Commerce weighs open-source content system for Web sites

The Commerce Department is looking for help to replace its current Web site with a large-scale, open-source, Drupal-based Web site hosting system.

Commerce is asking vendors to submit feedback about the difficulty and feasibility of the switch, according to a request for information the department published on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site on Nov. 27.

The vendors are asked to address Drupal's ability to host multiple Web sites under different domain names and under a single domain name; with a common theme, custom branding elements or custom themes; and with or without shared Drupal modules for common functionality.

The department currently operates a primary Web site, Commerce.gov, along with numerous other sites for its operating agencies, programs, products and services. The Office of the Chief Information Officer manages the Web site technologies, while the Office of Public Affairs manages the content.

The department intends to replace the existing system with a Drupal-based system that will allow administrators and content owners to deploy and manage Web sites separately while also providing for a secure and scalable hosting infrastructure, the notice states.

Responses are due by Dec. 15.

The White House recently adopted Drupal’s content management system for its site. The system has gained attention as a platform for social media and semantic Web applications.