Request for Proposal: Website Development Services: madr.network

Introduction:

SMEX is seeking proposals from qualified website development companies to design, develop, and maintain well-defined domains. We aim to create user-friendly, visually appealing, and responsive websites that align with our brand identity and effectively communicate our services and values.

Who are we?

About SMEX

SMEX is a non-profit that advances and defends human rights and freedoms in the digital sphere across West Asia and North Africa. SMEX advocates for people in the WANA and the diaspora to access and engage with the internet, mobile services, and other networked spaces safely and without fear of censorship, surveillance, or repercussion. Our teams fulfill this vision through reporting, research, policy analysis, campaigns, and various advocacy projects. SMEX is primarily concerned with the impact of technology on human rights, recognizing that digital rights are human rights.

Our vision is for everyone in Lebanon and across the Arab region to be able to access the internet, mobile services, and other networked spaces to communicate and express themselves safely and without fear of censorship, surveillance, or repercussion.

Our mission is to advance digital rights in Lebanon and the Arab region through research, campaigns, and advocacy that encourages users to engage critically with digital technologies, media, and networks.

We believe in the transformative power of access to information and self-expression, both online and offline. We assert that these rights are essential to peaceful, dynamic, and prosperous societies.

Scope of Work:

We are looking for a dev partner to work with us on a project to redesign the MENA Alliance For Digital Rights’ existing website (aadr.network). This website is mainly used as a blog to share statements in both English and Arabic.

One of the project's main objectives is to change the website domain to madr.network with whatever that change entails in terms of development.

Our team is working on a new logo that reflects the new alliance name: Mena Alliance for Digital Rights (MADR) instead of Arab Alliance for Digital Rights (AADR).

This Wordpress-built website uses a pre-designed theme and page builders, and you will be helping us with changing the main domain name, developing the main five pages, developing the main pages taking into account our security requirements outlined below:

Redesigning the website with a modern, and responsive layout based on the desired identity based on SMEX preferences and in coordination with our design team, including the main five pages:

• Landing page
• Blog page (named Activities)
• Static page (Members)
• Static page (About us)
• Submission form inside the landing page and footer (Join us)

As a dev partner, you will be responsible for implementing and maintaining the security measures to protect the website against vulnerabilities:

• Understanding the threat landscape and the risk profile of our web infrastructure
• Performing regular security updates and patches on MADR web servers and applications
• Ensuring that the web components are functioning properly and securely
• Conducting regular security audits and assessments to identify and remediate vulnerabilities
• Implementing and maintaining web security tools and frameworks, such as firewalls, SSL, encryption, etc.
• Monitoring and analyzing web traffic and logs for suspicious or malicious activities
• Responding to and resolving web security incidents and breaches
• Collaborating with our in-house security team and external security experts

Project Deliverables

• Wireframes and design concept for client approval
• Design mockups for each main page
• Liaising with the SMEX tech team to deliver a fully developed and functional website, including all specified features
• Documentation for assets requirements and content authoring in CMS and content updates

Budget

The estimated budget for this project is up to $2000, including drafts, and editing. The project manager will oversee these details and allocate tasks.

Timeline

• Initial meeting: 1st week of March, 2024
• Wrefram preparation: March 2024
• Mockups and approval: April 2024

Submission form:

Interested parties are requested to submit the application form by March 20, 2024 with the following information:

• Company background, including relevant experience in website development
• Portfolio showcasing previous website projects and testimonials