Idaho AEYC Website Redevelopment RFP

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Website Redevelopment & Content Strategy Partnership

*submissions must be from contractors within the U.S.A and be submitted no later than August 28th

1. Organization Overview

Idaho AEYC strengthens the systems that support families, child care providers, and communities across Idaho. Through family resources, early learning collaboratives, policy engagement, and community partnerships, we work to ensure families with young children have what they need to thrive.

Our website is a central tool for communicating our mission, programs, and resources to families, policymakers, donors, community partners, and child care providers. We are seeking a partner who can help us rebuild the site so it is clear, accessible, and aligned with our audiences.

2. Project Purpose

Idaho AEYC is seeking a qualified web development and content strategy partner to:

• Fully redesign and rebuild our website
• Provide strategic guidance on content, tone, structure, and user experience
• Help our team determine what belongs on the site, what does not, and how content should be shaped for external audiences
• Create a clean, modern, intuitive website that reflects our brand and supports our statewide work

This is not a refresh - it is a full redevelopment with strong advisory support.

3. Project Goals

The redesigned website should:

• Strengthen clarity of our brand and programs
• Reflect a parent-, donor-, and community-partner-facing tone
• Improve navigation and overall user experience
• Reduce unnecessary text and internal-facing content
• Improve SEO performance
• Provide meaningful analytics to understand user behavior and engagement

4. Primary Audiences

The website must serve and speak clearly to:

• Families
• Policymakers
• Donors
• Community partners
• Child care providers

Each audience should be able to quickly understand who we are, what we offer, and how to access resources.

5. Current Pain Points

Our current website presents several challenges:

• Too many pages and too many links
• Unclear and unorganized structure
• Current website does not accurately reflect depth and impact of work
• Outdated design
• Excessive text and lengthy explanations not suited for external audiences
• Content that is overly nuanced or internal-facing
• Limited ability to track user behavior, clicks, and engagement

The new site must address these issues directly.

6. Scope of Work

A. Website Strategy & Advisory Support

• Guide Idaho AEYC on what content should and should not be included
• Advise on tone, clarity, and audience alignment
• Help simplify and streamline content
• Provide recommendations on navigation, structure, and user flow
• Work closely with our internal team to ensure alignment

B. Content Development

• Write new content and refine existing content
• Shape messaging for families, donors, policymakers, and partners
• Ensure content is clear, accessible, and strengths-based
• Support Idaho AEYC in developing a consistent voice across pages

C. Website Design & Development

• Create a modern, accessible, mobile-responsive design
• Build a clean, intuitive site architecture
• Integrate required features
• Ensure SEO best practices
• Implement analytics tools for tracking user behavior
• Provide training for Idaho AEYC staff on managing the site

D. Required Features

• About Us page
• Family Resources
• Early Learning Collaborative map/page
• Donor portal
• Fundraising information
• Events
• Child Care Provider Resources
• Blogs/Child Care News
• Embedded videos
• Interactive maps

E. Brand Considerations

Idaho AEYC is undergoing a brand affiliation audit. We anticipate beginning website work before the audit concludes. We may ask the vendor to build a flexible framework that can adapt to updated brand guidance once finalized.

7. Technical Requirements

We are open to vendor recommendations regarding CMS, hosting, security, and integrations. Please include:

• Proposed CMS and rationale
• Hosting environment
• Ability to sync with external payment portals
• Security considerations
• Integration with analytics, CRM, email marketing, or other tools (if recommended)

8. Budget

The total project budget is $50,000. Vendors may propose phased approaches if helpful.

9. Timeline

The full website redevelopment must be completed by December 31, 2026. Extensions may be possible depending on funding.

Please include a proposed timeline with major milestones.

10. Decision Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Ability to advise and direct the process
• Strength of writing and content strategy
• Quality of design and user experience
• Timeline feasibility
• Experience working with nonprofits or multi-audience organizations
• Clarity and completeness of proposal

11. Internal Team & Collaboration

The Idaho AEYC project team includes:

• Nicole Criner
• Sheralynn Bauder
• Adrian Amo
• Kate Noden

This team will provide insights, content direction, and feedback. Nicole, Sheralynn, and the selected vendor will make final decisions.

12. Proposal Submission Requirements

Please include:

• Overview of your firm
• Description of your approach to advisory-driven website projects
• Proposed process and timeline
• Team bios
• Examples of similar work
• Proposed CMS and technical approach
• Budget breakdown

Submit proposals to: Laurie Demko | ldemko@idahoaeyc.org

13. Questions

Vendors may submit questions to: sbauder@idahoaeyc.org