Pender County Schools JH Lea Library Collection and District Library Services RFP 2026-MEDIA-002

Pender County Schools in North Carolina is soliciting proposals for library book collections, processing services, cataloging records, collection development support, and districtwide annual library materials purchasing under RFP 2026-MEDIA-002, with sealed bids due August 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM EDT and public opening on August 19 at 1:00 PM EDT.

The scope spans three components: an opening-day elementary library collection for J. H. Lea Elementary School (approximately 800 students); transition and updating of the existing Topsail Middle School collection as it relocates to J. H. Lea Middle School (approximately 1,515 students); and districtwide annual library materials purchasing for approximately 10,618 students across 19 schools and 17 media centers. The vendor must deliver shelf-ready processing, MARC records compatible with Follett Software Destiny Library Resource Management program, collection analysis, weeding support, relabeling services, boxing and moving coordination, and ongoing customer support. All cataloging and processing must be compatible with Destiny software, a core technical requirement.

The estimated annual purchasing amount for the districtwide component is approximately $150,000, subject to available funding and approved purchase orders. The initial contract term for annual library materials runs three years from 2026–2027 through 2028–2029, with optional renewal for five additional one-year periods upon mutual written agreement. All pricing must include shipping, handling, freight, and inside delivery; sales tax invoices separately. Payment terms are Net 30 days after receipt of correct invoice or acceptance of goods, whichever is later.

Vendors must provide minimum one-year warranties on books and materials, conduct sexual offender registry checks on all contractual personnel prior to service commencement, and maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation and public liability. Award will be made to the lowest responsive, responsible bid determined most advantageous to PCS based on price and overall value, quality and availability of materials, vendor experience and K–12 school library capacity, cataloging and processing compatibility with Destiny software, and implementation support services. PCS reserves the right to award all components to a single vendor or make separate awards by line item or component group.