Questions to ask when buying local government websites

In the event these items are not addressed in the RFI/RFP response, get vendor clarity on the following questions:

• Do you meet Digital Government Platform Standards?
  • Ongoing WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility conformity
  • Adaptive/responsive design
  • 100% HTTPS encryption
  • Ubiquitous platform updates
  • Recurring release schedule
• How often do you release product updates?
  • Are the product updates front and back end?
  • Do updates include new features, enhancements, bug fixes, security?
  • Can you specify what you mean by new updates?
  • Do all customers receive these updates at the same time?
  • Are there additional costs for these updates?
• What flexibility do we have in changing design templates over time?
  • Is this something we can do ourselves?
  • How can we eliminate the need for a ‘refresh’ once every few years?
• What is included with your support offering?
  • Do you have open documentation where we can self-service?
• Is there a limit on the number of user accounts we can have?
  • If so, how many, and what are the additional costs?
• What is your software license?