify website administration.
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We recommend all documents be stored in Adobe Acrobat PDF format to enable
everyone to view them, regardless of platform. However, you may upload most types of
files including Microsoft Word, Excel, graphics files, and audio or video clips.
Dynamic Homepage
It is important on a city website to (ist the most current news, press releases, or events.
This keeps the community informed while ensuring the website is fresh and timely. It
also exposes website visitors to important information they may not necessarily be
looking for.
A Dynamic Homepage automates this process for your staff by displaying the most
recent information and automatica(ly removing it when it is no longer relevant. It will save
your staff time while guaranteeing that your homepage is up-to-date.
Please note that the Dynamic Homepage can include an emergency homepage notice.
Dynamic Department Homepages
While the Dynamic Homepage would provide information for the City overall, the
Dynamic Department Homepages would provide the same functionality for individual
departments. The system will be implemented in a way that information could be posted
on both the main homepage and a department homepage simultaneously without
duplication of effort. The screenshots below show the City of Charlottesville's homepage,
which lists current events, and the city council`s homepage, which automatically lists
council specific news.
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, . _ ., �,., ,.�...,�� _ ; News and events are � ..,... , ,. . .. _ ..� , , . ,
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Figure 1 City of Charlottesville's homepage Figure 2 Dynamic Dept. Homepages
automatically lists upcoming events. automatically lists a department's current
news or events.
e-Notification
Increase communication, draw in more repeat users, and get important information out
more quickly, using our email based e-Notification tool. Our tool provides a sign-up box
allowing users to add their email addresses to receive important notices, and set their
preferences for the e-Notifications they would like to receive. Each registration is verified
via a confirmation email that the user must respond to in order to complete the
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registration process. This same mechanism allows each user to change preferences
including opting out from subscription lists.
To better manage the e-Notification process, your staff can see how many subscribers
there are for each category, plus edit subscriber information and export the subscriber
database for use in other systems.
The best part about our e-Notification tool is that it also integrates with the News and
Newsletters component, giving you the ability to broadcast News and Newsletter content
from your website to your subscribers. There is no need to recreate the content. This
integrated approach enables your users to sign up for different types and categories of
content on a single subscription page in order to have it delivered directly into their email
box.
Form/Survey Tool
Interactive forms are the staple of an effective government website. They allow users to
communicate and interact with their government at convenient times. Contractor's
Forms/Survey Tool can be used for asking questions, getting feedback, or submitting
applications. Keep in mind that these online forms can be used for replicating most
paper forms in the city.
The Form/Survey Tool also provides you with the ability to easily create your own online
surveys and track the results in real-time. In contrast to the traditional paper survey
approach, online surveys are more convenient because they eliminate the time and
expense of mailing back responses. Furthermore, you can display the results in several
formats, including graphical representations. This allows your staff to aggregate the
responses and view them in repo�t format.
The tool supports fill in the blank, multiple choice, multiple select, and ranking type
questions. Submissions are stored so that all administrators are able to view them. It
also has an export function so you can analyze the results using Excel or any other
program capable of importing CSV files. This is a third party tool, so only graphic design
may be customized and the Approval Cycle functionality is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are a website staple that visitors have come to
expect. While traditional FAQs consist of long lists of questions that may overwhelm
users, our component provides a simple and easy way for them to find the information
they need. Website visitors are able to browse the list of questions (and answers) by
categories you define. Multipte categories may be assigned to each question so that
your visitors will be abie to find answers based upon the category that best matches
what they are looking for.
Your staff will also love the feature because our tool presents a much simpler solution to
creating FAQs. Questions and their associated answers are submitted through a simple
and centralized interface. Our tool does the rest!
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Image Library
The Image Library is a centralized place where all images used in the website are
stored. This saves space because only a single version of each image is used on the
entire site. This also provides greater control, as you can restrict the ability to add new
images to specific staff members within your organization. Images remained archived
when deleted to prevent accidental broken links within fhe website while the content
management tool tracks all pages using individual photos to make it easier for you to
replace images in individua! pages.
The Image Library also incorporates several tools that make managing images much
easier. They include automatic scaling and sizing of photos to the maximum size
recommended for your website plus automatic alt-tag insertion for images added to
pages to ensure future Section 508 compliance.
Job Postings
Job Postings is one of the most popular types of content on local government websites.
By posting jobs within the site, you are both attracting possible candidates and averting
the flood of telephone inquiries about positions that do not exist. This, of course, keeps
your administrative costs down.
Our Job Postings tool makes posting jobs a snap. Your HR staff simply fills out a form
that can have any number of fields you define (such as position, department, salary, and
benefits). Staff can schedule when postings go live on the website and when they expire,
thus simplifying the process and reducing your administrative time and costs.
To make it easy for users, postings can include interactive tools for filtering available
positions by category, type of position, posting date, and salary. As is normal for all our
components, your staff is able to define the categories or classification of Job Postings.
News and Newsfetter
By posting news on your site, you will improve communication with your target
audiences. Our experience is that news can take many forms, including press reteases,
newsletters, feature stories, and "what's new" content. With our News and Newsletter
component, each of these types of news can be implemented onto a single section of
the website or have their own separate area. To ensure usability for website visitors
while providing simplicity for staff, news content is automatically moved to an archive
section at a predefined interval after publishing. Website visitors can browse the archive
by category and date range.
NOTE: With the e-Notification tool, news information may also be broadcast to
subscribers via email.
Site Search
Site users can find the specific content they need through the powerful search engine
dtSearch. The toot will search both HTML pages and documents such as Adobe PDF
files and Microsoft Word documents. It will return results in order of relevance based
upon frequency of search words in the page content or metadata. In an optional,
advanced mode implementation, dtSearch supports full Boolean keyword searches.
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Attachment A
This third-party software needs to be installed on the web server.
Sitemap Generator
Some people prefer to navigate from a central sitemap where they are able to quickly
see a snapshot of the overall website structure. Additionally, visually impaired people
often use the sitemap as their principal source of navigation because it is much faster for
their screen reader software to move through this than other navigation pages. The
Sitemap Generator makes it easy for website visitors and staff alike by automatically
generating a sitemap based upon the current site hierarchy. When a change is made to
a page location on the website, it is automatically updated on the sitemap. This ensures
up-to-the-minute accuracy, and is much easier than staff having to maintain a static
sitemap.
Staff Directory
It is often difficult for website visitors to find the correct person to contact in a
government agency. However, the useful Staff Directory component greatly simplifies
this search. It can list all staff persons, departments, even related agencies and partners,
along with their contact information and description of their role or area of specialization.
Your website users will love the convenience, simplicity, and accessibility; they can
easily filter the iist of staff based upon name, department, or other criteria determined to
be important to them.
Additionally, your staff will be happy that they can make their email addresses available
to others without exposing their contact information to spammers. Our tool "masks" email
addresses so that email-harvesting software used by spammers cannot automatically
extract them from your website.
Optional Interactive Componentsrs�2�
Contractor creates custom solutions; therefore, we are able to offer you virtually any
conceivable type of function. Below is a sampling of other components available to you.
Because our content management tool is so flexible, you may add these at any time in
the future for an additional budget.
u Approva! Cycle � Link Library
o Design Themes � RFP Postings
Approvat Cycle
For websites where content authorship and updates are distributed throughout an
organization's departments, it is helpful to implement the Approval Cycle where content
updates and changes do not go live on the website until one or more persons have
approved them.
This allows you to segment the management of content by groups of users (such as
departments), in addition to types of content as determined by the interactive
components. It is extremely flexible allowing you to define as many workflows as you
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Attachment A
require with as many steps in the approval as you deem necessary. Most clients have
one workflow per department with up to four or five steps in each.
Design Themes
The Design Themes tool allows you to give subsections of the website their own unique
look and feel while providing overall navigational and page layout consistency for your
website visitors. The navigational and page layout consistency will make navigating the
site easier for your users; the structure will remain the same throughout the website. At
the same time, however, by being able to apply different graphic designs and color
schemes to different sections, you can incorporate distinct branding elements into a
single website. To make it easy for your staff, they can simply select the design theme to
be applied to the page from a list of available options that Vision Internet defines for the
content management tool. Included in this budget are three design themes; additional
themes will be billed at our hourly rates.
On the next page are examples from the StopWaste.Org website. Different templates
are used for promoting branding of individual programs. Templates include unique
banner collages and color themes. Navigation remains consistent throughout the site.
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Attachment A
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Figure 3 The StopWaste.Org website incorporates different Design Theme templates to
support branding of individual programs. From left to right: Bay Friendly program,
Residents section of site, Green Building program.
Link Library EVAP�S1�ll� `�'' R � �.� -
��'
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Site visitors appreciate having links � '� _�,+"�+• ^�Ke �° °������
.
to important information and "�""���� �������t�� r � ���`
resources. While you can add links ` � �� � , �
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to virtually any page using our
content management tool, our � "�`�
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interactive Link Library provides a �`� � �� � `;.�.
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better alternative if you will have ��x�
hundreds of them. This is because it � ��s �� � .
allows users to browse links they are �.-,���� � ��
interested in based upon categories �� ��
you predefine. Since there may be � .��. . �
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several categories that apply to an �� - ' °''�a�
individual link, you can assign ' . ��.,�: � ��� �
o�w �, ro�-�, .„a,n.., . q r 70Watu�.rnr��
multiple categories to each without Figure 4 Link Library provides an interactive
double entry. centralized location for links with descriptions.
Keep in mind that this is more than simply adding the URL; you can give the link a name,
add a description, and, if you choose, a thumbnail photo. To our knowledge, the Link
Library is unique to Contractor, and is just one of the many tools that set our websites
apart from those of our competitors.
RFP Postings
To make future Requests for Proposals simpler, easier to manage, and more cost
effective, the website can include an RFP Postings where they can be posted along with
amendments and updates.
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Attachment A
Potential vendors can download RFPs in a PDF format. Because RFPs are time
sensitive, you can schedule when the RFP posting would be live on the website and
when it would be removed, thus ensuring your website is kept up-to-date with minimal
staff time required.
NOTE: Contractor also offers a full e-Procurement Application that includes vendor
management tools, online bidding, automatic distribution of RFPs and addendums, and
enforces government procurement best practices. This advanced tool can enable you to
reach paperless purchasing, and significantly streamline your procurement process. It is
much more affordable than most online bidding applications, and may be helpful if you
are posting severai bid opportunities per month.
Integration of Third-Party Tools and Databases
Today, there are many advanced tools for such functions as:
u Class Registration
u Permitting
❑ Service Requests (CRM)
u Streaming Video
� Others
VCMT can easi�y work with these tools, provided they are web-enabled. Most of these
types of tools can be given the same look and feel as your main website via
modifications to the presentation template. For your project, we will provide you with an
HTML template that vendors of these third-party tools can use. We will also integrate
links to these third-party tools into the overall website navigation. There are many
examples of where we have used this approach, including the Cities of College Station,
TX; Diamond Bar, CA; Citrus Heights, CA; and many others.
Additionally, we are able to create web-interfaces for your third-party databases.
Examples of previous projects where we have done this include displaying tax records
that were exported from a main frame for Vanderburgh County, IN; displaying crime
statistics from California State databases for the City of Citrus Heights, CA; displaying
travel options from various databases for several airlines including United; and
displaying staff and student contact information from school databases for the UCLA
School of Law.
These are just a few examples of our extensive experience working with third-party
databases and systems. While interfaces to third-party systems are not included within
the budget, they are available for an additional fee. We can provide a firm quote for
interfaces after analyzing the databases and requirements during the consulting phase
of your project.
Optionat Maintenance/Support PIan�S�s�
Beyond the initial three months, many of our clients opt to buy blocks of hours for
maintenance and technical support at a lower blended rate. Our maintenance and
support plan is unique. Rather than the standard 18% - 20% maintenance plan that
includes upgrades and support, we offer a more flexible and fair approach.
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Attachment A
The problems with traditional maintenance contracts offered by our competitors are:
u You have no control over what goes into the annual upgrade so you may not get
anything of value to you.
� if the features you want are not in the upgrade, you may need to pay for
additional customization in addition to the maintenance contract you already paid
fo r.
u If you want to add additional components, you will still need to request an
additional capital budget to cover the new development.
In our approach, you buy blocks of hours for maintenance and support at a lower
blended rate. The time can be used for maintenance and support on an as-needed basis
throughout the year. At the end of the year, you can apply any unused value towards an
upgrade of the content management tool, customizations to your website, or
implementation of new components. This provides you maximum flexibility because:
❑ You set the amount you want to allocate for maintenance and enhancements on
an annual basis.
u If the annual upgrade does not contain functionality useful to you, you can simply
"skip" the upgrade and apply the unused value to additional components or
enhancements.
u You are able to add new functionality to your site under maintenance budgets
rather than the harder to come by capital budget funds.
Most clients only use three to four hours of supporUmaintenance per quarter but wi�l
purchase a maintenance contract of ten to fifteen hours per month because of the
exceptional value it provides for future.
The Vision Process
Contractor's process consists of six stages. In each, there are formal review and
approval points to give you full control of the project and ensure the final website meets
your expectations. This process is explained in the sections below.
Stage 1: Vision Stage
In the Vision Stage, we work with you to create the vision for your website now and for
the future. The Vision Stage places heavy emphasis on the objectives of the website and
how it supports your overall organizational goals.
To create the vision, we will:
� Prepare and tabulate surveys of key decision makers. The survey will focus on
goals and objectives, what is good and bad about your current site, examples of
sites you like, and many other topics.
�� Review your existing website and the websites of other cities.
� Study examples of other websites you like.
� Hold a brainstorming session with your web team.
� Collect all content and materials for the new website.
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Attachment A
The heart of this stage of the project is the brainstorming sessions where we discuss
your current website, the results of surveys, the needs of users and staff, and possible
approaches for the future. This serves to gain insights and create general support for the
projecf. We will also discuss operational considerations for once the website launches.
This operationai discussion will be a two-way dialog where you provide us information
about the operational needs of the City and we share with you our experience and
knowledge based upon the best practices we have discovered over the years.
Stage 2: Concept Stage
In the Concept Stage, we will create the blueprint for realizing the vision. To do this, we
will develop the site infrastructure that includes:
❑ Creation of a navigation strategy that supports easy access to information.
u Categorization of pages according to the navigation strategy.
u Creation of a conceptual sitemap. The navigation or information architecture will
take into account your current needs plus allow for future expansion and growth.
� Recommendation of interactive components to support easy navigation through
special types of content, such as events and news.
u Drafting of a homepage layout wireframe that shows the placement of key
information and dynamic content.
The Concept Stage will end with your approval of the sitemap and homepage layout
wireframe.
Stage 3: Design Stage
In this stage, our creative team will continue with the creative graphic design for your
homepage, based on the approved homepage layout wireframe. Our creative ability and
expertise will allow us to develop compelling graphic design to make your website look
great, while maintaining its usability. We will work very closely with your staff to establish
a look and feel for the website that reflects your unique identity.
Website/Graphic Design will include:
� Up to three homepage design concepts to establish direction.
� Design of custom icons, buttons, screen elements, and backgrounds, if desired.
� Efficient and streamlined navigation and site architecture.
� Optimization for speed.
� Section 508 Accessibility Compliance.
u Consistent graphics, structure, and navigation design.
Towards the end of this stage, we will present final homepage design concepts for your
approval. You will select one for implementation in the new website.
Stage 4: Development Stage
This stage includes the interior page design and programming the website according to
the approved specifications and creative design. Programming will include the
implementation of the content management tool and development of the interactive
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components. Our creative team will give direction for the sub-level page design. Though
we do not create content as part of our services, we do include in the scope of your
project the migration of up to 150 pages into the new website.
For your project, we will create up to 25 "friendly URLs" for your pages so that titles
and/or headlines wiil be included in the URL. We can discuss providing this service for
additional pages during your projecYs consulting phase.
Stage 5: Quality Assurance, Documentation, and Training Stage
While quality assurance is an integral part of every stage of the project, in the Quality
Assurance Stage we do extensive testing and reviewing of the website code. We will
thoroughly follow an exhaustive checklist of atl pages and functions created during the
development stage. We recommend that you have a staff representative participate in
this process to verify the site fulfills the expectations for the project.
Within this stage, we will also provide a one day training consisting of a session for each
department's content author in addition to an overall system administrator. For content
authors, we will train them on how to create and update content using the content
management tool and for the administrator, we will instruct him/her on managing
security, system configuration, and other advanced topics. A custom training manual and
reference is provided for updating the website. The manual incorporates screenshots
from your website, making it easy for staff to understand and use.
Stage 6: Launch Stage
In the Launch Stage, the website is moved to the production server. In the event that
Contractor is not hosting the website, the City will be responsible for setting up a
Windows Server running IIS and MS SQL Server. Contractor will install all other
necessary software, make necessary configuration changes, and transfer the code and
content'. We again go through the final quality assurance process, ensuring the site
transfers correctly. After you approve that the website is ready to launch, the website will
be made available to the public. We will continue to monitor the website over the next
three months to make sure that the entire site is functioning properly.
Project Schedule
The table below shows our recommended development and launch schedule along with
a list of key deliverables/milestones.
Im lementation Ste Av . Duration
Vision Stage
u Stakeholder surveys 2 —4 Weeks
u Brainstorming session
' The City will need to provide remote access to the server during the setup and configuration of
the website, or be prepared to perform the setup under the direction of Vision InterneYs technical
staff. In this case, additional fees may apply.
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Implementation Ste Av�Duration
Concept Stage
o Conceptualized sitemap 2 —4 Weeks I
o Homepage layout wireframe
Design Stage
u Up to three homepage design comprehensives
u Custom icons, buttons, screen elements and backgrounds 3 —4 Weeks
❑ Complete navigation design
Deveiopment Stage
u Programming of the website 4 — 9 Weeks
❑ Migration of up to 150 pages of content
Quality Assurance and Documentation Stage �
❑ Completed website
� Customized training manuai 2 — 3 Weeks
� Onsite training
Soft Launch 8� Final Launch
u Move website to production server
❑ Continued final testing 2 Weeks
� Website goes live
Total estimated time to launch 15—26 Weeks
* The schedule may vary largely depending on optional components and participant
decision times.
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A Proposal for
The City of Palm Desert
A Vision for a Custom Website to
Deliver Exceptional Results
Q���.�
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internet
Vision Internet
2530 Wilshire Blvd., 2"d Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(888) 263-8847
www.visioninternet.com
March 30, 2007
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. SUMMARY.........................................................................................................1
COVERLETTER.................................................................................................................1
COMPANY AND CONTACT INFORMATION..........................................................................2
EXECUTIVESUMMARY.......................................................................................................3
2. STATEMENT OF WORK.....................................................................................4
DEVELOPMENT-THE VISION PROCESS..............................................................................4
PROJECT TIMELINE-STAGES AND MILESTONES..................................................................6
TECHNICAL ABILITIES........................................................................................................7
FEEINFORMATION...........................................................................................................9
3. EXPERIENCE ...................................................................................................12
COMPANYHISTORY........................................................................................................12
QUALIFICATIONS............................................................................................................13
RELEVANT PROJECT PROFILES.........................................................................................16
PROJECT STAFF-THE VISION TEAM ................................................................................28
4. PRODUCTS - PROJECT SCOPE.......................................................................35
ATTRACTIVEDESIGN ......................................................................................................36
INTUITIVE NAVIGATION...................................................................................................36
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTION...............................................................................37
INCLUDED INTERACTIVE COMPONENTS............................................................................39
OPTIONAL INTERACTIVE COMPONENTS ...........................................................................46
INTEGRATION OF THIR�-PARTY TOOLS AND DATABASES...................................................49
OPTIONAL MAINTENANCE AND HOSTING SERVICES..........................................................49
5. VENDOR REFERENCES....................................................................................53
CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................55
APPENDIX I: PROPOSAL SIGNATURE FORM ......................................................56
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1. SUMMARY
Cove�Lette�
City of Palm Desert
73-510 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92260
Re: Website Development RFP
Dear Selection Committee,
Thank you very much for the opportunity to present a website development proposal
to the City of Palm Desert. As we have just launched a successful new site for the
nearby City of La Quinta and are currently working on a website for the Palm Springs
Unified School District, we hope to apply all that we have learned from these projects
to your own website's development. We truly love working in your area and we hope
to add you to our list of Southern California clients.
After thoroughly reviewing your request for proposal, related materials, and current
website, we understand that the City of Palm Desert is in a process of dramatic
transformation - a transformation where the City will empower its residents and
businesses with information and services that will enable them to build a stronger
connection to their community and their government. At the same time, you can slash
your administrative, distribution, and printing costs, which could repay the City's
investment within the first year.
Vision Internet is the ideal company to lead the City of Palm Desert through its process
because:
❑ Our extensive government and education ex�erience includes over 100 projects
and we truly understand the needs of local government agencies.
❑ We have developed many successful �roiects for California clients including the
award winning sites for the Cities of Bellflower, Citrus Heights, and Diamond
Bar. Some of our other California clients include the City of Arcadia, the City of
Monterey Park, the City of Santa Clarita, the City of Santa Monica, and more.
❑ We are a leading innovator and have received over two dozen prestigious
awards for our government websites including honors from PTI (Public
Technology Institute), the U.S. Department of Transportation, the NAGW
(National Association of Government Webmasters), the 3CMA (an association of
government marketing professionals), the Center for Digital Government, the
Web Marketing Association, and other organizations. In fact, last year alone, we
won a dozen awards for our websites, including the prestigious 2006 3CMA
Sawy Award and NAGW Pinnacle Award.
❑ Our content management tool is extremely affordable and specifically designed
to meet the needs of local government. This translates into exceptional value as
initial investments are within reach and ongoinc�maintenance is effectivel�cut
zero.
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_ ., vision
I n t • r n o t
o We create and implement solutions specifically designed to meet your needs.
While some companies offer cookie-cutter solutions, we believe each
community and government agency is unique and that their website should
reflect that individuality. Our approach allows your website to realize its
maximum potential.
❑ We provide �rou with the source code so you are not dependent on Vision
Internet or any other company.
❑ We are a Microsoft Certified Partner and have the technical expertise to ensure
your project's success.
❑ We include a Qne-year warrantv. Most of our competitors do not offer a
warranty of any kind!
We are sure that as you review this proposal, you will realize that Vision Internet stands
above its competitors and is the ideal partner to ensure your project's success. We look
forward to meeting with you personally and demonstrating our unique ability to serve
your needs! '
Respectfully submitted,
.���,?�''--- .
� ---�.
Steven B. Chapin Tom Johnson
President,Vision Internet Providers, Inc. Senior Project Manager,Vision Internet Providers, Inc.
Company and Contact /nformation
Company: Vision Internet Providers, Inc.
Contacts and E-Mail: Steven Chapin - President and Founder
sbc@visioninternet.com
Tom Johnson - Senior Project Manager
tom@visioninternet.com
Address: 2530 Wilshire Blvd., 2"d Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone and Fax: (888) 263-8847 -Toll Free
(310) 656-3100 - Local
(310) 656-3103 - Fax
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x vision
I n t • r n o t
Executive Summary
The City of Palm Desert is at the forefront of a dramatic transformation in the way the
City serves its residents and businesses. When complete, the City's new website will
provide unprecedented accessibility to government information and services. The
government will be available 24/7 to serve the needs of the community.
Website visitors will easily find the information they need without having to understand
your organizational structure. This is possible because we will organize your
information by audience, service, topic, and/or department. The website will use
powerful search tools and have multiple ways to access the most important
information. Additionally, it will incorporate interactive tools for navigating content
such as events, news, and staff contact information. Your website users will applaud
you!
To improve operations and cut costs, we will provide you with our easy-to-use content
management tool. Our content management tool grants non-technical staff inembers
from different departments the ability to maintain their own content while preserving
consistency throughout the site. At the same time, advanced security tools will ensure
that they only update their own content while the optional Approval Cycle component
will allow you to define multiple levels of review and approval before material is
published live on the website.
Design is also important. Users form an immediate opinion of the quality of a site
based upon its design. If your website is inviting, exciting, and reflects the community,
users wil) be pleasantly surprised that their local government understands the
importance of its website serving people like them. The attractive design will give a
positive first impression that encourages users to look for the content they need, while
easy navigation will keep them coming back.
While creating a useful and exciting website is an ambition of many local governments,
the City of Palm Desert is taking the right step in selecting an outside expert to
develop the new website. This will provide the City with a rock-solid foundation for
future growth that most city websites lack. As a result, the City will be much further
ahead than others.
Vision Internet is the ideal partner to implement a content management tool that will
create the City's new online presence. We have extensive experience creating websites
for all levels of government, introducing user-friendly navigational structures, and
implementing advanced content management tools to make it easy for staff to
maintain their websites. In fact, we are one of few companies that support multiple
content management tools and can implement the best solution for your needs.
Having received numerous awards for our highly effective government websites, we
are recognized as a top design and development firm. We have been featured on
national television, in trade media, on the cover of U.S. News and World Report, and
regularly speak at government conferences on communication and technology issues.
As you read this proposal, you will come to realize why local governments across the
nation have chosen Vision Internet as their web development partner.
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int � rn • t
2. STATEMENT OF WORK
With years of government experience, Vision Internet is able to provide the City of
Palm Desert with all of the services and elements required to create a successful and
innovative website. Below, you will find details on our development process, including
a detailed plan of work. For information on our project scope, including our non-
proprietary content management tool and many interactive components, please see
the 4. Products— Project Scope section of this proposal on page 35.
Deve%pment - The Vision Process
Throughout our eleven years of web strategy experience, we have constantly
developed and refined our implementation process. This process consists of six stages.
In each, there are formal review and approval points to give you full control of the
project and ensure the final website meets your expectations. This process is explained
in the sections below.
Stage 1: Vision Stage
In the Vision Stage, we work with you to create the vision for your website now and for
the future. The Vision Stage places heavy emphasis on the objectives of the website
and how it supports your overall organizational goals.
To create the vision, we will:
❑ Prepare and tabulate surveys of key decision makers. The survey will focus on
goals and objectives, what is good and bad about your current site, examples
of sites you like, and many other topics.
o Review your existing website and the websites of other cities.
❑ Study examples of other websites you like.
❑ Hold a brainstorming session with your web team.
❑ Collect all content and materials for the new website.
The heart of this stage of the project is the brainstorming sessions where we discuss
your current website, the results of surveys, the needs of users and staff, and possible
approaches for the future. This serves to gain insights and create general support for
the project. We will also discuss operational considerations for once the website
launches. This operationa! discussion will be a two-way dialog where you provide us
information about the operational needs of the City of Palm Desert and we share with
you our experience and knowledge based upon the best practices we have discovered
over the years.
Stage 2: Concept Stage
In the Concept Stage, we will create the blueprint for realizing the vision. To do this,
we will develop the site infrastructure that includes:
❑ Creation of a navigation strategy that supports easy access to information.
❑ Categorization of pages according to the navigation strategy.
- 4 -
h,S
`"'
��
� , vision
int • rnot
❑ Creation of a conceptual sitemap. The navigation or information architecture
will take into account your current needs plus allow for future expansion and
growth.
❑ Recommendation of interactive components to support easy navigation
through special types of content, such as events and news.
❑ Drafting of a homepage layout wireframe that shows the placement of key
information and dynamic content.
The Concept Stage will end with your approval of the sitemap and homepage layout
wireframe.
Stage 3: Design Stage
In this stage, our creative team will continue with the creative graphic design for your
homepage, based on the approved homepage layout wireframe. Our creative ability
and expertise will allow us to develop compelling graphic design to make your website
look great, while maintaining its usability. We will work very closely with your staff to
establish a look and feel for the website that reflects your unique identity.
Website/Graphic Design will include:
❑ Up to three homepage design concepts to establish direction.
❑ Design of custom icons, buttons, screen elements, and backgrounds, if desired.
❑ Efficient and streamlined navigation and site architecture.
❑ Optimization for speed.
❑ Section 508 Accessibility Compliance.
❑ Consistent graphics, structure, and navigation design.
Towards the end of this stage, we will present final homepage design concepts for
your approval. You will select one for implementation in the new website.
Stage 4: Development Stage
This stage includes the interior page design and programming the website according
to the approved specifications and creative design. Programming will include the
implementation of the content management tool and development of the interactive
components. Our creative team will give direction for the sub-level page design.
Though we do not create content as part of our services, we do include in the scope of
your project the migration of up to 150 pages into the new website.
For your project, we will create up to 25 "friendly URLs" for your pages so that titles
and/or headlines will be included in the URL. We can discuss providing this service for
additional pages during your project's consulting phase.
Stage 5: Quality Assurance, Documentation, and Training Stage
While quality assurance is an integral part of every stage of the project, in the Quality
Assurance Stage we do extensive testing and reviewing of the website code. We will
thoroughly follow an exhaustive checklist of all pages and functions created during the
- 5 -
`�
1
� vision
I n t � r n o t
development stage. We recommend that you have a staff representative participate in
this process to verify the site fulfills the expectations for the projed.
Within this stage, we will also provide a one day training consisting of a session for
each department's content author in addition to an overall system administrator. For
content authors, we will train them on how to create and update content using the
content management tool and for the administrator, we will instruct him/her on
managing security, system configuration, and other advanced topics. A custom trainina
manual and reference is�rovided for updating the website. The manual incor�orates
screenshots from Xgur website. making it easy for staff to understand and use.
Stage 6: Launch Stage
In the Launch Stage, the website is moved to the production server. In the event that
Vision Internet is not hosting the website, the City will be responsible for setting up a
Windows Server running IIS and MS SQL Server. Vision Internet will install all other
necessary software, make necessary configuration changes, and transfer the code and
content'. We again go through the final quality assurance process, ensuring the site
transfers correctly. After you approve that the website is ready to launch, the website
will be made available to the public. We will continue to monitor the website over the
next three months to make sure that the entire site is functioning properly.
Project Time/ine - Stages and Mi/estones
The table below shows our recommended development and launch schedule along
with a (ist of key deliverables/milestones. We can, however, work with you to find a way
to shorten the schedule if you require.
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ision Stage
❑ Stakeholder surveys 2—4 Weeks
❑ Brainstorming session
oncept Stage
❑ Conceptua(ized sitemap 2—4 Weeks
v Homepage iayout wireframe
Design Stage
o Up to three homepage design comprehensives
❑ Cusiom icons, buttons, screen elements and backgrounds 3—4 Weeks
o Complete navigation design
' The City will need to provide remote access to the server during the setup and configuration
of the website, or be prepared to perform the setup under the direction of Vision Internet's
technical staff. In this case, additional fees may apply.
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Development Stage
❑ Programming of the website 4-9 Weeks
o Migration of up to 150 pages of content
Quality Assurance and Documentation Stage
o Completed website
❑ Customized training manua) 2-3 Weeks
❑ Onsite training
oft Launch & Final Launch
❑ Move website to production server
❑ Continued final testing 2 Weeks
❑ Website goes (ive
otat estimated time to launch 15 - 26 Weeks
* The schedule may vary largely depending on optional components and participant
decision times. Some stages may overlap, which can reduce the total time of
completion.
Technica/Abi/ities
Broad Technical Expertise
Vision Internet is a Microsoft Certified Partner and within our team, we have extensive
experience in all the technologies required to build you a world-class solution. Our
core technical skills include:
Web Programming: ASP, ASP.NET, HTML, DHTML, PHP, XML, JavaScript,
and Cold Fusion.
Application Programming: C, C++, C#, Java, Visual Basic, and VB.Net.
Database Technology: MS SQL Server, Oracle, MS Access, and MySQL.
Graphic Design: Photoshop, Flash, Quark Express, Adobe Illustrator.
Content Management: Macromedia Contribute, Microsoft Content
Management Server, Stellent (Oracle's CMS), and our
own Vision Content Management Tool.
Platform: Windows Server, IIS, Linux, Cisco Router, Firewall, and
Windows Security.
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Other: NetShift Kiosk Software, various e-Commerce
platforms, and GIS software.
Additionally, our in-house team has overlapping skills and expertise in:
❑ Consulting and Strategic Planning
❑ Market Research
❑ Usability Testing
❑ Project Management
❑ Information Architecture
❑ Database Design and Administration
o Creative Direction and Graphic Design
o Website Hosting and Maintenance
❑ Webmaster Services
❑ Section 508 Compliance (federal disabilities compliance)
o Quality Assurance
� Documentation and Training
Solid Team Experience
As you read through this proposal, you will find that our team is highly experienced in
the various elements required to produce a successful government website. The Vision
team has years of experience with managing local government projects, quality
assurance, analyzing the specific needs of our clients and their communities, and
managing a website once it launches. This is because, as a firm which focuses on local
government, we have unparalleled experience with developing websites for cities like
yours. For more information on the Vision Team's website development experience,
including the resumes and strengths of your potential project team, please see page
27.
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Fee /nfo�mation
Due to our extensive experience creating government websites and implementing
content management tools, we are able to offer the City of Palm Desert a custom
solution at a cost normally associated with the canned solutions that many of our
competitors provide.
We are certain that in reviewing this proposal, you will realize Vision Internet clearly
stands out above the competition and is the best choice for guaranteed resuits. While
we may not be the lowest bid, our clients tell us that we provide the best overall value.
Please note that this budget includes our non-proprietary content management tool, as
well as our Calendar, Document Central, Dynamic Homepage, Dynamic Department
Homepages, e-Notification, Form/Survey Tool, Frequently Asked Questions, Image
Library, Job Postings, News and Newsletter, Site Search, Sitemap Generator, and Staff
Directory. For more information on these components, please see page 39.
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Consultin 4 $13 $6,345
Pro'ect Mana ement 3 $13 $4,050
Desi n 4 $12 $5,750
Desi n Production 1 $9 $1,615
D namic Pro rarnmin 12 $13 $16,875
HTML Pro rammin 1 $8 $1,530
Content Mi ration 3 $8 $2,805
Quali Assurance 2 $105 $2,310
Trainin /Documentation 41 $12 $5,125
Total not to Exceed $46,405
Vision Internet is looking forward to building a long-term relationship. As a token of
our commitment to your success, we will offer the following services at no cost:
❑ Three months free maintenance and support2 ($1,500 value)
❑ One-year free Warranty3 ($5,000 value)
❑ All travel costs
Optional Components
In the proposal, we outlined a number of options. You are in no way obligated to
accept these recommendations; we offer them to demonstrate our forward thinking.
Below is pricing for these options:
Z Up to five hours per month.
' For details, see "Included Warranty" on page 10.
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Approval Cycle` (est.) $7,530
Design Themes $5,720
Link Library $3,130
RFP Postings $3,685 �
Optional Maintenance and Support
Beyond the initial development of the website, Vision Internet is able to provide
ongoing website maintenance services. The following table shows our maintenance fee
structure for services on an as-needed basis. For a description of our maintenance
services, refer to the description on page 50.
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Custom Programming $135
Graphic Design $125
Webmaster Service $100
HTML Programming/Technical Support $85
Because Vision Internet is looking forward to building a long-term relationship
with you, we will provide three months FREE website maintenance (up to five
hours per month - approximate value $1,500).
Optional Website Hosting
Hosting is an optional service that we provide to many of our clients. For a description
of our hosting services, refer to the description on page 49. Vision Internet can host
your website for $200 per month.
Additional Information
INCLUDED WARRANTY
All programming code within the project developed by Vision Internet is warranted for
a period of one-year from the date of completion. We will create a backup of the
website when it is completed. If any problem arises while you are maintaining the site,
we will be able to restore the site back to its condition as it existed at the time of
completion. If we are maintaining and hosting the site, we can restore it to its condition
as it existed at the day of the last backup, should a problem arise.
In our eleven years of business, we have not had any significant problems arise, due to
our extensive quality assurance. Most of our competitors do not even offer a
` Budget for Approval Cycle is dependent on number of optional components implemented.
We will provide an exact cost during the consulting process, but estimated price is$7,530.
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warranty of any kind. We stand behind our work and offer you a full one-year
warranty at no charge!
SUB-CONTRACTING
To maintain quality control, all core services are performed in-house. This assures cost
effectiveness, efficiency, and consistency.
OWNERSHIP AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Please note that we are including a one-year warranty at no charge to you.
Additionally, the City will retain all ownership of design, images, content, photography,
illustrations and graphics. Vision Internet will grant to the City a non-exclusive and
perpetual license for the Vision Content Management Tool and Interactive
Components (VCMT). While Vision Internet will retain ownership of the VCMT, the City
will be given the source code to use and modify for its own use.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Vision Internet agrees to perform the services at the prices quoted in this proposal.
This quote is valid for 180 days.
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3. EXPERIENCE
We at Vision Internet are the Government Website Experts and the company is widely
regarded as the nationa) leader in government website development. We believe that
as you review our experience and capabilities, you will see that Vision Internet stands
far above others in creating unique and effective government websites. In fact, many of
the innovations we pioneered have become industry standards.
We are a full-service vendor offering website consulting, design, development, hosting,
and maintenance services. This allows us to provide the City of Paim Desert with a
complete turnkey solution.
While technical capabilities are important, we were founded on three core values:
In e ri , Commitment, and Tr s . More than a slogan, these core values are at the
heart of every one of our decisions, actions, and interactions. We strongly believe these
core values are the reason why we continue to grow and prosper. The tangible results
are longtime em I�oyees and partners, repeat customers, award-winning solutions, and
recognition for our community service activities. Vision Internet is a company that cares
as much about community as you do.
Company History
Vision Internet was a pioneer in the Internet industry when Steven Chapin founded the
company in Santa Monica, California in 1995. As an entrepreneur involved with
business and non-profit communities, he recognized the need for connectivity, hosting,
and website services for small to medium size businesses.
In 1996, our company began providing website development services for non-profit
and corporate clients. We were recognized as industry leaders in local, national, and
international media that same year.
During the creation of the company, Mr. Chapin remained active in the community,
supporting government, education, and non-profit organizations. This activity, along
with strong travel industry experience, resulted in the creation of our first government
related projects for the City of Santa Monica's Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the
Danish Government.
Since this early beginning, we have further developed our government and education
experience and have been awarded with more than 100 government and education
contracts and many awards for our work. Additionally, we have become a GSA
Scheduled Vendor for the federal government; this prestigious certification is reserved
only for companies that meet stringent requirements.
During the Internet boom, we took a more conservative approach toward growth and
did not follow the "dot-com" hype. We refused outside funding and focused on
building a solid business based on our core values. Our approach paid off! Today our
company is the national leader in local government and education websites and
continues to earn the respect and commitment of clients, employees, and the
community. In 2001, Mr. Chapin received a mayoral commendation for his support of
the community.
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Qua/ifications
Vision Internet focuses on serving the needs of local governments like the City of Palm
Desert, enabling them to be more effective and efficient while improving service. As a
result, we have emerged as the national leader in serving government agencies.
What sets Vision Internet apart from the competition is its:
❑ Customized solutions based upon a strategic approach
❑ National scope
❑ Highly relevant experience
Customized Solutions Based Upon a Strategic Approach
Our approach is completely different than the "city in a box" or "insert logo here"
solutions offered by our competitors. They provide a cookie-cutter approach to
government websites that can never match the results of a website built for your own
unique needs.
Vision Internet is not simply a web design company; rather we take a strategic
approach by understanding your needs first, then developing and implementing
internet strategies which complement and extend your overall goals. While other firms
are made up of technicians, our team members are well educated and have extensive
business and government work experience in addition to their technical expertise. We
are very knowledgeable in the area of strategic planning and are members in the
Association for Strategic Planning. This allows us to have a better understanding of
your overall challenges and objectives. We will implement a solution designed to solve
your most pressing needs. Our tools and components give kou the assurance of roven
reliabili and are designed to fulfill your most im�ortant goals.
This translates into an Internet solution that will deliver on its full potential!
National Scope
Because of our experience and exceptional results, we have an extensive customer list
that includes clients in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois,
lndiana, lowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming - in addition to many government and education
clients in our home state of California.
With Vision Internet, you can be confident in knowing that you are working with one of
the best education and government focused web development companies in the
country.
Highly Relevant Experience
As demonstrated by the partial list of our clients below, Vision Internet has extensive
experience serving all sizes and types of government agencies, educational institutions,
businesses, and non-profits. Our work includes websites for city and county enterprise,
transit, performing arts, workforce development, environmental services, visitors'
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bureaus, and more. A small sampling of our government, education, and corporate
clients includes:
❑ Academic Study Associates, NY ❑ Greenbrier County CVB, VW
o Alameda County Waste o Hancock County Employment
Management Authority, CA Resource Center, OH
❑ Alliance Bank, CA ❑ Hillsborough City School District,
❑ Arcadia Unified School Dist, CA C'°`
❑ Accessible Activities, WA ❑ Houston-Galveston Area Council,
❑ Augusta County, VA �
❑ Big Blue Bus, CA ❑ Interline Value Vacations, CA
❑ California Association of Physician � �ackson County, GA
Groups, CA ❑ Kearny Real Estate, Div. of
❑ California Association of Public Morgan Stanley, CA
Purchasing Officers, CA ❑ Lake Arrowhead Community
❑ California Junior Chamber of Services District, CA
Commerce, CA ❑ Laramie County Community
❑ Chatham County, NC College, WY
❑ Child Care Resource Center, CA � Littleton/Englewood Wastewater
Treatment Plant, CO
❑ CB/Richard Ellis Investors, CA ❑ Los Angeles County Ford
❑ �tXof Agoura Hills. CA Amphitheatre, CA
❑ City of Ankeny, IA ❑ Los Angeles Opera, CA
❑ C�of Arcadia, CA � Minnesota OfFice of Secretary of
� �t�of Bellflower. CA State, MN
❑ City of Birmingham, MI � National Purchasing Institute, NV
� City of Broken Arrow, OK ❑ Northern Indiana Workforce
❑ C� of Burlinaame. CA Investment Board, IN
❑ City of Carson City, NV ❑ NY State Environmental Facilities
❑ City of Charlottesville, VA Corporation, NY
❑ CitX of Citrus Heights, CA � NY State Housing Finance
❑ City of College Station, TX Corporation, NY
❑ C�of Diamond Bar. CA o Orange County DA s Office, CA
❑ Pacific Income Advisors, CA
o City of Englewood, CO
o Pacific Park at Santa Monica Pier,
� City of Evansville, IN CA
❑ CitX of La Quinta. CA ❑ Palm S�rings Unified School
❑ City of Longview, WA District. CA
� City of Lynchburg,VA ❑ Petersburg Area Regional
❑ City of Manhattan Beach. CA Tourism, VA
❑ Citkof Monterey Park. CA ❑ Port of Everett, WA
o City of Novato. CA ❑ Port of Pittsburgh Comm., PA
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❑ C� of Poway. CA ❑ Prince George County, VA
❑ CitXof Rancho Cordova. CA ❑ Round Rock Independent School
❑ City of Reno, NV District, TX
❑ City of Round Rock, TX ❑ SunLine Transit, CA
❑ C� of San Fernando. CA ❑ Swiss Water, a Kraft Foods Co.,
❑ Cit� of Santa Clarita. CA Canada
❑ Cit�of Santa Monica. CA � Town of Blacksburg, VA
❑ City of Santa Monica CVB. CA � Town of Queen Creek, AZ
❑ CitXof Santee. CA o Town of Telluride, CO
❑ Cit� of Sausalito. CA ❑ Township of Lower Merion, PA
❑ City of Sunset Hills, MO � Texas Heritage Trails, TX
❑ City of Wilsonville, OR � Tutor Cafe, a JobTrak Company,
CA
o City of Yonkers, NY
❑ United Airiines, IL
❑ Collier County, FL o UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive
❑ Collier County Sheriff's Office, FL Cancer Center, CA
❑ Columbia Basin College, WA ❑ UCLA School of Law, CA
❑ Columbia County, GA ❑ U.S. Air National Guard, VA
❑ Columbia County Sheriff's Office, ❑ U.S. Forest Service, Superior
GA National Forest, MN
❑ Community Transit, WA ❑ Vanderburgh County, IN
o Coweta County, GA ❑ Ventura County Transportation
o Cozmo Card, CA Commission, CA
o Cucamonga Valley Water District, o Village of Lisle, IL
CA o Westfield America, CA
❑ Dallas County Community ❑ N/ood County Employment
Colleges, TX Resource Center, OH
o Florida Partnership for School ❑ �/�/ood County Job and Family
Readiness, FL Services, OH
❑ Fond du Lac County, WI ❑ Workforce Alliance of South
❑ Gadsden County, FL Central Kansas, KS
❑ Garfield County, CO o Workforce Central Florida, FL
❑ Georgia Environmental Facilities ❑ Wyandot County Employment
Authority, GA Resource Center, OH
These organizations have placed their trust in Vision Internet because we have created
some of the best government websites in the country, including award-winning
projects for the City of Charlottesville in Virginia, the City of Round Rock in Texas,
Greenbrier Convention and Visitors Bureau in West Virginia, the City of Englewood in
Colorado, the City of College Station in Texas, the Town of Telluride in Colorado,
Columbia County in Georgia, the Dallas County Community Colleges in Texas,
Columbia Basin College in Washington, and California ayencies (ike the City of
Bellflower. Bic�Blue Bus. the City of Citrus Hei�hts, Alameda County Waste
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Management Authority, the City of Diamond Bar and more. All told, we have won over
two-dozen awards for our government and education websites. Scanning through our
list of clients, it is easy to see that we have the experience to ensure your project's
success.
Re%vant P�oject P�ofi/es
As demonstrated by the list of clients listed above, it is clear that Vision Internet has
had vast experience serving government agencies of varying sizes and types. Below are
some projects that we would like to specifically draw your attention to. While reviewing
the profiles, please note that each website is unique. A list of reference contact
information may be found on page 53.
❑ City of Longview, WA: This project is a prime example of how our strategic
approach can make a big difference. During the consulting process, we
discovered that economic development was important to the City. As a result,
we incorporated an economic development focus into the city website by
developing a new tagline, logo, and overall marketing message to support their
goals. The concepts and graphics have become central to the City's overall
marketing and the city council adopted the motto "Where Opportunities Live"
as its theme for revitalization. (Page 20)
❑ Ci�y of College Station, TX: This city website represents a stark contrast to the
City of Longview's. The City of College Station, the home of Texas A&M
University, serves a primarily tech-sawy audience that prefers a "Yahoo-style"
website; one with a lot of information on the homepage and throughout. The
City of Longview primarily serves blue-collar and elderly populations that would
be overwhelmed by the approach used for College Station. This demonstrates
Vision Internet's ability to create different types of websites that are designed
specifically for the audiences they serve. (Page 22)
❑ Tawn of Telluride. CO: This site finds a nice balance between the approaches
used by the City of Longview and City of College Station. One unusuai point
about the website is its use of modern design elements and historical black and
white photos. This approach reflects the modernization of the town while
capturing the essence of its famously historic past. (Page 25)
Other profiled projects show a broad range of experience and capabilities that clearly
demonstrate our expertise and ability to serve your needs. As you review them, you are
likely to find examples that appeal to your personal tastes and preferences.
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City of Charlottesville, VA
URL: www.chariottesvilie.ora
Scope of Work: Recognizing that today the web is a key element of good service,
the City of Charlottesville sought to create a new website focused
on the needs of residents and businesses, plus the thousands of
visitors who flock to the area to see the home of Thomas JefFerson
and the birthplace of our country. The new website realizes the
Vision and catapults the city to a national leader.
The site's easy-to-use drop down menu allows any type of user to
find the information they need quickly. Clearly marked sections for
community members, businesses, and visitors facilitate easy
browsing, whether a user is a citizen looking for community news, a
business searching for permit information, or a visitor seeking a
calendar of events. The innovative "I Want To..." navigation
provides a unique and natural way to locate important services.
While Vision Internet created several interactive tools including the
Calendar, News, e-Notification, and others for the site, it also
serves as a foundation for custom applications that interact directly
with the SAP backend systems for bill payments, online job
applications, online bidding and procurement, and service
requests. The result is a website that carries the City of
Charlottesville into a leading position of redefining how
government can serve its citizens in the twenty-first century.
20Q6 3CMA Sawy Award Winner
2006 NAGW Pinnacle Award Winner
2006 NAGW Sponsors Award Winner
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City of Englewood, CO
URL: www.enqlewoodgov.org
Scope of Work: The City of Englewood has launched a unique website that sports a
brand new look, offers better access to information, and increases
opportunities for citizen involvement. The city's old site was a
static, HTML site where content could only be updated by one
person. This created a bottle-neck that frustrated staff and
prevented updates on a timely basis.
Teaming with Vision Internet, Englewood implemented the Vision
Content Management Tool which helped to decentralize the
responsibility for website updates. Now, instead af waiting up to
24 hours, content changes are instantaneous, and can be
completed by many different staff inembers. The city also utilizes a
handful of new tools, including e-Notification, News and
Newsletters, Calendar, Document Central, Image Library, Job
Postings, and a Job Applicant Manager.
As with most city websites, the City of Englewood's most popular
page is the city job postings. To ease the workload for Human
Resources, the Job Applicant Manager allows the department to
build a database of prospective employees, and to search/filter the
applicants by specific position, skill, and other criteria. The city staff
''Our new site is easy to is also able to export the database for further analysis in Microsoft
navigate, is an attractive Excel. The end result is a useful and time-saving tool that is a
�epresentation of our fraction of the cost of a full-featured human resources system.
community, its great
�esourcesandcha�acter." 2006 3CMA Silver Circle Award Winner
"/ high/y recomrnend I/ision
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City of Bellflower, CA
URL: www.bellflower.orq
The City of Bellflower was experiencing growth and prosperity that
far exceeded its website's ability to serve citizens. Their old, static
site had a bottleneck problem and information was not posted on a
timely basis - only one programmer was available to update
content. The site was also doing a poor job of promoting the city.
After reviewing the city's needs, specific components were tailor-
made, including News, Calendar, and e-Notification. The e-
Notification tool allows website visitors to subscribe to special
bulletins and city council agendas, while the Calendar automatically
publishes and deletes inputted events.
The News component interacts with the "In the Spotlight" feature.
This is a customized sub-section of the News which is embedded in
the content management tool. It allows the automatic startup of a
QuickTime movie, and is spotlighted on the homepage. The videos
have proved a wonderful way to promote special events and news.
Thanks to the Vision Content Management Tool, staff from
throughout the city are able to contribute content to the site while
the webmaster provides final review and approval of all content.
2006 3CMA Silver Circle Award Winner
''l could not be happier ������
,, , �
with 1/isron lntemet. You ' -
,.,. .... . ..�
were responsive to our ' '- '
needs and created an
outstanding website that ;�
our community can be ��' '•
proud of. „ ,.ry � .. ��.-:; .
—Jeff Hobbs ;,>,r City�'Vews
Public lnformation O�cer F� ���.f�,«,^ ,:,��,,,,,,,.,,,�„ ,� .;,
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- 19 -
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City of Longview, WA
URL: www.ci.lonaview.wa.us
Scope of Work: The City of Longview needed a partner to help implement their
new site. While they had internal technical resources to migrate
content and implement a Linux-based content management tool,
they needed an outside expert to assist them with the information
architecture, navigation, design, and development of a long and
short-term website strategy. Additionally, because Vision Internet
was able to fully understand the high-level needs of the city, we
developed creative marketing concepts including a new logo and
tagline. The city was so pleased with our design of the logo and
tagline that they utilized them for the city's overall marketing and
promotional materials, new street signs, and its cable access
channel.
Vision Internet was the perfect addition to the city's team. Our
flexibility allowed the city to use only the services they needed,
enabling them to keep the budget low while having access to
extensive expertise in creating effective government websites.
''/ highly recommend
l/ision lnternet to other
goveinment agencies
and /ook forward to ;T .;<. .. �; _ . .g . ,-
wo�king with you again t�� .'�o c�.,^+�+� ��*,�,�i��,. s�.,� �,� ��,�r.,�^^� �.,;�^
in the future. " F
!'�urk� �ti��ri
ti�T f2��T
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—Judy Jones "�� ���,a . . _
lTDirector =�e��� pAr�s E)rgrare�cnr:['�;c.��irtg EtrieAs
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- 20 -
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City of Citrus Heights, CA
U RL: www.ci.citrus-hei�hts.ca.us
Scope of Work: The City of Citrus Heights was very clear in their vision for a new
website. While they relied upon the expertise of Vision Internet in
designing the site navigation and overall information architecture,
they knew they wanted their interactive tools to be different. Vision
Internet's strategic approach exactly met their needs and the city
received the highly customized solution they were looking for.
The result is an innovative and customized website that features
more than a dozen advanced components. This includes several
highly unique ones like Crime Statistics, Community Officer
Directory, Facilities Directory, and Services Spotlight. Traditional
tools include the Calendar, News, Job Postings, FAQs, Photo
Gallery, e-Notification, Staff Directory, and many others.
To make it easy for users to find the information they are looking
for, the site features navigation based upon type of user, topic, and
department. It incorporates dozens of online forms so users can
apply for services from the comfort of their home. Because
different users tend to view the same information, the Most
Requested Information function lists the most sought after pages
of the website on the homepage.
2005 3CMA Sawy Award Winner (Population Group 46k - 130k)
2006 CAPIO Award of Excellence
2006 Best of the Web Finalist
''l appreciate your
commitment to � _;,� � + �•� -^����-�
designing the website � �� t "�'� � � `'��� : � � � _`�'��
and customizing the �� �;.�'; °
content management + � ��`y p.`'�
too/ exact/y the way ,
we wanted it" �d,,,,,�,,,�,
�..,.��,...�«.,a
,�.o,..�.o M.�w,,�.�
---Lynn Maynard """'~~""""
�.�.,....�. ��.
lT Director �'"�'"� i��
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m My.rMrV�tY�s
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^Mrwsi.sr�+n�
- 21 -
:\
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I n t • r n o t
City of College Station, TX
URL: www.cstx.gov
Scope of Work: Among websites for cities of similar size, the City of College
Station's award-winning site stands out as one of the most
advanced and interactive in the country. It features traditional
types of components such as the interactive Calendar, News,
Newsletters, Online Payments, dozens of online Forms, and our e-
Notification tool.
It also incorporates new innovations such as our "I Want To" tool,
where a categorized list of the most popular pages is listed on the
homepage. Each department's homepage uses this tool to list the
most popular pages for that specific department. The advanced
Sitemap tool lists pages of the website in a traditional structure in
addition to listing them by topic, by department, and
alphabetically.
The website also integrates Vision Internet's advanced e-
Procurement system and several third-party applications for human
resources, GIS, e-Payment, and others.
2004 3CMA Award of Excellence Winner
�r�. :,_ :::_
1
����Il tMr��lllk.:��I:�tn>.+
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"Yourextensivegovemment � ""`°""g""°"`••°'�•"'"`" ���
�N»�.A..w.�.�.,.a
expe�ience and creativity is `�'� :'K`::::,a�."='�M
allowing us to enter into �� '���'���� � �
, ...�� ..�..��,..«. �"'
uncharted territory in �� 'p���"T "�
�,.�.�,...,. �:.�.�.,�>�P:..<..�,�.,�.��.�. W.�.....
serving our community. �� � ����°�'`�`��''M"'p'""��"��
1s.e.. w�a�w r�w wb ro��a.w.+meK.d � �
^—�•�.� wewaroanr-^a.�iis.:r.ea.,,•�viii ltn,rt(ix:n.rsru�n
�:r►mm�e ...aww `9�7 +-..{�.a...n�ey
Stacey Amold �• -�• - `.��o..,.,., p��;ne diddln
E-Govemment Coordinator u�^� ' �^� �^ '� °
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' 22 '
��
r vision
i n t • r n o t
City of Round Rock, TX
URL: www.roundrocktexas.gov
Scope of Work: The City of Round Rock was experiencing double-digit growth and
was struggling to maintain its high-level of service. Convinced that
the internet offered the scalability they needed, they embarked on
a process to redefine the way they served their community.
The site's interactive News, Calendar, and e-Subscription features,
each of which can be filtered by category, allow residents to stay
up-to-date on events that concern them. Other tools help users
find information and services including the Staff Directory, Service
Directory, Link Library, and Frequently Asked Questions. The
plethora of online forms, bill payment, and service request systems
give access to government services 24/7.
While reinventing the way they served their community, they also
reinvented the way they managed their website by implementing
the Vision Content Management Tool. !t allows non-technical staff
throughout the city to update content and information while the
city maintains overall control of website content.
2006 NAGW Excellence Award Winner
.�, ..�d�..�.,rt..�„�.�:..- .�:.�,:.,.,,�.�, ;,,.,�.M�.
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�iu�c.t�ssia�r�osvFxmc
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t+m�Rxmt 4un,��nwu� �
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.,r w„�..<o-
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h+euu�...aa vuso.l.,.n.ssam�.hua..:.rnri:ut+i¢�s hni�t
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- 23 -
�.
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. .
. vision
I n t � r n o t
City of Santa Monica, CA
URL: www.santa-monica.orq
Scope of Work: The City of Santa Monica's website finds a nice balance between
serving local residents and businesses, while providing the
marketing muscle required of a major tourist destination. Its
inviting and professional design reflects the beauty of the city, and
its introductory Flash collage portrays an image of fun and
excitement by showing off the city's many attractions and
landmarks.
The website packs 20,000 pages of content into an easy-to-
navigate resource. With content organized around target
audiences, topics, and government structure, it allows people to
find the information in the way that is most intuitive to them.
��
���„o� � �,
Srwt�M�wie�:�
''ln all, l am p/eased with
the overal/ quality. lt �` ��� �� #� '
meets the high standa�d � �
that l expect from l/ision gECOND SKATEPARK DESI(iN '
lntemet.�� ��� �Q@(�SHOP Tonar rtv'sre+s�Moti�c
Clty t:ouncll Boards• T�`�Cty af Santa Nar�e will nost ���Y Mall Mours
� aroNier�ska!e perlc�des�qn workshop
Com�nissions or�MondaY,�P�ember 29.2007, C�ty Nall�s open tWaY.
—Keith Kurtz City OEpertmeaRs lndex " ���xq�n unq et 6 p.m.A p:r.entnho�of Wednesddy May.25,2JC4
� �4'thn latrat ver�on o+the proposcd ��3fl�m to 5.30om.
lS Manager CnAomR�5arvicee� �,�'des pn is pert d this wotlr�hop,which ('mrunuuity Events
pirea-tory .�.:,:' ,.;�.�.rll De held at the Ken... CelenJer
Emeryency Preparedness �tot iop�cs
Empluyment ��S R pREPAREDNEBS Nrws
����W���� wh�t[o do m an f.TQ�9MLY-�N'Flether you're at bume,at�nork
or ia your car
Feedback . --� � �� � �� �
p$SFTCtVIC CENTER SPECIFIC A�nuT s�Wsxe4oNrc�,
"r,y �w}u evau�c
... .. �. ....� ..... � �� i I..,. �SerKa Morvca�s Civic Cenfer�P�cific C�ty Ma�
olan enrAmOaiseS a r.umber pf areCT Cle,mograpliit5
9g 8lue tlus � � chat provide ci�cal 0000rt�ndies for
�.•edevebW*xr.t ned re�uve�avon.The History
Fac{Iltles,seaches i --drak�lan docunmt�c�or a�a;labie
Pa�� Im qe Arrhfvr.
or-line,..
Know Balore You Gv +�.� RecScepe
"� {qn<reation Gu�de1
Locatrom i Maps r�n(GOING!L ADOPTS AMENOED FY 2003-04
PROPOSED BUD(iET seascaue
Parklnq (CitV News�eNerj
Gty Maneyer's Budqe!Overviav Budpel Study
Oudp�tMess+Oe (PDF) Sassbn Q�As .
(PDF� �P��� y/E1t INFO NEfWOR1t
6ud0et Staff Reporl Comments � �� ��
fire Department (6/17/03) 0.eceNed Oo-line 5ubxnbe to
HeaNh Scrvlces . W1N c nrad
KNOW BEFORE YOU 00 - `. nobces and
Humaa Serv[cas The felte`r�nq is n!:st of City co�strctxion�ro]e�Ss � �" ~ sfay up tu
RNgMAurfio�s wifnm p�bi�c screets thnt may�ropact traffo This `�°�°'
lizt iz updated by the City's Crvn Enqeieer nq 8
PoRc.e DapertmmK ArchiteGura Qiv�won an a bl-wxkly becis Yw ��
ScAouls �� can alco oot�m this��orrcanon usurq a touch- CUkRiNF�Ygl�tq[R
tone phnne to ac..-rtss the Ghb auIDmated�nformation sy:2crr, � � -
C ty:�alt On Call les!dia ( f 0)158 a�i99 �
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ARs&Cukural Guide SUNNY
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- 24 -
, `...
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_ . � vision
t n t • r n • t
Town of Telluride, CO
URL: www.telluride-co.aov
Scope of Work: The Town of Telluride, CO, is a worid-famous ski haven. While it is
a small community of approximately 2200 people, the town sees a
600% increase in population during the ski season. Because of the
enormous amount of half-year residents interacting with the town's
government, the Town of Telluride wanted a website that would
serve as an information and contact hub.
When designing the custom site, Vision Internet implemented
several useful components for out-of-town homeowners. These
included Weather, Snow Report, Parking Information, Calendar,
Staff Directory, and an Online Feedback Form. All of these have
led to better communication, lower administration costs, and
increased website use.
For a unique look, Vision utilized historic photos of Teliuride, and
the modern technology of cutting-edge web design, to represent
the dual personality of the area.
2005 3CMA Sawy Award Winner (Population Group up to 45K)
� � �' .
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'A combination of eye-
catching co%rs, excel%nt �
picture placement, and ��- '
c%an navigation combine �,,.����:�_ "~ �
to make this entry a top- '����� �����"'�E�``"'"
three contender."
;
� �F:�rke�,c;I?e^_�cr,•'�m Hanley Ice Rlnk Pavflfon
�'�et+��alnry n�<Hew Lu�ooi�ce�:IN x
3CMA Sa wy Judge �„�A„r�„��,..;,;.>„
� O�a inlJ1� Tle�p-n)J ream pf�n rtlw I t��,C-���:U�
$ I�B ?c al.ye�n�n',fi?x r 11 f 7a `.Ult;J
Q � '�N c�� �'1�� m r�aasn In e K'.'^�rt�
' tk'1'()'��.r'�.tt:Ilt 3:��)r� c - 7Jr V 1 i. tl n Pe' h' J:I
n¢mf.r�4('1:8 � �f�iMlr11�Y1.AI...�:lc•^p
k Oinll���C0�3�11;(!a^U I�'.�ntl�II CP.�t�;d'�ny'Ih:�,
i
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Forccast
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or.:. �.��. -, �li.ka�api
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.a ..a:.�x,:-_� Rc�xirt �. �5��
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� �� ,e. ..�.._. CdAi�IQ . _ . GougkSomehJ
� F,w.<.
- 25 -
§�{{
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i n t • r n o t
Village of Lisle, IL
URL: www.vil.lisle.il.us
Scope of Work: Like many local government websites, the Viliage of Lisie's was rich
in content that no one could find. As a result, few residents used it.
Top priority for village staff was to create a website that was easy
to use and easier for staff to maintain.
From previous experience, village staff understood it was
important to select a partner experienced in local government with
a strong track record in creating effective websites. At the same
time, they wanted their site to be unique and to reflect the Village
of Lisle. Vision Internet's extensive experience and commitment to
customized solutions made it the ideal partner.
Information in the new site is simple to find as content is organized
by audience type, topic, service, and department, while interactive
tools allow users to quickly locate special types of information like
news or events. A sampling of interactive tools include a Calendar,
News, Newsletters, e-Notification, Frequently Asked Questions,
Photo Gallery, Survey Tool, Staff Directory, and a Services
Directory so users can browse services by topic or department. A
plethora of online forms lets users request the service or
information they need anytime of the day or night. These requests
are automatically captured in a backend database and routed to
the appropriate staff inember for action.
Vi[1 e of Lisie__ `.�'".`�'�' `�M� ,�"�"`.`'''�
_,_�__
�ti���� .
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"I/ision lnternet listened
to ou� suggestions In tha News
a/ong the way and was �, �,,,,.,,w,,;�,�,,�,x�.
very accommodating ��,`�""^+°�'
� W�Nwd Yov LuM IhMiy
yet stil/ finished the `".,,��.,...
project on-time." -�°�°�'"•'r°^�
cn+nw+
s��u N..».•
—Dennis Gilbert ���i��
GlS Manager
Web P�ojed Manager ���
VrhxY P�hq sw�IA+�I�iTMr�Sie Ma►'A�w1/Yn M�4�N�
r+v:a..vaaya Ju:k.ni x.y,i.e.�xww.f v t,v,ws,szs s��.�,Na�n...in:,ic v�c;:.r�twrK:n�ro-:�i�.ix,
- 26-
�,.
- vision
I n t � r n • t
Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau, WV
URL: www.greenbrierwv.com
Scope of Work: The Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau website is
among the top CVB websites in the country. Its exciting graphics,
targeted messages, and custom interactive tools effectively "sell"
the county to prospective visitors, meeting planners, and tour
operators. Its graphics are inviting, show off key landmarks, and
focus on giving people reasons to visit.
In addition to the advanced content management tools, the site
incorporates several interactive components including a monthly
and annual Calendar, News, Weather, and an e-Notification Tool. It
also features revolving photos and "did you know..." facts on the
homepage. The site also has an advanced Itinerary Builder and e-
Postcard tool; both target repeat visitors to the website and the
county.
2005 Web Marketing Association Award of Excellence Winner
2Q06 NAGW Excellence Award Winner
S[ARCH�.:-
�
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"While other vendo�s offered . �
canned so/utions, you actually A
modified your too/s to meet � `���-��"� ,„
„ ,���.., -;
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P�oject Staff- The 1/ision Team
Over the past eleven years, Vision Internet has assembled a fantastic team of
motivated, passionate individuals excited about the work they do and the solutions
they provide. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, each contributes exceptional
technical ski((s, solid business expertise, and diverse industry experience.
Vision Internet's seventeen team-members have diverse, overlapping skills guaranteed
to make your project an overwhelming success. As you read their profiles, you will
recognize their extensive individual experience, expertise, and contributions to many
successful projects.
The team includes:
❑ Steven B. Chapin - President and Founder
❑ William lek- Lead Project Manager
❑ Jay Ding - Manager of Technology
❑ Martin Thibodeau - Project Manager
❑ Maggie Long - Project Manager
❑ Aram Brazilian - Project Manager
❑ Tom Johnson - Senior Projed Manager
❑ Tricia Lease - Account Manager
❑ John Vu - Senior Developer
a Li Zhang - Senior Developer
❑ Uriz Goldman - Developer
� Matt Moore - Designer
❑ Sandra Vu - Designer
❑ Erin Kosewic - Production Designer
❑ Nero Leung -Webmaster
❑ David Luong - Marketing Assistant
� Rose De Vries - Office Manager/Client Support
Depending on timing and availability, William lek, Tom Johnson, Maggie Long, Martin
Thibodeau, or Aram Brazilian will be your Project Manager. As part of our contract
process, we can specify a definite project team if necessary. Rest assured that
regardless of who is working on your site, every member of the Vision Internet team
brings years of experience and ability to any project they work on.
Biographies of key team members are provided in the following section.
Biographies of Vision Internet Team
STEVEN B.CHAPIN-PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
Mr. Chapin offers extensive experience in the website industry. As founder and
president of Vision Internet, he has managed his team on several high profile projects
for commercial clients, governments, and non-profits. His vision has taken the company
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from an ISP to a full service web development firm with a focus on government and
education clients.
As the leader of the Vision Internet team, Mr. Chapin is fastidious in the work his
company produces for clients. He always strives to exceed ciient expectations and
requires his team to go far beyond the popular standard. As a result, Vision Internet
has received numerous awards for its work along with significant press coverage. Most
notable is the issue of US News and World Report that featured Mr. Chapin on the
cover.
In addition to running Vision Internet, Mr. Chapin is heavily involved in community
service, including eight-years on the Board of Directors of the Junior Chamber of
Commerce, the Santa Monica College General Advisory Board, the Computer Science
and Information Systems Advisory Board, as well as the advisory board to ProjectEcho,
which trains young people on entrepreneurship. Mr. Chapin has made a commitment
to bettering the lives of young people, and he has received several honors for his
professional and community work. They include such honors as the Distinguished
Service Award, a mayoral commendation, and the Kulp Award, which is given to the
top chapter president in the United States of the Junior Chamber of Commerce (over
80,000 members).
He is an honors graduate of the University of Southern California.
WILLIAM IEK—LEAD PROJECT MANAGER
Mr. lek is Vision Internet's most senior project manager and leader of the project
management and client support teams. He uses his exceptional knowledge in project
management, web technologies, and in web usability to develop the firm's Vision
Implementation Process and all supporting methodologies that have enabled Vision
Internet to deliver successful projects. He designed processes to take into account
different organization and decision structures to serve all types of corporate,
government, and education clients.
He draws from extensive experience and knowledge of information architecture,
marketing, business management, and planning to assist clients in finding web
solutions that complement and enhance overall corporate images, business processes,
and strategic positioning.
Joining the team in 1998, he has personally managed countless successful projects. A
sampling of project clients includes the City of Santa Monica kiosks, Community
Transit, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, Wood County Employment Resource
Center, Horizon Airlines, Pacific Income Advisors, the Florida Partnership for School
Readiness, CB/Richard Ellis Investors, the City of Diamond Bar, the City of Santa
Clarita, Alameda County Waste Management Authority, Dallas County Community
Colleges, the UCLA School of Law, Columbia Basin College, and major internal
development projects such as our e-procurement system.
He earned his degree in Business Management from the USC Marshall School of
Business where he specialized in information architecture and graduated at the top of
his class.
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Roles Served: Consulting, Project Management, Usability Studies, and Information
Architecture.
JAY DING—MANAGER OF TECHNOLOGY
Mr. Ding uses his extensive knowledge and experience in web-technologies to lead
Vision Internet's development team and set the technical direction of the company's
development.
He is a senior web programmer and lead product manager skilled in HTML, ASP,
JavaScript, and Cold Fusion. He is also an authority in Section 508 accessibility issues.
He excels in database design, development, and information architecture. He uses
these tools to create kiosk, content management, and e-commerce solutions using
Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle databases. His programming skill set also includes
C++, Java, Pascal, and Visual Basic. He is an expert in content management including
third-party Microsoft CMS and Stellent, plus he led the development of the Vision
Content Management Tool.
As a senior project manager, he has extensive experience in managing complex
projects which deliver sophisticated websites for Vision Internet's clients including the
Los Angeles County Ford Amphitheatre, the Los Angeles Opera, United Airlines, the
California Junior Chamber of Commerce, Cozmo Card, Academic Studies Associates,
Garfield County, the City of Lynchburg, Columbia County, Round Rock Independent
School District, the City of Englewood, and Accessible Activities, for whom he
developed a content management solution for a blind webmaster.
Mr. Ding earned a Master's degree in Information Systems and an MBA from Katz
Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. He is a Microsoft Certified
Professional and has been part of the Vision lnternet team since 1999.
Roles Served: Product Management, Consulting, Project Management, Information
Architecture, and Programming.
MARTIN THIBODEAU—PROJECT MANAGER
Mr. Thibodeau's expertise in marketing and branding makes him an essential part of
the Vision Internet team and a key reason to the company's success. In particular, his
background in higher education is particularly relevant to the needs of Vision Internet
clients and provides a unique view on how to best develop top quality government and
education websites.
Before becoming a part of the Vision Internet team, Mr. Thibodeau managed and
directed a number of successful projects for universities, non-profits, and other
organizations. His background includes project management for an award winning
Doctoral Admissions site, lead designer for a Wharton Business School campaign,
designer for Drexel University's publications and web material, and many others. He
has also designed many marketing and promotional websites that have been an
integral part of university and non-profit branding campaigns. His projects with Vision
Internet include sites for the City of Lancaster, CA; City of Grants Pass, OR; and City of
Lynchburg, VA.
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Mr. Thibodeau is the recipient of two CASE Circle of Excellence Gold Medal Awards
for Student Recruitment Websites and Publication Packages.
Mr. Thibodeau has a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communications from Nova Scotia
College of Art and Design. He also has a Certificate of Marketing Management from
The Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania.
Roles Served: Consulting and Project Management
MAGGIE LONG—PROJECT MANAGER
Ms. Long is an experienced web development professional who brings to Vision
Internet a background in project management and extensive knowledge of search
engine optimization and web marketing campaigns. Her background helping clients
reach their site's maximum potential and her technological skills makes her an essential
part of the Vision Internet team and our government clients' successes.
Prior to joining Vision Internet, Ms. Long managed several clients' website projects,
leading to exceptional results. Her projects include managing extensive Google and
Overture PPC, email, print, and online lead-generation campaigns and establishing a
search engine optimization project that helped her client's traffic increase by an
incredible 1600% within four months of implementation. She has also provided design
and programming services for a number of clients, giving her special insight when
providing consultation to our government and education clients on how to optimize
their sites' appeal.
Ms. Long's projects with Vision Internet include websites for the City of Lancaster, CA;
Port of Everett, WA; City of Sausalito, CA; and City of Manhattan Beach, CA.
Roles Served: Consulting and Project Management
ARAM BRAZILIAN—PROJECT MANAGER
Mr. Brazilian is a highly dedicated project manager with over ten years of website
development experience. Before joining the Vision Internet team, he owned and
operated his own website development company in the Detroit area. Among his
various projects, he is credited with the successful development of websites belonging
to Franklin Bank, the Michigan Opera Theatre, the Woodward Dream Cruise, and
Masco Corporation. In addition to his past resume of projects, he has years of
experience working with content management software, such as Joomla, Mambo,
Postnuke, and others.
Since joining the Vision team, he has worked on government and education projects
including the City of Reno, NV; the City of San Fernando, CA; Coweta County, GA; and
Laramie County Community College, WY.
Mr. Brazilian has attended Boston University, University of Colorado, University of
Vermont, and University of Arizona.
Roles Served: Consulting, Project Management, and Design.
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TOM JOHNSON—SENtOR PROJECT MANAGER
Mr. Johnson is a highly experienced project manager and information architect with
more tf�an ten years programming and web development experience. Before joining
Vision Internet, he worked on large-scale, international projects for such companies as
Navigant and Sony Europe. Experience includes designing and developing
user interfaces for complex 626 e-commerce projects. Additionally, he has special
expertise coding streamlined cross-platform HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
Since joining the company in 2002, he has led several highly successful projects,
including sites for the City of Longview, the City of Birmingham, the City of Arcadia,
Wood County Job and Family Services, the California Association of Physician Groups,
SunLine Transit, the U.S. Air National Guard, and the Arcadia Unified School District.
Other relevant projects include those for Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors
Bureau, Texas Heritage Trails, and the Ventura County Transportation Commission.
Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and has extensive
secondary education in web management, design, and development.
Roles Served: Consulting, Project Management, Information Architecture, and
Production Design.
JOHN YU—SENIOR DEYELOPER
Mr. Vu is a truly exceptional programmer and serves as the primary developer of our
content management tool and e-procurement systems plus developed many of our
most advanced and innovative interactive components. Projects include sites for the
City of College Station, City of Diamond Bar, City of Evansville, Dallas County
Community Colleges, Greenbrier Convention and Visitors' Bureau, and many others.
Mr. Vu specializes in Visual Studio, .Net languages, and Microsoft Content
Management Server. He can be found in the ofFice day and night developing his latest
"masterpiece" in any number of languages including ASP, ASP.NET, C#, C++,
SQUTransact-SQL, and MySQL. He is also an expert in JavaScript (both server and
client), VBScript, HTML, XHTML, DHTMUCSS, Visual Basic (COM), and XML.
Mr. Vu earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA and is a Microsoft Certified
Professional.
Roles Served: Programming and System Design.
LI ZHANG—SENIOR DEVELOPER
Mr. Zhang is Vision Internet's integration expert. Having extensive experience in
developing custom web applications, e-commerce solutions, and GIS tools, he has a
broad understanding of all types of systems and databases, and is especially adept at
understanding varying database schemes and creating web interfaces for them.
Examples of recent achievements include interfacing with an existing state crime
statistics database to create an interactive crime statistics module, a database of
recycling resources to create a recycling wizard, and using Microsoft's Active Directory
for controlling access to secure areas of an intranet.
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He draws from years of programming, engineering, and system platform experience. !n
addition to his expertise in ASP, ASP.NET, PHP, XML, Java, and C++, he is also an
expert in GIS with specific expertise in the ArcServe product line.
His projects include sites for the U.S. Air National Guard, City of Citrus Heights,
National Purchasing Institute, UCLA School of Law, Orange County District Attorney,
SunLine Transit, and Alameda Waste Management Authority for which he created an
advanced e-Commerce tool that is capable of pricing based upon rules and conditions
defined by government regulations.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering from Zhejiang University and a
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from USC.
Roles Served: Programming and System Design.
URI2 GOLDMAN-SENIOR DEVELOPER
Mr. Goldman specializes in the implementation and customization of the Vision
Content Management Tool, plus the integration of third-party tools. Using his skills in
HTML, XML, JavaScript, MS SQL, and MS Access, along with his in-depth knowledge of
all versions of the Vision Content Management Tool, he is able to quickly and
efficiently implement new websites to customize them to the needs of clients and the
audiences they serve.
Mr. Goldman is also responsible for evaluating potential third-party components and
customizing them to integrate into our client websites. Examples include a third-party
message board, survey tool, PDF converter, image converter, and interfaces to various
online transaction services.
Mr. Goldman's projects include sites for Arcadia Unified School District, the City of
Bellflower, the Town of Telluride, Columbia Basin College, the Minnesota Office of the
Secretary of State, and Child Care Resource Center, plus contributions to Pacific
Income Advisors, the City of Evansville, Vanderburgh County, and others.
Mr. Goldman holds a degree in Computer Science from Universidad Tecnologica de
Mexico, Mexico City.
Roles Served: Programming, Maintenance of Web Applications, Quality Assurance.
MATTHEW MOORE-DESIGNER
Mr. Moore is an industry-leading website designer with an extensive background and
education in graphic and website design. Renowned for his innovation and creativity,
he has been recognized by his peers with numerous awards including the MassArt
Departmental Awards, Nancy Cusack Award, Jim Hinkle Art Award, Cape Cod Art
Association Award, and the City-County Communications and Marketing Association
Sawy Award.
In addition to his graphic design and information architecture capabilities, Mr. Moore is
an exceptional Macromedia Flash designer and programmer plus has programming
proficiency in HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL programming.
Recent projects include the City of Lancaster, CA; City of Carson City, NV; City of
Burlingame, CA; Collier County, FL; Hillsborough School District, CA; and others
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Mr. Moore holds a Bachelor's Degree from the Massachusetts College of Art, where he
graduated with honors. He also served as an instructor of 3-D animation at the New
York Film Academy.
Roles Served: Designer
SANDRA VU—DESIGNER
Ms. Vu's combination of creativity and attention to detail makes her a wonderful
addition to the Vision Internet team. Her creativity has resulted in unique designs for
many of our most recent projects including Round Rock Independent School District,
Columbia Basin College, UCLA School of Law, National Purchasing Institute, Town of
Telluride, City of Englewood, Columbia County, Greenbrier County Convention and
Visitor's Bureau, Village of Lisle, and Texas Heritage Trails. She also provides
production design services for nearly every project.
Ms. Vu is also our resident content migration expert and oversees the content
migration of nearly every project. Her unique combination of HTML and design skills
ensures the last page on the website is as perfect as the first.
Ms. Vu has a Bachelor's degree in Art History from UCLA.
Roles Served: Graphic Design and Content Migration.
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4. PRODUCTS - PROJECT SCOPE
Vision Internet offers the best use of the City of Palm Desert's precious funds. With
Vision Internet, you are sure to receive a website that delivers on its potential. We will
build your website from the ground up with your needs and objectives in mind.
As members of the Association for Strategic Planning, we take a holistic and strategic
approach to website development. Taking the time to fully understand your
organization and the needs of your community, we approach your projed by answering
these three important questions:
❑ What is the purpose of the website?
� Who is it designed to serve?
❑ How will we know when we are successful?
Based on our initial understanding of your RFP, the focus of your current website, and
. our extensive knowledge of local governments' needs, we believe the primary reasons
for redesigning the website are:
❑ Provide citizens and businesses with more timely and useful information.
❑ Make it easier for website visitors to find the information they need.
❑ Distribute content management and authorship to non-technical staff inembers
throughout the City.
The primary audiences of the website include:
❑ Local residents
� Local businesses
❑ Visitors
❑ Your staff and elected officials
To fulfill these objectives and reach your target audiences, we recommend:
❑ Attractive Desian: A website design that refleds the City of Palm Desert,
draws people in, and makes it immediately obvious that the website is the best
place to get information and access resources.
❑ JLituitive Nav�gation: Information should be easy to find with the most
important information accessible from the homepage to make it easier for
website visitors.
❑ �ontent Management Solution: The City of Palm Desert should also
implement a content management tool to facilitate management of content to
non-technical staff throughout the City.
❑ I�r tec�ated Interactive Components: Interactive components should be
implemented to make the website more engaging and useful for users by
allowing them to quickly zero-in on the information most important to them.
❑ Integration of Third-Party Tools and Databases: Tools and databases should
be used to enable citizens to access government services at anytime and from
anywhere.
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❑ Maintenance and Hostin� Services: As an option, Vision Internet can also
provide the City with maintenance, support, and hosting for its website.
Each of these recommendations is discussed in more detail in the sections that follow.
Att�active Design
Design is important. Today, many people judge the quality of an organization largely
based upon the quality of its website. These opinions are especially influenced by the
initial impression of the website's graphic design. Design ensures that users will use the
website as a resource; if the website is not attractive and inviting, people assume it is
of little value and do not spend the time necessary to find the information they need.
With Vision Internet, your website will have a design that makes it stand out among
cities on both a regional and national basis. The City of Palm Desert's website will be
inviting, easy to use, and will reflect your unique identity. This will be accomplished
through the following design characteristics:
❑ Creative design that incorporates custom design elements and the most
important information and keeps both easily accessible from the homepage.
❑ Photos and collages of recognizable landmarks, scenery of the City, and the
local area.
o Consistent look and feel throughout the site to make it easier for website
visitors to navigate the site and find information they need.
❑ Use of Cascading S�jrle Sheets to ensure future consistency as well as separation
of content and design. This makes it much easier to apply a new design theme
in the future without the need to redevelop the underlying website.
❑ Section 508 Compliant making it accessible to persons with disabilities.
It may also incorporate the following design elements to make it easier for your users
to navigate the site:
❑ Easy to use drop down menus helping users to quickly understand navigation
and locate information with the least amount of clicks.
❑ Breadcrumbs showing the user's current path to let them know exactly where
they are on the website.
Vision Internet is recognized for its ability to create great designs that fulfill each of the
above objectives. We have been featured in the national media and have won awards
for creating effective web solutions. We intend to use all of this skill and experience to
create an award-winning quality website for you.
/ntuitive Navigation
For your website, we recommend organizing information by department, to�ic. and/or
target users. Keep in mind that the average resident does not know the organizational
structure of the City, nor needs to. Our approach allows users to find information in the
variety of ways that are most important to them. This is a solution we use on many of
our government websites making it easy for visitors to find information. This is because
content is available through multiple "paths" making it simple for users to search the
site regardless of their preferred method. We often implement Action Based
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Navigation which allows users to easily find a particular service or page on your website
through an easy-to-use drill down menu, such as "l Want To...view an event, fill out a
form, etc."
It is also easy for your staff to update and maintain web pages because of our is ngle_
source web-publishin� model. You can update the web page one-time, and it is
published to multiple locations throughout the site. This prevents having inconsistent
content while maintaining maximum usability for website visitors.
Content Management So/ution
Content management tools allow non-technical staff to add, edit, and delete content
as well as control who has access to managing different areas of the website. This
means that your stafF can update announcements, press releases, news, documents,
and other pages (even update or add Meta Tags) without knowing how to program.
This is done through simple and easy to use administration screens. Because staff
from each of the departments can update and maintain their website directly
through browser-based forms, you can effectively cut your maintenance costs and
redirect existing technical resources toward more important areas.
Vision Internet is unique in its ability to implement different content management
solutions. They include our own Microsoft ASP.NET and SQL-based Vision Content
Management Tool, Microsoft's Content Mana�ment Server (MCMS). and S ell n
jOracle's CMS). While many clients choose our solution because it is very affordable
and simple to use, they also appreciate knowing that Vision Internet is able to
recommend and implement the best answer to their particular needs. Most of our
competitors do not offer this flexibility.
For your project, we recommend our proven, non-proprietary, Microsoft ASP.NET and
SQL based content management tool. It is afFordable, easy-to-use for non technical
staff, and provides you with the functionality you will need. Furthermore, you will not
be locked into Vision Internet or any other company because it is based upon standard
technologies, and we �rovide you with the source code for your own use.
Administration Tools
Vision Internet's Content Management Tool provides you with a dynamic website
where you have the ability to modify content on any page in the website through
simple and easy to use administration screens. Additionally, you can add new pages
and insert them into the navigation of the website. This allows you to continually grow
your website over time, without ongoing maintenance fees.
Our content management tool includes a number of functions that make it extremely
easy for your non-technical staff to manage website content. The most important
include:
o Browser-Based Administration that allows for easy management of content by
anyone who is familiar with surfing the Internet and using basic word processing
programs. There is no need for your staff to know programming when updating
content. This allows authorized staff inembers to update, delete, and create
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new pages based on a predefined template, and insert them into the website's
navigation.
❑ WYSIWYG Text Editor that is based upon standard document creation tools
that make it easy for your non-techni�al staff to edit and format text. With the
WYSIWYG (V1/hat You See Is What You Get) editor, they can change font styles,
colors, si2es, and formatting such as bold, italics, and underlining.
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Figure 1 WYSIWYG text editor.
� Automatic Alt-Tags for images ensuring future Section 508 compliance.
❑ Automatic Imacte Resizing to convert those large high-resolution photos from
digital cameras into web-ready images.
❑ Undo, Reda. Restore, and Trashcan tools giving you the ability to recover from
mistakes and restore to the previous published version.
❑ t I s that can be applied to such elements as text, headers, and lists, thereby
enabling you to create web pages with a consistent look.
� Paste Text from Microsoft Word to make it easier to add content to the website
while stripping MS Word formatting and converting it to HTML.
� Spell Check to help you create content that is free of any embarrassing spelling
errors.
o Search and Re�lace tool that replaces a word or phrase within the page.
❑ Secure Administration that offers password protection to content management
functions. Our sophisticated tool allows you to grant management rights to
specific users or groups of users. Administration rights can be granted to the
entire site or restricted to specific areas or types of content (i.e. by
department).
❑ Sin.gle-Source Web Publishinq that permits administrators to update a single
web page and reflect those changes on multiple pages throughout the site.
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❑ Navigation Control that allows you to add new pages or move pages anywhere
within the website.
❑ Paae Linking that enables you to easily create links to any page in the website
or to other websites.
❑ Email Address Maskinq which prevents spammers from getting the email
addresses of your employees when crawling your site.
❑ Document Central that allows for the storage of a single version of each
document in a central place and for them to be linked to virtually any page in
the website.
o Image Libra�r r that stores a single version of each image in a central place and
subsequently adds them to virtually any page in the website.
❑ Content Schedulinq to save time and money. This allows all standard pages and
specific predefined component content to be setup to publish ahead of time
and be automaticaily removed or archived when it will no longer be relevant.
❑ Printable Pages that enable your website visitors to print out virtually any page
on the website for reading offline.
Optional functions available under additional budget include:
❑ �ontent A�,proval Cycle that allows staff persons to create content that passes
through multiple levels of review and approval before going "live."
❑ Multilingual Sup�ort which allows you to publish web pages in any language
including multi-byte Asian and Arabic languages. Our tool can be configured to
accept your translated content. Configuration and translation services are not
included; however, they are available for an additional fee.
Additionally, our websites support 98% of all commonly used browsers. This ensures
maximum accessibility for your community.
/ncluded/nte�active Components
In addition to the creative design, effective navigation, and easy to use Vision Content
Management Tool, we will provide the City of Palm Desert with interactive
components for managing special types of content. These offer a higher level of
interactivity to your website visitors. Website users can easily find the information they
need and staff will be able to maintain the site with timely information. Based on your
RFP and thorough analysis of your current website, we believe these components will
most fit your needs:
o Calendar ❑ Image Library
❑ Document Central ❑ Job Postings
o Dynamic Homepage ❑ News and Newsletter
❑ Dynamic Department Homepages ❑ Site Search
❑ e-Notification ❑ Sitemap Generator
❑ Form/Survey Tool ❑ Staff Directory
� Frequently Asked Questions
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Each of these interactive components is described in detail below. Please kee�in mind
�hat with our advanced content manaaement tool, �ou can manage content such a�
links and RFPs without interactive components. These advanced components, however,
provide a much higher level of usability and make managing content much easier for
your stafF. When choosing whether to implement a specialized interactive component,
the variables to consider are budget, frequency of content changes, and volume of a
specific type of content. We believe the components included here provide you the
best value for your needs.
Customization of the Vision Content Management Tool includes the frontend graphic
design and layout as well as adding or subtracting fields for your specific needs. Our
clients appreciate the flexibility that this level of customization provides over the
cookie-cutter offerings of our competitors.
Calendar
t c:i"ec�i'
An interactive Calendar is a staple ,�;�.,, �
. ._���x _.�.,,.
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of local govemment websites and xt� ��� ^�����*�
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is an essential tool for your site's �" ti�,e,+„g&��,,,«„e„Q„
success. The Calendar can be r,„cm„gE•.wn + Sepoumoe�z�a5.,� ,,�-�r.�o.:;.:
US@C� t0 improve attendance dt _s:�.:�+:�u September2005 c:i:,.�,.
your events and meetings by
making it easier for users to find 3 � '0 " '�� `.,�� '
:o:ro.w xrnra iir,rw t6NW ' S •i.n.�
:'tN:ss+'�.t `..sa�� �tt..w'_SNL. �reaR-.Jem �..V-�.1:l.r±: It,l.`:�.k�t :^:::-.+.
the types of events important to � �� �� � `"`i` °"= ��
them. It can also be implemented }«°� �°°�^ _ ;=
.n��:esri.c raaux� �•u`.fry
in a user-friendly monthly or yearly `'"' "�"� "��"~
�
format. To assist users further, the , 5 � 3 tu
Calendar has filtering tools that "' "' ' "`� "
allow them to find information by ���' �`�:9"` ""` �_"'"
month, category, or even '=`:�:;�
departments. This makes it quite Figure 2 Interactive Calendar to find meetings and
easy to locate specific events quickly.
information.
Our Calendar contains a number of advanced functions including:
❑ Recurring events function
o HTML editing capabilities (including ability to include photos and links)
❑ Automatic archiving
❑ Integration with e-Notification
❑ Ability to create and assign filtering categories to events.
❑ Ability to restrict use of categories by specific staff.
❑ Ability to control which events to include on the homepage of the site.
❑ Ability to insert Calendar pages anywhere in the site navigation.
o Ability to apply different Calendar formats including standard monthly Calendar
and a listing of events.
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Document Central
=e��.,
One of the main reasons people '�'°°"�"
visit a local government website �,.�';,.. ���+.��..-�„�tf��.�;;;�.s�..� �-.��� .. s�a.���,
IS t0 get information and poyy��oad Fom+s antl Documants .. .. �.-„�.
... ..
download important documents
and forms. With the Document �.,.N
_ ._
Central, website visitors can ��.,�,.,,:->•..,..,
easily find the information they ; � �P°,';.'':.`;�:-::.:,,,
need, and ou can slash rintin � ' "� ""'"���
Y P 9 I � x,,.:.�:,;,,���:•_
and distribution costs for al) ' ;'`�-=�-`�'��'°�.,"-:
types of documents. ;� ��' �� -
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Based on our extensive - ..
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experience in content , ;3�::,::,u:. :,�.�.;
� �
management, we recommend a ; -� , ,,: ,,., <,,;,,,,,
centralized location for all � ' ' "`"""
,,.;
rt�_ �� .. .... .,,,
documents. This allows website ' '��""'="'
'..J:.:-���I 4lC:.��:
visitors to browse for documents �`�°°�°'�°°
.J t.�,.. �.,
from a single, categorized � �5i��-••
: .�,....;�,,:...,,.,,
location as well as to access
information from individual Figure 3 Documents and files are accessible from a
pages within the website. centrallocation.
Furthermore, it allows easier administrator management of files, thus preventing
confusing links and ensuring there are not multiple versions of the same document
throughout the site. To prevent broken links in the website, the Document Central
prevents deletion of linked documents and provides a complete list of pages
linking to the document to simplify website administration.
We recommend all documents be stored in Adobe Acrobat PDF format to enable
everyone to view them, regardless of platform. However, you may upload most types
of files including Microsoft Word, Excel, graphics files, and audio or video clips.
Dynamic Homepage
It is important on a city website to list the most current news, press releases, or events.
This keeps the community informed while ensuring the website is fresh and timely. It
also exposes website visitors to important information they may not necessarily be
looking for.
A Dynamic Homepage automates this process for your staff by displaying the most
recent information and automatically removing it when it is no longer relevant. It will
save your staff time while guaranteeing that your homepage is up-to-date.
Please note that the Dynamic Homepage can include an emergency homepage notice.
Dynamic Department Homepages
While the Dynamic Homepage would provide information for the City overail, the
Dynamic Department Homepages would provide the same functionality for individual
departments. The system will be implemented in a way that information could be
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posted on both the main homepage and a department homepage simultaneously
without duplication of effort. The screenshots below show the City of Charlottesville's
homepage, which lisis current events, and the city council's homepage, which
automatically lists council specific news.
.
Itmw .Uw(tbrynMi4' (oum�r E�danu 11iMr. [�r�nUlr6ml�enka IP'stTn..�(k�e4�.iv� (fa�e�nlalll�Motln.W ('a`na4 Bads t11bi tMaimw4x�dYn.n IPrYR.. <ARt9r'in
1 I✓
News and events are �.�. ,
automatically added
to the homepage and
the department ,
homepage.
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eJ:
� Y �ri .i.e.... e.. .t .. ...R .. 1t
-�evffS�'ll:it' .;J...�iM�:+c�ir�lKF.Mn2.�,-Y.vM'H�J'..v4!"If'.�n.+��M.�,tftltl. '• . . . -. � .�.� . .. ' .� �,
c,�.�..i:...•�.+�Mn..�...�ln�.r/rJC�Jinh.l•W.tl��a.A....� r- ...�, t,:s r�.r- .�� ..'.. :i;.�:
.��v...0..� 1 . ..
Figure 4 City of Charlottesvilfe's homepage Figure 5 Dynamic Dept. Homepages automatically
automatically lists upcoming events. lists a department's current news or events.
e-Notification
Increase communication, draw in more repeat users, and get important information out
more quickly, using our email based e-Notification tool. Our tool provides a sign-up
box allowing users to add their email addresses to receive important notices, and set
their preferences for the e-Notifications they would like to receive. Each registration is
verified via a confirmation email that the user must respond to in order to complete the
registration process. This same mechanism allows each user to change preferences
including opting out from subscription lists.
To better manage the e-Notification process, your staff can see how many subscribers
there are for each category, plus edit subscriber information and export the subscriber
database for use in other systems.
The best part about our e-Notification tool is that it also integrates with the News and
Newsletters component, giving you the ability to broadcast News and Newsletter
content from your website to your subscribers. There is no need to recreate the
content. This integrated approach enables your users to sign up for different types and
categories of content on a single subscription page in order to have it delivered
directly into their email box.
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Form/Survey Tool . . , �h P ��.�tlw�-
Interactive forms are the
staple of an effective �' �
government website. � � :- �"� g �
They allow users to -.. _ ..._ .w��.�'�� �'� ., ,.
t�amxandf�n`�Yf� " ,h � +��„_�_ � "�
r.,e�k ro,m..�a s„�<n
communicate and AddaBuslnes�Ustktg
interact with their
hYatM�;pn�rww���:f u��:NM1.a�Y���lMls
government at =��.•.�a�o� -�
�.�.,�-..�-.-��....�
convenient times. Vision eu��naisln �.:"�"•` -�• .��, _
. •:�i,.,..... �
Internet's Forms/Survey B"""""' �„� ���� _ ��
._..... ._,.
Tool can be used for ;°""°" �
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asking questions, getting °'"°""°"' '� �'
e�:�,�,e. ' ���— - —�1 I
feedback, or submitting .� ---------- --- - - - 1 ;
applications. Keep in `'�� ~ � '
,,,_ ____ ...._ �_. --- ---
mind that these online .�`....� x� - -- - a '
>n�.,,
forms can be used for `''�� ''
;�_______ _— �_ . __
replicating most paper .,�.�eM 1 __ _- ___._ ..� ;
0+
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forms in the city. � i
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The Form/Survey Tool
also provides you with Figure 6 The Form/Survey Tool lets you create forms and
the ability to easily surveys where the results are stored in a central database
create your own online and interactive reporting tools let you create graphical
surveys and track the representations of the responses.
results in real-time. In
contrast to the traditional paper survey approach, online surveys are more convenient
because they eliminate the time and expense of mailing back responses. Furthermore,
you can display the results in several formats, including graphical representations. This
allows your staff to aggregate the responses and view them in report format.
The tool supports fill in the blank, multiple choice, multiple select, and ranking type
questions. Submissions are stored so that all administretors are able to view them. It
also has an export function so you can analyze the results using Excel or any other
program capable of importing CSV files. This is a third party tool, so only graphic
design may be customized and the Approval Cycle functionality is not available.
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Frequently Asked ` ���p�yy� � � � ,�,�:.Y�
Questions �'v`� 5ei �
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Frequently Asked cowMBucouKnr
Questions (FAQ) are ,,,,,�.u„
a website Stapl@ tllat Most FroquenHy Asked Guestlons
��o��,��,�.�e�
visitors have come to ����«���
�Dlwc4oM . . . . ..
expect. While �D��d�.n.r AllTopics- � �AIICepenments)
.cw..MR..anMa. --AIIToP�cs- .
traditional FIQQS rE^•�`"^m.�ed JobVecenaes �,�r;���r.�,:�.•.r r��n �.,o�i
t�fem+•eo� Procurement �
consist of long lists of �FvdCai�nda ;�-=•��t„�:•,��a,:,2:
r ub��du
Stormweter Uul ry
questions that may �a"r'""'""""' T,��5a55o �
.,,, ,... �-<. ��-.
Mov�np to Coiwn6la ..... .4
overwhelm users, our '���^� :��;:,�.w.4,.:�_�e�..,�„",,
1 Nw�
component provides �p��O���9���� "'"� Ve ``' 'h �
�rtosdtle��nq� H a:...l��r -_I-,= rhr - . ..r�v.i�,.�_�-n."�
a simple and easy �ay.aao.�.a: a.i �.;Ga �rst��
�W�bal4Acas�IhllKy ��,__.� I r,�_y�_
way for them to find °°""
�w•e�rt.vav�evma i l.�in �It .�.:fii iY,e!�- iir Y `-.� K?c"r.a�.'
s�wlR�t Ooliq
the information they ,;,,_,,,�;
need. Website U:Atisel«N�io�slliertiernbelaiNnylmuse.11wsheaoiaHoliaaa�mdhasnxM
weeik m N�IMI IItlWH fU AC U2d�11M Ulf.NRID Il MI CIMI(f!P
VISIt01'$ are able t0 A i:!r�e�3iyac•,;=,a<_tresrrandcb;a.;.t:me•tm..oi,Ya�erxe.r;�n:meaear,i•=,rr,e
, trst�=�i�---::��:erd+h.�ua�r-��stlo�,mr,FroP=r`t�-;•.Ycrnl�ercn:,rssn8-ms7c,.„.con.,
browse the list of ��,.,�:;:-�, ,.n�:,�:, :�,..._��.:,,::
questions (and U:[ailqe�cw�Mlo�nNpa�u7
answers) by
categories you Figure 7 The centralized interactive FAQ makes it easy to find
define. Multiple info, while backend tools make it simple for stafF.
categories may be
assigned to each question so that your visitors will be able to find answers based upon
the category that best matches what they are looking for.
Your staff will also love the feature because our tool presents a much s+mpler solution
to creating FAQs. Questions and their associated answers are submitted through a
simple and centralized interface. Our tool does the rest!
Image Library
The Image Library is a centralized place where all images used in the website are
stored. This saves space because only a single version of each image is used on the
entire site. This also provides greater control, as you can restrict the ability to add new
images to specific staff inembers within your organization. Images remained archived
when deleted to prevent accidental broken links within the website while the content
management tool tracks all pages using individual photos to make it easier for you to
replace images in individual pages.
The Image Library also incorporates several tools that make managing images much
easier. They include automatic scaling, and sizing of ghotos to the maximum size
recommended for y4ur website plus automatic alt-tag insertion for imaaes added to
pages to ensure future Section 508 com (ip ance.
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Job Postings
Job Postings is one of the
most popular types of content '
��� � ��
on local government websites.
By posting jobs within the site,
you are both attracting __ _ •�•._ ,: ,� :,..w-< -,
possible candidates and ' �-"'�' �-`' ` °°-�
1 q IhN
`� Empbyment
averting the flood of � � ��
telephone inquiries about � A�`fi'' °" "°", `""`:ym✓"' "
.�k.,�.,� ��>�, ��
�a+v w.nwa �y vr.�r.,.,
positions that do not exist. ,�,�;,;,��, �,„, � �.
OWNVPm��k � ��MOaY WatlM�
This, of course, keeps your ,�.,� ;,��„�„�,,,,
......._.... .`.......� •.e�f�^6 Yrr,�4Y'�'J�a-`Cc.4a� v�c
administrative costs down. '"^'^""°'^''�. °�"��°"'�`
.�..�......�.. _ a� �.a. ,,...,,,.����,.,, .,,,
Our Job Postings tool makes '""`"'""" �� �=^�� ,'�.� ,:�R�^�� "�
.wwemMo lee s.�..._.
' � fuw.oeo..reu.w�� oi�s:ns�r.ar ::r� �.��i:�. �•...+.r..c.q
posting �obs a snap. Your HR �„�......��„��, ���• „,,,,,,r. -•
staff simply fills out a form that °""""°"�" w.. ,,.
r p�4nbu�IMn M f+:.`Y:.J°i:.N a'�,>�:a:
�q+T' �Lc1ir'CM .. .
,_..._ .. ._ .... o.:^�iv�'.t���e!Ic
can have any number of fields '^"^'"""
'»d�ne�err .�•y,.,YL•._�yn�� vw in!.w.Y.ta:�s�r-,,ne.u..
you define (such as position, '"'"" "°�'�'� ""` � ��
�O�M�Md R�o��lon atNM�,ebLi Y t�- ,,xr.v�.if.a,'
department, salary, and _ '��
�..
.��..�. �,
�..,;-. �,..,..�„,�,�<�.,,,
.a.�.,,...�, „���:�,���� .
benefits). Staff can schedule ,,,,�,., . ,� , .-r:�- :�.. :,�
when postings go live on the Figure 8 Users can filter for jobs of interest.
website and when they expire,
thus simplifying the process and reducing your administrative time and costs.
To make it easy for users, postings can include interactive tools for filtering avaitable
positions by category, type of position, posting date, and salary. As is normal for all our
components, your staff is able to define the categories or classification of Job Postings.
News and Newsletter
By posting news on your site, you will improve communication with your target
audiences. Our experience is that news can take many forms, including press releases,
newsletters, feature stories, and "what's new" content. With our News and Newsletter
component, each of these types of news can be implemented onto a single section of
the website or have their own separate area. To ensure usability for website visitors
while providing simplicity for staff, news content is automatically moved to an archive
section at a predefined interval after publishing. Website visitors can browse the
archive by category and date range. This is a great way to provide a historical archive
while making site administration easy.
NOTE.• With the e-Notification t00% news information may also be broadcast to
su6scribe�s via emai/.
Site Search
Site users can find the specific content they need through the powerful search engine
dtSearch. The tool will search both HTML pages and documents such as Adobe PDF
files and Microsoft Word documents. It will return results in order of relevance based
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upon frequency of search words in the page content or metadata. In an optional,
advanced mode implementation, dtSearch supports full Boolean keyword searches.
This third-party software needs to be installed on the web server.
Sitemap Generator
Some people prefer to navigate from a central sitemap where they are able to quickly
see a snapshot of the overall website structure. Additionally, visually impaired people
often use the sitemap as their principal source of navigation because it is much faster
for their screen reader software to move through this than other navigation pages. The
Sitemap Generator makes it easy for website visitors and staff alike by automatically
generating a sitemap based upon the current site hierarchy. When a change is made to
a page location on the website, it is automatically updated on the sitemap. This
ensures up-to-the-minute accuracy, and is much easier than staff having to maintain a
static sitemap.
Staff Directory
.
�
It is often difficult for website
visitors to find the correct person '' wa.��' w�.
���w�> ,.
to contact in a government �° > ' �'a�-
� r
��
agenty. However, the useful Staff `"` � "` „ sarro��c�ry , ,,.,:
_... _ _.__.
Directory component greatly ' � '':' ' ` " " -' -'` ' '=
. s�...n viwx ey,
simplifies this search. It can list all Y„.
, �, :,,..�.,
�„<:«.��..,,
staff persons, departments, even � ` ...�.
related agencies and partners, , �,.���•„�.:
along with their contact �•«���:A.��.K..; -,�:N,�ma�,- .. _,,,�_,,,_ .
information and description of
their role or area of specialization.
Your website users will love the
convenience, simplicity, and
accessibility; they can easily filter Figure 9 Staff Directory allows users to interactively
the list of staff based upon name, find staff contact information by department, name,
department, or other criteria or service.
determined to be important to
them.
Additionally, your staff wilf be happy that they can make their email addresses available
to others without exposing their contact information to spammers. Our tool "masks"
email addresses so that email-harvesting software used by spammers cannot
automatically extract them from your website.
Optiona//nte�active Components
Vision Internet creates custom solutions; therefore, we are abie to offer you virtually
any conceivable type of function. Based upon our extensive knowledge of government
needs, plus reviewing your existing website, we believe the following additional
components may be of benefit to you. You did not specifically request them so we
have listed them as optional. We can implement them now or at any time in the future.
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We list them to demonstrate that we have the ability to be your long-term partner.
They would be under an additional budget or you can "swap" any of the included
components for optional components of equivalent value. Recommended components
are:
o Approval Cycle ❑ Link Library
❑ Design Themes ❑ RFP Postings
Qpproval Cycle
For websites where content authorship and updates are distributed throughout an
organization's departments, it is helpful to implement the Approval Cycle where
content updates and changes do not go live on the website until one or more persons
have approved them. �
This allows you to segment the management of content by groups of users (such as
departments), in addition to types of content as determined by the interactive
components. It is extremely flexible allowing you to define as many workflows as you
require with as many steps in the approva) as you deem necessary. Most clients have
one workflow per department with up to four or five steps in each.
Design Themes
The Design Themes tool allows you to give subsections of the website their own
unique look and feel while providing overall navigational and page layout consistency
for your website visitors. The navigational and page layout consistency will make
navigating the site easier for your users; the structure will remain the same throughout
the website. At the same time, however, by being able to apply different graphic �
designs and color schemes to different sections, you can incorporate distinct branding
efements into a single website. To make it easy for your stafF, they can simply select the
design theme to be applied to the page from a list of available options that Vision
Internet defines for the content management tool. Included in this budget are three
design themes; additional themes will be billed at our hourly rates.
On the next page are examples from the StopWaste.Org website. Different templates
are used for promoting branding of individual programs. Templates include unique
banner collages and color themes. Navigation remains consistent throughout the site.
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In
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•........
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,_..,' STO�INA�jT�Q��� .
. . .r...............,...4o+ir.;�u � " wr....,� w.r�,:=� '�;a ,�
: � ,�....,� ..
.. ....�_...__......,„a;�... ..
� ` �i �
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,��� �
. �.�,.r,,..G n.
, ; , ,,.�.,,.Y...�. � ...... ,� -�,�.�,_,__.,���
C•++�+e�+Fw�
� ..._ �a...�.�r� , .. .w,...a..�_ �.-ua'�, .•�.. .�. �F ..���
� . �a..,_ °�Za •..r�+.� a��t ii��P :1 i;L� ���f1i .�'.t7��1�
.. ,. :. . , . .:
.v�.r,. .�,.o.-.,.«e.. . � �� �.7f�lt-�:Y.�.. , , ' .�
Figure 10 The StopWaste.Org website incorporates different Design Theme templates
to support branding of individual programs. From left to right: Bay Friendly program,
Residents section of site, Green Building program.
Link Library , � ,�
,� EVANSVIIIE ,� �• ,
Site visitors appreciate having links �' �•°�""" ,� � °' :•,�,,'
to important information and .
_ .. . � . ..
resources. While you can add links ,����•'°'•" '•
to virtually any page using our
:.�,.•�:,�,,.. ..�
content management tool, our = � ��� �,�
interactive Link Library provides a �� Fr�'�,��'�.
�nL:•:r v s.,.. �
better alternative if ou will have `"'�'��°°�•°�',� °�.'°c":'�` � "°.�°�°°,�.,�.. -
'/ y s;,. ;�>,.,
� hundreds of them. This is because it �,,,,.�,,:-.:.�.,.:,..,.,�., ,�,,. .�.
allows users to browse links they !�;;',,:.���<�.,m...,...,,,r
are interested in based upon �°°-e w�„�.,�.<.: p .�o•�»,...,,,,.,,,..,,.,,, , �„o , ,
e. i oert;v�..,_ .crvanroo.•s�., a ._.ne.� _.
categories you predefine. Since "",`'`".,. ," . ,
there may be several categories -
that apply to an individual link, you
can assign multiple categories to Figure 11 Link Library provides an interactive
each without double entry. centralized location for links with descriptions.
Keep in mind that this is more than simply adding the URL; you can give the link a
name, add a description, and, if you choose, a thumbnail photo. To our knowledge, the
Link Library is unique to Vision Internet, and is just one of the many tools that set our
websites apart from those of our competitors.
RFP Postings
� To make future Requests for Proposals simpler, easier to manage, and more cost
effective, the website can include an RFP Postings where they can be posted along
with amendments and updates.
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Potential vendors can download RFPs in a PDF format. Because RFPs are time
sensitive, you can schedule when the RFP posting would be live on the website and
when it would be removed, thus ensuring your website is kept up-to-date with minimal
staff time required.
NOTE: 1/ision lnternet also offers a ful/e-Procu�ement Application that indudes vendo�
management tools, online bidding, automatic distribution of RFPs and addendums,
and enforces government procurement best practices. This advanced tool can enable
you to reach pape�less purchasing, and significantly streamline your p�ocurement
process. lt is much more affordable than most online bidding applications, and may be
helpfu/ifyou are posting severa/bid opportunities per month.
/nteg�ation of Thi�d-Party Tools and Databases
Today, there are many advanced tools for such functions as:
❑ Class Registration
❑ Permitting
❑ Service Requests (CRM)
❑ Streaming Video
o Others
Our content management tool can easily work with these tools, provided they are web-
enabled. Most of these types of tools can be given the same look and feel as your main
website via modifications to the presentation template. For your project, we will
provide you with an HTML template that vendors of these third-party tools can use. We
will also integrate links to these third-party tools into the overall website navigation.
There are many examples of where we have used this approach, including the Cities of
College Station, TX; Diamond Bar, CA; Citrus Heights, CA; and many others.
Additionally, we are able to create web-interfaces for your third-party databases.
Examples of previous projects where we have done this include displaying tax records
that were exported from a main frame for Vanderburgh County, IN; displaying crime
statistics from California State databases for the City of Citrus Heights, CA; displaying
travel options from various databases for several airlines including United; and
displaying staff and student contact information from school databases for the UCLA
School of Law.
These are just a few examples of our extensive experience working with third-party
databases and systems. While interfaces to third-party systems are not included within
the budget, they are available for an additional fee. We will provide a firm quote for
interfaces after analyzing the databases and requirements during the consulting phase
of your project.
Optiona/Maintenance and Hosting Services
Vision Internet is a full service firm able to offer all that is required to build and
maintain your website. This includes website maintenance, support, and hosting
services. While you are not required to use any of these, you can rest assured knowing
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that we are able to provide you the support you need to ensure your project's long-
term success.
Website Maintenance and Support
Content management tools enable you to easily manage the content of the website
without the need of programming experience. This can save you considerable time and
money over a static website that requires a technical person's expertise. Sometimes
you may need to expand the scope of the website by adding new components,
changing the graphic design, or designing complex pages. We, as your partner, can
provide you with website maintenance services.
We perform website maintenance by using the following procedure:
1. When receiving service requirements from a client, our in-house team will first
analyze the request and then come up with the best solution for performing
updates to the website in our staging/testing environment.
2. After completing the changes, our quality assurance staff will conduct testing of
all the updates to make sure that changes are consistent with the existing
website and that there are no programming bugs.
3. After our quality assurance tester confirms the updates, we transfer the files
from the staging/testing environment to the live server.
Our three-step procedure assures quality service, efficiency, and on-time delivery. We
are committed to our clients, offering a 48-hour turnaround time for most web content
and simple graphics modifications to the website.
For larger tasks such as adding new components, we will provide you with an estimate
before beginning work.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
We at Vision Internet stand behind our clients and can provide you with the support
you need. Most of our clients have an internal point person who serves as the first level
of support for staff inembers by answering their questions and showing them how to
perform basic functions using the content management tool. From time-to-time,
however, your internal point person or webmaster may have questions regarding how
to perform tasks, configure the system, or accomplish some organizational need in the
best way possible.
In all cases, Vision Internet is able to address your technical and/or operational needs.
You will be assigned a service support person who will serve as your first level of
support and manage any needs you may have.
Because we are looking forward to building a long-term relationship with you, we
will provide three months FREE website maintenance and technical support.
OPTIONAL MAINTENANCE/SUPPORT PLAN
Beyond the initial three months, many of our clients opt to buy blocks of hours for
maintenance and technical support at a lower blended rate. Our maintenance and
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support plan is unique. Rather than the standard 18% - 20°� maintenance plan that
includes upgrades and support, we offer a more flexible and fair approach.
The problems with traditional maintenance contracts offered by our competitors are:
o You have no control over what goes into the annual upgrade so you may not
get anything of value to you.
o If the features you want are not in the upgrade, you may need to pay for
additional customization in addition to the maintenance contract you already
paid for.
❑ If you want to add additional components, you witl still need to request an
additional capital budget to cover the new development.
In our approach, you buy blocks of hours for maintenance and support at a lower
blended rate. The time can be used for maintenance and support on an as-needed
basis throughout the year. At the end of the year, you can apply any unused value
towards an upgrade of the content management tool, customizations to your website,
or implementation of new components. This provides you maximum flexibility because:
� You set the amount you want to allocate for maintenance and enhancements on
an annual basis.
❑ If the annual upgrade does not contain functionality useful to you, you can
simply "skip" the upgrade and apply the unused value to additional
components or enhancements.
❑ You are able to add new functionality to your site under maintenance budgets
rather than the harder to come by capital budget funds.
Most clients only use three to four hours of support/maintenance per quarter but will
purchase a maintenance contract of five to ten hours per month because of the
exceptional value it provides for future developments.
Website Hosting
For over eleven years, website hosting has been an integral part of our operations. We
started our business as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) offering full service
connectivity, design, and hosting. As the business evolved, we developed our
relationship with Level 3, a global network provider, which enables us to provide
comprehensive hosting solutions for our clients. We have our own co-location suite
within a secure Level 3 facility.
Our hosting services include:
❑ Up to 40 gigabytes storage
❑ Unlimited T3 bandwidth (over a 100 Mbps digital line)
� Power failure equipment including battery backup
❑ Redundant generator backup
❑ Microsoft Windows Server 2003 w/ IIS 6.0
❑ Microsoft SQL Server 2005
❑ Full climate control
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❑ Cisco routers and redundant Dell Servers
❑ Security access via lD, palm scanner, and key card
❑ Guaranteed 99.9% uptime
❑ Monthly web usage statistics reports
❑ Unlimited amount of disk space to use on our company web server.
With Vision Internet, you are not locked into using our web hosting services. However,
many of our government clients throughout the country use our hosting services
because of its exceptional value and administrative simplicity.
USAGE REPORTS FROM URCHIN �^�^'+- ^ � �� ^�-�c�^^, :: � ,:;; ,., =,�r�--- _.--�--- , U...-�r-�
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To realize the full potential ��� ��`�� �-��'.; ��
of your website, you must � '
measure its progress. The ` "'"'� � ° � '""' °'�° '
easiest way to accomplish ,.+�. '`"`'"'�''`°' �y�• N4
this is to actively monitor ;�-;�� ��."`""`�� ""`�' ;
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reports in an organized �' � �� ; � � �µ� ' '��
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with full-color graphics. By Figure 12 Urchin provides advanced, interactive reporting.
utilizing this software, we
are able to ofFer complete reports on website visitor patterns, referring sites, visitor
paths, and demographics. The reports enable you to understand the website end-
users, what search engines and keywords they use to find your website, the pages they
access, documents they download most often, and much more.
The reports also provide activity and technical statistics that contain information about
the average number of visits, the least and most active days, the length of visits, the
total hits, the errors found on the pages, etc. These numbers are especially helpful
when trying to determine the impact various site promotions have had.
Urchin reports are made available to you over the web, and data is easily exportable to
Word, Excel, and XHML.
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5. VENDOR REFERENCES
Below are references from some of our most innovative government websites which we
have completed within the last 24 months. For your convenience, we have aiso
included additional references from a few of our other successful projects. Upon
request, Vision Internet can provide the City with more information and references
from our many government clients. For more information on each of these projects,
including the innovative solutions we implemented for each site, please see page 16.
CITY OF ROUND ROCK,TEXAS
Contad name: Shannon Mclntire, Information Specialist
Address: 221 East Main St.
Round Rock, TX 78664
Phone number: 512-218-5407
E-mail: smcintire@round-rock.tx.us
URL: www.roundrocktexas.yov
Dates of work: July 2005 to June 2006
Solutions provided: CMS, award winning website redesign
TOWN OF TELLURIDE,COLORADO
Contact name: Kerry Welch, IT Coordinator
Address: Rebekah Hall
113 W. Columbia Avenue
Telluride, CO 81435
Phone number: 970-728-3071
E-mail: kwelch@town.telluride.co.us
URL: www.town.telluride.co.us
Dates of work: October 2004 to March 2005
Solutions provided: CMS, award winning website redesign
CITY OF ENGLEWOOD,COLORADO
Contact name: Leigh Ann Hoffhines, Communications Specialist
Address: 1000 Englewood Parkway
Englewood, CO 80110
Phone number: 303-762-2316
E-mail: IhoffhinesCenglewoodgov.org
URL: www.ci.engewood.co.us
Dates of work: June 2004 to May 2005
Solutions provided: CMS, award winning website redesign
VILLAGE OF LISLE,ILLINOIS
Contact name: Dennis Gilbertson, Webmaster
Address: 925 Burlington Avenue
Lisle, IL 60532
Phone number: 630-271-4121
E-mail DGilbertsonC�3vil.lisle.il.us
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URL: www.vil.lisle.il.us
Dates of work: May 2005 to October 2005
Solutions provided: CMS, website redesign
CITY OF LONGVIEW,WASHINGTON
Contact name: Judy Jones, Director of Information Technology
Address: 1525 Broadway
Longview, WA 98632
Phone number: 360-442-5060
E-mail: iud�jones@ci.longview.wa.us
URL: www.ci.longview.wa.us
Dates of work: May 2003 to August 2003
Solutions provided: CMS, website redesign
Please note that each of these projects was created to suit the unique needs of our
clients and that, if the City of Palm Desert chooses Vision Internet to implement its
website, we can work with you to determine the best timeframe for your specific goals.
To see our proposed schedule for your project, please go to page 6.
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CONCLUSION
By implementing your new website as we propose, the City of Palm Desert will take a
giant step forward in its ability to serve its citizens. The website will incorporate
advanced content management tools, highly interactive content, and enable citizens to
get the information they need when they need it.
It is our creativity and our attention to our clients' unique needs and identity that allows
us to create award-winning quality websites. Examples include sites for the Cities of
Citrus Heights, CA; Charlottesville, VA; College Station, TX; Round Rock, TX; and
Diamond Bar, CA; plus the Town of Telluride, CO; Big Blue Bus, CA; Community
Transit, WA; Wood County Employment Resource Center, OH; Greenbrier Convention
and Visitors Bureau, WV; and Round Rock Independent School District, TX.
We are very excited about the opportunity to direct our creativity and technical
expertise in creating unique solutions for you and your community. We are confident
that our expertise in consulting, graphic design, programming, and client support will
result in the innovative website you are looking for. As we move ahead with this project
together, we look forward to providing you with the highest quality and innovative
services available.
Respectfully submitted,
,
� � �
Steven B. Chapin Tom Johnson
President,Vision Internet Providers, Inc. Senior Project Manager,Vision Internet Providers,Inc.
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APPENDIX I: PROPOSAL SIGNATURE FORM
BIDDER TO READ
I have, read, understood, and agree to the terms and conditions on all pages of this
Proposal. The undersigned agrees to furnish the commodity or service stipulated on
the City of Palm Desert Web Site Proposal as stated above.
Name: �teven B. Cha�n
Title: President
Company: Vision Internet Providers. Inc.
Address: 2530 Wilshire Blvd.. 2"d Floar
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone: �888? 263-8847
,.-��-���----__.
Signature: / �
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