RFI FDC-1254

James Madison University's Procurement Services, on behalf of the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) consortium, issued Request for Information (RFI) FDC-1254 to solicit information regarding the acquisition of academic eBook collections for 39 public institutions, 32 private nonprofit institutions, and the Library of Virginia, serving approximately 545,789 full-time equivalent students. The RFI seeks eBook collections covering sciences (including health, medicine, nursing, and computer science/information technology), social sciences, business, and arts and humanities. Primary intended respondents include publishers, though responses from aggregators and platform providers are also welcome. Vendors distributing content through multiple platforms must detail variations in terms, including lending rights, Digital Rights Management restrictions, AI restrictions, and pricing across platforms. Responses must include detailed pricing information for each proposed eBook collection with separate structures for public institutions as a single unit and multiple pricing options for private nonprofit institutions, including opt-in individual participation and discounts for major subsets. All acquisition models—including evidence-based acquisition, perpetual access, subscription, and open access—must be detailed along with one-time and recurring charges, volume discounts, and copyright fee inclusions. For frontlist or subscription-based products, pricing for subsequent renewal periods cannot exceed the previous period's price adjusted by the percentage change in the Consumer-Price Index-W or 3 percent, whichever is lower. Proposals are due by 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 15, 2026, with one original and two copies required; submission must occur via the eVA portal with no email submissions permitted. VIVA may request selected offerors to attend face-to-face or virtual clarification meetings on June 8-9, 2026, with trial access to eBook platforms with representative content via IP-authenticated access required from proposal submission through RFI completion on July 1, 2026. The RFI emphasizes preference for eBook collections allowing whole-book lending through interlibrary loan without DRM restrictions, DRM-free archival copies, perpetual access provisions, and compliance with accessibility standards including ADA, WCAG 2.1 AA, and Section 508 requirements.

This RFI contains no specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting types of organizations that can respond. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation documents, nor is existing infrastructure or technology requiring vendor integration specified. The RFI is informational in nature, and no contract will result directly from responses; however, insights gathered may inform future procurement activities by VIVA. No specific award values, budget ranges, contract award dates, or service terms are identified in this informational solicitation. Respondents must acknowledge receipt of Addendum No. 1 by initialing "Addendum #1" on the signature page of their proposal, and they should clearly indicate whether they are submitting content and terms exclusively for their own publications or extending coverage to related imprints or partner presses, with differences in rights or pricing for subsidiary entities noted separately.