The document outlines a comprehensive guide for developing a website tender brief, emphasizing the need to clarify the website's purpose, success criteria, and design specifications. It covers essential aspects including technical specifications, e-commerce capabilities, SEO, accessibility requirements, deliverables, ownership terms, budget, and timelines. Additionally, it provides guidance on interviewing and appointing designers, project management, testing, and ongoing maintenance.

1. Hannah Rudman
Developing a website brief to put out to tender
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

2. Approach with confidence!
You know what your
audience likes!
You know
what you like!
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

3. It starts with YOU!
•Take a step back
•Brainstorm
•Invite input
•Why have you got a
website?
•What’s it for?
•What does it deliver
for our:
community /
network /
organisation
•Develop a brief
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

4. Establish the success criteria
•Business aims and objectives?
•How will website help meet goals?
•Site aims and objectives?
•Success criteria?
•Sales? Increase time, attention,
numbers?
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

5. Develop an overview
•What your org does, for who
•Existing communications channels (incl.
wider web presence)
•Current website arrangements
•Timescale for development
•Max budget
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

6. Define your organisation
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

7. Tuesday, 2 November 2010

8. Design Specification
•Elements of house style included?
•What is the corporate id? Will website
compliment or be different? Why?
•Design to appeal to a specific target
audience?
•List the content
•Describe how often content will be
updated and who/what by (skills? feeds?)
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

9. Functionality Specification
•Navigation and structure
•Landing page functions
•Consistent functions on all pages
•Specific functions:
•Search, Rss, video, photos, audio,
sharing, social networks, newsletter,
sitemap
•(Internally: prioritise essentials and
wishlist)
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

10. Tuesday, 2 November 2010

11. Technical Specification
•OSS CMS
•Optimisation for mobile?
•Systems to integrate - live box office, CRM,
stock management
•instantaneous real time? daily?
•What restrictions are required to
access databases? what security?
•How often will users access databases?
•In what volumes?
•Misc. (eg. limited access speeds)
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

12. E-commerce/online ticketing
•Products and services
•Payment processes
•Fulfillment details
•How and where T&Cs of purchase are to be
displayed
•What systems you use and what language those
systems use for data exchange
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

13. SEO & stats
•Ensure designer understands SEO
•Include your keywords and tags
•List websites you’d ideally like to link to your
website
•Do you have Google analytics? Share account with
the developer
•What other reports, logs and stats do you want?
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14. Tuesday, 2 November 2010

15. Accessibility & Useability
•Ensure designer understands W3C Web
Accessibility Iniative
•Decide which level you would like to comply with
•require that the site is tested by tools such as W3C,
Cynthia, NetMechanic
•Say what level of usability testing you will be doing
and at what points
•http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-do-i/
guides/how-to-be-accessible/
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

16. The deliverables
•Website itself
•Access to CMS and training
•Documentation
•site architecture map
•CMS instructions
•hosting & database information (u/n & p/w)
•Statement/evidence that website has passed
accessibility reqs
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

17. Ownership & T&Cs
•Copyright of the content and any bespoke coding
•T&Cs of the website
•User generated content present on the
website?
•http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-
do-i/web/terms-conditions-for-websites-
that-include-user-generated-content/
•T&Cs for website developer
•Payment, consultation levels and project
management, process for resolving disputes
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

18. Tuesday, 2 November 2010

19. Consents & disclaimers
•Specify what notices and disclaimers your website
will need to include
•Terms and conditions
•Privacy policy
•http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-do-
i/web/privacy-policies-for-website/
•IP property protection and third party licenses
and consents
•Company info
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

20. Budget & Timescale
•State maximum budget, or no budget if you want
a broad idea of wider market and lots of response
•State timescales of
•Tender process
•interviews, commissioning, notification of non-
success
•Full project
•Milestones for delivery, phases
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

21. Advertising the brief
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

22. Interviewing & appointing
•Shortlist: meet as a team, mark against brief
•At interview:
•It’s personal!
•Do they get you? have they understood the
success criteria?
•Proven track record? Similar clients?
•Have they challenged or innovated?
•Value for money?
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

23. Tuesday, 2 November 2010

24. Working with the designers
•Agree who’s project managing and lines of
communication
•Agree who’s hosting? Who’s inputting content?
•Agree milestones, payments, deadlines
•Meet regularly review regularly
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

25. Testing & Revision
•What is to be tested?
•Under what conditions? Volumes?
•Over what period and when?
•Clarify
•who pays for revisions as a result of testing
•what roles and responsibilities are
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

26. Training & Maintenance &
Warranties
•Agree levels of training and documentation, and add
to project plan
•Agree maintenance services
•What warranties?
•due skill and care (take references)
•designers own work, granted on perpetual license
•IP consent for materials used on site by designers
•Bug fixing periods
Tuesday, 2 November 2010

27. Tuesday, 2 November 2010