Thank you for submitting your questions regarding the MITEI website redesign RFP. Below, you’ll find responses to the questions we received from vendors during the RFP process. While this is not a complete list, it covers the majority of questions submitted.
As a reminder, submission deadline for proposals has been extended to Friday, May 23, by 11:59 PM EST.
If you have any additional questions or need clarification on anything outlined here, please feel free to reach out to Dominic Mathurin at dm2597@mit.edu.
Is one of the sites a higher priority than the other?
Yes, the main site is the higher priority, as we anticipate that key design and architecture decisions will be centered around it. That said, our goal is to establish a unified design language that will carry throughout to both the main site and member site.
What does engagement mean to you? Are there specific outcomes you wish to achieve, and areas to improve? How will these be measured?
We are looking for your guidance in shaping what engagement should look like, based on our analytics and user behavior. Currently, we use Google Analytics (GA) and primarily look at session duration as an indicator of engagement. We also have been tracking our social media engagement in the form of impressions, likes and reshares. Ultimately, we want our audiences/users to explore our content in a meaningful way and stay informed about events and energy-related research and news.
Can you give us a sense of how many people will be involved in reviewing project deliverables and sharing feedback?
Three members of our communications team—Dom, Tom, and Kelley (as listed in the RFP)—will be involved in the initial discovery work review. For the full presentation, we anticipate participation from 6–7 individuals, including members of leadership. The ideation phase and wireframe review will also include those listed in the RFP. During the design phase, the first round of review will involve six people from the communications team and MITEI leadership, while the second round will be limited to Dom, Tom, and Kelley. Ongoing check-ins will include Dom, Tom, Kelley, and one member of the events team.
How many other vendors have received this RFP? Are you able to share their names?
Eight vendors have received this RFP. The group includes a mix of larger and smaller agencies, most of whom have some experience working with universities.
What are your decision-making criteria for choosing a vendor?
Our decision will be based on several key factors, including team expertise, experience building websites for diverse audiences, storytelling ability, previous work with academic institutions, ability to manage complex and content-rich sites, proposed budget and timeline, and the quality of past work with other clients.
Are you open to modifying the phases that you outlined in your RFP?
Yes, we’re open to modifying the phases outlined in the RFP. That said, we’d like to have a discussion about any proposed changes and understand how a revised approach would better support the successful and timely completion of the website.
What is the team that currently supports the MITEI website? What are their roles (e.g., editors, developers), and how will they be involved in the redesign and ongoing maintenance?
Dom, our Digital Projects Manager, will oversee the website redesign and handle ongoing site maintenance. He will primarily serve as the developer and webmaster for the site. Kelley, our Communications Manager, leads our communication strategy alongside our Director of Communications, Tom. She also writes website content, manages social media, and develops content strategy. Charlotte, our Communications and Development Coordinator, supports video production, writes copy for the site, and occasionally updates site content.
Would it be possible to provide a (very high level is fine) ballpark for the budget of this project? Understanding what you’re trying to spend will help us right-size the scope.
We’re not sharing a budget at this time, as we’d like vendors to propose realistic budgets based on the project scope. This approach helps us avoid the risk of underestimating the work and going over budget later.
Is there anything driving the summer 2026 launch date? Would you be open to launching sooner if we could complete all the requirements ahead of that?
We’re open to launching sooner if feasible and would also consider a soft launch to select users and members. This would allow us to gather feedback and ensure the redesigned site meets user needs before the full public launch.
Who are the audiences for each site?
The audience for the main site includes members of the MIT community (students, faculty and alumni), prospective and current members, donors, policymakers, energy professionals, and the general public—particularly those with an interest in energy.
The member site is exclusively for current members, which are primarily companies conducting research in the energy sector, such as Exxon, Shell, Chevron, and Eversource.
As part of the discovery work, we expect the selected vendor to help us better understand our audience—both who we are currently reaching and who we want to reach—through surveys, analytics, and user research. This insight will be key to refining our messaging and content strategy.
Have you conducted any recent audience research that you plan to share, or are you expecting all user interviews, surveys, and analysis to happen as part of this project?
We expect user interviews, surveys and analysis to take place during the discovery phase of this project.
We read in your RFP that you’ve been working on a revised MITEI content strategy. Can you confirm the content strategy deliverables and resources that you’ll share with the selected web design partner?
Yes, we will share a copy of the content strategy the selected web design partner.
What has been done for content strategy this far and what do you think will be completed — for us to leverage — when the project starts?
The content strategy is currently in its final review stage, and we anticipate it will be ready by the time a vendor is selected. It primarily outlines our overall communications approach and high-level goals. We’d like the selected vendor to review the strategy and help develop and integrate a web-specific component. As the number of content types continues to grow—and their relationships become more complex—it would be valuable to refine how we present this content in a way that supports our broader goals for site engagement and digital outreach.
Why must the member website be a separate site? Can you share the drivers for this decision and the pain points of the current setup?
We’re not entirely committed to keeping the sites separate. However, our current multisite setup has become increasingly difficult to manage due to differing themes, plugin requirements, and disparate content types. Our priority is to improve performance across both sites while delivering a seamless experience for end users. Ideally, we’d like content to be more unified—such as research projects appearing on both the main and member sites—with access restrictions applied based on membership status.
Beyond the content audit that you request in the Discovery phase, are you looking for our team to provide any content strategy and/or content work?
We’re happy to share our current web plan and content strategy, and we welcome ideas and suggestions/feedback. Although we are not looking for full content strategy services, we value your input to help refine our approach where needed.
The digital strategy references prior user research. How old is that research, and what does it include? Will it be available to the selected vendor?
User research was conducted in 2022 as part of a previous website redesign effort that was never completed. The selected vendor will have access to existing materials, including user personas, interview notes, and research summaries. However, this prior work is intended for reference only and should not replace the new user research that will be conducted as part of this project.
Will your logo and stay in place or are you looking for a new logo and new brand style guide?
We plan to keep our existing logo and already have a style guide we intend to continue using. We’re looking for vendors to work within that guide—building on our existing branding and color palette—to help expand and refine it. One of our goals is to streamline our brand templates and create a more unified look across the website, social media assets, and print materials.
Can you elaborate on how you envision the design process to establish the visual treatments before the design phase?
We envision the design process beginning with visual treatments (e.g., mood boards) and a review and refinement of our style guide, followed by mockups that reflect those directions. These mockups will be reviewed by Dom, Tom, and Kelley, with regular check-ins to build consensus around the design direction. We also see information architecture as a critical part of the process—ideally taking shape alongside or slightly ahead of visual development—to ensure the design supports our content structure and overall user goals.
You note that a “branding guide” is a deliverable of the second phase, but we don’t see any activities in that phase that relate to branding work. Can you clarify what you are looking for from the branding guide?
We’re looking for a review and audit of our existing branding materials, with refinements to improve consistency and cohesion. This could include changes or adjustments to the typography, color usage, and layout guidelines to ensure a more unified look across our digital platforms and print materials.
What background materials and data do you imagine being able to share to help inform our Discovery work, if any?
We will share our content strategy, results from our ongoing web audit, access to heatmap data via HotJar, web (via Google Analytics) and newsletter analytics (via Mailchimp), and events data (e.g. registration numbers per event)
You note that you want to engage in heat map implementation and analysis. This analysis is typically most helpful when it’s been in place for a period of time, so we can observe patterns and behaviors over the course of a year or more. Do you currently have any heat mapping tools in place?
Yes, we current use Hotjar on both the main site and member site.
How much work on “organizing content into logical types within defined categories and a controlled vocabulary for tags” has already been done as part of your digital strategy? Is the current site taxonomy a reasonable starting point?
While the current site taxonomy provides a decent starting point, we are looking to develop a new, more effective system that supports a long-term, scalable structure. The information architecture work conducted during design phase will be key to determining the best way to categorize and tag our content, as our current tagging system lacks consistency and is not applied correctly across our various content types (i.e. Publications, News, Podcasts, Research, Projects, etc.).
Can you elaborate on the needs for the integration with Salesforce? Is this for the member site only or both sites? Which information are you tracking? How do you currently and/or how do you envision providing personalized content?
We’re still in the early stages of our Salesforce integration and are in the process of identifying our organizational needs and the best ways to incorporate Salesforce into our workflow—across both the main site and the member site. Our current plan is to implement Salesforce in phases. The first phase will most likely focus on tracking when a company’s membership begins or expires, automating the onboarding and offboarding process, and generating reports on member engagement. As we continue discussions with our Salesforce consultant and begin the integration process, we expect to have a clearer understanding of additional use cases in the coming months.
Can you share your needs/vision for data analysis and interactive tools in the main site and the member site?
In the past, MITEI researchers have developed standalone interactive platforms such as GenX and SESAME. Looking ahead, we would like to have a plan in place that enables users to explore and engage with similar toolkits that may be developed in the future. We’re also interested in adding interactive features to the main site—such as knowledge checks—as a way to assess user engagement and better understand how well our content is being received. This is just one example, not a requirement, and we welcome ideas on how interactivity can enhance the user experience.
Embedded media – do you plan on hosting audio and video on third party platforms like youtube, vimeo, etc, or do you need to be able to upload them to the WordPress site?
Currently, we host all of our video content on YouTube and plan to continue doing so. That said, we’d like the new site to support some level of customization for YouTube embeds, if possible, to ensure they align well with future layout templates.
Do all the orphaned pages you listed need to remain orphaned? For example, do you need a staff intranet to house the event resources and style guide?
We currently use an internal MITEI wiki as a hub for staff resources, including MITEI web-related best practices. We are also in the process of auditing our orphaned pages to assess their relevance and content. As part of the website redesign, we anticipate that many of these pages will remain as standalone resources but are open to taking a different approach.
When you say “select members” of your subscriber base will be available to “contact and survey,” will there be enough members to support a survey, or only enough “select members” for focus groups and/or individual interviews?
We will make approximately 20 individuals available for interviews, including members of the leadership team, existing members, students, faculty, and senior staff. In addition to this, we have a subscriber base of over 16,000 who can be surveyed to gather additional insights.
Can you share more information about “Provide various stakeholders a personalized experience via adaptable homepages.”?
We’d like to create a homepage experience that can be personalized for different stakeholder groups—such as students, members, prospective members, policymakers, faculty, media, and the general public. This could be achieved through site navigation that allows users to filter content by audience type or through a more dynamic, adaptive experience. We’re open to suggestions on how best to approach this, but our primary goal is to guide users to the content most relevant to them. As it stands, our current site can difficult to navigate, and it’s not always clear which content applies to which audience.
On the member site, we envision a similar approach using a personalized dashboard where members can view research projects, events, and materials tailored to their company affiliation. We look forward to discovering the best way to structure the site to better serve different user needs.
Do you expect any additional writing and content production support to be available for this project?
No, not at the current moment.
Are you interested in using CSS animation to enhance the user experience?
Sure! We’re open to using CSS animation to improve the user experience, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact site performance and is compatible with mobile devices.
What kind of photography resources do you have?
We currently use Image Relay, MIT’s Flickr account, and stock imagery as our primary resources.
Are there any sites (either member sites or public facing) that are inspiring you currently in the areas that you’re hoping the MITEI site will improve?
Organizations similar to MITEI whose sites represent desirable design and functionality:
Are you open to using Figma or other external tools during the prototyping phase?
Yes, we currently use Figma and would prefer to continue using that platform during the prototyping phase, if possible.
Are you open to using Drupal rather than WordPress for the member site?
We would prefer to use the same CMS across both sites, as we plan to share content—such as research projects and publications—between them, with certain content restricted to members. That said, if a seamless user experience can still be achieved and Drupal offers significantly greater flexibility, we may be open to exploring it as a fallback option. However, WordPress should be considered the primary platform unless a compelling case is made otherwise.
Can you share which custom integrations you are going to need with the site?
We anticipate a few custom integrations with the new site, including:
Please note that this list is not exhaustive nor entirely prescriptive—it’s intended to give you a sense of the types of integrations we may need to improve workflows and introduce automation. We anticipate further discussions to determine which integrations are best suited to the new site’s goals.
We use github for our code repository. Will this be acceptable to use or will you require to use bitbucket?
We are open to using GitHub as our code repository. Our Digital Projects Manager is familiar with both GitHub and Bitbucket, so we’re flexible and can work with whichever platform is preferred.
Are you open to hosting on another platform outside of GCP?
We would prefer to continue hosting on GCP, as their clean energy initiative aligns with our own sustainability goals. GCP aims to operate on carbon-free energy by 2030.
Are you open to Basecamp vs Asana?
We would prefer to remain on Asana if possible as its already integrated into our existing workflow.
Would you like to protect internal staff pages with MIT Kerberos login?
No, that would not be necessary.
Do you need forms on the new site? If yes, can you send us a link to a form on the existing site that represents a good example of form needs?
Yes, we anticipate needing the following forms on the site
Do you require any custom administrator permission levels?
No, the current WordPress permission levels should be sufficient for our needs.
Can you elaborate on what you envision for dashboards? Do you plan email updates for certain projects, notifications if the page has been updates, etc? Or is it a bookmarking feature where users can view the research projects they care about on their dashboard?
Dashboards are relevant to the member site. Currently, members have access to a basic dashboard that displays recent projects, projects they are following, publications, and upcoming events. We’d like to expand these capabilities to allow for greater customization. Specifically, we envision a more robust bookmarking system that goes beyond just research projects and allows members to follow and organize publications, projects, documents, events, and other content relevant to their interests.
You mention that “the new site should have the flexibility to publish multiple types and formats of content, including multimedia, and be easily, quickly, and regularly updateable.” To be clear, are you just looking for a simplified set of blocks and rules to use them that provide you maximum page flexibility with minimum effort? Or are you looking for a way to publish content elements across platforms (e.g., web, social) simultaneously?
We are mainly looking for a simplified set of blocks and reusable components that allow for flexible, easy-to-update content creation within the website whilst still being flexible and scalable. Our current site is largely hard-coded, and we want to empower staff to build and update pages with minimal technical support.
We’d also like individual pieces of content—such as news articles, research projects, and publications to be easily shareable by users across social platforms such as LinkedIn or Bluesky. However, we’re not looking for a backend system that automatically publishes content to external platforms.
Could you tell us more about what you have in mind for a component library that can be adapted/customized for use on any number of sites – for example, do you plan to create microsites that use the same content library with a different look and feel applied?
We currently have a post template that allows research teams to create their own landing pages. We’d like to build on this by using the component library to create more robust, branded landing pages—such as for major events or initiatives—that feel like standalone experiences but still live within the main site framework. These pages would reuse our existing content blocks, design system, and assets, and include their own navigation or tabbed structure when appropriate.
Are page access controls being used on the public site as well as the Members site? If so, where?
No access controls are only being used on the member site. We do not anticipate needing it for the main site.
Is the WordPress groups plugin working well to manage member content access? Are you looking to keep the permission levels for members the same?
We do want to maintain permission levels for members, but we’d like to reassess whether the current system (using the groups plugin) is the best fit moving forward. For example, we envision highlighting or tailoring content based on the member company a user is affiliated with. The current Groups plugin may lack the granularity needed to support that kind of functionality, and we’d like to explore more flexible options as part of this project.
Will you require real-time sync or two-way integration between Salesforce and the website (e.g., member dashboard, event registration)?
Yes, we anticipate needing real-time sync or two-way integration with Salesforce, particularly for features like the member dashboard, research projects and event registration. We are still exploring the best ways to integrate Salesforce into both our current and future site structure and we’re hoping the selected vendor can help us determine the most effective and scalable approach.
Do you require multi-language support or internationalization?
Not at this current time.
Should we maintain compatibility with all existing custom plugins or re-evaluate their necessity?
We should re-evaluate their necessity whenever possible.
Our sites are optimized for website performance and are SEO ready. Which other SEO optimization should we include in the scope?
We currently use Yoast SEO, so experience with that plugin is helpful—but general SEO expertise is also important. Our sites are already optimized for performance and SEO-ready, but we welcome recommendations on additional optimizations that should be included in scope.
Are you envisioning that all existing research data be migrated, or are you planning to curate somewhat?
We’re in the process of conducting a website audit to evaluate which content should be kept and what should be removed. Any content that is migrated will have already been reviewed and deemed necessary.
What are the major pain points you’ve experienced with the current WordPress implementation?
Some of our major pain points with the current WP implementation include reliance on the classic editor, extensive hard-coded elements (which includes site navigation and roughly 60% of the site), and an overuse of custom code. Additionally, our use of ACF custom fields has been inconsistent, and some legacy plugins—has made maintenance and scalability more difficult.
Will MIT conduct its own accessibility/performance/SEO audits in addition to the vendor’s?
No, MITEI will only be conducting a content-based website audit prior to the redesign kickoff. Accessibility, performance, and SEO audits will be the responsibility of the selected vendor.
How do you anticipate content migration happening? Will MITEI staff migrate the content or would the selected vendor?
MITEI staff will handle the content migration prior to launch. If there are any specific approaches or requirements related to the migration process, the selected vendor should provide clear guidance and documentation, and walk our staff through the necessary steps.
If staying on GCP, will there be dedicated IT staff from MIT to support the GCP infrastructure?
Yes, we have a GCP system admin who will provide support.
What are the specific needs for search functionality? What are you looking to improve beyond the current implementation of SearchWP indexer and FacetWP filtering? An external indexer (Elasticsearch, Algolia, etc) typically need to run on a separate serve – who will maintain/support that service?
We would like to implement a more flexible filtering system and are also interested in incorporating live search functionality. We’re open to continuing with WP native solutions if they can provide more robust functionality than our current setup with SearchWP and FacetWP. However, we’re also open to exploring external indexing tools like Algolia or Elasticsearch if they offer significant benefits. In that case, we’d need guidance from the selected vendor on what would be required to maintain or support that service.
Should post-launch support be included in the proposal? Will this be a separate RFP?
Yes, post-launch support should be included in the proposal to cover the initial period after the site goes live. We expect this support to address any issues or refinements that may arise immediately following launch. Ongoing support beyond that period may be handled under either a separate agreement or through a time-and-materials arrangement, depending on scope and need.
Can you provide access to or a demo of the current member portal to help us evaluate current capabilities and architecture?
We would be happy to provide a brief walkthrough of the current member portal via zoom upon request. Due to the proprietary nature of some of the research content, we’re unable to offer full hands-on access.
How are member accounts currently created and managed? Should the new system support manual creation, self-registration, import workflows, or integration with external systems (e.g., Salesforce)?
Member accounts are currently created using WP Import to upload a spreadsheet containing each member’s name, username, and email address. We’re looking to improve this system by adding a self-registration option, while still supporting our existing import workflow. Ideally, account creation and management would be integrated with Salesforce to streamline the process and reduce manual input.
How granular do member permissions need to be? Are permissions set per user, per company, or per content type (e.g., event, report)?
We anticipate needing member permissions to have the capability of being set at the company level—for example, users from a specific member company should see content relevant to their organization (e.g., research projects, reports, or event materials). This would be in addition to permissions that are granted based on membership level. We’re are open to exploring the best approach that considers flexibility, scalability, and ease of management.
What are your goals for improving the member experience technically? (e.g., personalization, dashboards, easier access to gated research)
Our primary goal for improving the member experience is to make it more personalized and interactive. This may include.
Will events continue to be registered at on eventbrite?
Yes, for now we plan to continue using Eventbrite. However, we are planning to eventually migrate event registration to Salesforce.
Is the event registration status for members currently visible to logged in users or is this new functionality you’re looking to add?
This would be new functionality we’re looking to add. We’d like to be able to track whether a member has registered for an event and display the appropriate content based on their status—for example, showing directions or event materials if they’re registered, or offering the option to register or cancel if they haven’t.
Could you describe the Eventbrite and Zoom event features you are currently utilizing and whether you are looking to move these features into the context of the WordPress installation, i.e. registration, ticket purchasing, etc.?
For in-person/hybrid events, it would be great to have an integrated registration system. For virtual events, we think utilizing Zoom for registration and the webinar itself would still work best.
In regards to “an event calendar, that integrates with the member experience” Do you want events to just be also available on the member site or do you envision a different kind of integration?
How are event registrations handled on the member site – do they show the user they have registered on their dashboard when they are logged in?
There are external links to Eventbrite or Zoom registration page from the Member website event listing. All event registrations are separate from the Member website. Currently, there is no integration to show if someone has registered for an event on their Member website profile. They only receive an email confirmation through the registration platform (i.e. Eventbrite or Zoom).
