RFP-913OT_Library_Periodicals_Subscriptions.pdf

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University of Maryland College Park

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 913-OT

For Subscriptions to Serials

(Periodicals, Newspapers and Electronic Resources)

Issue Date: May 20, 2025 Pre-Proposal Conference: No applicable Deadline for Questions: May 29, 2025 at 3:00 PM Proposal Due Date: June 13, 2025 at 3 PM

Contractors who have received this document from a source other than the Issuing Office should immediately contact the Issuing Office and provide their name and mailing address in order that amendments to the RFP or other communications can be sent to them. Contractors who fail to notify the Issuing Office with this information assume complete responsibility in the event that they do not receive communications from the Issuing Office prior to the closing date.

Contractors are cautioned not to make changes to any of the terms and conditions in this solicitation. Doing so may render a Contractor’s proposal unacceptable and subject to rejection. Questions and comments may be addressed to the point of contact identified in Section A-1, Item 9 of this document.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND RFP# 913-OT

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1

Introduction Background Information

SECTION 2

Instructions and Notices to Contractors

2.1 Issuing Office

2.2 Pre-Proposal Conference

2.3 Questions

2.4 Amendments to the RFP

2.5 Submission of Proposals

2.6 Due Date and Time

2.7 Treatment of Late Proposals

2.8 Durations of Proposal Offer

2.9 Alternate Proposals

2.10 Economy of Preparation

2.11 Unable to Propose

2.12 Public Information Act Notice

2.13 Two Volume Proposal

2.14 Cancellation of the RFP

2.15 Evidence of Responsibility and Responsiveness

2.16 Oral Presentations

2.17 Solicitation, Proposal, Acceptance, Award and Discussions

2.18 Formation of Agreement/Contract with Successful Contractor

2.19 Notice to Offerors

2.20 Debriefing of Unsuccessful Proposers

2.21 Contract Implementation Meeting

SECTION 3

Bidder Qualifications

3.1

3.1 Evaluation Method

3.2 Evidence of Responsibility

3.3 Solicitation, Proposal, Acceptance, Award and Discussion

3.3 Negotiation

3.4 Basis of Award

3.5 Formation of Agreement/Contract with Successful Contractor

3.6 Debriefing of Unsuccessful Proposers

3.7 Protests and Claims

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3.8 Contract Implementation Meeting

SECTION 4

Requirements

4.1 Contractor Data

4.2 Contractor Qualifications

4.3 Minority Business Enterprise Participation (MBE)

4.4 Technical Requirements/Specifications/ Scope of Work

SECTION 5

Pricing

SECTION 6

Proposal and Contract Terms and Conditions

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SECTION 1

Introduction and Background Information

The University of Maryland College Park is requesting proposals from responsive and responsible bidders for Subscriptions to Serials Periodicals, Newspapers and Electronic Resources.

The University of Maryland College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,700 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, and nearly 400,000 alumni all dedicated to the pursuit of Fearless IPdeas. Located just outside Washington, D.C., we discover and share new knowledge every day through our renowned research enterprise and programs in academics, the arts and athletics. And we are committed to social entrepreneurship as the nation’s first “Do Good” campus.

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) is a major public research university located on 1,250 acres of rolling land along the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. hi-tech corridor. Founded in 1856, the University has attained national distinction as one of the top twenty national public universities. To realize its aspirations and fulfill its mandates, the University advances knowledge, provides outstanding and innovative instruction, and nourishes a climate of intellectual growth in a broad range of academic disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. It also creates and applies knowledge for the benefit of the economy and culture of the State, the region, the nation and beyond.

The UMD Libraries is seeking a cost effective and efficient method to procure subscriptions to serials (periodicals, newspapers, monographic series, and electronic resources). The Libraries currently receive approximately 7,000 serial and periodical titles, including foreign and domestic newspapers. The Libraries, together with other University of Maryland campuses, use the Ex Libris Alma Integrated Library System, and actively use all parts of the system for resource management.

The term of the agreement awarded will be for an initial period of three (3) years. The UMD Libraries may, at its option, extend or renew the agreement for up to three (2) additional two-year periods for a total of nine (9) years of the same terms and conditions.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The objective of this procurement is to provide the University with a comprehensive Subscription Management Service (Periodicals, Newspapers, Monographic Series and Electronic Resources) from publishers in North America, South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, and South Asia throughout the University’s fiscal year, beginning annually on July 1 and ending on June 30 of the following year that supports the research and teaching mission and the University community. The UMD Libraries seeks a supplier that will streamline our ordering, renewing, claiming, and invoicing work related to serials and standing orders. This service shall include

Affidavits over 200K; V.2 Revised 2022 5 current domestic and foreign general, technical, scientific, legal and medical periodicals and monographic series available to the trade in all formats (e.g., electronic, print, microform, etc.).

The billing for the service subscriptions shall be on the basis of the price of the subscription plus a service fee/discount, and on a consolidated basis. The service fee/discount shall appear as a single total amount on each invoice rather than incorporated into the individual price for each title. If service fee/discount varies from the standard rate for certain content publisher/provider, the Supplier is required to provide a separate list detailing the exceptions. The Supplier shall not impose any additional charges of its own in addition to the subscription price and service fee/discount without prior explanation with an agreement from the UMD Libraries.

1.0 Contracting Approach and Work Scope

1.1 Contractors shall base their proposals on the periodicals, newspapers and electronic resources currently received and paid for by the UM Libraries. This is the list, by category, of what the University intends to order. Actual items ordered may be more or less and a specific quantity is not guaranteed.

1.2 Contractor’s proposal must describe their means of acquiring serials in all of the categories listed below:

1.2.1 United States and Canada

1.2.2 Mexico, Central America and South America

1.2.3 United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand

1.2.4 Europe (excluding the United Kingdom)

Contractor's proposal must address all of these categories, with each category separately priced.

1.3 Contractor shall describe in the response the extent to which the Contractor has worked with Ex Libris and the Ex Libris Alma Library Management System.

1.4 Mandatory Features

1.4.1 Supply and Fulfillment

● The Contractor must be able to fill orders for traditional journal subscriptions, organization (memberships) and association publications, electronic resources and conference proceedings.

● The UMD Libraries require review and approval of all licensing agreements. The Contractor shall provide a full description of the services provided on behalf of the UMD Libraries in obtaining license agreements.

● The Contractor shall provide for electronic ordering and shall explain by which methods this can be accomplished. Use of an online system may involve electronic mail at the

Affidavits over 200K; V.2 Revised 2022 6 present time, followed by FTP and/or EDI. The Contractor's response must describe what its own online system will handle.

● The Contractor shall place subscriptions for the UMD Libraries at any time during the year, and shall assist in prorating for common expiration dates, as required.

● The Contractor shall provide a common expiration date of December 31st for all subscriptions, except when not possible due to publisher restrictions.

● The Contractor shall provide subscriptions with no postage charges to the UMD Libraries. The mailing address the Contractor must submit to publishers will be provided at the time of award. The Contractor shall assist in maintaining/adjusting the mailing address as required by the University.

● The Contractor shall provide for cancellations in any quantity at appropriate expiration dates. The Contractor shall arrange cancellations in accordance with publisher restrictions.

When credits are feasible, the Contractor shall handle this process and issue credits as appropriate.

● The Contractor must act as a contact point for the Libraries in obtaining, from the publisher, replacement copies of serials found to be defective, mutilated or lost in transit.

The Contractors response shall supply details in writing describing how this will be accomplished. The Contractor shall make a refund in full of all accounts refunded by the publishers.

● The Contractor shall provide for electronic claiming. The use of an online claiming system may involve electronic mail at the present time, followed by FTP and/or EDI. The Contractor must describe what its own online system will handle. The most important aspect is how the Contractor deals with publishers and the Libraries throughout the claiming process. Contractors response shall include a detailed explanation including the following elements:

a. How claims for non-receipt of issues could be made by the UM Libraries.

b. How the Contractor processes such claims.

c. How the UM Libraries are kept informed of the progress on claims.

d. Follow-up procedures by the Contractor with the publisher or distributor.

e. Publisher time limits for claiming.

f. At what point the Contractor abandons attempts to obtain claimed issues.

g. How UM Libraries are compensated for lost issues.

● The Contractor shall negotiate with publishers the acquisitions of back issues of a title on the contract for at least one year prior to the date of its current volume , upon request from the UM Libraries.

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1.4.2 Account Maintenance

The Contractor shall provide access to an electronic database, account system, Application Programming Interface (API),netc. at no extra charge to the UMD Libraries. Contractor's response shall describe the features and functionality of the searchable database.

The database and account system shall include:

a. Bibliographic information for each title to include: title, publisher, frequency, ISSN, electronic formats, publication status, and publication pattern (i.e., number of issues per year, as well as schedules including oddities rather than frequencies), UMD fund number.

b. Access to titles by keyword, as well as specific title, purchase order number, Contractor subscription number.

c. Current costs.

d. Current volume or year and issue available.

e. Subscriptions of an unusual status, e.g., bill-later, non-cancelable, slow, irregular, discontinued, order direct, period restricted, bundled titles, and memberships

f. Invoicing information for UMD Libraries titles.

g. Historic invoicing information, including ceased and cancelled titles.

h. Access to a back issue file for searching and ordering.

i. Status of claims, including date of claim from UMD Libraries and agent and/or publisher response.

j. Publisher name/address file that also includes a list of titles published by each.

k. Publisher subscription numbers.

l. Electronic mail between UMD Libraries and the Contractor’s online system.

m. Access to check-in information.

n. Information about Contractor payments to publisher by title.

o. Information about how access is enabled to resources in electronic formats.

p. Subscription information for electronic resources (e.g. free with purchase of a print subscription, surcharge with purchase of a print subscription)

● The Contractors response shall provide the UMD Libraries with a monthly list of any changes that take place concerning the titles the Contractor handles. This information shall include the following: cessations, mergers, splits, frequency of publication changes, titles behind in publication, name changes, titles that have resumed publication, temporarily suspended publications, price increases since the last billing, and format additions and changes (print,electronic).

● The Contractor's response shall provide for electronic invoicing (via EDI and/or FTP) and this method must be compatible with the University’s financial records system and with the Ex Libris Alma Library Management System.

● The Contractor shall be able to handle credits and their response shall describe the process for such.

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● The Contractor shall provide a monthly account summary statement, reflecting sales, payments, credits and balances for the UMD Libraries.

● Payments will be made 45 calendar days or Net 45 days upon receipt of acceptable invoices, delivery of goods, and/or completion of services. Invoice must include itemized description of services based on services agreement.

1.4.3 Customer Service

● The Contractor shall provide a dedicated representative who visits the UMD Libraries periodically (or arranges for virtual meetings when face-to-face is impractical) and who is available on request for consultation and/or in-service training. The Contractor will also have a qualified and experienced account representative assigned in-house to handle the UMD Libraries’ account and to act on the UMD Libraries’ behalf in dealing with publishers and fulfillment agencies. These representatives shall be reachable by email, a toll-free phone number, or other means of communication by the UMD Libraries’ staff.

Communications should be responded to with-in 2 business days and 24 hours response for urgent requests.

● Continuous access to electronic resources is vital to the services of the Libraries. If and when access is interrupted, the Libraries expects a status report from the Contractor concerning the loss of access within 24 hours of the Libraries’ report and service restoration within 48 hours. The Contractor shall describe procedures for restoring access to electronic resources, including the procedures for weekends and nonbusiness hours. If lost or unresolved service is attributable to the contractor and is chronic, the Libraries will consider the situation a breach of contract.

1.3.4 Management Reports

● The Contractor shall provide reports and electronic files in standard formats and describe available online products. All reports shall include the Libraries order number, the Libraries fund number, and the ISSN. This includes, at a minimum, but is not limited to the following management reports:

a. All current Libraries’ orders without respect to appropriate renewal dates. The listing must include the current cost.

b. Titles by Library of Congress Classification Code.

c. Expenditures by Library Fund Account.

d. Analysis of costs by country.

e. Analysis of costs by publisher.

f. For renewal purposes, the Contractor shall provide report(s) detailing all titles previously on order, indicating current status, current price and renewal date.

Report(s) must be provided approximately 5-6 months prior to the annual renewal date, or dates, and are to be used for renewal order processing.

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g. Historical minimum three-year price/cost report by title, including titles that have changed status. This report, including Library of Congress Classification Code and publisher, must include cancellations, additions and changes in status.

h. Title listing by publisher.

i. Customized cost projections based on anticipated increases in price.

j. Accounting of titles that are not being serviced for which no payment activity is reflected during the subscription year

k. Report by format (e.g. print only, e-only, electronic resource with print, or electronic with surcharge and print.

l. Report listing bundled titles received.

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SECTION 2

Instructions and Notices to Contractors

2.1 Issuing Office

The sole point of contact at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), for purposes of this Request for Proposal (RFP), is the Issuing Office. The Issuing Office as identified on the Solicitation/Contract Form provided as Exhibit 1 is:

The University of Maryland Department of Procurement & Business Services 2113-R Chesapeake Building College Park, MD 20742

All contact throughout the process is to be made in writing, via email, throughout the RFP process with the exception of information received as a result of a Pre-Bid Conference.

Responses to inquiries will be made in writing and issued to all known participants.

The Point of Contact is

Name Odell Taylor Title Sr. Buyer Email Address Otaylor4@umd.edu

2.2 Pre-Proposal Conference/Site visit

Not applicable

2.3 Questions

The Contractor is responsible for carefully reading and fully understanding the requirements, terms, and conditions of this RFP. All contact between Contractors and the University will be made formally at scheduled meetings or in writing through the Issuing Office with the identified Point of Contact.

Requests for clarification or additional information must be submitted in writing, via email, to the Point of Contact and received by the Issuing Office no later than May 29, 2025 at 3:00 PM. These requests are to contain the following subject line: “QUESTIONS:

RFP # 913-OT”. Outside of the Pre-bid meeting, only written communications relative to the procurement will be responded to. It is incumbent upon the Contractor to verify University receipt of their questions.

Questions and answers will be distributed, without identification of the inquirer(s), to all Contractors who are on record with the Procurement Officer as having received this RFP.

Oral communications are not to be relied upon for proposal purposes. Any communication received from parties other than the identified Point of Contact are to be considered non-authoritative in nature.

mailto:Otaylor4@umd.edu

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To the extent that a question causes a change to any part of this RFP, an amendment shall be issued addressing such.

2.4 Submission of Proposals

Proposals must be:

(1) submitted in the designated format

(2) made in the official name of the firm or individual under which Contractor's business is conducted (including the official business address),

(3) signed by a person duly authorized to commit Contractor to the proposal, electronic signatures are acceptable

(4) separated into Technical and Financial volumes, and

(5) addressed to the Procurement Officer identified as the Point of Contact in the Issuing

Office

The Contractor must submit one electronic version of the Technical volume plus one electronic version of the Financial volume separately to the following Box folder:

https://umd.app.box.com/f/ee85ec64ad2c453caacc1407f72d7b65

Commingling of technical and financial information or failure to submit the two volumes separately, or as instructed, may result in the proposal being deemed non-acceptable.

Submittals deemed non-acceptable will be rejected. The volumes, which contain the offer to be considered, must be clearly identified as the RFP # 913-OT Contractor Name, Technical Volume and RFP # 913 - OT Contractor Name, Financial Volume.

NOTE: PROPOSALS SUBMITTED THROUGH MEANS OTHER THAN IDENTIFIED WILL NOT

BE ACCEPTED.

2.5 Due Date

Proposals must submitted before June 13, 2025, 3:00 p.m. EST/EDT as applicable, in the designated format.

Depending upon the subject matter of the RFP, Contractors may be required to submit hard copy proposals. In these instances, Contractors are to allow sufficient time for delivery to ensure timely receipt by the Issuing Office.

Proposals, amendments to proposals, or requests for withdrawal of proposals arriving after the closing time and date shall not be considered.

There shall be no public opening of the proposals. The names of Contractors will not be released until after award.

https://umd.app.box.com/f/ee85ec64ad2c453caacc1407f72d7b65

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2.6 Late Proposals

Any proposal, request for withdrawal, or modification of a proposal including a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) that is not received at the designated location at the designated due date and time will be considered late and will be rejected as non-acceptable. Delivery of the proposal to the specified location by the prescribed date and time is the sole responsibility of the Contractor. Exceptions may be authorized, at the sole discretion of the Procurement Officer, when the reason for the late proposal, late request for withdrawal, late modification of a proposal or BAFO is due to the action or inaction of the University. A record of the late proposal, request for withdrawal, modification of a proposal or BAFO will be retained in the appropriate procurement file.

2.7 Duration of Proposal Offer

Proposals will be valid for a minimum of 120 days following the closing date of this RFP. If an award is not made during that period, the proposal will automatically extend for another 120 days, unless the Contractor gives specific written notice to the Procurement Officer at least 15 days before the expiration of the then current 120 day period. Proposals will automatically renew for an additional 120 days until such time as an award is made or proper written notice is given to the University of Contractor's intent to withdraw its proposal. By submission of a proposal, Contractor guarantees that its offer shall be firm for the period specified in this clause.

2.8 Amendments to the RFP

If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, notice of the revision will be issued in the form of an Amendment to Contractors on record with the Procurement Officer as having received this RFP. All Amendments shall become a part of this RFP. Each Contractor is required to acknowledge receipt of Amendments. Failure of a Contractor to acknowledge any Amendment will not relieve the Contractor of responsibility for complying with the content of the Amendment.

2.9 Alternate Proposals

Alternate proposals shall not be allowed or accepted, nor will they be considered, for this solicitation.

2.10 Economy of Preparation

Each proposal is to be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the Contractor's offer and capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this RFP.

Emphasis is to be placed on clarity of content and providing a complete response.

2.11 Unable to Propose

If Contractor is unable or unwilling to submit a proposal in response to the requirements, Contractor must indicate this in writing to the Procurement Officer on or before the proposal due date. Electronic mail is an acceptable delivery method for submittal of the Contractor’s inability to submit a proposal. UMD requests that Contractors who are unable to respond include a brief explanation of the rationale for non-submission of a proposal.

2.12 Public Information Act Notice

Contractors are required to specifically identify those portions of their proposals that they deem to contain confidential, proprietary information, or trade secrets. The Contractor is further required to provide specific justification, with respect to each separate portion identified, as to

Affidavits over 200K; V.2 Revised 2022 13 why the materials, upon request, should not be disclosed by the State under the Access to Public Records Act, State Government Article, Title 10, Subtitle 6, Annotated Code of Maryland.

For claims of confidentiality to be considered, Contractors must clearly identify and provide individual justification for each and every section that is claimed to contain confidential, proprietary information or trade secrets. It is not sufficient to preface your proposal with a proprietary statement, or to use a page header or footer that arbitrarily marks some or all pages as confidential. General claims of confidentiality or similar blanket designations will not be accepted and may result in a proposal being deemed non-acceptable, at the discretion of the Procurement Officer.

2.13 Cancellation of the RFP

The University may cancel this RFP, in whole or in part, or reject any or all proposals submitted in response to the RFP when such action is determined to be fiscally advantageous to the University and/or the State or otherwise in the best interest of the University and/or the State.

2.14 Two Volume Proposal

The selection procedure for this procurement requires an independent evaluation of the technical and financial proposals. This separation allows for evaluation of technical proposals, on a “go/no-go” or “pass/fail” decisional rule based on meeting the technical specifications and business requirements. Consequently, Contractor is required to submit its proposal in two separately sealed volumes as indicated in Section 2.4.

2.15 Volume 1-Contractor Qualifications, Technical Requirements/Specifications, Business

Requirements

2.15.1 Executive Management Summary

The Contractor’s response is to contain an Executive/Management Summary. This section of the Contractor’s offer is to contain a brief synopsis of how the Contractor's proposal meets the needs of the University.

2.15.2 Technical Proposal

Contractors are expected to read the specifications, requirements, and qualifications very carefully and to submit questions, in writing, by the due date for questions.

Misinterpretation of specifications, requirements, or qualifications by the Contractor do not relieve the Contractor of responsibility to accurately address these components of this RFP or to perform the contract, if awarded.

The information/items specified as Specifications, Requirements, and/or Qualifications must be addressed in the technical proposal. The proposal must expressly indicate that it satisfies each point of the RFP Requirements, Specifications and/or Qualifications referenced in Section 4. Simple YES or NO responses to stated requirements are insufficient. The Contractor must describe in detail how the proposed products and/or services meet or exceed the stated requirements. The Contractor must explain any exception or deviation from the requirements. In cases where the Contractor cannot or does not meet a requirement, this must be clearly stated along with the reason for not meeting the Requirement, Specification, or Qualification.

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2.16 Technical Volume Contents-the Technical Volume must contain

2.16.1 Exhibit 1, Solicitation/Contract Form

Contractors must complete Exhibit 1, Section A-1, Solicitation/Contract Form Offer Section as part of the Technical Volume. Failure to submit this document, signed by a person duly authorized to commit Contractor to the proposal may cause the Contractor’s proposal to be rejected, at the sole discretion of the University.

2.16.2 Completed Section 4 Specifications/Requirements documents including

2.16.2.1 All required information listed as Contractor Data Requirements (Section 4.1) including but not limited to required demographic information, resumes, references, past performance documentation

2.16.2.2 All affidavits, addenda, and disclosures included as Exhibits

2.16.2.3 Additional support documentation, as required

2.16.2.4 Contractor Qualifications, including financial viability documentation

2.16.2.5 Specifications/Requirements Matrix, as provided

2.16.2.6 Narrative Specification/Requirements responses, as required

2.16.2.7 The University may make a final determination regarding a proposal’s acceptability solely on the basis of the proposal as submitted. The University is under no obligation to seek clarification for missing information or to repair responses that are deemed to be incomplete

2.17 Financial Volume

This volume consists of and must contain the offered pricing information in the format required by the University. Contractors are not to include any technical information or specifications in the financial volume. Inclusion of technical requirements in the Financial Volume, unless technical details are necessary to provide pricing clarity, may result in in disqualification of the Contractor’s response particularly if said technical details are not included in the Technical Volume.

2.17.2 Pricing Section

The Contractor is required to use the provided pricing submittal documents as included.

The pricing submittal documents will either be provided in the form of an electronic Pricing Matrix for those RFPs with numerous line items, complex pricing, etc. A Price Proposal Form will be used in instances when the pricing is simple and straightforward.

2.17.2.4 The Contractor is required to complete the electronic Pricing Matrix when provided

2.17.2.5 The Contractor is required to submit their proposal for pricing on the Price

Proposal Form provided when an electronic Pricing Matrix is not used. Using Price Proposal Form will help ensure consistency in the financial evaluation. The price proposal form is to be completed in full when used for submittal of pricing.

2.17.3 Best and Final Offers

The University reserves the right to request best and final offers (BAFO) following evaluation of technical and pricing proposals. Contractors must submit BAFO pricing

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SECTION 3

Evaluation, Award, Contract Formation, Debriefing of Unsuccessful Proposers, Protests and Claims, Contract Implementation Meeting

3.1 Evaluation Method

3.1.1 The University intends to make an award to best value acceptable offer. In order to be considered technically acceptable, Contractors must meet all technical specifications and business requirements as delineated in this solicitation. Only those Contractors meeting the technical specifications and business requirements (supplier qualifications, including financial viability) will be considered in the Financial evaluation stage.

3.1.2 Technical Evaluation

3.1.2.1 Evaluation Committees

The Procurement Officer shall establish separate technical and financial evaluation committees to review and rate the proposals. The financial evaluation committee may be composed of the Procurement Officer and any other individuals appointed by the Procurement Officer. The technical evaluation committee shall be composed of other individuals appointed by the Procurement Officer.

3.1.2.2 Acceptability of Proposals

• The Procurement Officer shall determine which contractors have met the basic requirements of the RFP

• Failure to comply with any mandatory requirement will normally disqualify a contractor's proposal

• The Procurement Officer shall have the sole authority to determine whether any deviation from the requirements of this RFP is substantial in nature

• The Procurement Officer may waive or permit to be cured minor irregularities or minor informalities in proposals that are immaterial or inconsequential in nature, whenever it is determined to be in the University’s best interest

• The Procurement Officer may reject in whole or in part any and all proposals if such is in the University’s interest, and may conduct discussions with contractors in any manner deemed necessary to best serve the interests of the University

• The University reserves the right to make an award to more than one contractor or to split an award among contractors

3.1.2.3 Technical Evaluation

• Evaluation of technical proposals will be based on “go/no-go” or “pass/fail” decisional rule, applied to each technical specification and business requirement delineated below.

• A no-go or fail rating will eliminate a Contractor from further consideration.

The Contractor either meets or does not meet each of the technical specifications and business requirements.

• There is no merit or extra credit awarded for exceeding the requirements.

• Only those Contractors meeting the technical specifications and business requirements will be considered for financial evaluation.

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• The Technical Evaluation Committee may request site visits for the purpose of evaluating proposals and/or Contractor's responsibility. The Committee may request additional technical assistance from any source.

Industry standard references may be used during the evaluation process.

3.1.2.4 Evaluation Criteria

The following minimum technical requirements must be met for the Contractor proposal to be considered technically acceptable

• Mandatory Requirements- Contractor’s demonstrated understanding of the

University’s Mandatory Requirements and the nature of work to be performed. This includes the quality and soundness of the offeror’s approach.

(May include Key Personnel Qualifications, appropriateness of labor mix to sample tasks as defined, appropriateness of the level of effort hours defined for each labor category when contract services are involved.

• Preferred/Desired Requirements- Contractor’s demonstrated understanding of the University’s Preferred/Desired requirements and the nature of work to be performed. This includes the quality and soundness of the offeror’s approach.

• References- Contractors must provide references. Cited references must be able to confirm, without reservation, the Contractor's ability to perform as mandated in this solicitation.

• Clarity of Proposal-The Contractors response will be evaluated based on clarity and conciseness of their response with how their proposed solution satisfies each of the criteria specified in Section 4.

• Economic Benefit- Proposals will be evaluated per to assess the benefit(s) to Maryland’s economy specifically offered

• The terms "must" or "shall” and “required” are used throughout this document to indicate mandatory requirements. Contractors must meet all the requirements and specifications; that is, that the Contractor is fully capable of delivering the items and providing the services as specified in this

RFP.

3.1.3 Oral Presentations

3.1.3.1 At the sole discretion of the Procurement Officer, short-listed Proposers may be invited to provide an oral presentation and product demonstration. Information provided during this phase will be used to supplement the prior evaluation of the written technical proposal and the final evaluation of technical capabilities will take into account both the written technical proposal and the oral presentation/product demonstrations.

3.1.3.2 The University reserves the right to waive the Oral Presentation/Product Demonstration, in which case the technical evaluation will be based on the written technical proposal submittal alone. Proposers are therefore encouraged to submit the best possible proposal at each opportunity for submittal

3.1.3.3 The due date and time of the oral presentation/product demonstration will be determined by the University upon evaluation completion of Technical Proposals.

The actual date will be verified with the applicable Proposers at the time the

Affidavits over 200K; V.2 Revised 2022 18 presentation is requested. Refer to the Solicitation Schedule for tentative dates.

Proposers are advised to set these dates aside so as to avoid a conflict

3.1.3.4 The oral presentation will be informal, as the University is not interested in a marketing presentation, rather, it will be a casual and informal format in which to view the Proposers presentations, etc.

3.1.3.5 The purpose and parameters of the Oral Presentation/Product demonstration will be defined by the Procurement Officer at the time of scheduling. This information may be included in Technical requirements in those instances when it is a requirement for short-listed Contractors.

3.1.3.6 The criteria and format of the demonstration will be provided with the written request to conduct an oral presentation.

3.1.4 Financial Evaluation

Only those Contractors meeting the technical specifications and business requirements will be considered in the Financial Volume evaluation. The Financial Volume evaluation will consist of ranking on the basis of overall best value to the University and State when considering technical submittal. Information from the pricing proposal sheet contained in the Pricing Matrix or on the Price Proposal Form will be used to compute the total price.

3.2 Evidence of Responsibility

Prior to the award of a contract pursuant to this RFP, the Procurement Officer may require

Contractor to submit such additional information bearing upon Contractor's ability to perform the contract as the Procurement Officer deems appropriate. The Procurement Officer may also consider any information otherwise available concerning the financial, technical, and other qualifications or abilities of the Contractor.

3.3 Solicitation, Proposal, Acceptance, Award and Discussion

This RFP creates no obligation on the part of the University to award a contract or to compensate

Contractors for proposal preparation expenses. The University reserves the unilateral right to cancel this solicitation at any time and to accept or reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part, received in response to this RFP; the unilateral right to award a contract in whole or in part;

to award a contract to one Contractor; and to waive or permit cure of minor irregularities; and to conduct discussions with Contractors in any manner necessary to serve the best interest of the University.

Discussions may be conducted with those Contractors who submit proposals initially judged by the Procurement Officer to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award. However, the University reserves the right to award a contract based upon the proposals received without further discussions.

3.3 Negotiation

The University has the right to accept the best proposal as submitted, without discussion or negotiation. Contractors should therefore not rely on having a chance to discuss, negotiate and adjust their proposals.

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Contractors who submit proposals initially judged by the Procurement Officer to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award may be asked to discuss their proposals with the University to facilitate the arrival at a contract most advantageous to the University. If the Procurement Officer determines that discussion is in the best interest of the University, the Procurement Officer will advise contractors to submit a best and final offer for consideration after discussions are held.

However, discussions may not be conducted if the Procurement Officer determines either that discussions are not in the best interests of the University or that discussions need not be conducted: (a) with respect to prices that are fixed by law or regulation, although consideration shall be given to competitive terms and conditions; (b) because the time of delivery or performance does not permit discussions; or (c) because it can be demonstrated clearly from the existence of adequate competition or accurate prior price experience with the particular item that acceptance of an initial offer without negotiation would result in a fair and reasonable price.

3.4 Basis of Award

The University will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforms to the solicitation and is determined to be the best value to the University.

Recommended contract awards, if any, resulting from this RFP, may be subject to State and University approvals.

3.5 Formation of Agreement/Contract with Successful Contractor This RFP and any resulting contract shall be governed by the University System of Maryland

Procurement Policies and Procedures. These policies and procedures may be viewed at the following web site: https://www.usmd.edu/usm/procurement/procedures.html.

3.6 Debriefing of Unsuccessful Proposers

A debriefing of an unsuccessful proposer shall be conducted upon written request submitted to the Procurement Officer within ten (10) days of the date on which the proposer knew, or should have known, its proposal was unsuccessful. The debriefing shall be limited to a discussion of the proposer’s unsuccessful proposal. The debriefing will be oral and shall provide information on areas in which the proposal was deemed weak or insufficient. The debriefing will NOT include discussion of a competing offeror’s proposal or discussion, thoughts, notes or ranking from individual evaluation committee members. A summary of the Procurement Officer’s rationale for the selection may be given. Debriefings shall be conducted at the earliest feasible time.

3.7 Protests and Claims

Any protest regarding the award of this contract or claim arising out of this contract shall be administered in accordance with the University System of Maryland Procurement Policies and Procedures, Section X - Protests and Claims. Detail is available by accessing the following web site https://www.usmd.edu/usm/procurement/procedures.html.

3.8 Contract Implementation Meeting

Contractor receiving an award under this solicitation may be required to attend a Contract

Implementation Meeting to be held after contract award, as scheduled by the Procurement Officer. The location and agenda for this meeting will be communicated to the Contractor by the Procurement Officer.

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SECTION 4

Requirements Contractor is required to provide the information listed below by completing the Contractor Data and Contractor Qualifications tabs in the Requirements Matrix entitled RFP-0000913OT Functional Requirements Matrix. Failure to comply with this instruction may result in disqualification of Contractors proposal.

The Contractor’s proposal must include the following information:

4.1 Contractor Data

4.1.1 Contractor/Company Details

4.1.1.1 Contractor (Company/Corporate) Name (as it appears on current W-9)

4.1.1.2 Contractor Primary Business Location/Address

4.1.1.3 Contractor to provide company organization chart and staffing profile including tenure for staff

4.1.1.4 Contractor Main Point of Contact (POC)

4.1.1.4 Contractor POC Contact Information, location, telephone number, cell phone number, email address

4.1.1.5 Contractor Office that will service the University

4.1.1.6 Contractor Tax Identification Number and current W-9

4.1.1.7 Contractor Parent Company (if applicable)

4.1.1.8 Parent Company business location

4.1.1.9 Contractor Authorized Signer for contractual purposes

4.1.1.10 Name and Address for delivery of notices

4.1.1.11 Contractor Small Business status and Maryland Small Business Certification

Number with certificate provided as attachment

4.1.1.12 Contractor MBE status and if MBE company provide State of Maryland MDOT

MBE certification number and date of certification

4.1.1.13 If proposing company is not publicly traded, identify principal owners of company

4.1.2 Company Size

4.1.2.1 Identify the number of people employed by Contractor

4.1.2.2 Identify the current number of customers serviced by Contractor

4.1.2.3 Identify the number of customers serviced by the location that will service the

University

4.1.3 Customer Service

4.1.3.1 Overview of customer service program

4.1.3.2 Customer Service key contact information

4.1.3.3 Location Customer Service is conducted from (if off-shore provide

Country/State/Province/City customer service is delivered from)

4.1.3.4 Hours of operation for Customer Service location servicing the University

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4.1.4 Business Inclusion and Supplier Diversity Program Information Not applicable

4.1.5 Sustainability Program and Measures

No applicable

4.2 Contractor Qualifications

4.2.1 Contractor References

The Contractor is required to provide three active (3) references, two (2) of which must be higher education clients of similar size and scope (Carnegie classification R1, similar student and research volume). Information to be included: Client name, client address, contact person, contact person title, contact person email address, contact person telephone number, description of goods and services provided.

Contractor is to provide at least 1 additional inactive reference to include the same information as required for active references.

4.2.2 Financial Viability

The University reserves the right to require, during proposal evaluation, that the

Contractor provide a copy of its most current Annual Report or audited Statement of Financial Condition to include a Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Cash Flow Statement or other acceptable financial information. These documents may be relied on in any determination regarding Contractor financial responsibility and suitability for contract award.

4.2.3 Key Personnel

No applicable

4.2.4 Contractor problem resolution and escalation process

4.2.4.1 Contractor is required to outline the Contractor’s escalation process for problem resolution

4.2.4.2 Contractor is to identify and provide key contacts including title and contact information for the individuals involved in the escalation process

4.3 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Participation

Not applicable.

4.4 Technical Requirements/Specifications/Scope of Work

The Contractor is required to complete the Technical Requirements Matrix provided as an Excel Spreadsheet and separate document entitled RFP-913OT Functional Requirements Matrix (Standards Checklist)

Requirements/Specifications will be identified by a code designating its level of importance.

Priority Codes are as follows:

M=Mandatory I=Information

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HD=Highly Desired D=Desired /C=contractor must confirm agreement to this requirement /E=contractor must explain how their solution meets this requirement

Failure to complete the Requirements Matrix will result in disqualification of the Contractor’s proposal.

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SECTION 5

Pricing

The Pricing Sheet is provided via Excel attachment and fully incorporated herein. Proposals shall be submitted on proposal sheet furnished for that purpose.

Estimated cost information provided is based on last year's publisher list price for subscription titles. This information is in no way a guarantee of volume of business under any resultant contract.

The Vendor must present the price proposal support of Section 1/Subsection

Firm Price Proposal

The Vendor charges the UM Libraries once for each subscription, and the charge is made at the time a firm price is provided by the publisher.

Vendors are not to price titles individually, but rather to formulate discount/service charges using the listing provided in Attachment A and the Excel Pricing Spreadsheet. The annual service charge for Pricing Option One must be clearly indicated for the each year of the contract period.

The Annual Service Charge and Annual Prepayment Discount are to be entered as a percent.

Contractor shall indicate any annual prepayment discount / credit for payments received by the 1st of January of each contract year.

The provided Excel Pricing Sheet must be completed in full.

For each category being proposed, please fill in the cells shaded in YELLOW defining the corporate name of the Vendor, the percent service charge and the percent annual prepayment discount or credit. The non-shaded cells contain formulas that will calculate automatically.

Please do not enter data in any cells other than those that are shaded.

Leave NO blanks on the Price Proposal form – enter at least a zero (0) and no price will be allowed for that item.

The Statement of Work is described in Section 1 of this document.

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SECTION 6

Proposal and Contract Terms and Conditions

The University of Maryland Standard Terms and Conditions apply to University of Maryland College Park (UMD) procurements.

AFFIDAVITS, ADDENDA, AND FEDERAL FLOW DOWNS- The following affidavits, addenda, and Federal flow downs may apply to this Contract and will automatically attach based upon the nature of the procurement and/or funding source. All Affidavits and Addenda requiring signature must be completed by the Contractor and returned to the UMD Procurement and Business Services and must reference the associated Purchase Order Number or transaction number (if ordered by credit card).

UMD ACCESSIBILITY ADDENDUM (for any and all web-based deliverables (including, but not limited to, off the shelf software, custom developed software, and related goods or services used to create, maintain or update the University’s Web pages, Web content, Web-based applications, online instructional content, services and resources.)

UMD CONTRACT AND BID/PROPOSAL AFFIDAVITS (for all Contracts exceeding $200,000, Contractor shall execute the Bid/Proposal and Contract Affidavit required by the University, which shall be in substantially the same form as the Maryland forms at the time the Contract is executed by the University. Additional University certifications may be required for Contracts of any dollar amount. Any additional required documents and certifications, not included herein, will be identified and provided by the Procurement Officer as part of the procurement process.)

UMD FEDERAL FLOW-DOWN CLAUSES (for any Contract funded by a federal contact, grant, or cooperative agreement.) https://purchase.umd.edu/umd-federal-uniform-guidance-flowdown-provisions or https://purchase.umd.edu/umd-federal-government-flowdown-provisions

UMD SECURE/SENSITIVE DATA ADDENDUM (for contracts involving sensitive data, including but not limited to Personal Data and identifiers, FERPA Data, Cardholder or other PCI Data, or Health Information.)

UMD PROCUREMENT INSURANCE ADDENDUM (for contracts over $200,000, or for work performed on University premises, or using equipment or…