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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 GovDelivery GovDeliver3r Email and Digital Subscription Management for Cities Proposal Presented to City of Auburn December 11, 2009 GovDelivery, Inc. Jay Perbix 408 St. Peter Street, Suite 600 St. Paul, MN 55102 866-276-5583 ext. 308 Fax: 651-665-0943 Email: jay.perbix@govdelivery.com GovDeiWryy ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................2 GovDelivery Email and Digital Subscription Management ............................................................3 GovDelivery Standard Features ............................................................................................................6 Setup Process ............................................................................................................................................9 Terms ........................................................................................................................................................11 Privacy & Ownership of Information .................................................................................................12 Roles & Responsibilities .........................................................................................................................13 Pricing & Terms ......................................................................................................................................14 Agreement & Acceptance ....................................................................................................................15 GOVDeliwry' @2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 1 Executive Summary Situation The City of Auburn (the "City") continues to look for ways to improve ongoing communication and outreach to its residents. As part of this civic engagement initiative, the City will utilize automated email and text messaging technology to deliver important alerts, announcements, and updated information to residents. The City of Auburn needs an automated email and digital subscription management system (EDSM) that works seamlessly with the City's website and content publishing system and is easy for staff to implement and manage. GovDelivery® Will Improve Communication and Lower Costs for the City GovDelivery will allow the City of Auburn to provide its residents: • Real-time distribution of information, updates and alerts on specific topics. • Ensured delivery of messages to residents' inbox (not SPAM folders). • Personalized choice; residents receive the information they want, when they want it. GovDelivery provides the City a robust, yet easy-to-use EDSM solution that: • Simplifies and Improves communication. • Automates the composing, sending and deliverability of email, text messaging and RSS notifications. • Decreases need for direct mail, phone calls and other administrative overhead. • Provides a potential return on investment (ROI) in 9-12 months by reducing paper document distribution costs and/or consolidating list serve software costs. Every visitor to the website can build a "My City of Auburn" profile of information or topics of interest they wish to receive automatically by email, RSS or text messaging. The City of Auburn's residents can stay informed of updates to news releases, meeting minutes and agendas, newsletters, manuals, employment opportunities, budget plans, annual reports, volunteer opportunities, events, and any other announcements and information published to the City website. Why should the City use GovDelivery? Email is the #1 use of the Internet and cities across the country understand the urgent need to make email alerts an important part of their communications strategy. Residents now have an expectation to choose the information from their local government that is important to them and do not want to receive "SPAM". GovDelivery is the only email and digital subscription solution built specifically for government and its citizens. GovDelivery's mission is to make it practical for the City to provide a reliable email and digital communication channel to its residents, while saving costs associated with traditional information distribution. GovDelivery manages all databases, mass emailing issues, security, and technology upgrades so the City can focus on promoting subscriptions and improving other components of its website. GovDelNe y° ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 2 Corporate Information GovDelivery Email and Digital Subscription Management GovDelivery, Inc. Is a GovDelivery Email and Digital Subscription Management (EDSM) is an Minnesota corporation automated system that uses email, RSS and text alerts to notify citizens founded in 1999 with a about specific topics of interest. It uses proprietary technology to monitor mission to provide public sector organizations' website for content updates and automatically governments with cost- sends personalized email, RSS and text alerts to interested citizens who opt effective tools to improve to receive the information. responsiveness to citizens. GovDelivery's Email and Digital Subscription Management system operates as Software as a Service (SaaS), a software application delivery model hosted and operated by GovDelivery for use by its clients over the Internet. GovDelivery takes care of the maintenance, support, training and upgrades GovDelivery's principal and is responsible for all hardware, networking, storage, database, security, place of business: administration and other costs associated with the delivery of its Email and Digital Subscription Management solution. 408 St. Peter Street, Suite 600 St. Paul, MN 55102 Assured Deliverability Email deliverability becomes exponentially more challenging as the over- growing amount of unsolicited mail continues to flood inboxes. ISPs, such as AOL, Yahool, and Hotmail, and company email servers are combating the Contact us: onslaught of unwanted mail by developing increasingly sophisticated U.S. 866-276-5583 methods of weeding out the "good" mail from the "bad." U.K. 0800 032 5769 According to Jupiter Research, 25% of legitimate email never reaches their intended recipients, even though they've opted in to receive them. Fax : 651-665-0943 GovDelivery stays at the forefront of deliverability issues to ensure emails land in inboxes and not in junk folders. In fact, 98% of emails sent through www.govdelivery.com GovDelivery make it to recipients' inboxes. GovDelivery Deliverability Checklist GovDelivery takes the following steps to ensure the highest deliverability rates for clients: • Maintain whitelist status with major ISPs. GovDelivery proactively engages with major ISPs to maintain whitelist status, allowing email to be delivered even if spam filters are in place. • Monitor "block" lists. GovDelivery actively monitors these lists of senders, from whom ISPs will not accept email, to ensure that it remains off them. • Maintain clean email lists. GovDelivery automatically validates email addresses with ISPs and proactively removes invalid email addresses from lists before sending. G0VDe1iVi rY ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 3 GovDelivery, Inc Confirm permission. Historical Highlights Block listers are imposing increasingly stricter permission standards for bulk email senders, including requiring senders to confirm permission to send to recipients. Permission to send to recipients is given when subscribers sign up to receive email June 1999 updates. GovDelivery automatically sends confirmation emails to Company founded in Saint subscribers whenever a new profile is created or changes are made Paul, the capital city of to an existing profile. Minnesota CertifieclEmail. According to Email Sender and Provider Coalition (ESPC), 53% of those surveyed said they would be more likely to open an email if February 2001 it had a symbol identifying it as having been certified by a trusted City of St. Paul launches third party. CertifiedEmail is a class of legitimate, trusted email that GovDelivery EDSM is specifically marked as such. A blue ribbon envelope icon lets citizens know a message is real, from an actual government agency March 2002 and is safe to open and act on. This unique solution directly addresses the rising problem of phishing and e-scams, marking GovDelivery use expands messages as authentic and safe. from local government to Adhere to federally mandated CAN-SPAM email compliance first state agency standards. (CA Dept. of Insurance) Remaining on top of ever-changing anti-spam regulations is no easy task. GovDelivery dedicates significant resources to stay up-to-date on current email laws to ensure its clients are compliant. February 2003 . Maintain ISP Test Inboxes. GovDelivery launches first GovDelivery maintains email test accounts with all major ISPs to transit authority client- ensure that email sent on behalf of clients is landing in inboxes and TriMet not in junk or bulk email folders. Note: GovDelivery provides on-demand reports for clients to monitor November 2003 deliverability rates. U.S. State Dept. is the first federal agency to launch GovDelivery (currently have 100,000+ subscribers) June 2008 GovDelivery reaches a milestone of more than 250 clients across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. March 2009 GovDelivery solidifies presence in 30 of the 50 United States. GOVDeli y ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 4 Communication Channels Alerts sent through GovDelivery can be delivered to stakeholders by email, text messaging via SMS, and/or RSS. Email Messages GovDelivery sends both text-based and HTML formatted emails to intended recipients depending on which email software the recipient is set up to receive. Text Messaging Wireless alerts are an optional feature that can be turned on at the discretion of the client for any topic available to residents for subscription through GovDelivery. RSS Feeds RSS allows stakeholders to view updates in their RSS readers. A small, but growing percentage of the population is embracing this emerging technology. GovDelivery has two methods to offer RSS updates to citizens: Public Feeds and Personal RSS Feeds. Public RSS Feeds GovDelivery makes it easy to publish any topic (for example: news releases) as an RSS feed on a client's website. This is the most common use of RSS today that is implemented on many websites. Personal RSS Feeds Citizens can also opt to receive all of their updates in a single RSS feed during the sign up process within GovDelivery. For example, if a citizen signs up to receive updates on six topics and wants to receive them via RSS, all of those topics can be combined into one RSS feed that they access in the RSS reader of their choice. They can choose to receive updates via e-mail and RSS or RSS only. GOVOeRwryP ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved 1 www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 5 GovDelivery Standard Features Automated Email Delivery GovDelivery operates on proprietary technology that automates workflow by linking website updates to email alert subscription options. The system monitors an organization's website for content updates; website content updates trigger the automation of sending personalized email alerts to interested citizens. The unique approach allows the subscription system to integrate with the City's current website and web publishing process without custom integration or interfering with network security. Manual Email Sending Although government clients primarily use GovDelivery for automated email sending, GovDelivery EDSM can also be used to manually send targeted email or text messages even when website updates don't occur. Emails and text messages can be manually created and sent at any time, for one-time issues such as emergencies, event announcements, etc. Content can be delivered directly to the public through email or text message or citizens can be offered a link back to a webpage. Associated Information Capture - Subscriber Segmenting In addition to capturing a resident's email address during initial sign up, the city can capture other associated information that it chooses to ask stakeholders at this time. This feature allows the City to segment (target a specific audience) with critical or relevant messages. This feature allows the City to target email communication based on details defined during setup such as: • Zip code • Neighborhood, District, etc. • Interests (e.g. Sending Park Recreation updates to a specific subscriber group within a geographic area) • Demographics E-Newsletter Editor The GovDelivery EDSM system includes a library of e-newsletter templates for non-technical staff to choose from and customize HTML newsletters. Staff can upload logos, pictures and other images to the newsletter templates for easy access and reuse in e-newsletter formats. E-Newsletter Editor includes: • Over 15 e-newsletter templates, with more templates available in future releases • Ability to customize newsletters by uploading images and logos to your own library of images • Custom template save feature for future use of a newly created e-newsletter. • Ability to customize Table of Contents • Ability to preview and approve newsletter before sending • Reporting on newsletter open rates GQVDeliwry ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 I info@govdelivery.com 6 Web Services GovDelivery provides an expanding set of Web services that allow our clients to further integrate EDSM with other back-end applications. Based on SOAP, functions in the API allow programs written in different languages to interact with GovDelivery. Web Services includes: • Send Bulletin - Client generates a file containing all the information needed to send a bulletin and passes it to GovDelivery to send through mail-sending platform. • Get Bulletin - By providing a bulletin ID, GovDelivery can return a copy of the bulletin, which can be modified and reset. • Synchronize Subscription Tree Topics - Create, modify, delete and move categories, sub- categories and items, enabling custom presentation of subscription items. • Get Subscription Tree - Retrieves a copy of current subscription tree topics. GovDelivery's Web Services Approach GovDelivery EDSM implements standard Web services advertised by WSDL (web services definition language). The technical implementation uses standard SOAP calls using HTTP and HTTPS. The Web services are implemented using a library called XFire. GovDelivery recommends using XFire to any client implementing the web service using Java. However, any Web services framework that is capable of reading WSDL and generating a web services call to GovDelivery will be able to use the services. Therefore the system can be implemented in Java, C, C++,.Net, or any other language with a WSDL generator. For clients that cannot create calls to WSDL directly, GovDelivery offers a command-line driven client that can accept a properly formatted XML file as input and make the web services call. In this case, the client would need to generate an XML file, execute the GovDelivery program, and read the program's output. Note: GovDelivery continues to work on additional API's. If you have additional questions about specific required integrations, contact your service representative for further information and pricing. GQVDeli wry ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 I info@govdelivery.com 7 81 million American adults use email. Collaboration Network -Pew Internet & American The Collaboration Network feature is included with the GovDelivery platform Life Study license and allows collaboration of email and text messaging topics to be shared on other GovDelivery client sign up pages to help cross-promote content to residents. As with all of GovDelivery's features, voluntary participation can be "We are very enthusiastic adjusted at anytime by either partner or partners. about this new service that Collaboration Network includes: will empower citizens to . Access to other in-network GovDelivery client subscription receive information as soon topics/content once permission is verified as it is available on topics of . One-on-one Client Services support to assist in building your interest to them without collaboration network partners waiting or searching. It puts customers in control of Collaboration Network Examples when, what and how they Similar government function receive information. Example: County health department collaborating with the state health -Donna Mason, department, CDC, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Director of Media Services, 10 City of Vancouver, WA Regional collaboration Examples: Transit authority connects to its surrounding counties, cities, and other transit agencies in a geographic area 0 Cross-government portals "GovDelivery has excellent Example: state agency topics populated to a centralized state portal email management. In fact, it lets you import existing email lists. It takes a lot of the maintenance issues out Reporting Module of their realm and leaves it Real-time email tracking and reporting allows system administrators to view up to GovDelivery, which high-level reports on how many emails were delivered, and which addresses also clears bounced email bounced and why. System administrators also have the ability to view metrics on addresses. GovDelivery also individual email results, for example, who opened the delivered email and which has excellent status links generated the most interest. reporting for the amount of traffic that you are doing With GovDelivery's email delivery and response tracking system administrators through their system. And will be able to identify: it's all-in-all a very useful • How many email bulletins were sent and delivered system. " • What percentage of subscribers opened received email -Camille McFadin, . Who opened and clicked-through the email ITDepartment, . Which links generated the most click-throughs City of Riverside, CA . Which subscribers, and how many, opted-out of future email bulletins GQVD@l&vey ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 8 Setup & Ongoing Support Setup Process At completion of procurement the City of Auburn will be assigned a dedicated Implementation Manager. Your Implementation Manager will work closely with you throughout the setup process. Typical account setup includes the following: Implementation Milestone Responsible Party Conduct a Kick-off Conference meeting ✓ Client Project Lead The Implementation Manager leads a meeting to give a system ✓ GovDelivery overview, identify implementation team members, & review Implementation Manager ✓ Other Project Stakeholders implementation steps. (IT and Communications) Outbound Email Settings Form The Implementation Manager provides a form to assist clients ✓ GovDelivery in determining standard outbound message settings for their Implementation Manager organization. The Client Project Lead coordinates agreement on ✓ Client Project Lead outbound email settings and returns the form. (Typically Communication) Subscription Topics List The Implementation Manager provides a comprehensive list of recommended subscription topics created from a review of the ✓ GovDelivery client site along with client web analytics data (if provided). Implementation Manager The Client Project Lead confirms which items on the ✓ Client Project Lead comprehensive list will be offered for subscription at launch, (Typically Communications) along with identifying other administrators for each item. System Data Load Once the Topics List is complete, GovDelivery personnel create ✓ GovDelivery the client account and load item data. Implementation Manager Web and Email Templates Review & Approval The Implementation Manager provides the Project Lead with instruction for reviewing all public-facing sign up screens and ✓ GovDelivery emails. Implementation Manager The Project Lead coordinates approvals and/or changes to web ✓ Client Project Lead and email templates and sends changes (if necessary) to the (Typically Communications) Implementation Manager. Training Client Administrator training sessions are conducted in-person ✓ GovDelivery or via webinar with all client personnel who will have high level implementation Manager access to the GovDelivery administration tools. ✓ Client Administrators (Typically Project Lead/Web Manager) GovDelivBry- @2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdeIivery.com 9 Distribute Integration Plan & Mock-up Pages The Implementation Manager provides the Project Lead with ✓ GovDelivery necessary recommendations and code to launch the Implementation Manager GovDelivery system on the client website. Transfer existing email lists into GovDelivery ✓ Client & Govoelivery Lists are uploaded into GovDelivery from client-provided CSV Implementation Manager files. Launch Service Implementation is complete when the Client Project Lead ✓ Client Project Lead (Typically Web coordinates updates to the Client website or web with Manager; ( pages) Department Web Administrators) subscribe (html) links. Publicize Service Internally & to Public ✓ GovDelivery Marketing Send out internal/external communication to announce launch ✓ Client Project Lead of new service. Includes press release writing and distribution (Typically Communications/ assistance; access to marketing kit/templates. Marketing) Unlimited Ongoing Training & Support The City of Auburn will receive unlimited ongoing training and support throughout the life cycle of the City's use of GovDelivery. GovDelivery will assign a Client Services team to the City of Auburn that is comprised of 2 specialty groups: 1) Implementation Manager: an expert trainer whose main responsibilities are to prepare the client to go live with the GovDelivery solution and guide the client through its best practices process. 2) Technical Support Representatives: a team of technical staff who are assigned to work with the Implementation Manager and the City to assist in setting up, launching, and maintaining the GovDelivery solution. Implementation Managers and Technical Support Representatives are all available by phone and email to provide technical and strategic incident management support during regular business hours: 8:00 AM EST - 6:00 PM CST. In addition, 24-hour emergency phone and email support is available during off- business hours. All support requests are covered under the flat monthly fee. Personalized attention, quick incident response, and ownership of responsibilities drive our Client Services team philosophy, which helps ensure a successful client experience. GOVDelilwry- @2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 10 Terms The term for the Ongoing Monthly Services is 12-months, cancelable with 30 days of written notice at any time. The term automatically renews for consecutive 12-month periods if no written notice is given. Procurement Options & Information There are a number of different methods through which GovDelivery can be procured: • Sole Source - documentation available upon request • Professional Services • State Procurement Schedules (e.g., CMAS) • GSA Schedule • RFP or Bid - requirement documents or sample RFPs available upon request Federal ID Tax # 41-1941088. W-9 available upon request Contact your GovDelivery consultant for more detail on procurement options. Billing The setup fee is due when the contract with GovDelivery is signed, net 30 days. Annual fees will begin upon launch of GovDelivery on the City of Auburn website. Annual fees will be billed in subsequent years on the launch anniversary date so long as the City offers links to GovDelivery functionality from its website. Cancellation Terms In the event of cancellation, the City of Auburn will have full access to the system for 30 additional days beyond the effective cancellation date to download all email addresses and associated content and information related to the City. The City of Auburn may also request their associated information from their assigned implementation manager. GOVDeli1Vl@ry @2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 11 Clients Data Privacy & Ownership of Information All content and associated information provided by the City of Auburn and user information (e.g., stakeholder email addresses) collected in GovDelivery will remain the property of the City. GovDelivery offers a data privacy template, however, we encourage the City to use their own data privacy policy. User Information http://www.riversideca.sov/ The user information will remain the sole property of the City of Auburn. GovDelivery shall have a license to use the user information in order to provide services for the City. GovDelivery never shares information gathered through our government clients with third parties for promotional or any other purpose. Ownership of Content & GovDelivery System The City of Auburn maintains sole ownership of all output from the setup District of Columbia services provided under this service proposal including the database of information associated with email subscriptions. The collected data will be http://www.dc.sov/ available to the City as a comma-separated-value (CSV) list in a password protected zip file. GovDelivery shall maintain sole ownership of the GovDelivery system and all modifications made to the system whether these modifications are made specifically to accommodate the City's content within GovDelivery or for another purpose. Application Security & Connection GovDelivery, Inc. maintains high security and a robust hosting environment for the GovDelivery system. Our servers are protected by advanced security htto://www.a2sov.ors/ firewalls and physical protection. GovDelivery consistently delivers better than 99.8% system availability. There are 4 redundant connections to the Internet backbone providing exceptional uptime reliability for our customers. In addition, our Operations team is constantly analyzing and reacting to increased usage and load patterns so that we can continue to provide a scalable and responsive platform. CMAMIYI'TI?. http://www.charmeck.org/ (Client list continued on next page) GovDeli velry 02009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 12 Clients Roles & Responsibilities GovDelivery and the City each have specific responsibilities to ensure successful setup and maintenance of GovDelivery. A City of Auburn Responsibilities The City will provide: ignated project leader who can coordinate the project with 1. One des GovDelivery. 2. The City's best efforts to promote the availability of email subscriptions on its website to its citizens through promotions in its ANQ~f offices and through other mediums. http•//www.ci.bellevue.wa.usZ 3. A contact for press release, reference and testimonials. Typically the person responsible for city communications; must be able to approve press release and provide quote or testimonial. Gov®elivery Responsibilities Minneapolis GovDelivery will provide all of the services outlined in this proposal. There CJtyofLakss will be one point of contact assigned by GovDelivery for the City staff and that person will be responsible for managing the GovDelivery system to http•//www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us ensure successful implementation and ongoing use of the system. GovDelivery will also provide regular upgrades in technology to the system to stay consistent with the latest browser and mass emailing requirements. As part of its account management services, GovDelivery provides a marketing kit to help the City promote the email and digital subscription ' services in the local media. GovDelivery can provide the City of Auburn with marketing assistance and support, by way of press release and direct mail templates. For more information, contact the marketing department http://www.cnv.org/ (Jennie Olson, Director of Marketing, 651-757-4111). http://www.aptx.ora/ For a complete list of GovOelivery's clients, visit htto://www.govdelivery.com/ clients.pho GovD@ftMBry ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 13 Pricing & Terms GovDelivery proposes to perform the following services described in this statement for the fees listed below. This quote is based on information provided by the City of Auburn and is subject to change if there is a substantive change in requirements. City of Auburn's Description of Services* System Setup Services Initial Technology License Site Analysis and Recommendations of Where to Add GovDelivery Functionality Subscription Functionality Based on Web Publishing Process Technical Assistance with Placement of HTML Links to Subscription Functionality Setup of an Unlimited Number of Administrators Setup Coordination from Client Services Unlimited Online Administration Tools and Training for Staff Setup Fee 4,872 Discount** -1,972 Total Setup Fee $ 2,900 Ongoing Services Automated Distribution of Emails Unlimited Subscribers to System Unlimited Subscription Categories and Topics Unlimited Distribution of Emails, RSS Alerts and Text Messaging (using email as a bridge to SMS) Unlimited Ongoing Administration Tools Training Phone and Email Support during regular business hours Regular Technology Upgrades Subscriber Profile Management Management of Mass Emailing Issues, Including Bounced Emails Unlimited Website Monitoring for Changes Secure and Reliable Application Hosting Ongoing Monthly Fee 493 Total Annual Fee $ 5,916 Important Notes THE PRICING AND TERMS OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE VALID THROUGH March 11, 2010. *License allows for information and content owned and authorized by the City of Auburn. Acceptance of the additional discount amount authorizes marketing collaboration between the City of Auburn and GovDelivery. Item collaboration includes: press release, testimonial, 1101, case study and webinar. GovDelivery may also ask the City of Auburn to serve as a reference to other interested cities. GOVDel1VIBrY ©2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 14 Agreement & Acceptance This Service Proposal has been read, is understood and is hereby agreed to and accepted by the undersigned. Upon execution of this Service Proposal, GovDelivery will commence work. Client: ~ u-6u.rn (legal entity name) By: (signature) -~e~ R ► 5 (please print) Name:-PC Title: Qv C) r (please print) Date: I Q Billing information if different than above Contact Name: A-'5 V_) (e-)! 'P al8s Contact Phone Number a 5 Billing Address ~J W MO-C n L)F3y21J~ LOA ~~00 Pr+i-n, Silf~ S-~'C-5 (If applicable) Billing Code GovDelivery, Inc. By: Title: Date: GOvMfiWrY @2009 GovDelivery, Inc. All rights reserved I www.govdelivery.com 1866-276-5583 1 info@govdelivery.com 15