Developing Solutions Portal (An online marketplace for clean energy-driven productive use solutions)
Contract Supervision : Program Manager, Solutions Portal
Timeline: 3 Months, Jan 2023 - March 2023
| Expected area of expertise | Branding and web portal concept, |
| UI/UX design and Wireframes, |
| Content Design and Flow, |
| Website Sustenance (preferred expertise in catalog
website/e-commerce website) |
Email and website: p
procurement@selcofoundation.org solutionsportal@selcofoundation.org www.selcofoundation.org
About Selco Foundation
Selco Foundation, established in 2010 is working on building a holistic ecosystem for sustainable energy access. In this regard, Selco Foundation engages in technical, financial, and social innovation, enterprise development, skill building, and financial inclusion. The organization works on demonstrating and catalyzing the role of renewable energy across verticals of well-being, health, education, livelihoods, and the built environment.
Project
SELCO Foundation’s Solutions Portal is an avenue to discover, view, and learn more about productive use (or Agri+allied) technologies that can be integrated with Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) solutions. It showcases nodal points within multiple livelihood sectors, and the technology variations within those, as well as maps different vendors against each tech variation. Additionally, the solution portal showcases the suitability of technology variations to specific groups of users. The target consumer base for such solutions is small and marginal farmers, low-income communities, micro-businesses, government bodies as well as other ecosystem stakeholders which provide them with support services. Target users of the portal as mentioned above, as well as their supporting ecosystem, do not have access to new and diverse livelihood-driven technology options. In many cases, information on such aspects is very generic, not transparent, or completely absent. In other cases, this information may be extremely dated with old technologies being procured by the ecosystem on behalf of the end users. Additionally, a productive use solution requires the technology to be complemented with the support of finance, appropriate ownership models, and convergence with local policies. The portal will aim at packaging solutions and connecting end users, institutes, and agencies with manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers of Agri-Allied Technology solutions.
Objective
The objective is to work alongside an agency that can deliver a high-quality website. The expectation is “to create a vibrant, interactive, self-sustainable technology platform for the needs of stakeholders for collaboration, information dissemination, and design solar solutions.” Below are the areas that are expected from the agency:
Overall Branding and Concept
- Suggest names for the web portal which is simple, can be easily searched on Google through a keyword, stakeholders can identify with the brand, and is not very long for a domain name
- Design a logo for the platform which will match the vision and expectations of the platform. This should ensure authenticity, originality, and branding
- Ensure the color, tone, and font of the web portal are in alignment with Selco Foundation’s vision for the platform
Design flow of the platform
- Design UI/UX and low-level, and high-level wireframes for the web portal which is user-friendly and easy to use
- Design the overall flow, pages of the platform, and favourable functionality of the platform
- Design the interconnectivity between the pages
Content Flow
- Design and develop content schema/placeholder to place the content on the platform. Content will be in text, video, doc, pdf, etc. The doc and pdf can be shared and downloaded by the users.
- Ensure that all the products that use technology are categorized and placed on the platform. The product catalog is designed and developed for all sectors (Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Micro Business)
Website Sustenance
- Develop the platform using the feasible and the best technology
- Use SEOs and analytics to capture web traffic
- Design a backend dashboard, and infographics to capture user engagement
- Platform should be developed into multiple languages – English, Kannada, and Hindi to name a few
- Platform should have an AI-enabled chat feature
- Platform should be accessible to people with vision impairment and other disabilities. Adherence to accessibility guidelines
- Provide safe and secure web hosting services The target audience of the platform will be people from rural India, the government, solar solution providers, NGOs, social enterprises, micro-finance, financial institutions, etc.
Scope of the Work
The contracted service provider will be required to perform and complete the tasks identified in the table below within the timeline agreed upon by both parties. The table below identifies the minimum requirements that a vendor’s solution must meet. The requirements are not listed in any priority. The project would be amenable to a phased approach to the requirements, if or as appropriate
Product catalogue
Visually and aesthetically appealing, with cohesive, engaging, varied, and dynamic web portal
- Products are cataloged in categories that can be searched by giving keywords. Products are tagged and meta keywords are given for easy search
- High-quality content, timely, useful, and relevant to the visitor, with regular new information and timely “front page” information.
- Photographs, diagrams, maps, videos, and illustrations presented are appealing to the target audience
- Elements of the site and other supporting media are visually connected and balanced
- Integrated case study, image gallery, social media, and email, with a common look and feel across the platform/ tools are ideally on one integrated platform
- Platform can easily add, delete, or change anything if required
- Information gathered in the process includes the user’s registration details, all done in a secure e-commerce platform
Roles and responsibility
Ownership and management of platform and related elements, it should be easily managed and updated
- Ability to add or change the content (menus, tabs, pages, links text, images, social media feeds, etc.)
- Can be managed by a content manager to ensure continuity.
- Ability to add or change authorized meets as needed to meet operational requirements.
Reporting and Analytics
Management of analytics and statistics for a web-based platform
- Statistical information and analysis that measures how visitors use and interact with the platform.
- Ability to see trends in user traffic and platform usage patterns, where they go on a platform, and where they drop off.
Branding
Branding and concept
- Suggest a website name relevant to the DRE domain and is aligned with the organizational brand
- Platform should have a logo that will share the mission and vision of the platform. The color, tone, and meaning of the logo should be easily comprehensible
Additional Features
Additional options
- Multiple Language: The Platform should be able to accommodate English, Kannada, and other language audiences
- Chats: the platform should have an AI-enabled chat for the users to talk or make an enquiry
- Linkages to other websites: The platform should be able to be linked with other websites for synergies and complementarities.
General Timeline
The development and launch of the solution portal are envisioned to occur within 4 to 6 weeks of the finalization of the proposal.
Deliverables
The Assignment will be considered complete on the:
- Successful launch of the well-functioning web platform
- Hand over the user-friendly and a well-functioning digital platform
- Transfer of all user rights and installation to Selco Foundation
- Submission of all required documents such as reports in English
- The service provider ensures that the digital platform is secure, functional, user-friendly, and error-free through various tests
- Providing training and guidance to the team on using the platform
Expertise Required
- Agency/ Individual with an experience in product catalogue websites, eCommerce websites, content development, and assignment writing.
- Technical knowledge and familiarity with solar energy/technology are desirable
- Working with NGOs is an added experience
- Experience in the compilation of technical information
- Excellent track record of individuals working on the project
Selection Criteria
The proposal will be evaluated based on the following general areas:
- Agency has a good working experience in platform design and development, SEOs, UI/UX, logo
- Agency to understand the core value and mission of the organization, Selco Foundation
- Agency to understand the aims and objectives of the Solutions Portal
- Agency to have a qualified team with relevant experience
- Agency to have prior knowledge of working with the NGOs
- The financial proposal will be evaluated based on expertise, cost, lead time, and proposed payment terms.
Interested consultants/organizations, with relevant experience (please include references of previous similar work as proof of experience), team member details working on the project and based out of Bangalore (preferably) are requested to reach out with a detailed proposal giving a brief on the methodology and the process they will uptake for this project, including budgets (with break-ups and explanation), timelines and milestones and send the same to solutionsportal@selcofoundation.org & Procurement@selcofoundation.org marking: “Proposal for Solutions Portal” on or before 10th January ’23.