SLED Opportunity · MICHIGAN · CITY OF ROYAL OAK
AI Summary
RFP for website development and design services for the City of Royal Oak, Michigan. Electronic bid submission with a lump sum pricing model. Due date August 5, 2026.
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT& DESIGN SERVICES IN DOWNTOWN ROYAL OAK **Solicitation Type**: RFP - Request for Proposal (Formal) **Source ID**: PU.AG.USA.1081.C9676676 **Piggyback Contract**: No **Question Acceptance Deadline**: 07/29/2026 04:30 PM EDT **Bid Submission Type**: Electronic Bid Submission **Solicitation Number**: DDA 1 **Reference Number**: 0000431297 **Pricing**: Lump sum **Bid Documents List**: | Item Name | Description | Mandatory | Limited to 1 file | |---|---|---|---| | Bid Documents | Documents defining the proposal | No | No | **Questions and Answers**: | Question | Answer | |---|---| | Is there an incumbent, and if so are you happy with them? and may the incumbent submit? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | What is the available project budget or budget range? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | What is the anticipated contract term? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | What is the existing URL for the Downtown Royal Oak website that you would like content to be migrated from. | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Please confirm the current website URL, CMS, and hosting provider. | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Approximately how many pages and content items must be migrated? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Please confirm the project start date and whether the October 1, 2026 launch date is mandatory. | Answered in Addendum 3 | | What is the budget range for this project. Initial vs ongoing | Answered in Addendum 3 | | The RFP states that price proposals must address each item on the “Rate Response Sheets,” but no Rate Response Sheets appear in the posted 16-page solicitation or Addendum No. 1 package. Will the DDA issue the referenced sheets, or should respondents provide their own hourly and lump-sum pricing schedule? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Approximately how many current web pages, downloadable documents, images, news items, and other content records does the DDA expect the selected consultant to review and migrate? May respondents define a migration allowance with unit pricing for material additions? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | The current CivicPlus resource directory appears to contain approximately 217 listings. Will the City provide a usable export containing all listing fields, categories, contact information, descriptions, links, and addresses? Does the project scope include data verification with individual businesses, or only migration of DDA-approved source data? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Should the new website continue to display events maintained in the City’s CivicPlus calendar, import or synchronize those events, or replace the current process with an independent WordPress event-management tool? If synchronization is preferred, what export, feed, or API access is available? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Please clarify the desired depth of “interactive maps.” Is the intent filtered mapping of businesses, parking, attractions, and amenities using an established map platform, or a custom wayfinding application with routes, real-time availability, or other live data? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Will the DDA provide final approved copy, brand assets, photography, parking data, property information, and business information, or should proposals include net-new copywriting, photography, video, business outreach, and data verification? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Which accessibility standard and conformance level must the new site meet— for example, WCAG 2.1 AA or WCAG 2.2 AA? Is third-party document remediation included, and is a formal third-party accessibility audit or VPAT required? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Does the City require use of a specific hosting provider, U.S. data region, security framework, single sign-on method, domain/DNS process, retention period, or technology standard? Are WordPress commercial plugins acceptable when the DDA owns or controls the licenses? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | For this remote professional website engagement, please identify which coverages in Section 21 are mandatory. Specifically, are $1 million automobile liability, employee dishonesty, professional liability, and errors and omissions required, or is only commercial general liability required in addition to workers’ compensation as applicable by law? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Sections 15–19 reference the Michigan Construction Lien Act, Public Act 57, bonds, bid deposits, and proposal guaranty, but no bond type, bond percentage, bond amount, or deposit is stated. Do any construction-lien, bid bond, performance bond, payment bond, or proposal-deposit requirements apply to this professional website-services RFP? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Section 14 prohibits down payments or prepayment prior to delivery and acceptance, while the payment section permits invoices for services rendered. May the selected consultant invoice after acceptance of defined milestones such as discovery, design, staging development, migration, and launch? Please also provide the normal Accounts Payable payment term or calendar. | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Does the DDA have a required post-launch warranty duration, support schedule, uptime target, response-time requirement, maintenance-hour allowance, or service-level agreement that all proposals must price consistently? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Is October 1, 2026 a firm public launch date? How many DDA stakeholders will participate in approval, who will provide final consolidated authorization, and what review turnaround should respondents assume for sitemap, design, staging, and launch acceptance? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | May discovery, training, and project meetings be conducted remotely? If on-site attendance is required, please identify the number and type of anticipated meetings so all respondents can price travel consistently. | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Beyond the required firm-information page, pricing, qualifications, work plan, hosting/support details, and ownership/export response, does the DDA require a particular page limit, file structure, reference form, or mandatory attachment list? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Sections 17 and 18 reference furnishing bonds, a proposal guaranty, and a bid deposit. For a website design and development services contract, are any bid bond, performance bond, or bid deposit required? If so, please specify the amount and acceptable form. | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Section 21.1(d) lists specialized coverages that "may be requested." For this engagement, please confirm which are required. Specifically, are both Professional Liability and Errors & Omissions required, and does the Automobile Liability requirement apply to a professional services firm performing work remotely with no vehicles operated on City premises? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Several sections reference construction and goods-delivery terms (Michigan Construction Lien Act, Public Act 57, F.O.B. shipping, Sworn Statements, garage liability). Please confirm these do not apply to a software and website services contract, or advise how the DDA would like them addressed for a services engagement. | Answered in Addendum 3 | | What is the current CMS or platform, approximately how many pages exist, and roughly what content volume should vendors plan to migrate? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Does the DDA have existing business, dining, and shopping directory data available to import, or should vendors plan to build and populate the directories from the ground up? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Should the new website be hosted by the awarded vendor on the vendor's infrastructure, or is the DDA expecting the site to be hosted on City-managed infrastructure? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Will the DDA supply written content, photography, and branding assets, or should vendors include content development and photography in scope? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Are there specific third-party systems the site must integrate with, for example an existing event platform, newsletter provider, mapping or parking data source, or analytics account? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | If interviews are held August 10 through 14, will they be conducted virtually or in person? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | The RFP welcomes alternative timeline recommendations. Would the DDA consider a phased launch, with core pages, directories, and the event calendar live by October 1 and remaining features delivered shortly after, if that better protects quality and accessibility? | Answered in Addendum 3 | | Sections 17 (Bond Submittal), 18 (Bid Deposit and Forfeiture), 15 (Michigan Construction Lien Act), and 16 (Public Act 57) appear in the RFP's standard terms. Please confirm whether any bid deposit, performance bond, or payment bond is required for this website services engagement, or whether these provisions are inapplicable construction-template language for this contract. | Answered in Addendum 4 | | Section 21 lists Professional Liability at $1,000,000 per occurrence / $1,000,000 aggregate and Errors & Omissions at $1,000,000 per occurrence / $1,000,000 aggregate. Please confirm that a single technology Professional Liability / Errors & Omissions policy at $1,000,000 per occurrence / $1,000,000 aggregate satisfies both requirements for this scope. | Answered in Addendum 4 | | Section 21 lists Commercial Automobile Liability at $1,000,000. For a vendor performing this work remotely with no owned, hired, or non-owned vehicles used in performance, is Automobile Liability coverage still required, or may it be waived for this contract? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | What content management system does the current Downtown Royal Oak website use, and who currently hosts it? Will the selected vendor be expected to provide hosting for the new site, or should the site be deployed to hosting owned or controlled by the DDA? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | Approximately how many pages, documents, images, directory entries, and calendar events exist on the current website that would need to be migrated to the new site? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | For the business, dining, shopping, and attractions directories and the event calendar, will the DDA provide the content and data, or is the vendor expected to source and populate the initial listings? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | The RFP notes "CMS implementation (WordPress preferred)." Please confirm that WordPress is an acceptable and preferred platform and that no alternative or proprietary CMS is required. | Answered in Addendum 4 | | Is there an established budget range or not-to-exceed amount for (a) the design and build-out and (b) annual hosting and maintenance? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | The Rate Response requests an hourly rate and the number of hours to complete the scope. In addition to the hourly rate and hour estimate, would the DDA accept a fixed, not-to-exceed project price for the design/build, with hosting and ongoing maintenance priced separately as annual fees? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | Which existing systems require integration (for example, newsletter/email platform, social media accounts, web analytics, or parking/wayfinding data), and will current credentials or API access be provided to the selected vendor? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | Will the interviews scheduled August 10–14 be conducted virtually, and may project kickoff, stakeholder interviews, and staff CMS training be performed remotely by video? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | The References form requests three references with a description of work performed. Please confirm whether government/municipal references are required, or whether relevant commercial-sector references are acceptable. | Answered in Addendum 4 | | Could you confirm if any Bid Bond, Performance Bond, or Payment Bond is required for this proposal or subsequent contract award? | Answered in Addendum 4 | | Beyond launching a new website, what business or community outcomes would the DDA consider a success roughly 12 months after launch — for example, increased downtown visitation, stronger business engagement, higher event attendance, or improved online discoverability? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Who does the DDA consider the primary audiences for the new site — for example, visitors, residents, prospective businesses, or property investors — and how would the DDA prioritize them? Would the DDA also be open to discovery workshops or stakeholder interviews to align on audience needs before design begins? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | From the DDA's perspective, what works well on the current website today, and what are its most significant limitations or sources of frustration for staff and visitors? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | How are you documenting ADA Title II compliance on your website(s) now? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Do the current solicitation rules require that you select one vendor for this project? Or, are you able to select two partners for this bid? Note: Website vendors cannot produce defensible good faith ADA Title II compliance documentation on their own work product. Third-party accessibility WCAG conformance testing is required. | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Are there specific websites — whether other downtown districts, destination and tourism sites, or brands in any sector — that the DDA admires and would like the new site to draw inspiration from in terms of design, functionality, or user experience? If so, what specifically appeals about them? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Do you have internal WCAG compliance expertise, or do you need external guidance? If you have in-house expertise: (a) Is there a dedicated staffer? Are they IAAP certified? (b) Are you using a standard framework to measure organizational digital accessibility conformance, like the W3C Accessibility Maturity Model? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Is the DDA open to incorporating AI-enabled capabilities to enhance the visitor experience or reduce staff effort — for example, AI-powered site search or a visitor FAQ chatbot, automated tagging of events and directory listings, AI-assisted content drafting for staff, or personalized "things to do" recommendations? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | How often do you update the accessibility statement on your website? Note: VPATs and ACRs do not provide appropriate ADA Title II documentation for custom-built websites. VPATs/ACRs were created to describe the real-world user-experience of off-the-shelf software, not websites that change with each code-push or content update. | Answered in Addendum 5 | | To help us design for the right scale and priorities, could the DDA share current website traffic information — such as monthly visitors, most-visited pages, mobile versus desktop usage, and primary traffic sources? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | When was the last time you conducted a manual, site-wide content audit for WCAG compliance on the relevant website (including embedded content, PDFs, timed media, etc.)? (a) Did previous audits include manual testing with native assistive technology users? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | How do you envision managing downloadable documents — PDFs especially — in the content migration to the new website? Note: Website vendors do not include document testing or remediation as part of their default migration process. | Answered in Addendum 5 | | How does the DDA want Downtown Royal Oak to be perceived through the new website, and are there peer or competing districts it wishes to differentiate from or position ahead of? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Do you have an overlay tool in use on the website? Note: We strongly recommend avoiding overlays. Overlays often degrade the user experience for screen reader users, and 25% of ADA lawsuits last year involved websites that used overlays. Related article: https://www.accessibility.works/blog/accessibility-overlay-widgets-attract-lawsuits | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Are you aware that automated website scanning tools can only catch 25–30% of potential WCAG issues on websites? Related article: https://karlgroves.com/automated-lies-with-one-line-of-code Note: Web development firms typically test for WCAG compliance in-browser using automated tools, even though 80% of the desktop screen reader users use JAWS or NVDA. Related article: https://blindit.org/2026/06/10/exams-should-be-the-hard-part-not-the-platform/ | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Does the DDA intend to track specific metrics or KPIs after launch — for example, engagement, directory usage, event sign-ups, or business inquiries — and would the DDA value a recommended measurement framework as part of this engagement? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Should the new website actively support local businesses by allowing them to submit or update their own directory listings and event postings, or will all content remain DDA-managed? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Should the new website align with the City of Royal Oak's branding and design language, or should it establish a distinct Downtown Royal Oak identity? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Please confirm the required accessibility standard (e.g., WCAG 2.2 AA). Does the required scope include remediation of existing PDFs, documents, videos, and other media, or only the website itself? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Will the DDA provide a structured export of the existing business directory, or should vendors assume some information will require manual migration? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Should businesses and event organizers be able to submit listings and events through the website, or will all content be managed by DDA staff? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Should the Available Properties section function as a searchable CMS-managed directory, or simply provide links to external property listings? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | For planning purposes, what review and approval timeline should vendors assume for design, content, testing, and final launch? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | - Is there a budget for the project that you can share? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Is there an incumbent vendor, and will they be bidding? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Is the DDA satisfied with the incumbent's performance, or is this procurement driven by dissatisfaction? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Will commercial/private-sector website development experience satisfy the experience requirements? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Are private-sector references acceptable? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Are offshore development resources permitted if project management and customer engagement remain U.S.-based? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Are there any requirements that all project personnel be U.S.-based? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Will custom development be required, or are WordPress plugins acceptable where appropriate? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | What is the approximate number of pages and content items to be migrated? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Will the DDA provide branding and content assets? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | Is the contract intended to be fixed-price, and should annual hosting and maintenance be priced separately? | Answered in Addendum 5 | | How many current active public CMS users do you have? (via the sign up in the top banner) -- How many current active CMS admins do you have? (WordPress Administrators, Editors, etc) | Answered in Addendum 6 | | Beyond applicable state and federal laws, are there any specific security or privacy guidelines or regulations which must be adhered to? (ISO 27002, etc) What is your data retention policy? | Answered in Addendum 6 | | How will overall firm size and geographic location factor into the final decision making? Does the search committee have an ideal size or location in mind? | Answered in Addendum 6 | | Is there an existing Brand Identity system and guidelines for Downtown Royal Oak, or is creation of that considered to be within scope of this project? Do you have dedicated full time staff for managing communications, including managing the website who have institutional knowledge of the branding and comms? | Answered in Addendum 6 | | For proper estimation of hosting infrastructure needs, in general terms if necessary, how many public visitors does the website get per day / per month? Is it hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands? | Answered in Addendum 6 | | Is there a preference for agencies located in Michigan, or will bids be accepted from firms located outside the state? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Is a specific business license or business registration required to perform work under this RFP in the State of Michigan? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | The RFP explicitly states that WordPress is your preferred CMS. What is the basis for that preference? Could you be open to other options? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | The RFP states “Vendors should describe… hosting options” - would you be open to a website solution that includes vendor managed hosting bundled with the CMS? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | The Q&A states “DDA prefers hosting that we control” - do you mean control in the sense of systems administration and IT support, or control in the sense of licensing and renewals apart from the web design contract? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Would you consider an industry specific CMS with native support for all the features you describe, in common use by other DDAs and Main Streets, but which is proprietary and is pre-bundled with hosting? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Regarding invoicing: Addendum 3 (Q19) states invoices are submitted after work is completed, with no advances. Would the DDA consider milestone-based invoicing tied to accepted deliverables (for example, discovery/design approval, development/staging, and launch) rather than a single invoice at final completion? If so, please confirm the milestones or cadence the DDA prefers. | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Non-Collusion Affidavit: The attached affidavit requires notarization. May the completed and notarized affidavit be submitted during the award or contracting stage instead of with the proposal? If not, please confirm that it is a mandatory proposal-stage attachment. | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Previous addenda indicated that the content migration would involve 20-30 pages from https://downtownroyaloak.org/. However, a review of the current website reveals a significantly higher page count. Would you prefer a quote based on the actual number of pages currently live on the site? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Would the DDA accept a regulated nonprofit public-service corporation as the government/public-sector reference? The organization provides essential regional water services, is regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission, and serves approximately 22,000 residents, but it is not formally a municipal entity. | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Regarding Q65, please confirm the specific accessibility standard required for this project (e.g., WCAG 2.2 AA, WCAG 2.2 AAA, or another published standard). Does the scope include remediation of existing documents and media, or only the website itself?" | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 1.What are the current limitations and challenges that you are facing? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 2.Who will be responsible for hosting? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 3.What is your preferred hosting service provider (AWS or Azure)? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 4.Could you please confirm will the DDA provide all updated content, or is the selected vendor expected to assist with content writing and editing? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 5.Are there any existing features or third-party integrations that must be retained in the new website? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 6.Should the business directory support self-service submissions by businesses, or will all listings be managed exclusively by DDA staff? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 7.Is the event calendar expected to integrate with an existing event management platform, or should it be developed as a standalone feature? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 8.Could you clarify whether the interactive maps should integrate with Google Maps, ArcGIS, or another mapping platform? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 9.Will the Available Properties section require a real-time integration with Salesforce via API, or will DDA staff manually export and upload property data into the website CMS? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 10.In what format will the business directory export be provided (e.g., CSV, Excel, XML), and will it include all associated metadata such as categories, images, business hours, contact details, and website links? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 11.Will the selected vendor be provided with the existing Mailchimp account and API credentials for integration, or should a new Mailchimp configuration be included as part of the implementation? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 12.Does the DDA require CMS authentication to integrate with Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Active Directory) or any existing Single Sign-On solution, or will standard WordPress authentication be sufficient? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 13.Is the expected website search limited to standard WordPress content search, or should vendors propose an enhanced search experience with filtering across business directories, events, attractions, and available properties? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 14.Should event submission forms support an approval workflow with automated email notifications to DDA staff before publishing submitted events? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 15.Are there any existing CRM, ticketing, or email systems that website contact forms or inquiry forms should integrate with? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 16.Are there any target SEO KPIs (e.g., search rankings, organic traffic growth, or Core Web Vitals) that the DDA expects the new website to achieve following launch? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | 17.What is the expected duration of the post-launch warranty and ongoing maintenance period? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Work will be onsite or remote? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Who are previous incumbents on this project? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | We kindly request a 1-2 week extension of the proposal submission deadline to ensure a thorough and high-quality response. | Answered in Addendum 7 | | What is the total budget for this contract? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Is this a single-vendor or multi-vendor award? | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Does the CITY OF ROYAL OAK, MI permit the use of offshore resources for any phase of this project, including design, development, migration, or 24/7 technical support? It should be noted that incorporating offshore development and support can provide substantial value through cost optimization and the ability to offer "round-the-sun" (24/7) support. This ensures that system maintenance and technical troubleshooting can occur outside of standard business hours, minimizing downtime for users. | Answered in Addendum 7 | | Will the Downtown Royal Oak brand remain consistent with existing branding, or should the selected vendor anticipate expanding or refining the visual identity as part of this project? | Answered in Addendum 8 | | Are the requested interactive maps expected to leverage an existing GIS or mapping solution, or is a standard embedded mapping experience acceptable? | Answered in Addendum 8 | | The proposed timeline targets an October 1 launch. Would the DDA be open to a phased implementation approach if Discovery identifies additional functionality or content migration that would benefit from a longer implementation schedule? | Answered in Addendum 8 | | The RFP lists several deliverables as "may include" (Discovery, Design, Development, Migration, Training). Which of these are required in the base scope, and which are optional add-ons we can propose separately? | Answered in Addendum 8 | | Should the business directory, event calendar, and interactive maps be built from scratch, or is it acceptable to integrate established plugins or third-party tools for these? For the map specifically, is a standard Google Maps or Mapbox embed with basic styling sufficient, or does the DDA expect custom cartography, custom markers per category, or a fully custom-designed map interface? | Answered in Addendum 8 | | Roughly how large is the current media library (images, PDFs, documents) that would need to be migrated? And roughly how many pages, directory listings, and recurring events does the current site have? | Answered in Addendum 8 | | For analytics setup, what metrics is the DDA most interested in tracking, and what decisions are those metrics meant to inform? | Answered in Addendum 8 | | Beyond standard HTTPS, are there any additional security protocols or compliance standards the DDA requires? | Answered in Addendum 8 | **Addendums**: | Addendum | Date | Note | |---|---|---| | Addendum No. 1 | 07/21/2026 01:02 PM EDT | | | Addendum No. 2 | 07/21/2026 03:35 PM EDT | | | Addendum No. 3 | 07/22/2026 08:59 AM EDT | | | Addendum No. 4 | 07/22/2026 09:42 AM EDT | | | Addendum No. 5 | 07/28/2026 07:59 AM EDT | | | Addendum No. 6 | 07/28/2026 09:27 AM EDT | | | Addendum No. 7 | 07/29/2026 08:36 AM EDT | | | Addendum No. 8 | 07/31/2026 09:06 AM EDT | |
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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