Organization and
Program Background
IREX (www.irex.org) is an international nonprofit
organization providing thought leadership and innovative programs to promote positive
lasting change globally.
We enable local individuals and institutions to build key
elements of a vibrant society: quality education, independent media,
and strong communities. To strengthen these sectors, our program activities
also include conflict resolution, technology for development, gender,
and youth.
Founded in 1968, IREX has an annual portfolio of over $70
million and a staff of over 400 professionals worldwide. IREX employs
field-tested methods and innovative uses of technologies to develop practical
and locally-driven solutions with our partners in more than 125 countries.
The Global
Undergraduate Exchange Program in Pakistan (http://www.irex.org/project/global-undergraduate-exchange-program-pakistan-global-ugrad-pakistan) builds the capacity of a diverse
group of youth leaders from underserved populations across Pakistan. Through
U.S.-based training and practical experience in leadership positions, community
engagement, and in their professional fields, undergraduate students gain the
skills needed to implement long-term civic and economic changes in their
communities, building stability through increased local capacity and cross-cultural
understanding.
Through semester-long programs of study, exploration of U.S.
culture, and integration into U.S. communities, Global UGRAD-Pakistan students
develop a broad and nuanced understanding of U.S. values and become citizen
ambassadors who support expanded diplomatic and development partnerships.
Global UGRAD-Pakistan is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
Project
Description
IREX's Global UGRAD - Pakistan team is looking for a web designer
to build upon and strengthen the program's online alumni platform. The online
alumni programming platform is hosted through Moodle.
The online alumni platform will serve as a central location
for all Global UGRAD - Pakistan alumni activities. The entry page of the
platform will explain the purpose of the Global UGRAD - Pakistan project and
alumni activities and will welcome alumni and members of the public to the site.
Alumni will be able to log in to access additional materials that the Global
UGRAD - Pakistan team posts, including discussion topics, announcements of new
program activities, and recognition for the strong performances of alumni in
their communities. Alumni will be able to engage with each other, and post
calls for collaboration and discussion. Alumni who are selected to participate
in certain courses will also have access to these courses from this page.
Alumni who are not selected for additional courses will not have access to
those course pages.
The major objective of this project is to strengthen the
Global UGRAD - Pakistan team's capabilities to deliver an effective online
learning experience for the program participants. In order to achieve this
objective, four outputs have been laid out to guide the redesign of the online
alumni programming platform. The four outputs are as follows:
1.Strengthen the online alumni programming
platform in order to increase communication and collaboration, as well as
encourage greater participation among the program alumni.
a.Add a function that allows Global UGRAD -
Pakistan staff to add alumni to the portal through a simple e-mail invitation.
Alumni should be able to click on the link in the email and set up their
account on the alumni platform.
b.Add function that allows participants to share
and edit documents in order to better foster collaboration among the
participants and to incorporate small group work into course assignments.
c.Incorporate a feature that allows for live
webinars to be hosted through the online alumni programming platform. Webinars
are currently produced and shared through org.wiziq.com. This integration will
allow participants with limited internet access to more effectively participate
in the required live webinars.
d.Customize Moodle forums so that up to three forum
replies are displayed on the forum's main page. This will help to encourage
others to read forum replies more often and reply more frequently themselves.
e.Allow important announcements that are submitted
by course administrators to be sent to alumni via SMS. This distribution is an
effort to increase a sustained connection between the program and the returning
participants who have poor access to the internet in their home country.
2.Integrate all platforms utilized by the Global
UGRAD - Pakistan participants: Moodle, Voicethread, and Groupsite, in order to
create a more seamless and comprehensive site that is easier for participants
to navigate.
3.Design and/or revise site features in a way that
makes it possible for program participants from areas with low bandwidth to
participate in the major functions of the site.
4.Redesign the site's interface and theme to
create a more dynamic, interactive, and look that resembles a newer website and
moves away from the traditional look of Moodle sites.
Terms and
Conditions
All bidders must adhere to the following terms and
conditions when submitting their proposals in order to be considered for the
project:
·Bidder must provide IREX with full access and
rights to all changes and/or additions made to the site's code. Bidder must
also provide IREX with the right to futher customize that code in the future.
·All changes to the site must comply with
accessibility standards.
·All proposals must include the content outlined
below in the "Required Content for Proposal” sections.
·Bidders submitting separate proposals may not
discuss pricing information or they will be ineligible to bid on the project.
·Bidder must disclose any relevant conflicts of
interest and/or pending lawsuits.
In addition, IREX reserves the right to reject a proposal on
any grounds the organization sees fit.
Required Content
for Proposal
Bidders must include the following content in a proposal in
order to be considered for the project:
·Web development process must be clearly laid
out, including the process a bidder will follow to redesign the site and
incorporate the new features/changes proposed.
·Schedule of deliverables, including major
milestones and projected project timeline should be outlined.
·Bidders must identify the following in regards
to project budget:
oBreakdown the costs of production hours, tools,
and functionalities.
oCosts that should be assumed as part of the site
and ongoing costs for maintenance and support needed in the future
oCosts to train IREX staff to administer
redesigned features and provide a style guide to further staff reference
oOther expenses, consulting fees, future work,
etc. needed to complete the project.
·Breakdown of bidder's qualifications and
experience, including relevant case histories with information on accessing
relevant online demos or examples.
·Resumes of all who will work on the project.
·A minimum of three (3) professional references.
Project Timeline
Bidders for the proposal should adhere to the following
timeline in order to be considered eligible for the project:
·January 19, 2015: RFP Released
·February 6, 2015: Bidders email alumniugradpk@irex.org with an
expression of interest and estimated value
·January 19 - February 13, 2015: Questions posed
by bidders and answered by IREX
·February 13, 2014: Proposal due date (see
section below for details)
·March 2 - March 13, 2015: Finalists interviews
·March 16, 2015: Proposal award date
·March 13 -March 27, 2015: Initial planning
meetings between IREX and award winner
·May 1, 2015: Beta version of redesigned site
developed
·May 8, 2015: Proposed launch of new alumni
platform
·May 15, 2015: IREX staff trained on
administering new functions of site.
Submission
Information
Proposals should be submitted to the UGRAD Pakistan Team at alumniugradpk@irex.org no later than
5PM EST on February 13, 2015. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not
be considered for the award.
For Additional
Information or Clarification
For general questions regarding IREX, the UGRAD - Pakistan
program, as well as technical questions, please email the UGRAD - Pakistan team
at alumniugradpk@irex.org.