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San Clemente approves CivicPlus website contract after council weighs cost and timeline
Summary
The city approved a contract with CivicPlus for a redesigned city website and content-management services, selecting the highest-ranked proposer after an RFP process; council discussed lifecycle costs, accessibility and a 10% contingency for change orders.
The San Clemente City Council voted 5-0 on Feb. 18 to approve a contract award to CivicPlus for website design and a new content-management system intended to improve searchability, accessibility and resident service requests.
Brian Brauer, the city’s Administrative Services Director, told the council that staff received 15 responses to the city’s request for proposals, interviewed three finalists and recommended CivicPlus as the top-ranked vendor. He said the three-year total cost of ownership for the recommended CivicPlus solution is approximately $168,000 and that the city’s ongoing annual maintenance cost is estimated at about $49,000 per year.
Brauer emphasized two priorities for the project: user experience and improved search functionality. “We have 430 pages on our website,” he said, adding that residents frequently report difficulty finding information. The planned system includes optional modules the city may add: a SeeClickFix-style CRM to consolidate resident requests, AudioEye continuous accessibility support, and CivicSend outbound communications.
Council members pressed staff on lifecycle costs, the proposed 10% management contingency and integration options. Brauer said the 10% contingency is intended to cover unanticipated features or change orders during implementation and estimated it at roughly $16,000. He and the IT analyst said the vendor’s platform would support richer search and user-experience improvements and that mock-ups would be provided early in the design process.
The staff presentation estimated a development and implementation timeline of about 4 to 6 months depending on staff availability; the city’s project team will include the senior IT analyst and the public information coordinator, with oversight by the Administrative Services Director and Community Development Director.
Council members who raised concerns said they wanted assurance on search performance and lifecycle value before long-term commitments; a council member asked about the vendor’s policy for periodic refreshes and was told CivicPlus offers a website refresh after four years if the city remains a client. After discussion, councilmember Edmeier moved to adopt Resolution No. 2517 to award the contract; the motion passed 5-0.
The approved contract includes a 10% management contingency to allow the city manager to authorize limited change orders during implementation. Staff said they will return to council with mock-ups and periodic briefings on progress and user-acceptance testing prior to a public launch.
