Vardot

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Global Focus Management and Development Officer of UNHCR

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

UN Refugee Agency. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Vardot to accomplish?

• Migration of reporting.unhcr.org to unhcr.org
• Developing an interactive transaparancy data dashboard.

SOLUTION

How did you find Vardot?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Vardot over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from Vardot were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Migrating the Global Focus website (reporting.unhcr.org) into UNHCR.org, creating the new Planning, Funding & Results section.
• Designing, building, and launching the Planning & Funding Dashboard, UNHCR’s unified platform for budget, expenditure, contributions, and population data.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

1. Delivery of a Fully Functional GFX Dashboard (Phase 1)
2. Successful API & Middleware Integration
3. Drupal Development & Migration Outputs (UNHCR.org Integration)
4. Deliverables Completed On Time According to SOW
5. Responsiveness to Requirements & Iterative Updates
6. Technical Contribution to Data Architecture Improvements

Vardot delivered a fully functional dashboard, completed all Phase 1 development milestones, contributed significantly to the technical integration (Drupal + middleware + API design), and supported the complex migration of GFX content to UNHCR.org. Their work resulted in improved data accessibility, better performance, and a consolidated transparency platform.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Delivered all milestones on time: every phase met agreed deadlines.
• Extremely responsive to needs: quick adjustments, fast replies, proactive follow‑up.
• Excellent project management: structured sprints, clear tracking, consistent progress.
• High‑quality outputs: all deliverables accepted with no major issues.
• Outstanding collaboration: flexible, solutions‑oriented, and easy to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with Vardot?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They're exceptionally responsive, solutions‑driven, and technically reliable.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Vardot could have done differently?

More precise early cost estimates would help planning when requirements evolve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager at Ramworld Tech Solution, an IT services and consultancy company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Vardot?

We needed someone to develop our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Vardot has developed our website in Drupal from scratch. The site was launched two weeks ago, so they now provide support and maintenance on an ongoing basis. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked directly with an account manager and a project manager. Throughout the development process, we also worked with two designers and 3–4 developers.

How did you come to work with Vardot?

A friend recommended them to us, and we chose them because they’re professionals in enterprise Drupal web development.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2021, and our engagement is ongoing. We also plan to work on more projects with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Vardot delivered our website successfully, and our collaboration has been great. They’re proactive and constantly provide more services just to keep us satisfied.

How did Vardot perform from a project management standpoint?

Vardot sticks to the project’s scope, but they’re flexible when needed. Additionally, they’re very collaborative and available, and the project manager responds quickly. Although we faced some delays, those were on our side. Still, they understood those delays and kept working. We use Basecamp, Slack, email, phone calls, and Webex to manage the project and communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Vardot has very professional resources. Their team is very committed and timely, and they always know what they’re doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if Vardot were more flexible in their communication. They’re strict in using their own templates, so I’ve had to convert those templates into the ones our end client uses to keep them satisfied. Still, it hasn’t been an important issue.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with Vardot; if they’re not qualified to do something, they’ll let you know.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Vardot, and what were your goals?

We undertake large digital transformation projects for prominent organizations and government entities throughout the Middle East and the Gulf region. We were looking for a long-term partner to help us with the digital experience part of the transformation, from beginning to finish, taking care of the whole project lifecycle.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We’ve conducted comprehensive research on the best technologies when it comes to enterprise digital experience, websites, and portals. We’ve selected Drupal. And then we conducted comprehensive research on leading Drupal agencies and this is when we knew about Vardot, as it ranks among the top Drupal solutions providers on the Drupal marketplace.

We’ve started the communication with Vardot and they demonstrated a thorough understanding of our needs and possessed the industry and technology knowledge. Not to mention the recommendations and positive feedback we received from their references.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The project was a breeze from start to finish. Vardot delivery team follows a very well-structured, yet agile project delivery process. At the beginning of the project, a Project Manager was assigned to the project, who walked us through the project delivery lifecycle and was the focal point of contact. The project has gone into the phases of Discovery Analysis, Design, Development, Training, Content Entry, and Launch.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The team assigned for this project from Vardot consisted of a Project Manager, UI/UX Designer, Technical Lead, Developers, Quality Assurance Engineer, and a DevOps Engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Vardot provided neat and organized deliverables from project plans to documentation. They have presented multiple design options and the client has selected one of them. The design phase was collaborative and the outcome was according to best practices and an optimized user journey. The website was done professionally, is fast, and is search engine optimized.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Vardot adopts the Scrum project management framework. The project communication was transparent and the channel was wide open using Vardot’s different online tools like Basecamp and InVision. The Vardot team was punctual and detail-oriented. We felt we were working with a true partner rather than a vendor and that they had a stake in the project’s success as much as we did.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their deep knowledge of the best practices in enterprise-level web solutions to different industries, namely the News and Media and the Government sectors. Also the systematic and organized, yet agile approach to managing projects, and the transparency, attention to detail, and commitment to meeting timeline.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nothing to say. Worked with them twice in 2 different projects; and this is by far the most professional & flexible dev company I worked with

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Communications officer in charge of managing websites' developments

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Vardot, and what were your goals?

Our website was old, cumbersome to add content and difficult to navigate on a mobile. We desperately needed to move to a more agile and easy to navigate site.

SOLUTION

How did you select Vardot and what were the deciding factors?

As part of the United Nations, all our procurement is through and open and transparent process. There were over 20 companies bidding. The procurement process involved 5 staff reviewing following a rigorous evaluation process set by the UN.

Vardot was selected as they offered the best price, the best services and put together a strong proposal. They also offered a good customer service policy once the website was to be launched.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had initial virtual calls then Vardot's team came to our offices to meet with our Comms team. They led an all staff meeting to get our staffs' feedback into what the new site could/shouldn't be. They held departmental meetings with each Unit to get their feedback and to learn what content was needed for the new site.

They met with the Senior Leadership Team to learn what their needs and expectations were. They took all this information back and put together a detailed workplan with key deliverables. Using Basecamp progress was tracked. When we missed deadlines, Vardot was good at reminding us and shifting plans so that they could deliver on time. Vardot delivered on time and the site went live in July 2020.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

To set up the contract and initial meetings, we worked with the CEO and project manager. Our day to day work was with the project manager, a coordinator and a site development team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Clients love the new site. Our board of directors is impressed with the way our impact is presented (spend rate, numbers achieved). Traffic continues to increase to our site. They provided 4hrs of virtual Drupal training.

They have provided additional training when we requested training on SEO and google analytics. The Project manager arranged for a person from their marketing team to give us the training. This was over and above our contract and their genuine interest in helping our organization succeed was appreciated.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

They use Basecamp as a communications tool as well as google docs to share online tables and progress.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They provide excellent customer service. They are always approachable. They don't make you feel silly for not understanding web development or CMS.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They are an excellent firm.