RM1043.8-LONDON COUNCILS - Website redevelopment project

Description

Summary of work London Councils is seeking a digital agency to assist in the redevelopment of londoncouncils.gov.uk using the LocalGov Drupal platform. The digital agency will be tasked with building the site and implementing custom themes. User research, content design and migration, and accessibility and security testing will be conducted by London Councils or third-party contractors. Londoncouncils.gov.uk is primarily an information portal for our audiences, as such off-the-shelf page templates will be sufficient for the majority of the website. Having said this, there are a handful of unique page-types that will need to be developed, in particular our Local Government Directory: https://directory.londoncouncils.gov.uk/ Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Why the work is being done There are three core reasons we are seeking to redevelop our website: 1. Our current website is based on Drupal 7. Upgrading to a newer, supported version of Drupal will provide long term security and support for the website. 2. Our discovery stage indicated numerous issues with the website's architecture, design and structure that require a redevelopment to fully address. 3. The website last underwent a major rework in 2015. In that time the priorities and needs of both our users, and the organisation, have changed substantially. The website needs to be redesigned to reflect these changes. The business problem Our website needs to be a shop front for our organisation so that we can demonstrate to our members and stakeholders the value we and our work provide. This shop front will act as a hub for information and resources to instil collaboration across the boroughs, local government, central government, the public sector and charities to deliver for Londoners. Our current website, through inconsistent content, poor Information architecture, outdated UI and menu design, and confusing navigation structures makes our relevant information and resources difficult to find and hard to digest. The website also does not allow us to promote our work and value in a way that’s relevant to our audience. Our user research indicated that the public services available through our website would better serve their audience if they were moved to dedicated microsites. This is a long term aim for the organisation that we will meet using the microsite features of LocalGov Drupal. However, in the meantime, we wish to ensure that the user journeys for these services are clear, simple and accessible, which they currently aren’t. The people who will use the product or service User type: Ranjan Definition: As an Officer at a London council, I need to find out what resources and projects are available to assist me with a specific issue. I need this to inform my boroughs/teams actions in resolving this issue. User type: Sarah Definition: As someone who works for an MP or Councillor in London, I need to know if there is a pan-London line on a given topic and ensure my elected official is aware of them. I also need to know who London Councils are so that I can be confident this information is representative. User type: Siobhan Definition: As someone who works in the Civil Service, I need more information on who London Councils are, and how they fit into other areas of London Local Government. This is so I can add context to a policy paper/communication I have received from them. User type: Henry Definition: I am a London resident aged over 65 and want to apply for, renew or replace my Freedom Pass, so that I can travel for free on public transport. User type: Esha Definition: I have a disability that makes it impossible for me to use public transport. I want to apply for a Taxicard so that I can use taxis at a discounted rate. User type: Joshua Definition: I am a journalist working on an article about an issue in London. I need information from a cross-party political body to add context to the issue so that it is trustworthy. Any pre-market engagement done We completed a Discovery phase consisting of user metrics analysis, a website survey, staff feedback sessions and 15 one-on-one user research sessions conducted in partnership with a user research agency called Web Usability. This has produced a series of recommendations we intend to fully implement, and will form the basis of this project's measurements of success. We have attached this report as a supporting document for this project. Work done so far London Councils has conducted an in-depth discovery phase, consisting of website metrics analysis, a user survey with 900 responses, internal feedback, and one-on-one user research sessions with our audiences, conducted by an external user research agency called Web Usability. Additionally, we have a limited public beta currently live on our website, using LGD. This covers our press release section of the website. This is a legacy deployment from a previous team, though its design elements could act as a framework for this project. Which phase the project is in Alpha Existing team The Core project team will be made up of a Product Owner (Digital Communications Officer) and Project Manager (Senior Digital Communications Officer), these roles will be supervised by the project's SRO (Head of Digital Communications and Campaigns). The Project will be accountable to the Project Sponsor (Director of Communications). As we are a small team. Various members of staff from across the organisation may be brought in to assist when required. Additionally, members of the project team will be required to wear many hats. For example, both digital officers will also be content designers for the purposes of this project. Address where the work will be done The majority of the work will be conducted from London Councils offices, currently located at: 59½ Southwark Street, London SE1 0AL Working arrangements The successful bidder will be required to provide weekly updates on progress so that we can track the projects progress against agreed upon timelines. These meetings can be hybrid or face-to-face if they are based in London. Additionally, task management should be conducted through Trello, or similar tools. The basis of progress updates should be based on these tools, as will the QA process. We would encourage the use of the other communications tools to manage the project, such as basecamp, slack or equivalents. We will also expect clear avenues for escalation where required, such as in the case of an outage outside normal working hours. There is no budget available for travel expenses. Security and vetting requirements No security clearance needed Latest start date 31 January 2024 Expected contract length Contract length: 1 years 0 months 0 days Optional extension: 0 years 6 months 0 days Budget Indicative maximum: £71000 Indicative minimum: £50000 Further information: This is the total expected cost of the development and design work. Additional budget is set aside for the other contractors required to fulfil this project. This budget reflects the fact that our requirements are already mapped out. Contracted out service or supply of resource? Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Terms and acronyms Term or acronym: LGD Definition: LocalGov Drupal