Description
St Mary’s University, Twickenham (“the University”) is seeking to appoint a supplier to redevelop its external website. The aim is to deliver a modern, accessible, and user-centred digital platform that meets the needs of a diverse range of audiences including prospective students, parents, staff, alumni, and commercial partners.
The new website will support the University’s strategic goals in recruitment, engagement, and brand positioning. It will replace the current Content Management System (CMS) and introduce improved content management, personalisation, integration, and performance capabilities.
General Requirements
The general requirements for the new website will serve as a critical platform for:
• Prospective students (home, international, postgraduate, and online / short courses learners) to explore courses, apply, and engage with the University.
• Parents, teachers, and advisors seeking information to support student decision-making.
• Commercial clients and business partners exploring opportunities for collaboration.
• Alumni, job seekers, and the wider community to stay connected and informed.
• Internal users including staff and CMS editors who require a flexible, intuitive, and secure content management experience.
The project will deliver a new website built on a modern CMS, with a focus on:
• User-centred design and accessibility
• Personalised content and marketing automation
• Seamless integration with third-party systems (e.g. CRM, course data, event booking)
• Scalable architecture and future-proof technology
• Improved governance, analytics, and performance
After the initial build period of the external website, the project will enter into a subsequent operational period of 3 years for on-going hosting and licensing, with the optional scope of on-going retainer service for development support. There will be an option to extend the operational term for a 2 single-year periods.
Project Scope
The initial website build scope includes UX discovery (e.g. user research, existing site and content audit, stakeholder engagement), design (e.g. wireframes and prototypes, design system), development, testing, training, content migration (optional), and post-launch support. The internal website (existing staff and student portals) is out of scope for this procurement and will be delivered separately.
Detailed specifications will cover the following key features of a new CMS and key project areas:
• Development of website templates
• Site map, navigation and search
• Content creation, update, preview, testing and publishing
• Content modelling
• Digital asset management
• Personalisation
• Integration with key systems / platforms
• Marketing Automation
• Accessibility
• SEO
• Analytics and report
• CMS product UI, access control and governance
• Multiple website management
• Product roadmap
• Hosting
• System and security configuration
• Data protection
• Infrastructure and performance
• SaaS cloud configuration
• Change control
• Operational support
• Business continuity
• System capacity
• Training
• Testing
• Exit Plan
• User policy
The project is scheduled to launch the new external website by May 2027, with discovery and implementation phases commencing in April 2026.
Further details of the University’s requirements will be available to the shortlisted suppliers in Stage 2 - Invitation to Tender.