Open Call - Web Agency

Web Agency for a Digital Platform on 

Maintenance of Standard Software in Arabic

Start of the maintenance services: January 1, 2022.

Contract phase with Goethe-Institut e.V. as the contracting partner: January 1 - July 31, 2022.

A continuity with Jeem e.V. as the contracting partner starting Aug 1, 2022, is aimed for.

1. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

Jeem is an Arabic language digital platform on the topics of Gender and Sexuality, implemented and funded by Goethe-Institut e.V.

1.1. TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience of the site is youth in Arabic speaking countries and around the world, interested in the topics and seeking information about love and sexuality within society. 

1.2. CONTENT

The goal of this site is to produce knowledge and highlight stories that are not part of the mainstream media from across the region and diaspora. The aim of the website is to provide a safe digital space for a discourse about gender, sex and sexuality in all its social and cultural implications.

The multi-media content on the site is divided into seven categories: Society, Authority, Culture, Bodies, Gender & Sexuality, Internet, and Love. These seven categories are also used as a tagging system for the content. 

In addition to the ongoing publication of two content pieces per week, two to three dossiers are published each year. They can be found in the “dossiers” section.

“Jadal” is an interactive blog on the website where users publish personal stories or illustrations.

1.3. CONTENT LICENSE

The content on the platform is made available under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license, which allows for people to use the content and remix it and use it non-commercially, with the condition of attributing the content to the platform and the Goethe-Institut. 

1.4. FORMATS AND LANGUAGE

The content on the website is divided into five format categories: Articles, Audios, Illustrations, Photos and Videos.

The main language of the site and content is modern standard Arabic that is understood throughout the region. The Arabic content is partly available in English and German as well. 

2. SCOPE OF WORK

The Goethe-Institut would like to work with a contractor who focuses on both the programming and maintaining the online platform as well as the design part of it. This can be performed by one agency, which has experience with both parts of the assignment, or by two, each one with a proven experience in programming and design. 

2.1. PLATFORM  MAINTENANCE AND DESIGN

The contractor will be responsible for the following:

• Maintenance of the Front end and Content Management System.
• Fixing any bugs that appear in the CMS, front-end code, and font.
• Responding to minor and easy-to-implement tweaks and adjustments requested by the client.
• Regular security and release updates of the CMS system and related components (Content Management System WordPress). 
• Providing discounted quotations for the implementation of feature requests or new designs.
• Providing plans for new designs and features in consultation with the client and implementing them. 
• Coordinate with the managed hosting provider if there are any issues that require collaboration.
• Following the colour schemes and concept of the project in the design of the website.
• Regularly consulting the client on UX and UI issues and improvements.

2.2. DESCRIPTION OF THE WEBSITE STRUCTURE

A Information Architecture

Content on the site has to be easily discoverable through tags, related content suggestions, and search. The site must be optimized to allow search engines to find content relevant to search queries (SEO) from all content types on the site, thus increasing site exposure. Content in the site is of three main types:

1. Content pieces

Articles, Illustrations, Videos, Photos and Podcasts:

Edited content pieces related to the main themes of the site, with the target to expand the knowledge of the visitor. Information related to articles includes tags, author, publishing date, country, related articles, word count, format and theme. The website has three language options: Arabic, English and German. Selected content in Arabic is translated into English and German and linked with each other.  

2. Contributions on the website

Contributions to the site come in two forms: 

• through moderated comments by readers on the site 
• through submitting content through forms. 

Technical solutions to content moderation are also recommended. 

3. Static Information Pages

These are pages showing information about the site, including how to contact the team, the publishing policy, the editorial guidelines, the terms of use and the privacy and security regulations.

B Website

Features:

• Content Management System
• Customizable access levels
• Responsive design supporting mobile devices and desktops
• Anonymity to visitors and contributors
• Content Tagging system
• Search functionality 
• Allowing for comments and comment moderation
• Embedding images and video and audio easily 
• Multi Language option

C Security 

These features  include:

• All user accounts are allowed the use of pseudonyms to be used to publish on the site.
• No registration needed to share stories or opinions, user verification is done through recaptcha or similar challenge-response test.
• Platform has to be kept up to date, with highest security measures applied.

3. CRITERIA 

3.1 Eligibility Criteria: 

• Proven knowledge in WordPress Content Management Systems (to be verified through resume and samples of website projects). 
• An excellent command of the Arabic Language (C2 Level). 
• A strong command of the English language (B2 level).

3.2 Additional criteria: 

• Proven understanding of design concepts (to be verified through  resume and samples of website projects). 
• Work experience on topics related to Gender and sexuality in Arabic.

4. LOCATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

• The contractor will be hired on the basis of a service contract.
• The contractor can be located in any Arabic speaking country or anywhere in Europe.
• The contractor is generally free in the design of their working time as long as they commit to the response time submitted in the quote.
• The Contractor will not be provided with premises or equipment to conduct the job.

5. REMUNERATION

Please send us your price quote: a flat rate and hourly rates for services provided, including response time.The contract must be awarded to the most economical tender. This does not necessarily mean the cheapest offer. Quotation (remuneration) and Criteria will be assessed for selection 30:70%.

We request your offer, including a Service Level Agreement (SLA), résumés of the team member(s) who will be responsible for providing the services, all in English, and at least two samples of website projects you worked on, combined to one PDF, e-mailed to jobs@jeem.me with "IT Jeem" as the subject line, to be received by November 21st. For any questions please reach out to us via the email mentioned above.