EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

1. Project Overview

The Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) is developing the Alaska Design Depot, a dynamic website that consolidates cold-climate housing design plans, construction standards, and logistics resources.

The Alaska Design Depot will serve as a centralized digital platform and technical support center for high-performing housing designs and construction plans proven in Alaska’s conditions. By organizing region-specific resources into a searchable, easy-to-use format, the platform will expand access to reliable information and strengthen local capacity for housing development across the state.

2. Purpose

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit and hire a qualified web developer or development team to design and launch the Alaska Design Depot website in alignment with CCHRC’s standards for accessibility, usability, and long-term sustainability.

The selected contractor will demonstrate a strong ability to develop a dynamic, functional platform that meets accessibility and maintenance standards, and provide/coordinate all training, materials, and technical support required for long-term upkeep and future updates.

3. Objectives

• Accessibility: Ensure the platform complies with WCAG 2.2 AA standards and functions reliably in low-bandwidth, desktop, and mobile platforms.
• Searchable Catalog: Establish an organized, searchable system to house design plans, CPM forms, and other supporting documentation. Deliver faceted search, standardized detail pages, and a split view toggle option that allows users to compare multiple documents.
• Long-term Maintenance: Website framework designed to allow for regular data input and dynamic hosting of input materials by organizational staff. Configure a content management system (CMS) that enables easy, non-technical updates. Provide full technical documentation, staff training, and a complete handover.
• Expert Input: Implement a submission → review → publish workflow with defined roles, permissions, and versioning.

5. Deliverables

6. Contractor Qualifications

Respondents should demonstrate experience and capacity in:

• Designing complex websites that meet the standards listed above.
• Implementing content management systems with multi-role publishing workflows.
• Developing catalog or data-driven sites with search, filtering, and versioning functionality.
• Training non-technical staff in website content management.
• Complying with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards.
• Creative, inventive, excited approach.

Proposals should include:

• Organization Name & Primary point of contact.
• Description of relevant past projects (with live URLs if available).
• Description of the proposed technical stack and hosting approach.
• Budget breakdown and Estimated project timeline.
• Three client references.

7. Evaluation Criteria

• Demonstrated technical capability and relevant experience
• Understanding of project goals and approach
• Cost competitiveness and clarity of budget