Design And Development Of Dynamic Website job from Adam Smith International Pakistan in Pakistan, Pakistan

Terms of Reference

Design and Development of Dynamic Website

Deadline to Submit Proposals: 13th May, 2022

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to invite prospective firms to submit a written response (“Response”) for the design, development, and deployment of Pakistan Single Window interactive web portal. The solicitation provides prospective firms with the relevant operational and performance requirements.

1.2 Coverage & Participation

ASI reserves the right to reject any and all offers, to add, delete or modify any element of the solicitation at any time without prior notification and without any liability or obligation of any kind. This RFP does not obligate ASI to enter a contract nor does it obligate ASI to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of submission of any Response.

GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 The Organization

ASI is an independent Global Advisory Company that works locally to transform lives by making economies stronger, societies more stable and governments more effective.

2 PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

2.1 Prospective Firms’ Understanding of the Solicitation

Prospective contractors are responsible for understanding the solicitation in its entirety and each of its elements and should make inquiries to ASI as necessary to ensure such understanding. ASI reserves the right to disqualify any prospective vendor that it determines, at its sole discretion, does not understand the solicitation or any of its elements. Such disqualification shall be at no fault, cost, or liability whatsoever to ASI.

2.2 Information from ASI

All information provided by ASI in this solicitation is subject to change at any time. ASI makes no certification as to the accuracy of any item and is not responsible or liable for any use of or reliance on the information or for any claims asserted therefrom.

2.3 Communication

All communications related to the RFP must be in writing. Verbal communication shall not be effective unless formally confirmed in writing by the procurement official listed in a sealed envelope to our designated location in Lahore.

• Point of Contact: The sole point of contact for all communication related to this solicitation is listed below.

Name: Usman Zahid

Program Manager

Email: [email protected]

• Formal Communications shall include, but are not limited to the following:

• Questions concerning this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the contact person mentioned above.

• Errors and omissions in this solicitation, as well as enhancements. Prospective firms should notify ASI of any discrepancies, errors, or omissions that may exist within this solicitation. Prospective vendors should recommend to ASI any enhancements to the work described in the solicitation which might be in ASI’ best interests.

• Inquiries about technical interpretations must be directly asked from contact person (Usman Zahid).

• Addenda: ASI will make a good-faith effort to provide a written response to the questions or requests for clarifications in the form of written responses or addenda in accordance with the Schedule of Events.

A. BACKGROUND

Pakistan ratified the WTO’s Agreement on Trade Facilitation (2013 and committed itself to the establishment of the ‘National Single Window’ (NSW) later renamed as Pakistan Single Window’ (PSW). A single window is a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single-entry point to fulfill all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements. Electronic information enables individual data elements to be submitted only once. The PSW will help reduce the time and cost of doing business in Pakistan, enhance the government’s controls and make trade-related business processes more efficient, transparent, and consistent.

PSW primarily focuses on integrating and strengthening trade-related government-to-government (G2G) and business-to-government (B2G) interactions, but at the same time it also incorporates trade-related solutions aimed at increasing the efficiency and transparency of business to business (B2B) transactions. Due to the complexity and constantly evolving nature of the international trade ecosystem, communications and stakeholder outreach is a key component of the PSW implementation strategy.

The PSW is a collaborative effort led by Pakistan Customs but involving multiple public and private sector stakeholders including regulatory authorities, traders, freight forwarders, banks, terminal operators, and transporters etc. These require dedicated support to implement the transformations and active and consistent communication to complement PSW rollout efforts.

B. PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

PSW is an extensive intervention that not only has to manage interlinkages and change management across more than 32 entities but will be connecting with a large community of traders in the country. Additionally, the systems such as Port Community System, WeBOC, Trade Information Portal, Integrated Risk Management System, and Single payment system will be linked with this website.

The current website for PSW has been designed in a very generic manner and does not have the capability to link all these services and allow connectivity with all the stakeholders that will be the client users of the window. This lack of dynamic structure of the current website will seriously limit the user experience and will hinder PSWs objective of communicating and interacting with its clients and converting them into sustainable users by providing aa very streamlined experience.

Therefore, there is a need for developing a dynamic website for communication and as an interactivity tool for ease of access and user-friendliness. The website ensures accessibility to all materials and information related the work PSW is doing in Pakistan and needs to be modified into an interactive platform incorporating social media platforms. The new platform will reflect all the activities under PSW and also feature upcoming services.

Information about key processes and integration is missing from the PSW system. Lack of feedback is also an issue that can hamper streaming processes that remain cumbersome and thus slow down the effective design iteration for PSW. Moreover, it is important to link this website with the design of ICT-based services being launched by PSW. The website design should be technology compliant and easily integrated. Undertaking such an exercise on mature systems is more expensive and time-consuming and may result in redundancies. Therefore, such an engaging website should be built in line with other systems being developed.

C. SCOPE OF WORK

PSW will engage a service provider/firm to redesign, develop and manage the website to enhance user engagement, engage users, ensure the best experience for users, and conduct a series of upgrades on the website https://www.psw.gov.pk/. The service provider/firm is expected to deliver the following:

• Information Gathering. To capture goals, audience, products/solutions, to create the content through in-depth sessions, mind mapping, and using and updating existing content.

• Research & Scope Finalization. To carry out in-depth research to devise a solution that will help the PSW brand and the products stand out and outline the best ways to integrate that into that website along with ease of usability for the end-user.

• Content-Driven Designing. An intuitive UX (User Experience) and functionality of the website is required from the creative team to select the various creative look and feel designs. The designs shall be original, customized, and practical for software development as well as integrated well within the brand identity of PSW

• Flawless Development and Integration. Code the selected design and theme to create a fully functioning website, employing cutting-edge, exclusive web and software development technologies. The prospective firms should have the capacity to link all PSW related information on various online portals to the main website including but not limited to trade, OGA’s, Pakistan customs, and all relevant stakeholders

• Testing & Launch. Ensure fine-tuning of the final details of the design and features, configuration and setup of the server that will host the website, migration of the site to the live server, and ensure recommended cybersecurity measures are in place to protect the data and systems.

• Handing over the website rights/source along with formal training. The service provider will hand over all the website’s source files and copyrights to PSW for future management and updating of the website. Also, the service provider will undertake a detailed, over 6 hrs. training of PSW IT and related staff on all technical and user specifications of the website.

D. TERMS OF REFERENCE

The service provider/firm shall hold the responsibility to design and develop a dynamic and engaging website in close coordination with the communications team. The service provider shall hold overall responsibility in terms of work related to the development of the website as per the quality standards/requirements of PSW. Ensure the following:

• Design an attractive website that presents a new visual look, and its functionalities are enhanced to provide a better experience to users.

• New sections are developed to reflect all services and integrated with social media platforms.

• Develop a user manual and deliver training for the support staff and system administrators to perform the content upload, system maintenance, and administration.

• Clear catalogs & folders with attractive page layout, easy to use, update and maintain flexible navigation & search function; Create HTML documents and graphics for implementation on the Web, and web pages should be responsive.

• Support and maintenance: Administrative and technical support, quality control for a period of 6 months.

• Source code handover: Full source code including all developed libraries shall be handed over to PSW.

All new developments listed in this section will be built on the current website operated in WordPress.

1. New look and feel

Following the PSW branding guidelines, design a new look and feel for the website capturing the different functionalities outlined in this TOR. The service provider will develop a graphic concept and the visual language of the new templates.

Ensure a consistent visual language on the new site by introducing fixed styles in templates ensuring consistency in fonts, formatting, icons, images, and layout techniques.

The new look and feel should be adapted to the homepage, sections, subsections, and the services components of the site.

Standard page elements including header, footer, tabs, persistent navigation, contact us, email, and page print options should be included in the new templates.

The new templates should guarantee that the most recent content on the site is captured automatically on the homepage in an organized way following specific categories, tags, or other custom taxonomies.

All section and subsection webpages should incorporate functionalities to guarantee the latest information on that section and sub-section is displayed (news, resources, services, news and events).

2. New sections

Based on the agreed templates, develop new web sub-sections for the website based on, but not limited to the structure, functionalities, and features defined in these terms of reference.

The new subsection webpages should incorporate functionalities to guarantee the latest information on that sub-section is displayed.

3. Functionalities to include in the new templates

Responsive design. Browser compatibility.

Social sharing features – including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, share by text selection, and Twitter feed by handle and hashtag. Multiple page styles and custom post types.

Would be extensively cross-searchable with all service-related subjects in English and Urdu. Language options feature in resources and guidance templates.

Would be highly secured, and be easily accessible from wherever possible. Optimised for mobile and other device use.

Would be platform and browser independent using prescribed interoperable standards

Interactive map feature. Signup for the latest news and contact us section.

Comply with W3C standards which define an Open Web Platform for application development that has the unprecedented potential to enable developers to build rich interactive experiences, powered by vast data stores, that are available on any device.

GDPR data protection compliance

Integration with Search Engine Analytics such as Google, Bing etc. Capable to integrate with Hootsuite and any other 3rd party social media platform.

4. Knowledge transfer

Develop a user manual and deliver a webinar for the support staff and system administrators to perform the content upload, system maintenance, and administration.

5. Support and maintenance

Support and maintenance: Administrative and technical support, quality control for a period of 6 months.

6. Source code handover

Full source code including all developed libraries shall be handed over to PSW.

Tasks

The successful firm/service provider will participate in a debriefing session with the communication team to understand the overall project and expectations. Based on the debriefing session and this TOR, the company will develop a design concept for the site. The company will adjust the concept based on feedback and comments from PSW.

The service provider will develop the visual concept and language for the site adapting it to the different components outlined in the section “deliverables” and adjusting it based on feedback and comments from PSW.

To create responsive CSS and graphic design elements and to integrate or adapt existing CSS and graphic design and make it responsive. Development of web sections and content upload. Integration and final approval by PSW. Test site before going live.

E. DELIVERABLES

Technical components

• Interactive, appealing, and highly user-friendly design with accessibility in mind

• Fast load-time (optimized for and be able to load on low-speed internet connections)

• Multiple sub-domains (e.g.: example.psw.com)

• Fully responsive; able to render appropriately on contemporary web browsers (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari), optimized for prevalent desktop/laptop resolutions, as well as tablet PCs (Windows/Android/iOS) and smartphones (Android/iOS) and remote places (with low internet connection)

Content Management

• The firm should manage up-gradation, editing and revamping of the bilingual [English + Urdu] versions, including the ability to add new design features from time to time.

• Content Management System should be user-friendly and ensure that an admin (not having software development background) can add/edit/update content (text/image/videos/news/etc.) after basic training and without intervention from a technical resource

• Social Network Integration so updated news are present

• Site Statistics/Management Reports: The firm should provide authorized users with several relevant reports, for example, user email subscription, site usage, key interests/topics being searched and other relevant statistical data

• Site Backup & Restore; backup at regular intervals to prevent data-loss

• Web portal Malware Removal & Clean-Up and continuous scans for Malware & Hacks

• Technical support 12/7

• Flexible to resolve issues and handle upgrades/modifications’ requests within 24-48 hours

• The content must be admin controlled, and the admin must be able to keep the content updated regularly.

• The visitors will be able to view the services/solutions that the PSW offers in a systematic and accessible way.

• Public Users should be able to search for, view and/or download documents/assets etc.

Technology Stack

Suggest the best-in-class technology for this type of website, which is marketing a digital platform for its users.

• Design Technology

• Development Technology

• Admin Panel Technology

• Hosting Technology

• Cybersecurity, information security and cyber-attack prevention

Tasks [Performance Requirement]

The firm is required to carry out the following design and development activities to create an intuitive UI/UX:

1. Content Management:

Develop new content and storytelling in a professional business language that can align with the organization’s mission and values. The content should be drafted in the form of text, images, videos, and infographics etc.

2. Content Design:

Design content-management components on the website in a way that it is modified by end-user in PSW (non-technical) rather than a software developer

3. Propose Structure and Layout Design Options:

Create a detailed proposed structure, wireframes and suggest the visual outlook for the new website

4. Design & Development

• State-of-the-art look and feel

• Professional bespoke building theme (if used)

• Engaging site with WhatsApp chat integration

• Accessibility: the website should follow accessibility standards for a better user experience

• Responsive; the site should be viewable across all major devices such as desktop/laptop (prevalent resolutions), Mobile phones (Android/iOS), and Tablet PC (Windows/Android/iOS)

• Video creation related to the business and technology of the services

5. Blogs/Insights/Contact Form

The website visitor will be able to view the Blogs/Insights/News that the admin posts via the admin panel

6. Research, Planning & Strategy

As part of the mandatory requirement, the supplier must conduct relevant research to develop and deploy a CMS platform that simplifies the content for the visitors. The standard practices of CMS (Content Management System) may be utilized to showcase the services, offerings and products provided by PSW company.

7. Data & User Security

Following are some of the measures that should be taken to prevent any type of data breach, hacking attempt, spamming and intrusion:

• Comprehensive measures to ensure the PSW site is not hacked/taken down/compromised

• Prevention of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks

• Limited and secure access to Back-end admin

• Data protection and encryption

• Spam protection

• Hotlink prevention

• Registry lock

• User logging

• Cookie protection

• Captcha implementation for all the inquiry form submissions

8. Search Engine Optimization

Improving the quality and quantity of the website from search engines.

• On page and off page search optimization

• Utilize anchor text.

• Create optimized meta title(s) and meta description(s) for each page.

• Add alt text to all the images.

• Give site structure the correct headers.

• Add suggested blogs with targeted words.

• Any additional/suggested measures required to make the website rank high on search engines.

• Create and implement Search Engine Analytics such as Google, Bing etc.

• Capable to integrate with Hootsuite and any other 3rd party social media platform.

Platform Development

The Platform Development work must be carried out by the development team consisting of Front-end, Platform/Back-end developers and Testers. The software development team should work in iterations utilizing Agile and Scrum methods. The team should work from a Backlog of User Stories selecting, estimating, and delivering a subset of User Stories in each Sprint. To further enable Continuous Delivery and increase Test Automation, the development team should utilize behavior-driven development and Test-Driven Development methodologies.

Quality Assurance

The QA Analyst role must be deployed during the discovery and planning phase to support a smooth development process and avoid unnecessary iterations.

The following is an outline of QA tester’s responsibilities:

• Create Test Scripts and Test Suites using test management tools (e.g., Test Rail)

• Contribute to the definition of Epics, User Stories, and Acceptance Criteria

• Estimate QA and Testing activities

• Create automated tests where applicable

• Execute manual and automatic tests

• Be the gatekeeper of quality across the whole project

F. EXPERIENCE

A web and software development firm will be required for this assignment with following expertise

• Proven relevant skills in web portals design and development.

• Having at least ten years’ agency-level work experience in the field of IT as a software development firm and must have strong skills in HTML, HTML5, CSS, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, etc. (web programming, software development, etc.)

• Development experience using content management system (CMS), such as, WordPress, Bootstrap, etc.

• Agency must have a solid understanding of user experience (UX) design and Adaptive/Responsive Design for cross-platform/devices such as tablet and mobile phone.

• Proven ability to build and refine graphic designs for websites.

• Must have strong skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe XD or equivalent application(s).

• Proven history of successful development of complex web portals.

• Designated English and Urdu copy/content writers

• Proven ability to manage IT development projects effectively and accurately on meeting project deliverables.

• Engage in outside-the-box thinking to provide higher value for money.

Prospective firms must provide the following information for their Response to be considered:

• Full legal name and address of the company

• Corporate and tax registration documents

• Year business was started or established

• Full name of the legal representative (president or managing director) of the company

• Name of any individuals or entities that own 50% of more of the company

2. Evidence of successful completion of a project of a similar size and complexity.Technical Proposal

3. Financial Proposal

4. References: Contact information for no less than three references from projects similar in size, application, and scope and a brief description of their implementation (including location and year). ASI reserves the right to request and check additional references.

5. Prospective firms must be legally registered under the laws of the country in which they are organized and possess all licenses, permits and government approvals necessary for performance of the work.

Apply By:

It is mandatory for prospective firms to send their technical and financial proposals (at the same time) in a confidential sealed envelope at our Lahore office:

MM Tower, 5th Floor, K Block, Gulberg II, Lahore.

It is also mandatory to submit the technical and financial proposal on email to the following email address.

[email protected]

The Deadline for submission of proposal on Email is 5pm, 13th May, 2022. Please ensure that hard copies of proposals reach the office address mentioned above, latest by 16th May, 5pm.