User:Qgil-WMF/Contributors RFP/SOW

RFP/SOW: Wikitech contributors
This is a copy of the official Wikimedia Foundation RFP/SOW drafted, published here for transparency and easier sharing with potential vendors.

Background Information and Statement of Purpose
We have a problem engaging technical volunteers and motivating them to stay. The amount of documentation, tools and channels is simply overwhelming. Even for us it's not simple to follow. Being at the shadow of Wikipedia, we could generate a massive interest from tech-friendly users and we could offer them suitable technical tasks. In reality we miss many newcomers and our community efforts don't scale.

We want to explore several features to connect better technical users with interesting tasks. Users will be able to define their interests through their profile and receive notifications of related projects, tasks and events. Thematic nodes will aggregate automatically the key information related to a specific topic, including reference wiki pages, news, events, opportunities to contribute and a list of people contributing or interested in the subject.

It is currently unclear where these features would be deployed. Wikitech is the destination proposed but it is still under discussion. A feasible option is to develop and test in a Wikimedia Labs wiki.

See the proposal in more detail at Requests for comment/Wikitech contributors.

Scope of Work

 * Extend MediaWiki user profiles with semantic data using Semantic Forms.
 * Create a template for Projects including project members and a workflow to publish status reports.
 * Create a template for Events including the list of users joining the event and a related Calendar listing events.
 * Create a template or extension for Tasks, allowing users to create and categorize tasks with minimum effort based on Bugzilla reports.
 * Build a system for notifications allowing users to receive updates about nodes, projects, events and tasks based on their preferences. Ideally based on Echo.
 * Create an extension enabling Nodes capable of aggregating events, projects, Wikimedia Blog news and users sharing a common semantic category.

Desired Qualifications

 * MediaWiki.
 * Semantic MediaWiki.
 * Wikitext.
 * Development of templates with Lua.
 * Echo notifications.

Term of Contract
We are aiming to complete this project in 3 months, having releases for specific features in between. We would agree with the vendor a timeline for deliveries, since some tasks are simpler and can be implemented sooner.

There seems to be three streams of work that ideally would be developed in parallel:


 * Applying Semantic Forms to user profiles, projects, tasks and events. Each task is relatively simple and won't need many iterations from the vendor. Once we have a stable base we can work fine tuning the details ourselves.
 * Enabling the notifications. This might require more research, testing and optimization from the vendor.
 * Developing the Nodes extension. This is almost unknown territory and we might need to go through several iterations due to implementation challenges and user feedback.

The vendor must develop the features openly in the Wikimedia infrastructure. Weekly public reports of the ongoing work are expected. The deliveries must be tested in Wikitech or a Wikimedia Labs wiki.

Payments, Incentives, and Penalties
The contractor will need to cover all legally required deductions, taxes and benefits out of this amount. Approved out-of-pocket expenses may be invoiced for reimbursement.

In the event that either party become dissatisfied with the progress of the contract, and both parties have taken all reasonable steps to resolve or improve the situation without mutual satisfaction, this agreement can be terminated by either party with 30 days’ written notice. These 30 days will be used for transition planning, hand‐off of all work to date, and necessary communication to all constituents. Wikimedia’s fee obligation will be terminated at the end of the 30 days.

Requirements for Proposal Preparation
The contractor should provide a letter with resume that indicates their qualifications to fulfill the requirements of the RFP. We are happy contracting the services of a team pooling the different skills required.

Points of contact for future correspondence
Quim Gil; Technical Contributor Coordinator; qgil@undefinedwikimedia.org