Request for Proposals: 

Web Development + Maintenance Provider

Issued October 16, 2026

Proposals due Friday, October 30 5:00 PM ET

Washington, DC

At a glance

 

Issuer:

FAS (Federation of American Scientists)

Engagement:

Enhancements to FAS.org, heatagenda.us, cri.fas.org, essentialdata.us, followed by an optional ongoing maintenance retainer. 

Term:

December 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027 for the enhancement project. A maintenance retainer may follow at FAS’s option.

Budget:

Not to exceed $14,500 for initial 6-month engagement

Proposals due:

Friday, October 30, 2026, 5:00 PM ET

1.Background and Strategic Foundations

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is seeking a new provider of web development and maintenance services to lead an update of our current website. FAS is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) that has around 60 FTEs, a network of Senior Fellows and Advisors, and is supported largely by philanthropy.  

We are looking for a WordPress developer with strong design judgment who will learn how FAS works and recommend improvements to our main website and growing number of sister sites.

If the initial project goes well, we expect to continue with the same provider for ongoing maintenance and future enhancements.

Current website environment

Bidders should use the following to estimate effort. FAS will share additional details with bidders on request.

• Platform: WordPress 7.1.3; Custom theme; Page builder: Standard Wordpress with some custom blocktypes, including TablePress
• Hosting: Gravitate. Hosting costs are not in the scope of this RFP.
• Original site build: And–Now, 2023. Current maintenance is provided by Gravitate, who will be available for handoff.
• Content volume: approximately ~150 pages and 5,703 posts/publications; 1,140 staff and fellow bio pages.
• Key plugins and integrations: YoastSEO (trial), TablePress plus custom dataviz embedding with Tableau and Datawrapper, Google Analytics 4, Meta Box + Meta Box AIO, Relevanssi Premium, SAR Friendly SMTP, Akismet Anti-spam, Headers Security Advanced
• Existing microsites: heatagenda.us and cri.fas.org, and essentialdata.us, plus legacy subdomains like nuke.fas.org, sgp.fas.org. 
• Brand guidelines and design source files: PDF available here.

2. What we are asking you to do

Scope of work

All work applies site-wide to FAS.org, heatagenda.us (static site), cri.fas.org (static site), essentialdata.us unless stated otherwise. For each item, the "Done when" line describes what FAS will accept as complete. The provider may recommend changes to these items during discovery; the approved plan (see Timeline) becomes the binding scope.

Base scope (required)

A. Photo, video and data visualization components. Reusable WordPress blocks or templates for carousels, image grids, video embeds and featured data visualizations, consistent with the current design language.

• Done when: FAS staff can add and edit these components on any page or post without developer help, and they display correctly on mobile.

B. Social media integration. Display of FAS social content on the homepage, staff and fellow bio pages, and publication pages. Platforms: Instagram, LinkedIn, X. Bidders should state whether they propose embeds or automated feeds, and note any third-party API or subscription costs.

• Done when: Content from the named platforms appears on the specified page types and updates without manual work, or with a documented manual process FAS approves.

C. Microsite template and navigation. A reusable template for program microsites [bidder to recommend , with consistent navigation between microsites and FAS.org.

• Done when: FAS staff can launch a new microsite from the template, and one pilot microsite (highlighting our ‘Future of Science’ work), is live.

D. Miscellaneous improvements. Ability to update footer (currently we lack ability to add social platforms or other outward links; CMS/WordPress-managed redirects (currently we have to ask developers to do this; visible tags on publications

• Done when: These items are present or alternative solutions are operational on FAS.org.

Optional items (price each separately)

FAS will decide which of these to fund during the planning phase, based on cost and remaining budget.

• Search across microsites: a single search that returns results from FAS.org and all microsites.
• Bulk tag editing in the WordPress admin.
• Google Analytics 4 improvements: pass publication date and other post metadata to GA4; an analytics dashboard for staff.
• Data visualization: improved DataWrapper embedding or native charts and tables in WordPress.
• Footnotes for publications: ability to include “sidenotes” or “margin-notes” (i.e. footnotes that don’t interrupt the reading experience).

Requirements that apply to all work

• Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA for all new templates and components.
• Support for current versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, on desktop and mobile.
• All changes are built and reviewed on a staging site before going live. FAS approves each deployment.
• No measurable drop in page load performance compared to the current site.
• Written documentation for each new component and a training session for FAS staff before the end of the engagement.
• A warranty period of 60 days after final launch, during which defects in delivered work are fixed at no charge.

Timeline and acceptance

Phase

Dates

Deliverable

FAS approval gate

Discovery

Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027

Stakeholder interviews; review of current site and staff publishing workflow; UX recommendations

None

Plan

Jan 15 to Jan 29, 2027

Written plan: final feature list, wireframes or mockups for new components, cost per item, build schedule

FAS approves plan in writing by Jan 29. The approved plan is the binding scope.

Build and staged rollout

Feb 1 to May 14, 2027

Features built on staging and released in batches

FAS approves each batch on staging before release

Launch and handoff

By May 31, 2027

All approved features live; documentation; staff training

FAS confirms final acceptance

Warranty

60 days after final acceptance

Defect fixes

None

 

Changes to scope. Any work outside the approved plan requires a written estimate and FAS approval before it begins. Unapproved work will not be paid.

Working with FAS

• FAS will assign a project manager, FAS Associate Dir. of Communications, as the provider's day-to-day contact. This person coordinates scheduling, content, staff input and system access.
• The provider and FAS project manager will meet every two weeks and keep a shared tracker of open items, decisions and deadlines.
• FAS will provide staging and admin access, brand assets and content within [5] business days of the provider's request. Delays on FAS's side extend the schedule accordingly.
• We expect the provider to recommend better approaches when they see them, including telling us when a request is a poor use of budget.

Budget and pricing 

FAS's budget for the base scope is not to exceed $14,500, as a fixed fee. Proposals should include:

1. A fixed fee for the base scope, broken down by phase and by item (A through D), with estimated hours and hourly rates.
2. A separate fixed price for each optional item.
3. Proposed maintenance pricing after May 2027: monthly retainer, hours included, what is covered (for example, WordPress core and plugin updates, security monitoring, backups, small content fixes), response times, and the hourly rate for work beyond the retainer.

If a bidder believes the base scope cannot be delivered within the budget, the proposal should say which items or features should be reduced and why.

Payment schedule. 20% on FAS approval of the plan; 50% on staging approval of all base-scope features; 30% on final acceptance. Optional items are invoiced on acceptance.

Bidder qualifications

• Demonstrated WordPress development experience, including custom blocks and templates.
• Past work for nonprofits, think tanks or policy organizations.
• Both design and development capability in-house: the ability to design components and then build and deploy them. Bidders who plan to use subcontractors must name them.

Proposal requirements

Submit a single PDF (maximum 10 pages, excluding team bios and appendices) to [email protected] by Friday, October 30, 2026, 5:00 PM ET. Include:

1. Cover letter signed by an authorized representative, naming the proposed project lead.
2. Understanding and approach. How you would address the base scope, and how you would extend the existing design language rather than replace it.
3. Workplan. Activities, milestones and dependencies by phase, consistent with the timeline above.
4. Team and capacity. Named individuals and their roles, and the project lead's expected hours per month on this engagement.
5. Work samples. Links to 3 to 5 live websites you designed or built, preferably WordPress sites for nonprofits or policy organizations.
6. Case studies and references. Three relevant client case studies and three client references FAS may contact.
7. Pricing, as described in Budget and pricing.
8. Disclosures. Current or recent work for organizations that closely overlap with FAS's mission or audience, and any other potential conflicts of interest.

Evaluation criteria

Criterion

Weight

Understanding of FAS's needs and fit with our working style

25%

Design quality, based on work samples and case studies

25%

Technical approach and WordPress capability

15%

Team quality and committed capacity

15%

Budget realism and value, including maintenance pricing

20%

 

FAS may invite finalists to a 60 to 90 minute interview with the Chief of Staff, Communications Associate Director, Digital and Design Senior Manager. 

RFP schedule

RFP Released

October 16, 2026

Proposals Due

October 30, 2026 by 5:00 pm ET

Finalists Interviews

November 5 - November 20, 2026

Selection Announced

November 25, 2026

Contract Executed

On or before December 4, 2026

Project Kickoff

Week of December 7, 2026

 

Terms

• FAS will own all code, designs and other work product created under this engagement, and will receive full access to source code and credentials at handoff.
• FAS may reject any or all proposals, request clarifications, or negotiate scope and price with any bidder.
• FAS will not reimburse costs of preparing proposals.
• Proposals will be kept confidential and used only for this selection.
• The selected provider will sign FAS's standard services agreement.