08DOA-S2288 RFQ Satewide NV Library Databases~1.docx

STATE OF NEVADA

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

Purchasing Division 515 East Musser Street, Suite 300 │ Carson City, NV 89701 Phone: 775-684-0170 │ Fax: 775-684-0188

Request for Qualifications: 08DOA-S2288 For Statewide Nevada Library Database

Release Date: 02/09/2023 Deadline for Submission and Opening Date and Time: 03/20/2023 @ 2:00 pm

Single point of contact for the solicitation:

Joel Smedes, Purchasing Officer Phone, 775-684-0172 Email Address, j.smedes@admin.nv.gov

(TTY for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 800-326-6868 Ask the relay agent to dial, 1-775-515-5173/V.)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS GOVERNING PROCUREMENT

All applicable Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) and Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) documentation can be found at: www.leg.state.nv.us/law1.cfm.

Prospective vendors are advised to review Nevada’s ethical standards requirements, including but not limited to NRS 281A, NRS 333.800, and NAC 333.155.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The State of Nevada Purchasing Division, on behalf of the Department of Administration’s Nevada State Library Archives and Public Records (NSLAPR) Division is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide an online full-text and graphical multidisciplinary electronic database as described in the scope of work and attachments.

The product(s) selected will serve as the core of the coordinated statewide informational database project for Nevada libraries, including preK-12 school libraries, academic libraries, tribal libraries, and public libraries, and for remote use by all Nevada residents. Statewide access serves to ensure equity of electronic information resources for all residents, regardless of where they live in Nevada, while leveraging the purchasing power of Nevada libraries, institutions, and other entities to license complementary products. NSLAPR aims to achieve the best value for the State and broadest mix of information while ensuring stable access to content, long-term sustainability, and mechanisms for expansion.

The products must be ADA accessible, responsive, and fully functional via the internet, and viewable across platforms, browsers, and devices.

NSLAPR will procure and administer contract(s) with selected vendors for statewide licensed online resources. Funding will be provided by a federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, distributed by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and administered by NSLAPR. All billings for the chosen statewide contract products will be addressed to NSLAPR for services provided under the selected vendor(s) contract.

In the case of libraries that have already licensed the selected databases, the vendor must provide information on how they will reimburse said library.

The State intends to award multiple contracts in conjunction with this Request for Qualifications (RFQ), as determined in the best interests of the State. NSLAPR shall administer contract(s) resulting from this solicitation. The resulting contracts are expected to begin on July 1, 2023 for a contract term of four years, subject to Board of Examiners approval.

AGENCY BACKGROUND

People in each era examine the past for guidance, reinterpret its lessons in light of their own needs and perceptions, and act, thereby creating a record for those who follow. The State Archives is a key component in this examination, establishing the institutional memory for the state, accumulating information of enduring value. As the institutional memory of Nevada government, the State Archives preserves and makes available information that enables all citizens to better understand how public policy evolves from the past, governs the present, and affects the future.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Project Goal: Services and Resources/Nevada libraries will provide mission-focused and accessible resources and environments.

Objective: NSLAPR will procure informational databases on behalf of Nevada’s eligible libraries that meet the information needs of Nevada residents in support of preK-12 learning, higher education research, and general information requests; NSLAPR will facilitate: the set up and use of databases in Nevada libraries and coordinate appropriate training, technical assistance, and vendor liaison support.

Outcomes: The principal benefit to the target populations is no cost access to current authoritative, credible, information and educational resources; the materials will complement the information collections available locally at school, academic, tribal, and public libraries. Nevadans will have access to the information both on site at their libraries or online, 24/7, through an internet connection.

SCOPE OF WORK

NSLAPR will contract with vendor(s) who provide a mix of online full-text and graphical multidisciplinary electronic database resources, addressing a variety of topics and audiences, for use statewide in eligible Nevada libraries and for remote use by all Nevada residents. The vendor(s) will provide user access to the content, which they will host, via standard authentication methods, including geolocation, library card, username & password, and/or IP address. Access methods must also be addressed in the vendor proposal.

All content must be accessible to users including those with a wide range of disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, limited motor control, and cognitive limitations such as learning disabilities.

Deliverables

The product(s) should provide comprehensive coverage of general interest and academic disciplines encompassing business, the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.

Content of prime interest includes business and career, consumer health, current events, pro/con issues, biographies, genealogy, readers advisory, Nevada related content and other topics from a variety of formats including scholarly journals, newspaper articles, general reference books, web content, popular magazines, multimedia, etc.

Content must support unlimited simultaneous use.

All resources should include content in either English or Spanish, or both. Multi-lingual interfaces are preferred, and additional content in other languages may be considered. NSLAPR will not consider pay-per-use, Patron-Driven Acquisition, or similar purchasing models.

See Technical Proposal Requirements attachment.

Product requirements

Web based (SaaS) and accessible across all platforms, browsers, and devices ADA compliant Full product version Copyright security and costs are solely the responsibility of the vendor.

Authentication via methods commonly used by library systems, including IP address, barcode, user ID/password, geo-authentication Conformance with Nevada Academic Content Standards when applicable (Nevada Academic Content Standards, Nevada Prekindergarten Standards, and Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) General Education requirements (Title 4, Chapter 14, Section 20) Unlimited simultaneous availability to users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week within 30 days of contract start date Online and in-person training to library staff Technical support on demand Monthly usage statistics that are Counter compliant at both the state level and institutional level Compliance with federal and state laws related to security, privacy, and content All content must be accessible to users including those with a wide range of disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, limited motor control, and cognitive limitations such as learning disabilities.

Contractor must replace any content that is removed from the resource during the term of the contract with equivalent content meeting the areas, types, and formats specified above.

See Technical Proposal Requirements attachment

Audiences

Pre-kindergarten through high school learners (preK-12): PreK-12 resources must conform with Nevada Academic Content Standards and Nevada Prekindergarten Standards; topics may include biographies, literature /literary analysis issues and current events, college readiness, career and technical education, social and emotional learning (SEL), and resources for educators. Resources must be developmentally appropriate. NSLAPR strongly prefers resources that are separately curated for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and high school learners. Resources that support RLA (Reading and Language Arts), history, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) are preferred.

College undergraduate students: College undergraduate student resources must support the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) General Education requirements (Title 4, Chapter 14, Section 20); topics may include one or more of the following: general education and research, writing and literature, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and business. NSLAPR will also consider resources that support college readiness and college skills, vocational education, and consumer health, including mental health, community resilience, and SEL.

Non college adults: Non college adult resources that support college and vocational program preparation and testing and other aspects of workforce development are strongly preferred. Resources that focus on adult literacy programs, financial literacy, small business, technology, and consumer health, including mental health, community resilience, and SEL are preferred. Resources that focus on personal enrichment such as leisure reading, genealogy, hobbies and crafts, and similar topics are allowed.

Nevada’s population is 3,158,539 per the 2021 Governor’s Certified Series published by the Nevada Department of Taxation. Target audiences include, but are not limited to, users of Nevada’s public, preK-12, academic, special, and tribal libraries. There are 489,597 students enrolled in public K-12 schools in Nevada (NV Department of Education, 2022-2023). Nevada public libraries reported over 1,247,000 registered customers on the 2021 Public Library Survey. Nevada System of Higher Education reported a preliminary student headcount of approximately 106,000 for Fall 2022.

Cost Proposal

2023 populations attached/library service populations detail. The data provided is for references purposes, and it not intended to suggest that all listed libraries and institutions will participate. Cost proposals should designate the specified audience segment (K-12, public libraries, academic, etc.) or statewide access. See Cost Schedule attachment.

PROJECT SPECIFIC TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Training Data/Required Survey

The following survey questions must be included in all trainings offered by the vendor to Nevada library or school staff, either in person or virtual, in accordance with Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) requirements. Aggregated survey results must be reported for each training event; submit results via email to the Nevada LSTA coordinator at nslaprlsta@admin.nv.gov.

Required Survey Questions: Instructional programs for library staff (scale of 1-5, 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree. See: https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/instructionlibraryworkforce.pdf

1. I learned something by participating in this library activity.

2. I feel more confident about what I just learned.

3. I intend to apply what I just learned.

4. Applying what I learned will help improve library services to the public.

5. What did you like most about this program?

6. Comments/suggestions.

Training Event data to report

Title and date of training program Length in minutes Number of attendees Number of completed surveys Aggregated results for each of the survey questions (see RFQ section 4.1.1)

ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. To be read and not returned.

Terms and Conditions for Services 2023 Populations

ATTACHMENTS FOR REVIEW. To be read and not returned (unless redlining).

Contract Form Insurance Schedule

PROPOSAL ATTACHMENTS. To be completed and returned.

Technical Proposal Requirements Cost Schedule Proposed Staff Resume Reference Questionnaire Attachments for Signature

Vendor Information Response Vendor Certifications Certification Regarding Lobbying Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification

TIMELINE

QUESTIONS. All questions regarding this solicitation shall be submitted using the Bid Q&A feature in NevadaEPro.

TIMELINE. The following represents the proposed timeline for this project.

All times stated are Pacific Time (PT).

These dates represent a tentative schedule of events.

The State reserves the right to modify these dates at any time.

EVALUATION

Evaluation and scoring are conducted in accordance with NRS 333.335 and NAC 333.160-333.165.

Proposals shall be kept confidential until a contract is awarded.

In the event the solicitation is withdrawn prior to award, proposals remain confidential.

The evaluation committee is an independent committee established to evaluate and score proposals submitted in response to the solicitation.

Financial stability shall be scored on a pass/fail basis.

Proposals shall be consistently evaluated and scored based upon the following factors and relative weights.

NEVADA-BASED BUSINESS PREFERENCE

The State awards a five percent (5%) preference to Nevada-based businesses pursuant to NRS 333.3351 to 333.3356, inclusive.

Nevada-based business is defined in NRS 333.3352(1).

The term ‘principal place of business’ has the meaning outlined by the United States Supreme Court in Hertz Corp v. Friend, 559 U.S. 77 (2010), typically meaning a business’s corporate headquarters.

To claim this preference a vendor must indicate it on their vendor account and submitted Quote in NevadaEPro.

This preference cannot be combined with any other preference, granted for the award of a contract using federal funds, or granted for the award of a contract procured on a multi-state basis.

INVERSE PREFERENCE

The State applies an inverse preference to vendors that have a principal place of business in a state other than Nevada and that state applies an in-state preference not afforded to Nevada based vendors, pursuant to AB28 passed in the 81st session of the Nevada Legislature.

The amount of the inverse preference is correlated to the amount of preference applied in the other state.

Vendors who meet this criterion must indicated it on their submitted Quote in NevadaEPro.

This preference cannot be combined with any other preference, granted for the award of a contract using federal funds, or granted for the award of a contract procured on a multi-state basis.

MANDATORY MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Pursuant to NRS 333.311 a contact cannot be awarded to a proposal that does not comply with the requirements listed in this section. Proposal shall include confirmation of compliance with all mandatory minimum requirements.

NEVADA LAW AND STATE INDEMNITY. Pursuant to NRS 333.339, any contract that is entered into may not: (1) Require the filing of any action or the arbitration of any dispute that arises from the contract to be instituted or heard in another state or nation; or (2) Require the State to indemnify another party against liability for damages.

NO BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL. Pursuant to NRS 333.338, the State of Nevada cannot enter a contract with a company unless that company agrees for the duration of the contract not to engage in a boycott of Israel. By submitting a proposal or bid, vendor agrees that if it is awarded a contract, it will not engage in a boycott of Israel as defined in NRS 333.338(3)(a).

INDEMNIFICATION. Required contract terms on Indemnification: "To the fullest extent permitted by law, Contractor shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend, not excluding the State’s right to participate, the State from and against all liability, claims, actions, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, arising out of any breach of the obligations of Contractor under this contract, or any alleged negligent or willful acts or omissions of Contractor, its officers, employees and agents. Contractor’s obligation to indemnify the State shall apply in all cases except for claims arising solely from the State’s own negligence or willful misconduct. Contractor waives any rights of subrogation against the State. Contractor’s duty to defend begins when the State requests defense of any claim arising from this Contract."

LIMITED LIABILITY. Required contract terms on Limited Liability: "The State will not waive and intends to assert available NRS Chapter 41 liability limitations in all cases. Contract liability of both parties shall not be subject to punitive damages. Damages for any State breach shall never exceed the amount of funds appropriated for payment under this Contract, but not yet paid to Contractor, for the Fiscal Year budget in existence at the time of the breach. Contractor’s tort liability shall not be limited."

CONTRACT RESPONSIBILITY. Awarded vendor shall be the sole point of contract responsibility. The State shall look solely to the awarded vendor for the performance of all contractual obligations which may result from an award based on this solicitation, and the awarded vendor shall not be relieved for the non-performance of any or all subcontractors.

DATA ENCRYPTION. State IT requires that data be encrypted in transit and in rest.

STATESIDE DATA. State IT requires that State data assets must be maintained in the United States and data will not be held offshore.

NEVADA BUSINESS LICENSE. Pursuant to NRS 353.007, prior to contract execution awarded vendor must hold a state business license pursuant to NRS chapter 76 unless exempted by NRS 76.100(7)(b).

DISCLOSURE. Each vendor shall include in its proposal a complete disclosure of any alleged significant prior or ongoing contract failures, contract breaches, any civil or criminal litigation or investigations pending which involves the vendor or in which the vendor has been judged guilty or liable.

CRITICAL ITEMS

In addition to the Scope of Work and Attachments, the items listed in this section are critical to the success of the project. These items will be used in evaluating and scoring the proposal. Vendor proposal should address items in this section in enough detail to provide evaluators an accurate understanding of vendor capabilities. Proposals that fail to sufficiently respond to these items may be considered non-responsive.

CONTRACT FORM. The State strongly prefers vendors agree to the terms of the attached Contract Form as is. Ability to agree to contract terms is a high priority to the State. Vendors who cannot agree to the contract as is must include a redlined Word version of the attached Contract Form with their proposal response. To the extent a vendor has prior contractual dealings with the State, no assumption should be made that terms outside those provided herein have any influence on this project.

INSURANCE SCHEDULE

The State strongly prefers vendors agree to the terms of the attached Insurance Schedule as is. Vendors who cannot agree must explain which areas are causing non-compliance and attach a red line if necessary.

Awarded vendor shall maintain, for the duration of the contract, insurance coverages as set forth in the fully executed contract.

Work on the contract shall not begin until after the awarded vendor has submitted acceptable evidence of the required insurance coverages.

Failure to maintain any required insurance coverage or acceptable alternative method of insurance shall be deemed a breach of contract.

VENDOR BACKGROUND

Company background/history and why vendor is qualified to provide the services described in this solicitation.

Provide a brief description of the length of time vendor has been providing services described in this solicitation to the public and/or private sector.

VENDOR STAFF RESUMES

A resume shall be included for each proposed key personnel, see Proposed Staff Resume.

A resume shall also be included for any proposed key subcontractor personnel.

SUBCONTRACTORS

Subcontractors are defined as a third party, not directly employed by the contractor, who shall provide services identified in this solicitation. This does not include third parties who provide support or incidental services to the contractor.

Proposal should include a completed Vendor Information Response form for each subcontractor.

Vendor shall not allow any subcontractor to commence work until all insurance required of the subcontractor is provided to the vendor.

Vendor proposal shall identify specific requirements of the project for which each subcontractor shall perform services.

How the work of any subcontractor(s) shall be supervised How channels of communication shall be maintained How compliance with contracts terms and conditions will be assured Previous experience with subcontractor(s)

VENDOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The information requested in this section is designated as confidential business information by the Administrator pursuant to NRS 333.020(5)(b) and is not public information pursuant to NRS 333.333.

This information should be submitted as a separate attachment, flagged as confidential in NevadaEPro.

Proposing vendor shall provide the following financial information and documentation:

Dun and Bradstreet Number Federal Tax Identification Number The last two (2) full years and current year interim:

1. Profit and Loss Statements

2. Balance Statements

BUSINESS REFERENCES

The information requested in this section is designated as confidential business information by the Administrator pursuant to NRS 333.020(5)(b) and is not public information pursuant to NRS 333.333.

Vendors shall provide a minimum of three (3) business references from similar projects performed for private and/or public sector clients within the last five (5) years, see Reference Questionnaire.

The purpose of these references is to document relevant experience and aid in the evaluation process.

Business references should return Reference Questionnaire directly to Single Point of Contact via email.

Business references will not be accepted directly from proposing vendor.

The State will not disclose submitted references but will confirm if a reference has been received.

The State reserves the right to contact references during evaluation.

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

This section identifies documents that shall be submitted to be considered responsive. Vendors are encouraged to review all requirements to ensure all requested information is included in their response.

Proposals must be submitted as a Quote through NevadaEPro, https://NevadaEPro.com.

Vendors are encouraged to submit a single file attachment per proposal section if possible.

Technical proposal information and Cost proposal information shall not be included in the same attachment.

Cost proposal attachment shall not be flagged as confidential in NevadaEPro.

Additional attachments may be included but are discouraged and should be kept to a minimum.

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Title Page Table of Contents Response to Mandatory Minimum Requirements Response to Critical Items Response to Scope of Work Proposed Staff Resumes Other Informational Material

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. If necessary. Attachment should be flagged confidential in NevadaEPro.

Title Page Table of Contents Trade Secret information, cross referenced to the technical proposal

COST PROPOSAL

VENDOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION. Attachment should be flagged confidential in NevadaEPro.

SIGNED ATTACHMENTS

Vendor Information Response Vendor Certifications Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification Certification Regarding Lobbying

OTHER ATTACHMENTS. If necessary, not recommended.

REFERENCE QUESTIONNAIRES. Not submitted directly by vendor.

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