ROCKLAND, Maine — The city has selected a local company, Tourmaline Inc., to redesign its website for a winning bid of $18,000, the city manager announced Friday.
The company, founded by Jo Lis and Nathan Davis, operates out of the Rockland Steel House at 711 Main St.
Twelve web development companies responded to the bid process, including companies as far west as California and one from Nova Scotia, Canada, City Manager James Chaousis stated in a press release. There were two Maine-based companies, including Tourmaline Inc., in the competition.
Bid prices ranged from $49,000 to $15,000, depending on the complexity of the services offered in the proposals. Tourmaline Inc. was awarded the contract for $18,000 and also will deliver some information technology services specified in the proposal, Chaousis said.
The website will be completed in approximately 24 weeks.
The manager said the new website would allow for a new presentation platform for the next budget.
“The city budget is the most delicate and deliberative policy discussion every year,” Chaousis said in the release. “Based on last year’s process, the discussion needs to be improved to prevent poor information from diverting the conversation. The city website should become the central point of information rather than news media, which is topic specific.”
Rockland also recently received a $50,000 grant award from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help streamline the online permitting and licensing process for new small businesses, with a goal of assisting those businesses to get up and running more easily and more quickly. Tourmaline Inc. will likely be awarded this project too because of its active involvement with the city regarding web development, according to Chaousis, but the two projects would be administered separately.
Dates for a public launch of the city’s website and any workshop sessions will be announced by Chaousis.
“The city is extremely excited to announce that a major contract with lots of public exposure will go to a local business with community interest,” he said.