Call for Service Providers – Web Developer
Organization Overview
The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit civil society organization founded in 2004. It works to achieve justice, defend human rights, promote media freedom, support civil society, and encourage active citizenship. The center has gained expertise in combating impunity and promoting the rule of law. The center has held special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2011. Its work focuses on documenting human rights violations and presenting legal cases to hold perpetrators accountable, strengthening the role of victims and their families, and supporting journalists, human rights defenders, and independent media to build democracy and support civil peace. The center has established a developed database to serve as a reference for transitional justice processes.
The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression is seeking service providers to develop the organisation’s main website.
1. Purpose of the Website
To build a secure, dynamic, and user-focused digital platform that reflects SCM’s mission and serves its stakeholders. The site will offer access to publications, campaigns, legal resources, and interactive experiences such as timelines, chatbot support, and media engagement tools, while adhering to the highest standards of usability, performance, scalability, and privacy.
2. Target Audience
- Human rights defenders, legal professionals, and researchers
- Civil society organizations, media professionals, and journalists
- Students, academics, and policy makers
- NGOs, international institutions, and government agencies in Syria, MENA, and Europe
3. Functional and Interactive Requirements
- Fully responsive design for desktop, tablet, and mobile
- Multilingual support: Arabic, English, Kurdish
- Full-text search and filtering by category, date, and keyword
- Social sharing buttons for major platforms (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, WhatsApp)
- Reading progress bar and estimated reading time for articles
- Interactive timeline and chronological content features
- Chatbot assistant (rule-based or AI-enhanced) to guide users
- Smart modules for posting jobs and tenders with filters, deadlines, and uploads
- Accessible design (WCAG 2.1), ARIA tags, font resizing, keyboard navigation
4. Technical Specifications
- SEO-optimized HTML5 with schema markup and clean URLs
- Fast loading (<2s) with image compression, caching, lazy loading
- Scalable architecture allowing future expansion without major redesign
- Integration with Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Tag Manager, Search Console
- Newsletter system integration (e.g., Mailchimp, CiviCRM)
- Supports accessibility features for people with disabilities in compliance with WCAG 2.1
- Sitemap and Robots.txt setup
- Browser support: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera
5. Security and Privacy Compliance
- Full HTTPS (SSL/TLS via SCM IT)
- GDPR/ePrivacy compliance: cookie consent, opt-in/out, privacy controls
- RBAC (Admin, Editor, Contributor, Viewer…)
- Secure API connections (token-based)
- Anti-spam: CAPTCHA, IP block, comment moderation
- Real-time logging and monitoring
- Optional DDoS and WAF via CDN (e.g., Cloudflare)
- OWASP Top 10 risk mitigation and ISO/IEC 27001 readiness
6. Site Architecture
- Home
- About SCM (Mission, Vision, History, Team, Partners)
- Programs (Landing pages per program)
- Publications (Reports, Legal Briefs, Articles)
- Newsroom (News, Press Releases)
- Media (Videos, Podcasts, Webinars)
- Get Involved (Careers, Volunteer, Donate, Contact)
- Tenders
- External VDC Link (Violations Documentation Center)
- Legal Pages: Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, 404 Page
7. Handover, Dashboard, and Maintenance
- Hosting on SCM-managed cloud infrastructure
- Migration of existing content and PDFs
- Custom admin dashboard with analytics, reporting, and spam control tools
- One-month training for SCM staff
- Minimum six-month post-launch technical support
- All design work must be developed in collaboration with SCM and approved by the center
- Full delivery of source code, templates, and configuration files
- SCM retains full ownership and rights to reuse, modify, or redeploy the code
8. Required Qualifications:
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in website development and design.
- Proficiency in core programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and Python (or others as needed).
- Experience using Content Management Systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla.
- Strong knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices and information security.
- Experience integrating databases and working with Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
- Skills in User Experience (UX) design and User Interface (UI) design.
- Ability to work flexibly and communicate effectively with the team.
9. Acceptance Criteria
- Site loads under 2 seconds on desktop and mobile
- No critical vulnerabilities based on OWASP security scans
- All key content is accessible without JavaScript (graceful degradation)
- Timeline, chatbot, search, and filtering work across all supported browsers
10. Required Documents:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- A detailed financial proposal including the total cost and the validity period of the offer.
- Samples of previous website development work (links or files).
- Proof of experience in similar projects (reports, certificates, or recommendation letters).
- At least two professional references with contact information.
Interested service providers must submit their proposals via the link provided in the table below, including all required attachments.
Proposals sent to any email address or without attachments will be rejected.
We also encourage interested parties to send their questions or clarification requests before submitting their financial offer.
Only the selected candidate will be notified within one week after the submission deadline.
| Deadline for Submitting Proposals: | July 07, 2025 |
| To submit proposals via the link: | https://forms.gle/yz3VfGWqpL43ARrF7 |
| For Inquiries and Clarifications: | [email protected] |
| Contract Duration: | Until the completion of contractual obligations. |
| Expected Start Date: | August 1, 2025 |
