sr-072809-1iCity Council Meeting: July 28, 2009
Agendaltem: t°-I
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Stephanie Negriff, Director of Transit Services
Subject: Big Blue Bus Website Design
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the .City Manager to execute a
contract with Mortar Advertising, LLC for online creative design and information
architecture services, resulting in a redesigned Big Blue Bus (BBB) website and new
online transit applications for public use.
Executive Summary
A Professional Services Agreement with Mortar Advertising, LLC in the amount of
$81,135 is requested by the Big Blue Bus for the redesign of the interface and
architecture of -the Department's website. This contract would also include interface
design services for new online applications including real-time bus information and
online trip planning. The result of the contract would be greatly enhanced service to
transit customers.
The Big Blue Bus is recommending the contract be entered into now to ensure launch of
the new website will occur in February 2010, which supports the City's schedule for
migration of all Department websites onto its recently purchased Ektron content
management system. Community outreach to promote the new technology to the public
would take. place prior to the February 2010 launch date.
Discussion
The BBB website is several years old and is built using an obsolete web content
management system (CMS). The existing site lacks the flexibility necessary for a
modern transit system and lacks Internet security features considered essential today.
BBB is participating in the citywide website redesign that is in progress. The citywide
project employs a modern. CMS that addresses the technical needs of the BBB transit
site. The planned transit site will include a large volume of transit information and
modern features such as a real-time bus locator and an online trip planner. Designing
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the human interface for this site requires specialized skills and experience. Mortar
Advertising, LLC was selected through a competitive process to design the human
interface and architecture for the new transit site. Once the architecture and design
have been established by Mortar, they will be implemented in the new CMS by the
website consulting firm PMC under an existing contract.
Enhancements to website/online applications:
• Better definition of who BBB's online users are and creation of features that
better meet their needs
• Structural outlines for the way information will be accessed on both the website
and via mobile applications/smart phones
• Real-time bus information
• Self-generated trip planning
• Design of English and Spanish webpage templates
• Online fare media and transit store merchandise purchasing
• Event calendar displays
• On-line forms capability
• Social networking tools (i.e. blogs, online polls/surveys, etc.)
• Targeted E-mail subscriptions and web alerts
• RSS feeds and podcasting
• ADA 508/W3C standards compliance
• Internal document search
Services
Mortar Advertising, LLC will research and draft three online design concepts from which
the Big Blue Bus will select a final concept to develop. To best articulate the design,
Mortar Advertising, LLC will coordinate and manage user focus groups and meetings
with City stakeholders. They will provide creative direction for the website interface and
content (e.g. photos, video, animation, etc.), and create templates for the execution of
this direction by both PMC and Big. Blue Bus staff. Throughout the building of the site,
Mortar Advertising, LLC will also provide support to PMC in testing the site design for
consistency and functionality once they build it on the Ektron platform.
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ContractorlConsultant Selection
Mortar Advertising, LLC is recommended as the best proposer to provide online design
services for the Big Blue Bus via a competitive RFP process. The RFP was published
via the City's Planet Bids system. Additionally, 25 individuals and firms were notified
that the RFP was available and were encouraged to share the information with any
qualified firms that might be interested. The Big Blue Bus received 10 responses to the
.RFP, which were reviewed and graded. The top four firms were invited to oral
interviews. The panel recommended Mortar Advertising, LLC based on their
understanding of the .project requirements; design portfolio;, proposed work plan,
schedule, and budget; expertise with related technologies; prior successes with public
agencies; and proposed project team members' experience. Two examples of their
work are the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the
University of Southern California Marshall School of Business websites. Not only did
they have the highest overall score of all the firms interviewed, but interviews with their
referrals confirmed that Mortar Advertising, LLC has the best understanding of how to
target existing and .potential transit users, how to design the user-interface for complex
technologies, and how to create a compelling aesthetic for the site overall.
Financial Impacts & BudgetActions
Funds are available in CIP account 0410113.589000.
Prepared by: Linda Gamberg, Marketing & Public Information Coordinator
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
ie Negriff J " P a ont EN
of Transit Services anager
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Reference Contract No.
9094 (CCS).