Term Contract for Purchase of Periodical Subscriptions for Fort Bend County Libraries

Fort Bend County, Texas is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for a term contract to provide periodical subscriptions for the Fort Bend County Library System across eleven library locations. The procurement seeks to contract with a single vendor to supply subscriptions for over 200 periodical titles covering diverse subject matter including business, gardening, genealogy, history, technology, and general interest publications. The contract term runs from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027, with an optional renewal period of four additional one-year terms through March 31, 2031, contingent upon mutual agreement. Sealed bids are due on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 2:00 P.M. CST and must be submitted either electronically through the Bonfire Portal at https://fortbendcountytx.bonfirehub.com/portal/ or as hard copies delivered to the Fort Bend County Purchasing Department, Office of the County Purchasing Agent Brooke Lindemann, located at the Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, Texas 77469. Vendors must submit pricing as a discount percentage from Publisher List Price with separate invoices for each library location alphabetized by title, and must provide a minimum of two references from similarly-sized public libraries maintaining contracts with the vendor for at least one year between 2022 and 2025. Required qualifications include the vendor's responsibility for all ordering, claiming, invoicing, and customer service functions; maintenance of a Missing Copy Bank with at least 1,000 titles; provision of free preprinted claim forms and online claiming capability compatible with the County's Polaris ILS system; toll-free customer support; monthly claims follow-up reports; biannual serial change reports; in-service training for library staff; and assignment of a dedicated account representative. Evaluation criteria extend beyond pricing to include compliance with specifications, delivery capability, and service quality.

No set-aside designations or restrictions on organization types responding to this procurement are specified in the available documentation. Vendors must submit completed documentation including a Vendor Form, W-9, Tax Form/Debt/Residence Certification, and Texas Ethics Commission Form 1295, unless the company is publicly traded. There is no identified incumbent vendor or current contractor listed in the procurement materials. The vendor must integrate with the County's Polaris ILS system for online claiming capability, representing the existing infrastructure requirement. No specific budget range or estimated award value is provided in the available documents; however, interested bidders should contact County Purchasing Agent Brooke Lindemann at 281-341-8640 for additional information or to access complete bid documents through the Bonfire Portal. Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, award to multiple vendors if deemed appropriate, and terminate the contract for default or without cause upon thirty days written notice.