HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-04-25 - AGENDA REPORTS - LIBRARY MATERIAL VENDOR CONTRAgenda Item: 10
1. CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: TAA,/�
DATE: April 25, 2023
SUBJECT: LIBRARY MATERIAL VENDORS CONTRACTS
DEPARTMENT: Human Resources and Library Services
PRESENTER: Shannon Vonnegut
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Award two-year contracts to Baker & Taylor LLC, Brodart Co., Children's Plus, Inc.,
Midwest Tape LLC, and Tsai Fong Books, Inc., to provide books and materials for the Santa
Clarita Public Library for a combined total two-year amount not to exceed $2,150,000.
2. Award two-year contracts to EBSCO Industries, Inc., and OverDrive Inc. to provide research
databases, electronic books, audiobooks and magazine subscriptions to be included with
vendors above in not -to -exceed total.
3. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute up to three additional one-year renewal
options for all awarded contracts beginning in year three, not to exceed the annual contract
amount, plus an adjustment consistent with the appropriate Consumer Price Index, upon
request of the contractor.
4. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute all associated documents, subject to City
Attorney approval.
BACKGROUND
The Santa Clarita Public Library (SCPL) has over 80,000 registered users and provides the
community with a wide variety of print, audiovisual, and electronic materials for public use. The
SCPL's collection is comprised of approximately 248,000 print books, 25,000 audiobooks, Blu-
rays, DVDs, and 56,000 electronic books and audiobooks. Annually, SCPL circulates an average
of over 1 million physical and electronic items. In order to further develop its collection and
meet the community's growing needs, SCPL is seeking vendors to provide library materials.
Page 1
Packet Pg. 78
The City conducted a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified vendors to
furnish, deliver, catalog, and process SCPL's print and audiovisual materials. The proposals were
reviewed and evaluated based on each vendor's ability to meet the specific needs of the City.
The RFP was advertised on the City's website on January 10, 2023. Thirty-two companies
downloaded the RFP, and eight proposals were received.
Written proposals were scored according to three categories:
• Contractor qualifications and estimated number of days for processing and shipping for
both standard and rush services.
• Thoroughness of proposal, approach to providing sound services, and ability to provide
services to meet objectives and standards.
Cost of materials and services provided as well as discounts offered.
A panel of five City staff members evaluated and scored all responsive proposals based on the
selection criteria above. The results are shown below:
Rank
Company
1
Midwest Tape LLC
2
Baker & Taylor LLC
3
Brodart Co.
4
Children's Plus, Inc.
5
Ingram Library Services LLC
6
Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
7
The Reading Warehouse
8
CINCO Books Corp
Score
Location
93.6
Holland, OH
92.2
Charlotte, NC
92
Williamsport, PA
92
Beecher, IL
89.4
La Vergne, TN
78
Houston, TX
75
North Charleston, SC
55.4
Miami, FL
Based on the results of the evaluation process, staff recommends Baker & Taylor LLC, Brodart
Co., Children's Plus, Inc., Midwest Tape LLC, and Tsai Fong Books, Inc., be awarded contracts
to provide books and materials to SCPL. By utilizing the five vendors selected, staff will have
the flexibility and resources to update outdated materials, meet the needs of the public, and
continue to develop a collection appropriate for the size of the community while retaining
compatibility and compliance with the City's existing library system.
The five selected vendors will provide SCPL with both broad and specialized materials and
services. Baker & Taylor LLC (Baker & Taylor) and Brodart Co. (Brodart) are full service
library vendors that supply libraries with circulation -ready print books for all ages. Both vendors
have inventories of over 5 million items from over 50,000 publishers which include back catalog
and new release titles. Additionally, Baker & Taylor and Brodart also supply Spanish titles for
all ages.
Children's Plus, Inc., is a full -service supplier that specializes in children's educational materials
and serves public libraries as well as school districts. They maintain an inventory of over 1
million volumes and have an in-house bindery to produce quality library bound books.
Midwest Tape LLC, is a library -dedicated, full -service entertainment media distributor that
Page 2
Packet Pg. 79
1;0
provides physical audiovisual products such as: audiobooks, Blu-rays, and DVDs exclusively to
public libraries.
Tsai Fong Books, Inc. (Tsai Fong Books) is one of the largest Asian language book distributors
in the United States and supplies Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese books for all ages.
The process of scoring the submitted proposals using the aforementioned criteria resulted in
Ingram Library Services LLC (Ingram) ranking higher than Tsai Fong Books. However, due to
ambiguous language in Ingram's proposal related to material shipment fees, along with the fact
that Tsai Fong Books is the only vendor which can provide SCPL with materials written in a
variety of Asian languages, staff recommends awarding a contract to Tsai Fong Books over
Ingram. Additionally, Tsai Fong Books is the only vendor that is able to provide SCPL with fully
cataloged bibliographic title records for their Asian language materials. Ultimately, Tsai Fong
Book's unique services will allow SCPL to obtain and curate Asian language materials to
support the growing needs of the community.
Additionally, to provide the community with electronic databases as well as electronic
audiobooks, books, and magazines, the City contracts with EBSCO Industries, Inc. (EBSCO)
and OverDrive, Inc. (OverDrive). Both firms are unique in their offerings and they are the only
sources compatible with the SCPL's current collections. EBSCO provides SCPL with research
databases and electronic magazine subscriptions and OverDrive supplies electronic books and
audiobooks. As a result, and in accordance with the City's Purchasing Policy, sole source
procurements have been approved for both vendors. Staff recommends awarding EBSCO and
OverDrive contracts for the ongoing support of SCPL.
Contracts entered into pursuant to the RFP and sole source procurements may be renewed
annually, up to three times beginning in year three.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
Sufficient funds, contingent upon approval, will be appropriated as part of the annual budget
process.
Page 3
Packet Pg. 80