Projects

Introduction and Background

Open Source Matters, Inc. (OSM), the non-profit organisation supporting the Joomla project, is currently in the selection process for a funding by the Sovereign Tech Fund (STF) to deliver a structured, 20-month accessibility improvement program across the Joomla CMS. The program covers 19 independently contracted milestones, ranging from expert audits and remediation work to documentation, testing infrastructure, and community enablement.

To ensure the programme can be delivered on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards, OSM is preparing to seek two individual Project Managers to coordinate and oversee the full programme on behalf of OSM. 

Scope of Work

The Project Managers will be responsible for the following areas:

• Programme coordination: Maintain the overall project plan, track progress across all 19 milestones, and ensure dependencies are identified and managed.
  
  
• Contractor management: Coordinate the onboarding of contractors for each milestone, monitor deliverables, and support acceptance reviews.
  
  
• Stakeholder communication: Serve as the primary point of contact between OSM, the STF, the Joomla community, and contracted teams.
  
  
• Reporting: Prepare regular and transparent status reports and milestone completion reports for OSM leadership and the STF as required by the funding agreement.
  
  
• Weekly meetings: the Project Manager(s) are expected to have a weekly check-in meeting with OSM to report progress, successes and challenges.
  
  
• Risk and issue management: Identify, escalate, and help resolve risks and blockers that could affect the programme timeline or quality.
  
  
• RFP process support: Support OSM in publishing and evaluating RFPs for individual milestones throughout the programme.
  
  
• Budget oversight: Track expenditure per milestone and flag differences to OSM in a timely manner.

🎉 Another Accessibility bonus unlocked.

Contract Details

Contract type

Service agreement with OSM, Signed NDA

Duration

20 months (project start: 1st June 2026, estimated end: January 2028).

Engagement

An average of 5–10 hours a week to be agreed based on proposal through the whole project time.

Number of Positions

We are looking ideally for 2 Project Managers that would cooperate and share the workload, the application should be made individually

Location

Remote. Regular availability for online community meetings is required (independent of Timezone)

Reporting to

OSM Board and the Joomla Community.

Budget

To be quoted by the applicant based on the scope described

Eligibility and Required Skills

Project Manager applicants must have experience in the following areas:

• Creating structured progress reports and milestone documentation
• Managing multi-stakeholder technology projects
• Coordinating distributed, remote teams across multiple concurrent workstreams
• Risk management and proactive issue resolution

Skills the Project Manager should have

• Familiarity with the Joomla ecosystem or other open source CMS projects
• Knowledge of web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2, ARIA, ATAG)

Skills that would be nice to have

• Additionally: global standards and procurement regulations 
• Experience with community governance structures
• Proficiency with project management
• Working with grant-funded programmes or public sector funding bodies

How to Apply

Proposals must include the following:

• A brief description of your background and relevant project management experience - Tell us, what makes you perfect for this role? (max. 1 DIN A4 / US-Letter Page)
• An outline of your proposed approach to managing this programme
• An indicative timeline and availability (start date, hours per week or month)
• Your proposed price (fixed fee)
• estimate on hours per month 
• At least two references from comparable projects
• Declaration of conflicts of interest
• Proposals should be submitted by email to the address published alongside this RFP. The submission deadline is two weeks from the date of publication.

Selection Process

The Proposals will be reviewed by a small selection committee comprising OSM board members. 

Evaluation criteria are:

• Relevant experience: Demonstrated track record in comparable programme management roles.
• Proposed approach: Clarity, feasibility, and quality of the management plan.
• Availability: Ability to start in June 2026 and commit for the full programme duration.
• Price: Value for money relative to the scope and the programme budget.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to up to 2 short interview calls before a final decision is made. The successful applicant will be asked to sign a standard OSM service agreement before work begins.

Questions

Questions about this RFP may be submitted via the Official STF Joomla Mattermost Channel prior to the submission deadline. Answers to questions received will be shared publicly to ensure all applicants have equal access to information.

Submission Timeline

Terms

This RFP is published as part of the STF-funded Joomla Accessibility Programme application that is in progress. Submitting a proposal does not guarantee selection. OSM reserves the right to cancel or amend this RFP at any time.

• The RFP can be withdrawn at any point without reason.
• No compensation will be given to any entity submitting a proposal or working on a proposal.
• The vendor selected for this proposal will be solely at the discretion of Open Source Matters, Inc.
• Open Source Matters, Inc. reserves the right to not award any applicant in the case no proposal meets the expectation or the requirements set by this RFP.