Agenda - 06-02-2015 - 6e - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: June 2, 2015 Action Agenda Item No. 6 -e 1 SUBJECT: Professional Services Agreement - Website Consulting, Content Management Solutions and Customer Relations Management with Simpleview, LLC DEPARTMENT: Economic Development/ PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No Visitors Bureau ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Services Agreement with Exhibit Laurie Paolicelli, 245 -4322 PURPOSE: To approve a professional services agreement with Simpleview, a national Visitors Bureau website developer currently also being used by the Raleigh and Durham Visitors Bureaus, for the development of a new state -of- the -art travel website that will allow the Orange County Visitors Bureau to bundle multiple on -line services being managed by several vendors into a comprehensive website that maximizes spending by visitors. BACKGROUND: The internet continues to revolutionize how travelers make their purchasing decisions. The new Orange County tourism website will allow for one -click hotel bookings, easier display of travel packages that promote area weddings, local conference facilities from the Friday Center to the Whitted Building and walkable tours and also allows for greater promotion of multiple municipalities, giving the Visitors Bureau a platform for "micro- sites ". For the past five years, the Visitors Bureau's current web vendor has had to sub - contract the "back -of- the - house" data platforms to other agencies. The new Simpleview Contract (used by six Visitors Bureaus in North Carolina) keeps Orange County's travel industry fresh, navigable and easier for the visitors to use and book local services, contributing to the County's economic development goals. The firm requires a three year contract which has been vetted and approved by the County Attorney's Office. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Visitors Bureau's current FY 2014 -15 Budget supports the initial fee of $20,283. The three year contract total of $128,766 is supported through future occupancy tax collections, which was reviewed and approved by the Attorney's Office. The Manager's Recommended Budget for FY 2015 -16 includes appropriate funds for year one of the contract, and future budgets in FY 2016 -17 and FY 2017 -18 will include appropriate funds as well. The Visitors Bureau's current annual operating budget is $1.4 million. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the proposed agreement and authorize the Manager to sign the agreement and any future amendments.