Request for Review - Merch Store RFP

Long awaited, but I will be opening an RFP for the Merch Store on Monday.

Rough outline of process

  • A template will be provided for applicants.
  • Submissions will be open for 14 days. Deadline extended. Closes (06/08)
  • A question period will open following the submission period.
  • Stewards will select a chosen applicant(s) to present to the DAO for a vote.
  • Work begins.

All questions will be submitted by Google form to keep the RFP post clean. Alternatively, we can open a second post, but I really want to keep the RFP post out of the weeds.

Please raise any questions or suggestions over the 2-3ish days. Remember, the goal is to get the minimum and preferred specs delivered to the DAO… it’s up to the applicant and their business model to decide how they want to execute that.

On Wednesday @5pence.eth and I will hold an open call to field questions from applicants.

Thank you to @BrianMillsJr.Eth and @5pence.eth for spending some time on this with me.


Overview

The Community Working Group requests a proposal for a merchandise store to be created and managed by a third-party operator. The third-party will create an online portal that allows for the sale of officially branded ENS and ENS DAO merchandise for public purchase and global fulfillment. The 3rd party will also be responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of The Store and the various customer orders.

This Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is issued to describe the selection process for the creation and ongoing management of the ENS Merchandise Store (“The Store”). The Store will be managed on a day-to-day basis by an entity known as “The Operator.”

Two separate awards will be given: one award for the creation of The Store and one award for the management of The Store (see Award Strategy below).

Scope of Work

  • Creation of The Store
  • Day to day management of The Store
  • Responding to customer inquiries in a timely fashion (SLA on response should be 24 hours)
  • Liaising between customer and manufacturer when issues arise on individual orders

Selection Criteria

The Community Working Group will field proposals from members of the public, DAO members, non-profit entities, for-profit entities, and any other independent contractors.

Preference will be given to applicants based on demonstrated ability to execute a merchandise store on behalf of the ENS DAO.

Demonstrated ability is defined as qualifications or history of prior experience running an e-commerce store, producing and selling graphic artwork at scale, or other justifications proposed by the applicant in their proposal.

Required Minimum Capabilities

The required minimum capabilities of The Store shall include:

  • Accept Cryptocurrencies
  • Credit Card payment processing must comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS).
  • ENS or ENS DAO branded clothing and swag
  • Clothing Sizes in multiple common sizes
  • 3-5 additional Swag items (stickers, mugs, etc)
  • Custom orders or capabilities for custom orders, etc…
  • Global fulfillment and shipping
  • Accept a variety of global currencies

Preferred Capabilities

  • Express shipping is available
  • Eco-friendly sourcing of goods and services
  • Selection of items above and beyond the minimum required 3-5 swag pieces
  • Ability to include new products based on consensus requests from the community
  • NFT or innovative integrations

Applicants should describe the following in their response:

  • Timeline for creation of The Store
  • Designs or Wireframe mockups of The Store
  • Description of customer payment method and process
  • Description of customization capabilities
  • Description of fulfillment service and shipping process
  • Amount requested for Creation Award
  • Amount requested for Management Award

Timeline

Timeframe Description
Submission Period Extended. Closes (06/08) Applicants may submit proposals during this period.
Question Period 7 Days Questions fielded following submission period.
Approval Period 7 Days Working Group will select applicant(s).
Executable Proposal Standard Timeframe Working Group announces chosen applicant(s) and submits proposal to vote for authorization DAO funding.
Expected Delivery Determined by the Applicant Applicant delivers in accordance with their timeline.

Award Strategy

The Store will be run with a non-profit strategy while seeking to be self-sustaining through the profit margin. The Community Working Group will provide two award types for this request.

  • Creation Award - The Community Working Group will provide an award for the completion of the creation of The Store.
  • Management Award - The Community Working Group will fund the Store’s management in 6-month increments, paid at the beginning of each 6-month increment. The management award amount can be revisited in future cycles if The Operator finds economic imbalances and presents those to the DAO.

The Operator will serve the ENS DAO, and the ENS DAO will retain the right to replace the Operator without cause. In the event an Operator is returned, the Management Awards previously paid out will remain with the previous Operator.

All design elements will have to be approved by the Community Working Group. Any design elements, deliverables, or inventory will be the intellectual or physical property of the ENS DAO.

RFP Manager

The RFP Manager is @coltron.eth.

All questions and responses will be handled in a semi-anonymous question and answer format. The Google Form for this will be provided in the first response to this thread.

Budget

This RFP is an OPEN BID by all applicants. The budget is determined by applicants.

6 Likes

Does this mean I’ll finally be able to get an ENS hoodie? :slight_smile: Apart from liking ENS, I’ve always really liked the logo. It looks really sci-fi and I’d love some clothing with it.

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This RFP will be going live later this evening.

The call for this is being pushed to this upcoming Friday 2pm PST. Will add details to master calendar.

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Deadline Extended

I am extending the deadline to next Wednesday (06/08) at 11:59pm UTC to accommodate more submissions.

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A tweet about the deadline extension from the ENS DAO acct might be good. Some users interested in this might not see it here. :wink:

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