Sustainable Energy & Economic Development Terms of Reference
TOR Name: Website redesign, Development & Maintenance consultant/firm
Workplan Component #: Cross-Cutting
Duration: 6 months with a 2-month probation. Possible extension to 1 year contract upon satisfactory performance
Location: Islamabad/Peshawar based – with the possibility of remote working
Programme Background
Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) is a £37.5 million programme that aims to support provincial economic development and sustainable energy in Pakistan. It will support the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), to plan and finance the infrastructure and investment it needs for growth, jobs and prosperity. The programme will also address Pakistan’s energy crisis by providing innovative financial solutions to industry for the adoption of sustainable energy practices. Within SEED, ASI has been contracted to deliver the first component - Improved Economic and Urban Planning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) – with a budget of £15 million. The outcome of the programme will be public and private investments generate greater economic, social, and environmental returns. The programme will be managed by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Position Summary
This Terms of Reference offers an exciting opportunity for a freelance, or independent Website Designer to support the programme by re-designing and then managing content on the SEED website. The selected individual/agency will work under the guidance and direction of the broader pragramme management and Communication manager. Applicants having experience in any similar a donor-funded program would be an asset, and should be able to demonstrate adequate competencies in accurate and timely design and redesign and maintain the SEED website in accordance with the responsibilities listed below.
The SEED website [www.seed-pk.com] will act as a communication tool to raise the visibility of the programme and to promote the objectives of the UK Aid-funded programme in order to support its success, sustainability and visibility in the digital space. The website will also be used as a tool for communication and collaboration between SEED stakeholders for the sharing of expertise, knowledge and resources to strengthen the network of relevant stakeholders and information dissemination to the public.
This is a contract-based position, but to be moderated by periodic performance evaluations.
Context
SEED is supporting the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the areas of Institutional Development, Public Investment Management, Enhancing Public Private Partnership, Fiscal Space, Innovation and knowledge management. Considering rapidly changing priorities in terms of platforms of communications and visibility, SEED intends to ensure effective and quality publicity of its multiple activities on the website and search engines with a unified brand appeal and identity. KPIs for digital reach and engagement on the website can be achieved utilising various plug-ins to quantify the access and impact of the platform.
SEED intends to expand its online presence and refine its communications strategy to increase target audience outreach. To assist with this, SEED requires support from a web design consultant to create a plan and strategy for redesigning the official website. While the programme currently has a web page, a full website is needed to improve the visibility and increase audience engagement. The website should reflect SEED’s mission and core values in terms of visuals, graphics, text, and the general layout. The website type is envisaged to be content driven which must be admin controlled enabling the admin to change/add/remove the content anytime. The website’s visitors shall be able to view programme’s initiatives and updates.
The purpose of the engagement is to re-design and develop the SEED’s website using the following approach:
Information Gathering
To run an assessment and capture goals, audiences, initiatives, and create the content through in-depth sessions, mind mapping and creatively creating layouts
Research & Scope Finalization
To carry out in-depth research to devise a plan that will help the SEED programme and initiatives stand out and outline the best ways to showcase them.
Content-Driven Designing
An intuitive UX (User Experience) and functionality of the website is required from the creative aspect to select the various options for each piece of information. The designs shall be original, customised (not following any template), and practical for software development.
Flawless Development
Code the selected design and theme to create a fully functioning website, employing cutting-edge, exclusive web development technologies.
Testing & Launch
Ensure fine-tune the final details of the website 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.
Support for content and direction will be provided by SEED’s Communication Manager. The web developer should be an expert at strategizing, designing and maintaining a website.
Tasks
TASK 1: Creating a plan for immediate fixes:
· Minimize side upload time; right now, it’s 1.74 seconds - ideally, the response time needs to be under 0.4 seconds.
· Testing all the forms entry and linking them all to info@seed-pk.com email.
· Creating automated responses like: “Thank you, we’ve received your request”, etc.
· Improving overall site health
· Weighing options for changing hosting provider
· Creating back up and changing passwords to protect the overall security of the website
Task 2 -: Design a plan for revamping the website
While working closely with SEED communication team, design a detailed strategy/plan for revamping the complete outlook of the website, propose creative approaches with visual references for each and every section.
Design workplan timeline. Create wireframes, gather copyrighted visuals, get feedback and re-orient.
Task 3: Re-design a complete website, create sections for updated information of programme activities, link it to social media platforms, devise a plan for quantifying the reach/engagement
Update the SEED website’s each section in a very simple, informative and interactive way:
Technical Components
· Interactive, appealing, and highly user-friendly web design with accessibility in mind
· Fast load-time (optimised for and be able to load on low-speed internet connections)
· Fully responsive; able to render appropriately on contemporary web browsers (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari), optimised 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 consultant should manage up-gradation, editing and revamping of the website, including the ability to add new design features from time to time.
· Propose a new structure and design outlook for the website after thorough research and understanding of the SEED programme
· Social Network Integration
· Site Statistics/Management Reports: The consultant should provide the team 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
· Website Malware Removal and Clean-Up and continuous scans for Malware & Hacks
· Technical support - Flexible to resolve issues and handle upgrades/modifications requests
· The website type is primarily content-driven and focused on platform integration.
· Public Users should be able to search for, view and/or download documents/assets etc.
Detailed Requirements
· Update information about relevant initiatives, partnerships, campaigns, and webinars - design ways to land the audiences from social platforms to the website
· Add plug-ins to measure the reach/clicks/downloads etc.
· Make knowledge product layout appealing, user-friendly and accessible
· Creating a pipeline for career page for constant inking up careers page
· Suggest ways to keep the website accessible for all: It means that the website is designed and developed so that differently-abled people can use them. More specifically, people can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the website. It should encompass all factors that can affect access to the Web, including:
1. Auditory
2. Cognitive
3. Physical
4. Speech
5. Visual
The consultant should provide multiple web mock-ups designs to choose from. Designs should be original and custom made.
Search Engine Optimization:
· Improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to the web page from search engines.
· Utilise anchor text.
· Create optimised 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.
Project Management
· Weekly status meetings with the Communications Manager
· Maintain a weekly timesheet
· Drafting a detailed work plan
· Weekly status reports with risks
· Working/brainstorming sessions
· Design reviews
· Ad-hoc communications
Quality Assurance
The QA analysis should happen 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:
· 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
Deliverables
The deliverables of this project will be required as below:
· Custom Web Design Mockups (UI/UX)
· Website structure and design
· Functional Demo (Without backend)
· Functional Demo (With backend)
· Intellectual Property Rights - SEED will be the intellectual property holder and owner of the source code of this content-based website
· CV database plan – creating forms or connecting it with LinkedIn, Devex etc.
Duration
A 6-month contract with 2 months’ probation period, subject to performance appraisal from Communication Manager, Component Lead and relevant ASI PM. Contract extension is possible upon satisfactory performance as recommended by above mentioned parties.
Values and Obligations
All members of the SEED team are expected to adhere to the following values and obligations:
· At all times working collaboratively and openly with other members of the SEED team, proactively providing guidance, advice and sharing experiences in order to solve problems, overcome challenges and manage risks together.
· Freely and openly sharing information gained from government counterparts, FCDO or other international projects with other members of the team.
· Respecting the confidentiality of the SEED team’s discussions, assessments, decisions and plans or agreements with FCDO; sharing information with external parties only when authorised to do so by the Team Leader or Deputy Team Leader.
· Adhering to decisions taken by the programme’s leadership and taking collective responsibility for implementing those decisions and communicating them to counterparts or other external parties.
· Ensuring they have an accurate understanding of policies and decisions made by FCDO that relate to SEED and respecting and adhering to those policies.
· Complying with the channels set out by ASI for all communications with FCDO through the SEED leadership structure.
· Careful coordination with other team members of communications and meetings with government counterparts to ensure coherence of technical advice and as efficient use of counterparts’ time as possible.
· Constant monitoring of risks to the delivery of SEED activities and achievement of objectives, as well as the reputation of SEED and FCDO, and swift referral of those risks to the Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader.
· Consultants are obliged to look out for, and report human rights abuses known and rumoured to have taken place connected with or undertaken by our counterparts. In the event that consultants gain information about any such abuses they should report the matter in line with the procedure contained in the SEED Human Rights Assessment and Framework document.
· Professional coordination with other internationally funded programmes supporting SEED, including briefing those programmes when requested by the Team Leader or Deputy Team Leader.
· Contributing constructively to team meetings, development of workplans, risk assessment, progress reviews and report writing, as well as external evaluations by FCDO or its independent evaluation advisers.
· Complying with SEED’s media policy of referring all inquiries from the media to the Team Leader and Deputy Leader before responding in any way to those inquiries.
· Minuting all meetings with officials from FCDO and sharing those minutes with the Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader at the earliest opportunity.
· Maximising the impact of the programme’s limited resources by ensuring expenditure on travel, accommodation or other costs is as efficient as possible.
· Complying with financial procedures designed to protect the financial integrity of the programme and notifying the Deputy Team Leader and Project Managers of any incidents that threaten that integrity.
· Complying with ASI’s Duty of Care and security procedures designed to ensure safety of personnel and notifying the Deputy Team Leader and Project Managers of any incidence that threaten the security of personnel or assets of the programme.
Compliance with Working Policies
· Consultant(s)/Subcontractor(s) shall observe the highest ethical standards during the performance of Services related to this assignment and must comply and apply business practices that follow the Adam Smith International’s Code of Conduct available at: https://www.adamsmithinternational.com/about-us/policies/code-of-conduct-2018/.
· Consultant(s)/Subcontractor(s) shall apply zero tolerance to terrorism or the financing of terrorism; bribery or corruption of any kind; human trafficking or modern slavery; safeguarding or child protection breaches, money laundering, fraud, or tax evasion; and discrimination. They shall use reasonable endeavours to give effect to any reasonable request from Adam Smith International to adjust working practices for this purpose or otherwise to promote positive social or environmental impact.
Satisfactory Performance
· Consultant(s) and subcontractors shall perform all obligations under the contract with necessary skill, diligence, efficiency, and economy to satisfy acceptable professional standards and in accordance with Good Industry Practice and payments are subject to the satisfaction of ASI in relation to the performance by the Consultant(s)/Subcontractors of obligations under this contract.
· If for any reason ASI is dissatisfied that the Consultant(s)/Subcontractor(s) is not or has not been carrying out their duties, obligations and responsibilities under this contract, an appropriate sum may be withheld from any payment otherwise due to the consultant(s)/subcontractor(s). In such event, ASI shall identify the element(s) of the Services with which it is dissatisfied together with the reasons for such dissatisfaction in coordination with the SEED technical team. Any payment by ASI to the contractor/subcontractor of the amount outstanding will be made upon remedy of any unsatisfactory work or resolution of outstanding queries.
Should ASI determine after paying for a particular part of the Services that this has not been completed satisfactorily, ASI may recover, or withhold from further payments, an amount not exceeding that previously charged for that part of the Service until the unsatisfactory part of the service is remedied to its satisfaction.
Complete details of assignment provided in PDF attachment (ASI_SEED_Website Revamp) – all serious applicants are to submit Portfolios/CVs through DEVEX, following specified deadlines
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