Public Tender

Define and lead the redesign of the websites of Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI)

 

Background

Reporters Without Borders – known internationally as Reporters sans frontières (RSF) – is an independent NGO working globally to promote the freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism. Fighting against censorship and providing support to journalists and media outlets persecuted because of their activities, RSF defends an essential pillar of democracy.

With consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), RSF is an independent organisation based in Paris. Strong with 6 sections abroad, bureaux in 7 cities, 4 representatives and network of correspondents in 130 countries, RSF has a strong potential to mobilise, alert on issues related to the freedom of the press and the protection of journalists and media professionals.

Context of this call for tender

While mistrust is growing towards media and journalists, journalistic content is in direct competition on platforms with any other type of content, it is urgent to find structural solutions to restore trust and create favorable conditions for it to recover.

This is what the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) proposes with the implementation of an international mechanism rewarding ethical journalistic practices.

Designed as an ISO standard, the Journalism Trust Initiative, initiated by Reporters without borders (RSF), has been developed by a panel of 130 international experts under the aegis of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and published as Workshop Agreement CWA 17493 to reward trustworthy journalism and compliance with professional norms.

Today, JTI is in its important phase of development with more than 1500+ media outlets joining the initiative. 2024 continues to be a crucial year for the JTI with an ambitious objective to be achieved.

In this context, RSF seeks to improve the quality of the services that are available online in order to assist the media to obtain the transparency report and JTI certification. Therefore, in view of the continuous increase of the visibility, JTI seeks to redesign its websites, to integrate them in one more accessible to the public and optimize the user experience. This is the reason why RSF launches this call for tenders.

Deliverables

Here are the three deliverables of the assignment: :

1. Deliverable  1: Conception – running the necessary activities (workshops, interviews, review of documentation, etc.) to understand the JTI’s strategic goals, audience strategy, UX, communication plans and other important factors that are part of the overall success of the JTI.
2. Deliverable 2: Development and Implementation – define and execute the necessary action plan based on Deliverable 1 including resources and detailed roadmap. (examples: changing CMS, developing 1 centralized user interface with a unified experience vs. forcing users to surf 3 different JTI portals, etc.).
3. Deliverable 3: Content updates, maintenance and evolution – the selection of services and implementation of the tools requires to consider the usability of the system for JTI users in terms of content updates and CMS or other assets updates

The current CMS is hosted via Prismic. We require the service provider to migrate the CMS to a more common and maintained platform such as WordPress.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the concrete services that should be performed by the service provider is expected to:

1. Define and pitch a JTI  user experience
2. Define and pitch an  SEO strategy
3. Redesign the JTI websites into one unified website
4. Demonstrate your expertise in these activities and your understanding of the JTI and of the needs, and be challenged until validation of each concepts and activity

As a benchmark to position the future JTI website, the agency can refer amongst other to the following website:

• https://www.label-pmeplus.fr/
• https://auditedmedia.com/
• https://iso101.com.tw/
• https://www.ecolabel.net/en/

5 Pitch a solution to merge and/or redevelop the 3 portals of JTI. The three website of JTI are the following:

• • JTI’s main page https://www.journalismtrustinitiative.org/

Note on the Journalism Trust Initiative showcase site: The JTI also shares information on an independent website. No user account is available but public transparency reports are available to the public on the community page.

• • JTI’s user page (JTI:APP) https://www.jti-app.com/

jti:app is the online tool for media outlets to assess their compliance with the JTI standard and publish their transparency report. Through the platform, media outlets add contributors and select a JTI certifier. Launched in May 2021. A test account will be provided to the Service Provider during the implementation phase

• • JTI’s information center (JTI:Campus) https://www.jti-campus.org/

jti:campus is a platform where media outlets have access to resources shared by the JTI team and partner organizations to support them in their activities and in the JTI assessment process. Service offers are available and media outlets can connect with consultants and service providers through the platform. Launched in August 2022.

6 Merge the hosted server from current servers (Heroku and Digital Ocean) to one-single server (physically located in the EU with backup servers ideally located in the EU too).

Special requirement as a mandatory criteria

The Service Provider should have at least one in-house graphic designer. Please share the résumé of the graphic designer, SEO team and a system architect in the technical proposal.

Duration of the mission

6 months maximum, starting in October 2024.

Maximum Budget

40,000 euros

This provisional budget does not include objective 3. However, the Service Provider should state the cost of objective 3 in the financial proposal.

Application

The application can be written in English or French and must include the following information, the technical proposal and the financial proposal should be provided in a separate document.

1. A technical proposal (60%) with
   1. A brief description of the service provider
   2. Understanding of the needs concerning this tender
   3. Methodology, including a brief presentation of involved team member

• A design sketch of the future website
• A short demonstration of graphical charter

1. 1. A demonstration of experience(s)
   2. An applicable registration certificate in the resident country
2. A financial proposal (40%), including an overall price of the services the aim to achieve the three objectives above listed, please also include VAT in this financial proposal

Any incomplete application will not be considered.

This publication of call for tender is served as the term of references. However the candidates can submit their questions for the clarification by the 13^th of September 2024 (included, CET), the clarification will be communicated with all the candidates who have manifested his/her interest before this date.

The candidates who are interested in participate in this call for tenders are invited to send the application to bsabbah@rsf.org, cfiodiere@rsf.org and llin@rsf.org (all must be included) by the 30^th of September 2024 (included, CET) at the latest. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted.

Selection of criteria

 

Criteria	Max points (100)
Profile of the service provider	10
Understanding of the term of references	10
Methodology and team	30
Proven experiences	10
Financial proposal	40

 

 

 

Annex. Feasibility Study on interoperability of profiles

Please find here the supporting document: Feasibility Study on Interoperability of Profiles.

This document aims to provide a general view of JTI websites and their recommendations.

This document is seen as the annex to the present call for tenders but can not replace it. In case of conflict, please refer to the present call for tenders.