Interpersonal Frequency LLCRFP | April 25, 2025
The Best Way to Build
Government Websites
TECHNICAL/COST
PROPOSAL FOR WEBSITE
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Presented by:
Interpersonal Frequency
PO Box 51
McLean, VA 22101
www.ifsight.com
Contact:
Harish R. Rao, CEO
harish@ifsight.com
Phone: 703.400.6776
Fax: 877.565.6501
Presented to:
La Quinta, California
Attn: Marcie Graham, Marketing Manager
78495 Calle Tampico
La Quinta, California 92253
RFP | April 25, 2025
P.O. Box 51, McLean, VA 22101 | 844.899.7483 | IFSight.com
The Best Way to Build Government Websites
All of us at Interpersonal Frequency (I.F.) thank you for the
opportunity to respond to your RFP. We truly believe our
partnership will advance La Quinta’s desire to create a modern,
accessible, and user-friendly website.
Why do major local and state
government organizations
competitively select I.F. as their
website redesign partner?
It’s not just about building award-winning websites (though we’re
proud of those too!), it’s about revolutionizing how the public
interacts with your website and streamlining the way your team
works behind the scenes. These tangible benefits are a dual win for
your residents and your staff.
At I.F., every project is an opportunity to improve the lives of the
people who depend on public services, but our efforts don’t stop
at the launch of great new site. We’re committed to protecting and
innovating our portfolio for the long haul with industry-leading
hosting and support services.
We currently provide similar services for similar organizations
including the cities of Ontario, CA (ontarioca.gov —
ontariothinksbusiness.com), Birmingham, AL (birminghamal.gov),
Lexington, KY (lexingtonky.gov). Additional California clients include
San Mateo County, CA (smcgov.org), San Mateo County’s Assessor-
County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer (smcacre.gov),
Eastern Municipal Water District (emwd.com), and the Santa Clara
Valley Water District (valleywater.org).
Statements for La Quinta:
This proposal and all of its contents are valid for 90 days.
Any individual who will perform work for the city is free of any
conflict of interest.
Point of Contact:
Harish R. Rao | Email: harish@ifsight.com | Phone: 703.400.6776 |
Fax: 877.565.6501
Sincerely,
Harish R. Rao, Founder & CEO
April 25, 2025
Dear Ms. Graham,
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 2The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Section 1. Firm Background and Qualifications
Interpersonal Frequency (I.F.) is a distributed team of passionate technologists and resident experience
experts dedicated to effective digital government for all. Over our 15 years of experience, we’ve become a
trusted partner for some of the most forward-thinking local and state government agencies in the U.S.
Experience the Interpersonal Frequency difference.
We live by our name, which holds a powerful meaning: the shortest distance between two points of view.
Our solutions and services successfully shorten the digital distance between government agencies and
the communities they serve.
Our clients experience that success through three key areas:
• Proven User Success: It’s our mantra. We obsess over data and resident behavior to ensure your
website delivers tangible benefits for both external and internal site users. With this method, we’re
solving some of the biggest issues with government websites today, like how to approach content
migration.
• Certified Platforms: Our technical solutions are tailor-made for government stability and security. It’s
the best of open source targeted to WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility with SOC 2 Type 2 certifications. Backed
by a 99.9% uptime guarantee and 24/7/365 proactive site monitoring.
• Effortless Client Experiences: Our beautiful, user-friendly websites are easy for residents love and
even easier for web teams to manage. Our implementations are designed to drive great outcomes
while making the workload practical and full of smart content strategy, evergreen tools, and fresh
data insights.
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 3The Best Way to Build Government Websites
1.1 I.F. Fact Sheet
Full Legal Name:
Interpersonal Frequency LLC
Data Company Formed:
October 30, 2009
State of Incorporation:
Virginia
Office Locations:
I.F. is a distributed (remote) firm with employees around the
country. Our headquarters address is P.O. Box 51, McLean, VA
22101.
Point of Contact:
Harish R. Rao
harish@ifsight.com
703.400.6776
Fax: 877.565.6501
Small Business Certification:
I.F. is a small, minority-owned business certified by the Virginia
Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (#70818).
1.2 Staff Qualifications
Work with the best minds in the U.S. for public-sector user success.
I.F. is a long-established distributed company with some of the top leaders in the field of data analytics, software development, and online
communications for the public sector. Since our founding, we’ve successfully used our data-driven approach in a remote atmosphere. Over 40
government clients across the United States have entrusted us with projects of similar scope, attesting to our ability to deliver outstanding
results regardless of the geographic location.
All our employees have been required to undergo a national background, criminal history, and DMV check, as well as a registered sex
offender check along with other screenings and references. Many of our staff have also cleared US Government security measures for work
on federal contracts, including with the US Senate.
See key members of our staff that will work on this project on the following pages.
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 4The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Sam Seide
Project Manager
Project Role
Sam is a dedicated Project Manager and the Product Manager for
CitizenForward®. Depending on project start date, Sam or Jennifer
will oversee your implementation project from kickoff to launch.
Experience
Sam is a seasoned professional with a diverse skill set and a
passion for innovation. With a background as a former Drupal
developer, Sam knows what is under the hood and how to keep the
car running.
Transitioning into project management, Sam has successfully
overseen numerous enterprise-scale projects, specializing in both
Drupal and Shopify. Sam’s expertise spans from orchestrating new
buildouts to providing invaluable support to clients.
Education
• University of Oklahoma, Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), 2005
Certifications, Skills, and Expertise
• Acquia Certified Developer, Acquia, 2017
Jennifer Eidshun
Project Manager
Project Role
Jennifer is a dedicated Project Manager. Depending on project start
date, Sam or Jennifer will oversee your implementation project
from kickoff to launch.
Experience
Jennifer has worked as a Project Manager for 15+ years with a
strong focus on digital initiatives, managing the full redesign/
rebuild of a multitude of websites from scoping to launch and
post-launch.
She has a passion for digging in to what is truly needed for each
client from a creative/development standpoint and then bringing
that plan to life.
Jennifer has a creative spirit and excels in collaborating with
resources across all disciplines. Due to her endless supply of
curiosity, she is always looking to learn and grow.
Education
• West Virginia University, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), English, 2005
Relevant Projects: Sam was the project manager for
the City of Ontario, CA. He is currently working on the
implementations for Montgomery County, MD and Solano
County, CA.
Relevant Projects: Jennifer was the project manager for
the Cities of Lexington, KY and Birmingham, AL. She is
currently working on the implementation for Ramsey
County, MN and Glynn County, GA.
1.5+ years with Interpersonal Frequency 1+ year with Interpersonal Frequency
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 5The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Schelli Dittman
Director of Client Strategy
Project Role
Schelli follows clients through the full life-cycle of their
contract as an advisor. She acts as your Account Manager during
implementation and will collaborate you to activate strategic
plans, identify critical system challenges, and find practical,
budget-friendly solutions to the new and unexpected.
Experience
Schelli has more than 20 years of digital strategy, service design,
user experience, and management consulting expertise, including
leading digital operations for a large, nationally recognized
conservation organization.
Education
• Germanna College, B.A. in Business Administration and
Marketing & Communications
Certifications, Skills, and Expertise
• Certified Innovation Engineering Black Belt and a Certified
Scrum Master (CSM).
• Member of the International Association of Innovation
Professionals and D.C. Web Women.
Relevant Projects: Schelli has touched every account
in the I.F. portfolio and has scoped projects large and
small for the Cities of Birmingham, AL, Bridgeport, CT,
Independence, MO, Ontario, CA, and Baltimore, MD.
6+ years with Interpersonal Frequency
Kirsti Kenneth
Director of Customer Activation (Implementations)
Project Role
Kirsti helps clients align their vision to the latest in accessibility,
usability, and public-sector content best practices. She also leads
our training curriculum and approach to content.
Experience
With a background in journalism, digital education, and public
engagement, Kirsti has produced a wide array of content for
websites, museums, and nonprofits. Her work has served diverse
audiences with formats ranging from interactive lesson plans
and instructional videos to newsletters and social media-friendly
infographics.
Education
• Yale University, B.A. in American Studies, 2004
Certifications, Skills, and Expertise
• 2019 Best Practices in Teaching Media Literacy for
NewseumED.org, Association for Education in Journalism and
Communication
• 2018 Best Website for Teaching and Learning for NewseumED.
org, American Association of School Librarians
Relevant Projects: Kirsti directed the user experience
implementations for the Minnesota Department of Public
Safety and the Cities of Bridgeport, CT, Independence, MO,
Birmingham, AL, and Lexington, KY.
5+ years with Interpersonal Frequency
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 6The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Carrianne Tuckley
User Experience Strategy Manager
Project Role
Carrianne oversees our research efforts and ensures the success of
your user experience.
Experience
Carrianne comes to I.F. with many years of experience in
Information Architecture and UX Design. Prior to this career
change, she was a developer. She holds degrees in Mathematics,
Library Science, and Information Architecture.
Education
• Kent State University, Master of Science, Information
Architecture and Knowledge Management / Master of Library
and Information Science, 2006
• Mount Union College, B.S. Mathematics, 1992
Certifications, Skills, and Expertise
• 2018 Information Architecture and Knowledge Management
Alumnus of the Year from Kent State University
• Leader for World Information Architecture Day: brought this
international conference to Ohio for the first time in its history
and have been leading it since. (2015 – Present)
Relevant Projects: Carrianne managed the research
process for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety,
and the Cities of Bridgeport, CT, Independence, MO,
Birmingham, AL, and Lexington, KY.
3.5+ years with Interpersonal Frequency
Chris Fillmore
Senior UX Designer
Project Role
Chris is your UX designer for this project.
Experience
Chris creates visually stunning and intuitive interfaces that deliver
measurable business outcomes. With 7 years of professional UX/
UI Design across B2G, B2B, and B2C markets, he brings a versatile
approach to every project.
His expertise lies in conducting thorough product audits and
competitor analysis, creating well-structured sitemaps, wireframes,
and prototypes, and developing visually appealing and user-centric
UI designs.
Chris also has strong development skills in WordPress, PHP, HTML,
CSS, and JavaScript that ensures his designs are optimized for
performance and scalability.
Education
• University of Wisconsin-Stout, B.A., Graphic Design - Interactive
Media and Design Dual Concentration, 2016
Relevant Projects: Chris worked on the designs for the City
of Birmingham, Al. He is leading the in-process designs
for Cobb County, GA,Montgomery County, MD and Ramsey
County, MN (all launching later this year).
.5 years with Interpersonal Frequency
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 7The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Section 2. References
We understand the wide breadth of services cities offer and the difficulties they face in staffing and resourcing to support website
improvement initiatives. You won’t be teaching us what a consent decree is, or how important it is to have city council get their pages
updated in a timely fashion. Our ability to engage with elected officials and project stakeholders get website improvement projects
completed on time and within budget.
Below are two (2) references from California government agencies.
City of Ontario ontarioca.gov
Ontario Thinks Business ontariothinksbusiness.com
Overview:
The City first awarded I.F. a hosting and support contract in a competitive bid
in 2021. We addressed recurring coding issues on their website. As part of the
project, our Customer Success team conducted comprehensive audits and crafted
dynamic new features to enhance functionality.
Meanwhile, our account team collaborated with Ontario to schedule website
redesigns in a way that worked for their budget cycles. Our first redesign was the
City’s business website.. This project supported the City’s impressive economic
development initiatives. Now, the new, mobile-responsive main City website
update is live. Both websites have separate front-end user experiences, but
share one CMS back-end. The separation allows for smoother interactions, faster
dynamic updates, consistent performance, and faster page loads, even on low-
bandwidth connections.
Contact
Amber Cruz, Economic Development Coordinator
Ambercruz@ontarioca.gov
909-395-2763
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 8The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Santa Clara Valley Water District valleywater.org
Overview:
I.F. designed and developed the District’s Drupal 10 website in 2018. Our own research confirmed District’s concerns that users were facing
particularly high levels of frustration in the wake of unexpected events like a recent flood. But we also learned about their more typical
frustrations. The Voice of Citizen® analysis revealed that the existing navigation structure failed to meet the distinct needs of the utility’s
two primary user groups, residents and businesses.
The site we created for Santa Clara Valley Water answers both these common frustrations and the challenge of being prepared for natural
disasters and emergency alerts. We found multiple ways to ensure that Santa Clara Valley Water District is ready to convey information
quickly and effectively in any emergency situation. Search enables them to spotlight flood or drought content seasonally as needed. An
emergency information page and alert system holds essential emergency content that can be published with a moment’s notice when
needed, now considered a best practice for any utility or public-facing organization.
I.F. is the District’s long-term hosting and support partner. We have continued to innovate the website post-launch, including upgrades to
Drupal 9 and Drupal 10.
Contact
Shirley Koo, IT Architect
SKoo@valleywater.org
408 630 3069
A small city is not a small website.
We encourage you to explore our additional city experience, including the recent website redesigns for the cities of Birmingham, AL
(birminghamal.gov), Lexington, KY (lexingtonky.gov), Independence, MO (independencemo.gov) and Bridgeport, CT (bridgeportct.gov).
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 9The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Section 3. Cost Proposal
We’re pleased to offer the below estimate to implementing the your new website. Our costs are designed to meet your organizational
resources and ensure the wise use of public money. This quote is valid for 90 days from the date of submission. Recurring fees are billed
at site launch. This proposal and project fee are contingent a mutually agreed upon a Statement of Work (SOW) and Software-as-a-Service
(SaaS).
Line Item One-Time Fee Recurring Fees
CitizenForward® Build Core
See Technical Proposal § 4.1 $110,630.00
CitizenForward® Implementation
See Technical Proposal § 4.2 $86,062.00
Fulcrum Cloud Hosting (Year 1)
See Section 3.2 -$14,742.00
Jotform Government & Voice of Citizen®
See Section 3.2 $16,200.00
Customer Success: Sustain (20 Hours Monthly)
See Section 3.2 -$44,400.00
Total:$196,692.00 $75,342.00
+5% increase for renewal years
Our proposal also assumes La Quinta agrees that I.F. may use La Quinta’s name, trademarks, and captured graphic and video images, along
with a general description of services performed, in the promotion and advertising of I.F. CLIENT NAME also agrees to enable an unobtrusive
hyperlink to the I.F. corporate website with the words “Powered by Interpersonal Frequency” at the bottom of The Board’s website. As such, a
10% discount to our fees have already been applied to this statement of work in return.
La Quinta will use I.F.’s Fulcrum Premier cloud hosting and an Customer Success plan for at least the first year. Fulcrum Premier SLA applies,
available here: https://goo.gl/5m7xbQ. Pricing for implementation will be 10 to 20% higher if Fulcrum hosting or an Customer Success plan
are not selected.
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 10The Best Way to Build Government Websites
3.2 Ongoing Fees
For complete protection and ongoing innovation of your new sites, please select one (1) Customer Success plan in addition to your Fulcrum
Cloud Hosting package. I.F. SLA, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service apply: https://goo.gl/5m7xbQ. Invoiced annually at site launch. Note: these
fees must be paid yearly.
Hosting and Subscriptions Fees
Annual Premier Service Level Agreement for Fulcrum Cloud Hosting
• 500,000 hits (rooughly 50,000 pageviews) per month, 40GB database and file storage (for all environments),
1TB data transfer
• Allowlisting
• 24/7/365 Monitoring and Emergency Response
• 99.9% Uptime Guarantee
• Standard environments including production, pre-production, an a testing environment for up to 30 days
• Site maintenance as defined in our SLA (https://goo.gl/5m7xbQ)
$14,742.00
+5% increases for
renewal years
Jotform Government (2 Seats)Browser-based webform tool that makes it easy to build robust forms, collect data, and analyze and share data. Unlimited forms and form submissions, which can be encrypted to comply with a variety of privacy regulations (PCI, GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA). I.F. provides training, administration, and renewal of this solution for you.
$3,700.00.00
+5% increases for
renewal years
Voice of Citizen with Bi-Annual ReportingI.F.’s proprietary analytics platform. Includes a customizable survey pushed to real users on your website. Includes bi-annual meeting for delivery of data report, tableau workbook data, and personalized recommendations based on feedback from real end users of your website.
$12,500.00.00
+5% increases for
renewal years
See next page for Customer Success plans.
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 11The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Customer Success (Select One (1) Plan)Fees
Sustain
Budget-friendly approach to support. For organizations with internal web developer staffing and other technical
resources.
• Includes up to 20 hours of consulting & support monthly, with unused hours expiring monthly.
• Support is available via our toll-free phone number or support portals for any request.
• Additional time may be “borrowed” from future months (with the expectation that planned work will be
coordinated in advance).
• This is the minimum plan required.
$44,400.00 / year
+5% increases for
renewal years
Accelerate
Support and digital strategy for organizations who have some internal web developer staff but wish to augment
internal resources.
• Includes up to 50 hours of consulting & support monthly, with unused hours expiring monthly.
• The stipulations from Sustain apply.
$111,000.00 / year
+5% increases for
renewal years
Realize
Our most extensive support with expanded ideation and insights. Ideal for organizations who wish to utilize
support team members on a dedicated basis.
• Includes up to 100 hours of consulting & support monthly, with unused hours expiring monthly.
• The stipulations from Sustain (above) apply.
$222,000.00 / year
+5% increases for
renewal years
Additional Hours
Additional hourly rates of our services are as follows:
• I.F. Staff: $190.00 / Hour
• DevOps: $ 400.00 / Hour
• Content Services: $155.00 / Hour
Approaches to this project bundled for your benefit.
We use a 5-phase implementation process that understands government employees and how to get their buy-in. First we use data to build empathy with your diverse community of website users. Then we use that information to build a functional, beautiful, and accessible solution ready for emergencies, changing needs, and ongoing improvement after launch.
Bundled below are three bundles for how I.F. can complete this project.
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 12The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Section 4. List of Services
What We See
La Quinta seeks to create a modern, accessible, and user-friendly
website that enhances community engagement, streamlines
access to public services, and reflects La Quinta’s unique
character. The selected firm will work closely with City staff to
develop a website that meets the needs of residents, businesses,
and visitors while ensuring compliance with industry standards
and best practices.
Considerations:
• User Experience: The site must be intuitive, visually appealing,
and user-friendly for diverse audiences.
• Accessibility: Ensure ADA compliance to support users with
disabilities.
• Mobile Responsiveness: The website must function well on
various devices.
• Content Management: A CMS should allow city staff to easily
manage and update content.
• Integration: Seamless integration with city systems like
Laserfiche and other services.
Our Aligned Goals
Our goal for this project is to strengthen your community
communications with a modern, accessible, and user-friendly
website. Additionally, we’ll partner with you to establish a
comprehensive contract for our partnership to continue website
support, maintenance, and enhancements.
Proposed Solutions:
• CitizenForward®: Our open-source Content Management
System (CMS) platform, implemented through our data-driven,
user-centered, and content-forward process.
• CitizenForward Build: Our reference architecture for
government websites. A variety of enhancement options
are available.
• CitizenForward Implementation: Our phased
implementation process to make sure your new website
matches your real-world user needs. We can customize
this implementation based on your needs.
• Fulcrum Cloud Hosting: Our fully managed hosting service
with 24/7/365 site monitoring and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
• Customer Success: Service plans with our U.S.-based client
strategists for personable support and innovative consulting
services that tackle the everyday, emergencies, and new needs.
• Voice of Citizen®: The most powerful analytics platform
designed specifically for local government agencies. We use
Voice of Citizen® at the beginning of our implementation
to learn about your existing site. We return to this tool after
launch to measure your ongoing success and satisfaction.
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 13The Best Way to Build Government Websites
The below list outlines the standard install of our CitizenForward® interface. Detailed information for each item is available. Items with
an (*) require a recurring fee.
Configuration
✓CitizenForward® Editor Interface
✓Internal User Authentication (CMS log-on credentials)
✓Standard User Roles (includes content editor, content publisher,
administrator)
✓Standard Content Workflows (draft, ready for review, published
and archived)
✓Standard Content Moderation (based on user roles)
✓Content Scheduling
✓Standard Content Types (basic page, Landing page, Department,
Article, Event, Location, Person)
✓WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Text Editor
✓Preconfigured Icon Library
✓Single File Upload (up to 50 MB)
✓Media Library (file uploads of the following types: mp3, wav,
aac for audio, txt, rtf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, pdf, odf, odg,
odp, ods, odt, fodt, fods, fodp, fodg, key, numbers, pages for
documents, png, gif, jpg, jpeg for images, YouTube, Vimeo for
remote videos.)
Theming
✓Theming of I.F. created Visual Design System
✓Build to WCAG 2.2 AA (the guidelines set by the set by the
World Wide Web Consortium)
✓CAPTCHA for all forms
✓Default Language (English)
Features
✓Sitewide Alerts System (three levels: emergency, non-
emergency, and informational)
✓Basic Events Management
✓Basic Maps with Leaflet.js
✓Standard Search (Solr)
✓Webforms (powered by Jotform Government)*
SEO & Social Media
✓Ability to Embed Videos (from popular streaming platforms)
✓Linking To Third-party Social Media Sites
✓URL Redirects (automatic generation and customization)
✓URL Aliases (custom paths for pages)
✓Default Metatags (with ability to override)
✓Schema.org Tags (improves SEO)
✓Sitemap (XML)
✓Menus & Breadcrumbs
4.2 CitizenForward® Build: Standard Install
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 14The Best Way to Build Government Websites
4.3 CitizenForward® Build: Website Enhancements
Items with an (*) require a recurring fee. Items marked with a (†) are part of Fulcrum Cloud Hosting. We can work with you during contracting
to refine this scope to best meet your needs. Detailed descriptions for all items area available. Bundles for selected website enhancements
typically range from $30,000 to $150,000.
Configuration
• Single-Sign On (powered by miniOrange)*
• Bulk File Upload and Management
• Large File Upload (up to 1G per file)*†
• Custom Content Moderation Workflows
• Hero Carousel
• Image Gallery Component
• Plain Text Rendering Template for OCR
• Custom Content Types
• Extended Backup Retention*†
• Multi-Region Failover
• Geofencing
• WAF/DDoS/CDN Protection
Integrations
• Google Analytics Setup
• Google Tag Management Setup
• Google Maps Integration
• Inspectlet Integration*
• Userway Accessibility Widget with Usage Stats*
• Userway Translation Add-On*
• JSON Data Integration
• Email Sign-Up Integration for Third-Party CRM
or Email Marketing Platform
• Custom 3rd Party API Integration
Features
• Event Calender
• Recurring Event Functionality
• Event Registration (powered by Jotform Government)
• Event Registration (powered by Eventbrite)*
• Department Level Alerts
• Document Finder (Requires Bulk File)
• Municipal Scorecard™* (includes analytics, Voice of Citizen®
data, and Content Quality insight)
• Magic Rewrite™* (AI Content Editing Tool)
• ArcGIS Embed Component
• PowerBI Embed Component
• Custom Embed Components
• Advanced Search (powered by Swiftype)
• Third-Party Translation (Powered by Weglot)
• Easy Social Sharing (such as sharing an article to Facebook)
• Additional Seats for Jotform Government
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 15The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Project Management
✓Project Intake Form and Kickoff Meeting
✓Regular Project Meetings with your Core Team
✓Shared Folder Management
✓Regular Updates
✓Development Sprints
Phase 1: Discover
✓Voice of Citizen® One-Time Analysis (1 domain)
✓In-Depth Interviews (3 people)
✓Core Team Questionnaire
✓Site Crawl and Content Manifest
✓Existing Content Assessment (up to 4 pathways)
✓Content Intro Workshop
✓Discovery Summit
• Content Workshop
• UX Workshop
• Research Presentation
• Capstone Presentation
✓Discovery Reports
• Experience Outline
• Roadmap Recommendations Report
Phase 2: Define
✓Sitemap and Taxonomy
✓Wireframes (3 with 1 revision round)
✓Content Toolbox
Phase 3: Design
✓Visual Design System Creation
✓Design Mockups (4 comps with 1 revision round)
✓Design System User Guide
Phase 4: Develop
✓Pre-Production Hosting
✓Site Configuration
• CitizenForward® Core Build detailed in Section 4.2
✓Content Migration (1 domain)
✓CMS Training (2 administrator trainings, 2 content editor
trainings)
✓Form Training
Phase 5: Launch
✓User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
✓Go/No-Go Meeting
✓Managed Launch
✓Bug-Fix Window
✓Transition to Customer Success
The below items represent the standard tasks that occur in each of our project phases. These build the basis for your Scope of Work.
Detailed descriptions for all items are available.
4.4 CitizenForward® Implementation: Standard Process
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 16The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Highlighted items with a “✓” have been identified as a need based on your RFP. Items with an (*) require a recurring fee. We can work
with you during contracting to refine this scope to best meet your needs. Bundles for selected website enhancements typically range
from $18,500 to $75,000.
Phase 1: Discover
• Additional In-Depth Interviews
• Custom UX Research
• Inspectlet Analysis (Heatmaps and Behavior Videos)
• Internal Stakeholder Questionnaire
• Content Editor Survey
• Community Survey
• Listening Sessions (Focus Groups)
• Digital Strategy Workshops
Phase 2: Define
• Content Coaching
• Content Cleanup
• Tree Testing for Information Architecture
• User Journeys for Information Architecture
• Service Improvement Workshop
• Writing for the Web Workshop
• UX Writing for Civic Sites
• SEO for Public Organizations
Phase 3: Design
• Additional Style/Theming Package
• Increased Department Identity Theming
• Interactive Component Prototype
• Digital-First Branding Package
• Design and UX Consulting with Client GIS
• I.F. UX Theming within ESRI/ArcGIS
Phase 4: Develop
• Additional Page, File, and Image Migration
• Additional Content Support Package
Sub-Implementations
• Microtheme (a unique design within the main website, any
unique domain would redirect)
• Microsite* (a unique design with it’s own domain, a decoupled
front-end that uses the same CMS back-end as the main website)
• Intranet* (an internal-only website using the same back-end)
Post-Launch Options:
✓Voice of Citizen® Subscription with Semi-Annual Reporting
• On Demand Accessibility (Machine) Monitoring with Level Access
• On Demand Manual (Human) Testing with Level Access
• Digital Accessibility Basics Workshop
• Legal Implications of Digital Accessibility Workshop
• Unpacking the VPAT Workshop
• Level Access Academy*
• On Demand Document
Scanning
• On Demand Document
Remediation
4.5 CitizenForward® Implementation: Service Add-Ons
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 17The Best Way to Build Government Websites
4.6 Ongoing Solutions & Services
No other firm can manage your hosting, support, and ongoing service needs with the depth and breadth of our offerings under a single contract.
Interpersonal Frequency (I.F.) SaaS plans to protect and evolve government websites are industry-leading. That means:
• Your site is fully hosted and maintained for you, giving your team the time and resources to focus on innovation and engagement. Our
Fulcrum Cloud Hosting includes an (up to) 99.95% uptime guarantee and 24/7/365 proactive site monitoring.
• Our U.S.-based client strategists are online for personable support and innovative consulting services that tackle the everyday,
emergencies, and new needs. Customer Success has you covered 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, plus emergency support
outside of business hours, and on federal holidays/weekends.
• We continuously assess the success of your website and recommend free and low-cost ways to keep it useful, accessible, and alive. With
data-driven insights from ongoing Voice of Citizen® analytics, we can pinpoint the most important areas for improvement and consult on
or craft custom solutions for increased user success.
The following pages detail each plan. For more information please review our SLA, attached to this proposal and available here: https://goo.
gl/5m7xbQ.
4.6.1 Fulcrum Cloud Hosting
In a world of cyber threats and infrastructure challenges, uptime, security, and stability are critical for our clients. Fulcrum, built by
experienced DevOps engineers for enterprise government customers, ensures reliable hosting for millions of visitors annually.
• Fulcrum Cloud Hosting offers fully managed hosting, allowing your team to focus on innovation and engagement. Clients love Fulcrum
for its high availability, redundancy, and multiple layers of caching, optimization, and load balancing on ISO and SOC-compliant AWS
servers. We’re also pursuing SOC2 Type 2 certification.
• Fulcrum covers site maintenance, including backups, security patches, bug fixes, CMS and module updates, and disabling unused accounts.
Our 99.9% uptime guarantee and 24/7 proactive monitoring ensure stability and security, with optional WAF/DDoS/CDN services
increasing the uptime guarantee to 99.95%.
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 18The Best Way to Build Government Websites
4.6.2 Customer Success
Your website must be ready to adapt quickly, whether responding to emergencies or new leadership. If your support partner is unresponsive
or overseas, it can lead to frustration and negative community impacts.
We know the sites we maintain matter, not just to our clients but to the millions of people who use them every day for essential tasks. Our
U.S.-based Customer Success client strategists are online for personable support and innovative consulting services that tackle the everyday,
emergencies, and evolving needs. You’ll have:
• Business hour support (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday) and emergency support after hours and on weekends/
federal holidays.
• A monthly allotment of hours for tasks like Drupal updates, custom software patches, server upgrades, and major modifications.
• Hours also cover bug fixes, feature exploration, training, design upgrades, and content creation.
We maintain constant communication through tools like Basecamp and direct calls to keep you informed, ensuring trust and reliability with
our local government partners.
4.6.3 Voice of Citizen® with Semi-Annual Reporting
Public organizations often rely on Google Analytics for insights, but it doesn’t reveal the
full picture of what’s working or where improvements are needed.
Voice of Citizen® provides deeper insights by gathering feedback from a representative
sample of users through a survey platform, combining qualitative responses with
quantitative behavioral data. This helps identify user frustrations and success areas,
offering free or low-cost solutions to improve accessibility and usability.
Voice of Citizen® is beneficial because it combines user feedback and behavioral data for
a complete site analysis. It also benchmarks against a national database for best practice
recommendations.
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 19The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Implementations typically require nine months (36 weeks) to complete from project kickoff to site launch. A bug-fix window follows.
Efficiencies in our process allow some activities to begin in one phase before the previous phases. We work on a slot-based system to ensure
our resources, and yours, are ready to go at the same time.
Project
Phase
Weeks
1-4 5-8 9-12 13-16 17-20 21-24 25-28 29-32 33-36 37-38
Discover
Define
Design
Develop
Launch
Timeline specifics can vary based on the time of year, holidays, and availability to approve deliverables. While I.F. is collecting research in
Phase 1, your project manager creates a detailed project plan that is reviewed and approved by both sides. This is where our timeline and
hard due dates are confirmed.
At the core of our approach lies data-driven decision-making, which not only informs our strategies but also mitigates risks inherent
in project execution. Navigating the complexities of a new website extends beyond technical or design hurdles—it’s about aligning
stakeholders effectively. Because we only work with governments, we take extra care during contracting to build a mutually agreed-upon
Statement of Work and factor in potential changes based on our understanding of your needs.
You will have a dedicated implementation Project Manager (PM) who will guide this project from the start through launch and transition.
The PM will be your natural first point of contact. However, key team members are on regular phone calls and communications and you’ll
have access to key staff throughout the process.
Section 5. Staffing and Project Organization
RFP | April 25, 2025 | 20The Best Way to Build Government Websites
Section 6. Subcontracting Services
Section 7. Disclosures
Section 8-10. Attachments
I.F. will not be using subcontractors for this project.
I.F. has no negative history of any alleged significant prior or ongoing agreement failure, any civil or criminal litigation or investigation
pending within the last five (5) years.
Requested attachments are included on the next three pages.
We have reviewed Agreement for Contract Services. There are areas we would like to negotiate if we are selected, but they do not necessarily
preclude us from working with you. We have successfully completed contracting process with government organizations across the county.
ATTACHMENT 2
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Must be executed by proposer and submitted with the proposal
I, ________________________________________ (name) hereby acknowledge and confirm that
__________________________________ (name of company) has reviewed
the City’s indemnification and minimum insurance requirements as listed in Exhibits E and
F of the City’s Agreement for Contract Services (Attachment 1); and declare that insurance
certificates and endorsements verifying compliance will be provided if an agreement is awarded.
I am _________________________________ of ______________________________,
(Title) (Company)
✔Commercial General Liability (at least as broad as ISO CG 0001)
$1,000,000 (per occurrence); $2,000,000 (general aggregate)
Must include the following endorsements:
✔ General Liability Additional Insured
✔ General Liability Primary and Noncontributory
✔Commercial Auto Liability (at least as broad as ISO CA 0001)
$1,000,000 (per accident)
Personal Auto Declaration Page (if applicable)
✔Cyber Liability
$1,000,000 (per occurrence)
$2,000,000 (general aggregate) ✔Worker’s Compensation (per statutory requirements)
Must include the following endorsement:
✔ Worker’s Compensation Waiver of Subrogation
Worker’s Compensation Declaration of Sole Proprietor (if applicable)
Page 9 of 11
Harish R. Rao
Interpersonal Frequency LLC
Interpersonal Frequency LLC
Page 10 of 11
ATTACHMENT 3
NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT FORM
Must be executed by proposer and submitted with the proposal
I, ________________________________________ (name) hereby declare as follows:
I am _________________________________ of ______________________________,
(Title) (Company)
the party making the foregoing proposal, that the proposal is not made in the interest of, or on behalf
of, any undisclosed person, partnership, company, association, organization, or corporation; that the
proposal is genuine and not collusive or sham; that the proposer has not directly or indirectly induced
or solicited any other proposer to put in a false or sham proposal, and has not directly or indirectly
colluded, conspired, connived, or agreed with any proposer or anyone else to put in a sham proposal,
or that anyone shall refrain from proposing; that the proposer has not in any manner, directly or
indirectly, sought by agreement, communication, or conference with anyone to fix the proposal price of
the proposer or any other proposer, or to fix any overhead, profit, or cost element of the proposal price,
or of that of any other proposer, or to secure any advantage against the public body awarding the
agreement of anyone interested in the proposed agreement; that all statements contained in the
proposal are true; and, further, that the proposer has not, directly or indirectly, submitted his or her
proposal price or any breakdown thereof, or the contents thereof, or divulged information or data relative
hereto, or paid, and will not pay, any fee to any corporation, partnership, company, association,
organization, proposal depository, or to any member or agent thereof to effectuate a collusive or sham
proposal.
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and
correct.
Proposer Signature: __________________________________________________
Proposer Name: __________________________________________________
Proposer Title: __________________________________________________
Company Name: __________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________
Harish R. Rao
Founder & CEO Interpersonal Frequency LLC
Harish R. Rao
Founder & CEO
Interpersonal Frequency LLC
PO Box 51, McLean, VA 22101
Page 11 of 11
ATTACHMENT 4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT OF ADDENDA
Must be executed by proposer and submitted with the proposal;
If no addenda has been issued, mark “N/A” under Addendum No. indicating
Not Applicable and sign
ADDENDUM NO. SIGNATURE INDICATING RECEIPT
N/A