Pender County Schools JH Lea Library Collection and District Library Services

Pender County Schools (PCS) in North Carolina is soliciting proposals for library book collections, processing services, cataloging records, collection development support, and annual materials purchasing under RFP 2026-MEDIA-001, with sealed bids due July 9, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. EDT and public opening July 13, 2026.

The procurement spans three components: development of a new opening-day elementary library collection for J.H. Lea Elementary School (approximately 800 students) beginning the 2027–2028 school year; transition, analysis, weeding, relabeling, and updating of the existing Topsail Middle School collection as it relocates to become J.H. Lea Middle School (approximately 1,515 students) for 2027–2028; and a three-year districtwide annual library books and supporting materials contract for the 2026–2027 through 2028–2029 school years serving approximately 10,618 students across 19 schools and 17 media centers, with optional renewal for five additional one-year periods.

All materials must be new, unused, and in first-class condition with shelf-ready processing including barcodes, spine labels, Mylar covers where appropriate, and MARC records compatible with Follett Destiny Library Resource Management Program ready for direct upload. Vendors must itemize pricing separately for library bound books, hardcover/trade bound books, paperbacks, pre-bound paperbacks, graphic novels, book bundles, shipping, inside delivery, cataloging and processing, barcoding, collection analysis, relabeling, boxing/packing, moving/delivery support, and training. The estimated annual purchasing amount for the districtwide component is approximately $150,000 subject to available funding and approved purchase orders, with no guaranteed minimum or maximum.

PCS reserves the right to award to a single vendor or by component based on lowest responsive, responsible bids considering price, overall value, material quality and availability, vendor experience and capacity, Follett Destiny compatibility, and implementation support. Vendors must assign a primary and project manager, provide references for comparable K-12 projects, and comply with background checks, insurance, and building access requirements. Payment terms are Net 30 days after invoice receipt or goods acceptance, whichever is later. Questions are due July 8, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. EDT via Google Form.