KDLA Library Services & Technology Act 5 Year Plan

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) issued Request for Proposal 555 2200000056 seeking a qualified evaluation consultant to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the statewide 2018-2022 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Five-Year Plan and develop a new Five-Year Plan for 2023-2027. The evaluation consultant must complete the current plan evaluation by March 15, 2022, with a preliminary report due February 15, 2022, and begin work by October 15, 2021. The new five-year plan development must commence by March 1, 2022, and be completed by June 30, 2022, with the overall contract term running from October 16, 2021 through June 30, 2022. Required deliverables include a comprehensive evaluation of the current plan following Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) guidelines, raw evaluation data, preliminary and final reports in both print and electronic formats, and a final 2023-2027 plan meeting all IMLS requirements. Evaluation criteria consist of technical merit (maximum 60 points), including years of experience with library community and LSTA activities (15 points) and detailed resumes with sample deliverables from previous evaluations and plans (45 points), plus cost (maximum 40 points), with potential oral presentations valued at an additional 10 points. The solicitation closed on September 24, 2021, at 3:30 PM Eastern Time, and proposals were required to be submitted electronically via MOVEit Transfer in three separate sealed parts: Technical Proposal, Cost Proposal, and Proprietary Information.

Cost evaluation is based on hourly rates for consulting services plus reimbursable travel expenses including air and ground transportation, meals, lodging, rental cars, and parking at state travel guideline rates, with offerors required to provide separate cost breakdowns for both the 2018-2022 evaluation and 2023-2027 plan development. Mandatory submission requirements include completion and signature of the solicitation, a transmittal letter, minimum two professional references, Secretary of State registration proof for foreign entities, and required affidavits. Kentucky resident bidders and qualified bidders may receive preference as defined in state statute. The contract is subject to renewal pending approval by the Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary and the Legislative Research Commission Government Contract Review Committee. No specific incumbent vendor, award value, or budget range was disclosed in the procurement documents. The RFP did not explicitly identify any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to disadvantaged enterprises, though standard state procurement preferences apply.