For your next website RFP
10 questions worth asking any website vendor
Copy, share or adapt them freely for any procurement. Clear answers separate a site your agency owns and can keep accessible from one you're locked into.
The questions, and our answers
Who owns the content, data, domain and source code, and what do we get if the contract ends?
Keeps you from being locked into one vendor.
Our answer: Your agency owns its content, data, domain and design. You also get a perpetual, royalty-free license to run and modify the site's source code, and a full copy of that code at handoff or if the care plan ends. Storm Digital keeps ownership of the shared platform the site is built on. The site can run in a Cloudflare account your agency owns.
Which accessibility standard do you test against, and how: automated scans, keyboard, screen reader?
The rule names WCAG 2.1 AA. Ask for methods, not just a "compliant" claim.
Our answer: We test against WCAG 2.2 AA, which covers the 2.1 AA criteria the ADA Title II rule requires. Every release is scanned with an automated tool before it goes live, and after launch the live site is scanned weekly, with dated records kept. Automated scans catch many common problems, but not all of them.
Do you use an accessibility overlay or toolbar widget?
Overlays sit on top of a site and leave the underlying code unfixed.
Our answer: No. We build accessibility into the site itself. Visitors can still enlarge text and use high-contrast settings through their own browser and device.
After launch, how are accessibility problems found and fixed, and how fast?
Every new agenda and post can bring new issues.
Our answer: The live site is scanned weekly, and every publish is scanned for accessibility before it goes live. Scans don't catch everything, so while your care plan is active, any problem you or a resident reports is looked at within 2 business days and fixed within 10, at no extra charge.
Can our staff post agendas, notices and alerts themselves? What training is included?
Posting a meeting notice shouldn't need a support ticket.
Our answer: Yes. Staff post agendas, minutes, notices, news and alerts in a content editor restricted to content, so layout can't break. We also offer staff training in editing and accessible documents. Or send us the material: on the care plan, we post it within one business day, and urgent public-safety notices the same day.
How will existing pages and documents, including PDFs, be moved and made accessible?
Older PDFs are a common gap on public sites.
Our answer: We move sites from older platforms, and we make PDFs and documents accessible. Both are part of what we do. On our sample site, meeting agendas are accessible web pages with printable PDFs.
What do hosting and maintenance include: security updates, backups, monitoring, response times?
Get it in writing before something breaks.
Our answer: Hosting is on Cloudflare's global network and is included in the care plan. Weekly dependency audits, with security fixes applied as they're released. Every version of the site is kept, and any earlier version can be restored. The site is checked every five minutes, with a public status page. An urgent problem is acknowledged within 2 business hours and worked the same day. Everything else gets a response the next business day.
What is the total cost over three to five years, including hosting, licenses and support?
The build price is only part of what you'll pay.
Our answer: You get a firm, fixed quote for your scope before work starts. The annual care plan is quoted with the build, with hosting included, and is invoiced once per fiscal year. The first year is required: it comes with every build, then renews yearly. New pages, sections or features are quoted separately at a fixed price.
Who is our day-to-day contact, and who actually does the work?
Know whether your project gets handed to subcontractors.
Our answer: You work with one accountable contact, from the first call through launch and every update after it: Storm Barnicle, Owner, who also does the work. Projects aren't handed off. If a project ever needed specialist help, we'd name any subcontractor in our proposal and use them only with your agency's written approval, and we'd stay your single point of contact and responsible for the work. Cloudflare (hosting) and Postmark (form email) are service providers.
Can you show a live site you built and let us try its staff editor?
A hands-on demo shows more than screenshots.
Our answer: Yes. The Village of Larkmoor is a made-up village we built to show what a small agency's site can be. We're also glad to give you a hands-on look at our staff editor.
Send us your RFP.
Send us your RFP or a short description of the site you need. You get a firm, fixed quote for that scope.