Campus-wide bookstore

Marshall University's Office of Purchasing is seeking a qualified vendor to manage its comprehensive campus-wide bookstore operations located in Huntington, West Virginia. The 15,000-square-foot bookstore serves as the primary retail outlet for textbooks, course materials, university-branded merchandise, general books, and miscellaneous retail items, including the Herd Zone retail operation at the Joan C. Edwards football stadium. Vendors must meet 21 mandatory project requirements and five mandatory qualification requirements, including a minimum of five years' experience managing college or university bookstores, submission of audited financial statements, and providing at least five references. A mandatory in-person pre-bid meeting is scheduled for January 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST in the Memorial Student Center, followed by a campus tour. Technical and cost bid submissions are due February 12, 2026, at 2:59 p.m. EST, with the technical bid opening occurring at 3:00 p.m. EST via Microsoft Teams. Oral presentations are tentatively planned for the week of March 9, 2026, with a contract award anticipated by March 31, 2026, and an effective date of July 1, 2026.

The contract will be awarded as a one-year term with nine optional one-year renewals. The selected vendor must provide a detailed commission structure with monthly payments, a five-year pro forma financial projection, transition planning, inventory management strategy, and a price-matching guarantee for students. Additional requirements include offering discount programs to faculty, staff, students, and alumni, implementing exclusive access models for course materials, and providing annual textbook scholarships. Marshall University will furnish utilities, maintenance for normal wear and tear, existing telephone services, and campus map accessibility, while the vendor will be responsible for bookstore fixtures maintenance, computing services, network connections, software fees, mail services, and trash removal costs. The current bookstore operations generated $148,714.81 in commissionable sales in FY 24/25, with an anticipated 1% annual student population growth from the current enrollment of 11,980 students. The vendor must also demonstrate capacity for capital improvements and facility renovations, and commit to supporting athletic programs through partnership with Learfield for multimedia rights.