Statement of Work (SOW)

If you need outside help with the user-centered design process or with specific usability activities, you will need to prepare a Request for Quotes (RFQ) which includes a Statement of Work (SOW).

An SOW describes the work to be performed and usually includes a timeline and level of effort so that a vendor or contractor can respond to the RFQ with a proposal and cost estimate. You can then select the most qualified help at the most affordable cost.

SOWs should include:

• Work to be performed and location of the work
• Period of performance, timeline, and deliverable schedule
• Special requirements, such as security clearances, required travel, or special skills

The evaluation criteria may include the bidder’s:

• Plan for performing the work
• Skills and experience of the individuals who are proposed for the work
• Past performance and completed projects
• Price

To help you issue a contract or task order for usability support, we have provided these sample SOWs:

• Usability Statement of Work (DOC - 93KB)
  Sample SOW covers a range of user-centered design activities, including:
  
  • Evaluation of current sites
  • User research and analysis
  • User and task analysis
  • Information architecture and content organization
  • Iterative usability testing
    
    
• Usability and Focus Group Participant Recruitment (DOC - 36KB)
  Sample SOW on usability and focus group recruitment.
• Web Usability Consulting (DOC - 42KB)
  Sample SOW for acquiring usability analysis and testing.
• Web Usability Testing (DOC - 48KB)
  Sample SOW for acquiring usability testing and documenting lessons learned.