Happy Object Oriented Programmers

 

The Atlantic Council of the United Kingdom

Connecting to the Internet: Proposal

Version 1.0 17/03/1998 TTJ

Contents:

  1. Introduction

  2. Computer Hardware and Software

  3. Connecting to the Internet

  4. Website Design and Build

  5. Cost Summary

  6. About HOOP

 

1. Introduction

The Atlantic Council of the United Kingdom need to get connected to the internet, and establish a web site presence.  To kick the process off, Tim Joyce of HOOP visited Nattily of The Atlantic Council on 16/03/1998 to establish the various tasks that need to be undertaken in order get online.  This document is written following the meeting, and gives a breakdown of tasks and costs for the project.  The project splits down into 3 areas:

Each area will be covered in detail in the rest of this document.

 

2. Computer Hardware and Software

The Atlantic Council currently has 2 PCs, they are specked at 33 MHz 486 with 8MB RAM.  It is preferable that the PC being used for the internet is running Windows 95, as configuration and reliability are greatly improved.  Unfortunately the current PCs do not have a high enough specification to run Windows 95 and would need considerable upgrading.  It is there for considered best that The Atlantic Council buy a new PC.  The following specification from Dell provides a high quality solution from the largest PC manufacturer in the world:

XPS D233 Entry Level Business System with the following Configuration
PROCESSOR/CHASSIS 233Mhz Intel Pentium II Processor with 512K Cache Mid Desksized Chassis
MEMORY 32Mb SDRAM
VIDEO ADAPTER 4Mb STB nVidia AGP graphics card
MONITOR Dell 17" (15.9" viewable area) monitor
FLOPPY DRIVE 3.5" 1.44 floppy drive
KEYBOARD Dell 105-key slimline keyboard
1ST HARD DRIVE 4.3GB Hard Drive
CD ROM Fourteen/Thirty-Two Speed CD Rom
SOUND Yamaha XG Software Wavetable Sound
NETWORK CARD 3Com 3C900 Combo
MODEM Internal 56Kb data/fax modem
BACKUP SOLUTION Not Included
OPERATING SYSTEM MS Windows 95
SOFTWARE Ms Office 97 Small Business Edition
SERVICE Initial 1yr Collect & Return
  Net Vat Rate Gross
System £1184 17.50% £1391.20
Service £0 17.50% £0.00
Delivery £30 17.50% £35.25
Total: £1426.45
Dell's Terms and Conditions apply

The original specification considered included a 15" monitor, but Dell have advised that the lead-time for delivery is excessive and this quote has bee prepared with a 17" monitor.  The cost difference being approx. £75.

The Speakers are an optional but useful extra. 

A scanner is also useful for scanning photos etc for use on the website,   Scanners start at £65 (ex VAT), for an A4 flatbed scanner.

The package from Dell includes Windows95, and Microsoft Office Small Business Edition, the only additional software required is FrontPage98 (a Word like editor for Web Pages).  This costs £129 (inc. VAT).

Other software (for email, FTP, and Web browsing) will be downloaded from the internet at no cost.

A 10% Handling charge will be added by HOOP for all Hardware and Software purchases.

 

3.  Connecting to the Internet

To use the internet you must connect through an Internet Service Provider.   The largest independent ISP in the UK is Demon Internet, who have a very reasonable charge, and include 5MB of web space for free.  The webspace will be used for The Atlantic Council Website.

Demon's standard service costs £12.50 (ex VAT) to set-up and a monthly charge of £12 (ex VAT).  The package includes:

 

4.  Website Design and Build

Design Considerations:

Essential to the success of any website is promotion, simply putting a site on the internet is unlikely to achieve anything as nobody knows it is there. As a minimum, the site should be registered with the 250 or so major search engines. This promotion is best undertaken by HOOP as search engines are difficult beasts to tame.

The site should also be promoted to the general NATO community online, using existing contacts and other gleaned from newsgroups and general web surfing. This promotion is best done by the The Atlantic Council, as you will already have contacts in the field, and are in a better position to judge the value of mutual links etc.

During development, the site will be available in a development area on the internet, this allows you to give instant feedback and review progress.

 

The site will be broken down the following 'logical blocks' of information:

4.1 Home Page

The home page will provide a mission statement and summary of purpose, using information for the 'blue sheet' supplied by Nattily.  It will allow access to the all to the other pages on the site via a menubar. The menubar will be available from all pages. The design will be simple and contain the NATO logo.

4.2 Profile Page

This page will profile The Atlantic Council, giving more detail of their activities, and also list staff and board members etc, with photos where appropriate.   The page will link to a map so that people can find The Atlantic Council easily.

4.3 Newsletters Page

This page will contain the Atlantic Council Newsletters, as new Newsletters are published, old ones will be left online in an archive.

4.4 Events Diary Page

This will give brief details of events organised by The Atlantic Council with details of how to contact the organiser.

4.5 Contact Page

This page will allow people to easily contact The Atlantic Council, giving phone and fax numbers.  It will also provide a form so that structured email can be sent.  An membership application form will also be available.

4.6 Publications Page

This page will provide extracts of Atlantic Council publications.   Initially 3 publications will be put online.  A form will be provided to allow publications to be ordered online, although no money will be taken, and users will be asked to send through a cheque.

4.7 Links Page

This page will allow The Atlantic Council to form strategic links with other sites as appropriate. Exchanging links is essential for building traffic for the site, and can lead to strategic alliances that benefit all involved.

4.8 Development Costs

All work undertake by HOOP is charged at £36 per hour.  It is expected that all text for the site can be supplied in electronic format.

Task Time Required (hours) Cost (£)
Build of Site 21 756
Sign off and changes 6 216
Initial Promotion to Search engines 6 216
Set up of web space and upload of site 3 108
Training for FrontPage98 and FTP software 3 108
Maintenance for first month (addition of links etc.), and any further changes 3 108
Total 1512

All prices exclude VAT which will be charged at 17.5%

 

4.9 Maintenance

It is anticipated that The Atlantic Council will maintain the website, using FrontPage98 as their web page editor. Brief training will be given for using FrontPage98, and updating the site using FTP.

 

5.  Cost Summary

Item

Cost (£)

Dell PC 1335.40
Network Cabling 30.00
Installation of PC, Connection to the Network and Internet, and basic Windows 95 Training 180.00
FrontPage98 120.76
Demon, dial-up connection (1st year) 132.00
Build of Website 1512.00
   
Total (ex VAT) 3310.16
VAT @ 17.5% 579.28
   
Total 3889.44

 

Optional Extras:

Item

Cost (£)

Scanner 65.00
Speakers 30.00
   
Total (ex VAT) 95.00
VAT @ 17.5% 16.63
   
Total 111.63

 

 

6. About HOOP

Happy Object Oriented Programmers is a close association of skilled web professionals. Please take a look at our Web site http://www.hoop.co.uk, or review the sites of some of our existing customers:

Bloomsbury Book Publishers http://www.bloomsbury.com
Beint & Beint Illustrators Agents http://www.illustrators.co.uk
The English Book Centre http://www.ebcoxford.co.uk
Adrift White Water Rafting http://www.adrift.co.nz
Health Care Libraries Unit http://wwwlib.jr2.ox.ac.uk
Val d'Isère Ski Resort http://www.valdisere.co.uk
Radio Advertising Bureau http://www.rab.co.uk
Powerhouse Retail Stores http://www.powerhouse-retail.co.uk