RFP26003 - Website Design Addendum 1 Questions and Answers Response

Agency:	East Tennessee State University
State:	Tennessee
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541511 - Custom Computer Programming Services 541512 - Computer Systems Design Services 541519 - Other Computer Related Services
Posted Date:	Nov 11, 2025
Due Date:	Nov 24, 2025
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
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Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

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RFP 26003

East Tennessee State University

November 10, 2025

RFP 26003 Website Hosting, Replatforming, and Design Consulting

Q&A

1.Platform and Hosting

Does ETSU have a preferred content management system or hosting setup in mind for

the new site? If not, is the selected vendor expected to recommend and manage hosting

after launch, or will that be handled internally?

Answer: ETSU has piloted using Webflow and is open to that platform.

However, we are also open to other recommendations and are looking to

the winning proposer to suggest a complete tech stack (which may include

multiple software solutions) to meet our needs. The vendor is expected to

manage hosting after launch either directly or through partnership with

subcontractors or hosting providers. How hosting will be managed should

be described in the vendor’s proposal.

2. Scope of the Project

Should our proposal include the redesign or migration of satellite sites, such as

department or medical college subsites, or will the project focus only on the main ETSU

website?

Answer: The proposal should include all ETSU pages and subsites on the

ETSU domain (etsu.edu) or any subdomain of etsu.edu. Currently, that

includes about 40,000 webpages. ETSU staff will handle much of the

manual work of reviewing content and will rely primarily on the vendor to

provide a strategy and assist with any bulk (automated) content

migrations.

3. Accessibility

Beyond meeting WCAG 2.0 AA and Section 508 requirements, does ETSU use any

specific accessibility tools or internal review processes (for example, Siteimprove or

Monsido) that we should plan to work with?

Answer: No. The vendor is asked to include a proposed solution as part of

their proposal.

4. Security and Data

Can you share more about ETSU’s expectations around data security, such as how user

information is handled, data retention policies, or any particular compliance standards

vendors need to follow?

Answer: The ETSU website only collects data through third-party tools

(Salesforce and Hubspot), so most data security issues are tied to those

tools and not the site itself. However, as outlined in the RFP, the vendor

should plan for standard data security and privacy practices in line with

GDPR and CCPA. Additionally, we must be able to selectively disable

analytics tools, such as Google analytics, on certain subdomains of the

site.

RFP 26003

East Tennessee State University

November 10, 2025

5. Post-Launch Support

Is ETSU looking for a long-term partner to provide ongoing support, analytics, and

accessibility monitoring after launch, or should proposals focus mainly on delivering the

redesigned site and handing it off?

Answer: We are looking for a partner for a five-year contract (with

potential for renewal), as outlined in the RFP. We will likely not need

assistance with analytics or accessibility, assuming the partner has

proposed user-friendly tools as part of the recommended tech stack sought

through this RFP. However, we will likely require occasional help with

integrations, more advanced development work or alterations, and, as

noted earlier, managed hosting services. We suggest vendors provide a

proposal for a bank of hours or an hourly rate for various services.

1.) In addition to content strategy, will ETSU need the vendor to create and/or rewrite

new content? If so, approximately how many pages will need to be created?

Answer: No. However, we will likely need some assistance in developing

design components and templates.

2.) We need to confirm whether ETSUHealth is included in the redesign project:

ETSU_Web_Linux - https://www.etsu.edu/

ETSUHealth - https://www.etsuhealth.org/

Answer: Content housed on etsuhealth.org or any subdomain of

etsuhealth.org is not included in this project.

1. What is driving the dates of this project?

2. In regards to content migration:

a. Will you require content migration services?

b. Will the entire .edu domain need to be migrated?

c. Are there parts of the site that will not be migrated? 

d. Are there additional domains that need to be migrated?

e. In regards to migration, how many different page layouts do you have on your

current site?

Answer: We may elect to mass migrate some sections of the site. However, that is

not our overarching strategy. Our inhouse team plans to review most content

manually and rebuild pages on the new site in order to minimize the amount of

outdated content published and optimize content for GEO and user experience.

We currently utilize two primary layouts, one with a lefthand navigation and

one that is full-page. Proposed platforms should allow us to easily build a variety

of reusable design components and variables for versatility and ease of design.

We are basing our design strategy on the principles outlined in the Atomic

Design System.

RFP 26003

East Tennessee State University

November 10, 2025

3. Who currently hosts your website(s)?

Answer: The site is currently hosted on in-house servers and managed by

ETSU’s ITS team.

4. What is the established budget for this project?

Answer: ETSU has budgeted approximately $1 million to support a three-year project to

replatform and redesign its website. This figure includes the cost of both consulting and

technology and hosting for that time period.

Is this a new contract or is there an incumbent delivering this work?

Answer: This is a new contract, and we are seeking new solutions.

Will ETSU consider accepting a digital signature on the submission?

Answer: No, we require wet signatures.

Per RFP Section 4.25, item 4 prohibits a limitation of liability, which is unusual for

technology contracts. Will ETSU consider a reasonable LOL, consistent with industry

norms?

Answer: Please submit your concerns in your proposal, legal will

entertain request during contract negotiations.

Can ETSU confirm if there are any specific state or institutional data residency

requirements for hosting, such as data being stored strictly within the United States,

Tennessee, and/or requirements for compliance with HIPAA, FERPA, or similar

regulations?

Answer: No - there are no data residency requirements that would be applicable

for this project. The ETSU website only collects data through third-party tools

(Salesforce and Hubspot), so most data security issues are tied to those tools and

not the site itself. However, as outlined in the RFP, the vendor should plan for

standard data security and privacy practices in line with GDPR and CCPA.

Additionally, we must be able to selectively disable analytics tools, such as

Google analytics, on certain subdomains of the site.

Does ETSU have any preferred or mandated cloud/hosting providers (e.g., AWS, Azure,

Google Cloud), and are there any security or technical requirements we should be aware

of regarding the use of public versus private cloud infrastructure?* Would ETSU

consider or prefer a hybrid hosting model (partially on-premise/partially cloud), or

must all hosting be fully managed and external to the university's existing

infrastructure? Does the Prime contracter need to host the site or can they use a third

party to do so?

Answer: We do not want to host on-prem or provide any internal hosting

support. The contractor may elect to host and manage the site with a

third-party provider. However, we are seeking a single contract and

payment for such services must be routed through the winning vendor. In

other words, we will not write a check directly to a third-party. If

RFP 26003

East Tennessee State University

November 10, 2025

proposing a third-party hosting provider and/or management service,

please provide specifics in your proposal.

The RFP frames multi-tiered incident definitions (Critical, High, Medium, Low). Can

ETSU provide examples of what it considers a “Critical” incident versus other levels to

ensure proper alignment on response prioritization

Answer: Defining these is part of our request for proposal and the vendor’s

responses will be considered as part of the value offered.

Are there required security certifications or compliance frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, ISO

27001) that the hosting provider must maintain during the contract term?

Answer: At a minimum, the hosting provider must demonstrate adherence

to industry-standard security and compliance practices. While ETSU does

not currently require a specific certification such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001, all

providers should:

• Follow best practices for data encryption in transit and at rest

• Maintain regular penetration testing and vulnerability assessments

• Offer role-based access controls (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA)

• Provide clear incident response protocols and disaster recovery planning

• Be willing to submit security documentation or summaries upon request

If a proposer does not maintain a formal certification but can demonstrate

equivalent controls and policies, that will be considered as part of the

evaluation.

Should the university seek to transition hosting services back in-house or to a different

provider after contract completion, what level of transition support and documentation

does ETSU expect from the awarded vendor?

Answer: Should East Tennessee State University (ETSU) elect to transition

hosting services back in-house or to a different provider at the end of the

contract period, the awarded vendor will be required to provide

comprehensive support to ensure a smooth and secure transition.

Proposers may want to bid this as part of their proposal for ongoing

service (for details, see previous questions). Expected support includes,

but is not limited to, the following:

1. Technical Documentation

The vendor shall deliver complete and clear technical documentation

covering:

RFP 26003

East Tennessee State University

November 10, 2025

• CMS setup and configuration, including all modules, plugins, and

integrations

• Hosting environment specifications (e.g., server architecture, CDN

settings, caching configurations)

• Custom-developed code, scripts, and templates, with accompanying

documentation

• Deployment and update processes, including CI/CD workflows

• Content structure and relationships (taxonomy, tags, reusable

components, dynamic content feeds)

2. Data and Asset Transfer

The vendor must support the secure transfer of all digital assets and

structured content, including:

• Full export of all site content, databases, digital assets (images,

videos, PDFs), and metadata

• Exports in non-proprietary, reusable formats that retain

accessibility, SEO, and content relationships

• Assistance with reconfiguring content and media for use in the new

hosting environment

3. Knowledge Transfer

The vendor shall:

• Conduct at least two live knowledge transfer sessions with ETSU’s

technical team or designated third party

• Provide system administration guides, training manuals, and

troubleshooting resources

• Be available for technical Q&A during the transition window

4. Transition Timeline and Support

• ETSU expects a minimum of 60 calendar days of transition support

following contract completion

• Vendor shall respond to support requests in a timely manner, based

on defined severity levels

• Any handover plan should include clear points of contact and roles

during the transition period

5. Intellectual Property and Licensing

• All custom-developed software, templates, components, and

documentation produced under the contract shall become the sole

property of ETSU

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

RFP26003 - Website Design Addendum 1 Questions and Answers Response

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