DATA MIGRATION FROM DRUPAL TO WORD PRESS

Project Overview

• Client is seeking a qualified vendor to lead the migration of its existing Drupal 10 website to WordPress. The objective is to transition to a modernized site experience that is faster, more intuitive, and easier to manage enhancing usability for both end users and content administrators.
• The migration will include approximately 6,550 pages from Client.edu and 450 pages from the Scene Magazine website, which is WordPress-based and hosted on WordPress.com.

• Client staff will lead the design and configuration of the WordPress site architecture, including theme setup, custom post types, templates, and content layout structures. We plan to use a custom child theme based on the Astra theme, extended by Astra Pro and Spectra Pro plugins.
• This configuration provides strong accessibility support, block editor compatibility, and performance proven in large-scale deployments. It also aligns well with our distributed editing model and structured content needs.
• While we are currently configuring the site using this setup, Client welcomes vendor recommendations that may better support scalability, accessibility, or editorial workflows. We reserve the right to modify our theme approach if a proposed alternative offers clear benefits.
• The migrated site will largely retain the structure of our existing Drupal site, with targeted design updates to typography, color, and high-traffic pages. WordPress will enable more flexible and iterative improvements post-migration.
• Vendors will perform the content migration into the planned architecture and provide technical support and guidance for implementing reusable content layouts such as Spectra blocks, block patterns, and dynamic displays particularly in cases requiring advanced configuration or integration.
• Client will define initial layouts and content models but welcomes vendor input to optimize implementation.
• All proposed solutions must support WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards.
• The site will be hosted on a cloud platform, and vendors will collaborate with Client s IT team and hosting provider to ensure performance and stability at launch. Budget While no specific budget is being published, proposals should reflect pricing that is reasonable and appropriate for the scope of the project.

• Accurately migrate all content, media, and metadata from the current Drupal 10 website to the new WordPress environment.
• Content must be structured using WordPress s native Block Editor to ensure flexible, reusable layouts and enable ongoing content management by non-technical users.
• Preserve all taxonomy relationships, metadata, internal associations, and SEO-relevant attributes, including meta titles, descriptions, canonical URLs, and image alt text.
• Maintain independent navigation for subsites and migrate existing menu hierarchies. See the user permissions section for more information.
• Migrate and preserve all existing 301 redirects associated with Drupal content. No URL changes are planned for pages transitioning directly from Drupal. Pages migrated from the WordPress-based Scene Magazine site (~450 pages) will require new 301 redirects to reflect updated URLs.
• Ensure general functional parity with Drupal content types by mapping them to the WordPress content model defined by Client staff or vendor-recommended structures.
• Note: The current Drupal site relies on the Bootstrap 5 framework and includes custom CSS and layout behaviors that may not translate directly to WordPress. Vendors should expect layout discrepancies during initial migration and plan for basic quality assurance to ensure visual coherence and usability in the new theme environment.

• Basic Pages (approximately 4,550)
• Advanced Pages (with Paragraphs) (approximately 250)
• Faculty Pages (approximately 500)
• Academic Program Pages (approximately 100)
• Department News (approximately 250)
• News Articles (approximately 600)
• Research Briefs (approximately 26)
• Scene Magazine Pages (WordPress) (approximately 5)
• Scene Magazine Posts (WordPress) (approximately 424)

• Preserve existing taxonomy relationships. The current taxonomy system is simple and flat, with fewer than ten vocabularies.

• Vendors will be expected to perform quality assurance to ensure that all migrated content displays correctly within the new WordPress environment. This includes verifying layout integrity, typography consistency, media rendering, and responsive behavior across standard breakpoints. Particular attention should be paid to content originating from the Drupal site that may rely on legacy CSS or class-based layout structures.
• Client staff will provide initial page layout guidance, but the vendor is responsible for identifying and flagging any visual or structural issues that may require adjustment. A collaborative review process will be established to prioritize and resolve these discrepancies prior to launch.

• Migrate and optimize images.
• Enqueue assets properly; remove redundant code.
• Implement caching, compression, and load performance strategies.
• Provide a post-migration Core Web Vitals report and recommendations.

• Client's site uses a distributed editing model with 300 subsites (e.g., /math, /registrar, /financial-aid) and 613 editors. We use a distributed editing model: departments help manage their subsite content, and multiple users may have access to the same subsite. Most users only have access to one or two subsites and have no editing privileges beyond that. Many faculty members only have edit access to edit their faculty page and to create department news. IT and Communications & Marketing act as administrative editors with full content and admin access.
• We are considering PublishPress for managing roles and permissions, CPT UI and ACF for replicating Drupal-style content types, and miniOrange for SSO integration. However, we welcome alternative solutions that meet our requirements. In your proposal, please include the following
• A clear plan for user roles, permissions, and workflow configuration in WordPress.
• An approach to granular editing permissions for example, allowing faculty to edit only their own profile pages or submit department news posts.
• Recommendations for any plugins or third-party tools. These should be actively maintained, widely adopted, and demonstrate a strong focus on security.
• Your approach to implementing Single Sign-On (SSO) using @Client.edu credentials, with a strong preference for Microsoft Entra SSO integration.
• A plan for maintaining independent navigation for subsites and replicating existing menu hierarchies during migration.

• Confirm full and correct migration of content, metadata, and links.
• Verify SEO metadata, taxonomy, redirects, and general functional parity.
• Perform basic accessibility audits.
• Identify and report any formatting issues.

• The College will be making the award under its discretionary authority, , to a supplier whose pricing has been determined to be fair and reasonable and provides the best value for the College.
• Client will evaluate each proposal based on the following factors:
• Demonstrated expertise with Drupal to WordPress migration.
• Understanding of our needs and proposed solutions.
• Project timeline and management approach.
• Cost-effectiveness and value.
• Demonstrated quality of service and responsiveness during projects.
• Client references, if provided. The College may invite selected finalists to participate in a virtual Q&A to discuss their proposed approach to technical and content requirements before making a final award decision.