CIMA seeks new Web designers

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants is looking for a new Web design consultancy after the incumbent group, Sift, decided to drop the account as part of a rationalisation of its clients.

Whichever group CIMA appoints will be responsible for developing the institute’s third generation site.

The split follows a plan by Sift not to provide services non-central to its core activities. A Sift spokeswoman declines to say which clients it has let go, although they are also thought to include the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Sift client services director David Gilroy says: “Sift specialises in the creation, development and maintenance of virtual communities. AccountingWEB, [CIMA’s site] being the largest of these.

“While maintaining a strong relationship with CIMA, with respect to AccountingWEB, we are no longer focusing on website maintenance as a core discipline. As a result we are in the process of passing on clients such as CIMA.”

CIMA is now looking to evolve its existing site by building more functionality and exploiting interactive possibilities. The present site has already been highly acclaimed by the BBC.

The institute is now inviting Web design groups to contact it immediately. It hopes to make an appointment to begin work on the redesign in the near future.

“It is currently an information-based site and we are looking to improve its functionality. We are conscious that there needs to be accessibility for handheld PCs and mobile phones,” says CIMA head of communications Steven Baldwin. Baldwin is heading the design group recruitment process.

The CIMA website is used by the association’s 120 000 chartered management accountants, as well as students and the public.