3.1. Current Environment The HGACBuy website serves as a critical communication and engagement platform for our nationwide cooperative purchasing program. Below is a summary of the current environment: The website is built on the Kentico content management system (CMS) platform and is hosted internally by the H-GAC Data Services department. We plan to retain this existing CMS infrastructure and the current structured query language (SQL) database during the redesign process. The program serves a diverse national audience, including: Local, regional, and state government agencies Non-profit organizations Vendors and suppliers offering products and services nationwide Procurement professionals, purchasing cooperatives, and buyers seeking efficient and compliant procurement options The site consists of a mix of static and dynamic pages, with much of the content and data-driven components pulled from an SQL database. The current site navigation and page layouts have been reported as confusing and unintuitive. As a result, a complete redesign of the user experience (UX) and interface (UI) is desired, while maintaining the same CMS and backend database. At present, the website does not include member or vendor login portals. There is interest in developing role-based functionality in the future to enable vendors and members to access personalized or restricted content, manage documents, and track submissions. H-GAC is seeking a modern, responsive, ADA-compliant website with enhanced search functionality, simplified navigation, and a professional, branded design aligned with public sector and cooperative purchasing best practices. H-GAC is also seeking a Mobile App (IOS and Android) that will be used by the members, vendors, and staff of HGACBuy as a toolkit. The selected vendor must be prepared to work collaboratively with internal H-GAC staff, including the Data Services team, to ensure a smooth transition and maintain security, performance, and accessibility standards throughout the redesign process. The redesign may also require content migration and optimization, improved information architecture, and implementation of tools that make the site easier to maintain and update for non-technical staff.
