Once Upon an RFP provided end-to-end RFP response consulting for a Web Development Firm in August 2024 for website and content management system migration, redesign, and hosting for a major US city.
Client Company Overview
Our client is a well-established, certified, veteran-owned small business providing web development, web design, search engine optimization (SEO), and Local SEO (LSEO) services to clients in the corporate and education sectors. The CEO and COO approached us with the RFP opportunity, seeking assistance completing their first RFP response and venture into public sector contracting. Our client is based in the same US State as the contracting city and felt it was an excellent opportunity to break into public sector procurement.
Project Overview: Content Management System
Scope: The proposed project is a comprehensive overhaul of the city’s data hosting, content management system, and website design solutions. The RFP specified four internal websites needing redesign and up to 16 additional city sites. The city provided an extensive list of required features and technical specifications for maximum security and user-friendliness.
Term / Value of Contract: The city wished to award a bidder a one-year term with five optional years of ongoing maintenance and additional services as desired. The city did not disclose the proposed budget and refused to share the incumbent’s pricing from the previous RFP in 2013. In the Q&A, the city mentioned that the current maintenance costs totaled about $100,000 annually but shared no details concerning hosting, web development, or web design costs.
Proposed Solution: Our client approached us with an existing CMS solution and a subcontractor who will provide data hosting and security services for the opportunity. The client’s initial solution comprised an open-source, customizable CMS platform with server-based data hosting on-premises at the subcontractor’s secure facility. The on-premises solution enabled the city’s data to reside on private servers, mitigating potential cross-contamination with other client information.
Methodology
Once Upon an RFP provided a holistic proposal response solution, leading all aspects of the effort, including:
- Document organization and “shredding”
- Project plan development
- Client brand guide and templates
- Strategic approach
- Competitive research
- Client research
- Submission portal management
- Hosting cadence calls and status updates
- Copywriting, editing, and proofreading
- Graphic design
- Document finalization and publishing
- Final submission and confirmation
- Follow-up and live demonstration guidance
Challenges and Solutions
Challenge 1: City-certified small business set aside of 20%
Challenge 1: City-certified small business set aside of 20%
Solution: We played matchmaker, reaching out to another client already certified as a small business opportunity with the city. This client is a woman-owned, veteran-owned, and minority-owned staffing firm with public sector experience. We reached out to the owner, with whom we had an existing relationship, and gave a general, redacted overview of the opportunity, our prime client’s challenge, and how we thought she could support their pursuit. With her permission, we passed her information to our prime client, who eagerly accepted the opportunity to meet and strategize.
As a result, we facilitated a mutually beneficial partnership between our two clients. Our prime contractor will benefit from our other clients’ staffing services, enabling them to grow their team and support the city’s scope by hiring qualified project managers, trainers, and developers. Their subcontracting agreement with the staffing firm also met the city’s 20% small business set-aside goals, delivering a fully compliant content management system solution.
Challenge 2: Delayed Q&A
Challenge 2: Delayed Q&A
Solution: We conducted frequent procurement portal checks as the deadline approached.
The city had not yet released the Q&A two days before the initial deadline, so we assumed that we would submit the proposal regardless of the Q&A’s status. Therefore, we edited, proofread, conducted compliance checks, and finalized the proposal for submission. Luckily, the city extended the deadline on the morning of the initial deadline.
This cycle repeated, with the new deadline quickly approaching and no Q&A release. Yet again, we prepared for submission regardless of the Q&A. The city released another deadline amendment one day before the deadline extension.
Finally, two months after the original deadline, the city released the Q&A and amended the deadline to two weeks after the Q&A release. This amendment allowed us time to adjust our client’s strategy and response to suit the new information.
Challenge 3: New information released about the CMS scope of work requirements
Challenge 3: New information released about the CMS scope of work requirements
Solution: Armed with this new information, our client modified their solution to suit these new requirements. We rewrote and reframed the proposal to center around a SaaS and cloud-hosted solution but included a secondary set of services, including optional physical data hosting and open-source software. This angle required a careful balance between meeting the city’s requirements and offering additional benefits found in the secondary solution. We communicated that the city was looking for a SaaS, cloud-hosted platform, detailed the primary solution to comply with the scope, and acknowledged the city’s preferences.
However, we still offered the secondary solution as something that our client could further discuss if necessary. In the Q&A, the city presented a few other city websites that they found aesthetically and functionally appealing. Upon inspecting these inspiration websites, we found they were all hosted on various open-source platforms. We acknowledged this fact and outlined the benefits of an open-source platform over a SaaS platform. Additionally, we offered physical data hosting as an optional element to enhance and exceed the city’s technical requirements for the content management system.
Challenge 4: No budget disclosed in RFP or Q&A documents
Challenge 4: No budget disclosed in RFP or Q&A documents
Solution: We conducted in-depth research to find proposals that the incumbent submitted to cities and municipalities of similar size. This information helped us understand the incumbent’s pricing and establish a ballpark pricing strategy.
We also researched the city’s proposed annual budget for FY2025. The requesting department’s procurement division had a bump in its budget by $1M, significantly inflating its impressive existing budget. Using this knowledge and the incumbent’s historical pricing, we developed a pricing strategy that met the city’s budgetary goals and enabled our client to profit throughout the contract’s term.
Conclusion
The Once Upon an RFP team submitted the RFP response on time on 10/01/2024 via the city’s internal procurement portal.
Update as of 12/05/2024: Our client received a letter confirming that the city deemed their proposal compliant, responsive, and responsible. As a result, our client was one of only five businesses the city invited for a live demonstration.
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As a proud woman-owned and certified disability-owned business, Once Upon an RFP is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity, acceptance, and support in a diverse world.