Library Publications and Subscriptions

Contracting Office Address Department of the Air Force, Direct Reporting Units, USAF Academy - 10 CONS/LGCB, 8110 Industrial Drive Suite 200, USAF Academy, CO, 80840-2315, UNITED STATES Point of Contact Michael G. Fredericks, Contract Specialist, Phone 719-333-3829, Fax 719-333-9075, Email michael.fredericks@us.af.mil Place of Performance Address: US Air force Academy Postal Code: 80840 Country: UNITED STATES Description REQUEST FOR INFORMATION THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This announcement serves as a sources sought notice for the reacquisition for all USAFA Library and Medical Clinic newspapers, periodical subscriptions (print and online from publishers), online products (including online access to them), search and indexing services, institutional memberships, claims services, management reports, training, etc., IAW attachment and below scope of work. The applicable NAICS code is 424920. The proposed contract will be an IDIQ type contract for a base period and four one-year option periods. The Government seeks responses from all responsible and capable vendors that can provide items listed in the scope of work and the attached products list. All responsible businesses capable of providing these items are invited to respond. Any information provided by industry to the Government as a result of this notice is voluntary. This notice is for planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to pay for the information provided. This is not a request for proposal. All responsible sources may submit a response which, if received in a timely manner, will be considered. This synopsis is for notification purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation for bids or proposals. If no response is received or if no responsible vendor is found capable of providing all services as listed in this notice, the government intends to use this notice, historical data, and other market research to solicit and negotiate with only one source, EBSCO, under the authority of FAR 6.302. 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1. Overview. The vendor is responsible for all equipment, tools, materials, personnel, supervision, labor, communication, and transportation to provide all library products and incidental services to the The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). USAFA requires complete and comprehensive support for subscription products, fixed firm orders, and incidental services for the McDermott Library and USAFA to meet educational, research, and academic accreditation requirements. Products and services as outlined must be provided to fully support the mission to include but not limited to educational research in air power, air history, science, aeronautics, medicine, astronomy, physics, leadership, social sciences, and humanities. Supplied products will be used to support classroom studies as well as the publication of books and articles by faculty and Academy personnel. Information found in supplied products help to define management decisions and aid Academy military personnel in completing studies for bachelor's and master's degrees. 2. DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCTS 2.1. Products. The vendor is responsible for providing all institutional memberships, CD-ROM and online databases, periodical subscriptions, electronic/online subscriptions, continuations/annuals, newspapers, ebooks, microfilm and microfiche required by USAFA. 2.1.1. The vendor shall be able to support the ordering of supplied products in all formats: to include but not limited to paper, microform, electronic, diskette, CD-ROM, proprietary online, Internet, and World Wide Web-based publications. 2.1.2. The vendor shall provide access to the full text online journals to which USAFA subscribes, publisher policy permitting. 2.1.3. The vendor shall be able to provide publisher prices on a common annual cycle. 2.1.4. The vendor shall be able to communicate with non-domestic publishers in their languages in order to ensure timely provision of products. 2.1.5. The vendor shall provide an online indexing and search product capable of searching several online products and databases simultaneously based on a single vendor maintained title list; e.g., an A to Z listing of titles contained in subscribed packages. 2.1.6. The vendor shall provide electronic catalog records for supplied products in industry standard formats to include but not limited to RDA, MARC21, and Dublin Core as appropriate to the item. ? 3. DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENTAL SERVICES 3.1. Incidental services. These services include handling of claims, address changes, cancellations, reports, training, expenditure tracking, publisher information, and online services to subscriptions. 3.1.1. The vendor shall be able to support multiple shipping addresses under one billing address. 3.1.2. The vendor shall be able to support standard address variations, such as ZIP+4 and APO, and compensate for publisher restrictions; e.g., coordinate a suitable abbreviation where one cannot have more than four lines or more than 20 characters per line. 3.1.3. The vendor shall be able to support credit card ordering with publishers without interruption of service to USAFA. 3.1.4. The vendor shall be able to pay non-domestic publishers in local currencies where required. 3.1.5. The vendor shall be able to provide a large missing copy bank to complete USAFA's collection of bound volumes when needed. 3.2. Training. The vendor shall provide all required training and training materials to USAFA staff in the use of subscription, indexing, and search software. 3.3. Claims support. The vendor shall provide claims support for all missing or damaged issues and connection to online products with the ability to quickly resolve claims to USAFA's satisfaction. 3.3.1. The vendor shall provide monthly claims follow-up reports with statistics that show the number of claims entered and the fulfillment rate. 3.4. Customer service. The vendor shall provide complete customer service to USAFA for all products ordered. 3.4.1. The vendor shall provide personalized on-site and remote support as needed to solve subscription data and renewal problems, answer interface questions, or assist in the purchase of print and online products. 3.4.2. The vendor shall provide timely customer service by telephone and email, and will provide USAFA and its business partners with current contact information to include telephone number and email address. 3.4.3. The vendor shall be able to handle urgent requests and "rush orders" when required. 3.5. Reports. The vendor shall provide an online management reports tool capable of real time, specialized analysis of supplied products. 3.5.1. Collection analysis reports shall be able to present a consolidated list of all titles ordered identified by fund code, subject code, title, publisher, format, price, and shipping address; with sorting options able to separate results by any reported facet. 3.5.2. Order reports shall be able to show title, publisher, invoice number, payment date, expiration date, and price; with sorting options able to separate results by any reported facet. 3.5.2. Title reports shall be able to show title changes, frequency changes, license agreements, activation requirements, and other "action required" information about individual titles. 3.5.3. Issue reports shall be able to show the status of annuals, continuations, and series at all times, e.g., that they are current, delayed, suspended, merged, or discontinued, with expected publication schedules. 3.5.4. Fund and price reports. The vendor shall be able to report and track all expenditures on supplied products on a Delivery Order cycle; e.g., 1 July - 30 June, or on any other time frame identified by USAFA. Reports shall be able to show cost center codes, summary of payments, and cumulative annual charges both for each title ordered and for the aggregated Delivery Order. The vendor shall post current and accurate currency exchange rates for foreign products and be able to provide regularly updated price projections for future products. 3.5.5. Historical analysis reports. The vendor shall provide historical price analysis reports on USAFA's collection by titles ordered, going back at least five years where applicable, and show past inflation at the individual title level as well as for the aggregated collection. Additionally, the vendor shall provide a customized projection analysis report that summarizes the effect of projected journal price increases on USAFA's total costs. The vendor shall also be able to provide trend analysis by market type with graphics or tables. 3.6. Publication research. The vendor shall provide current comprehensive online information that USAFA can use to research publications and publishers in the market for future ordering. The list shall include titles published inside and outside the United States, and the ability to view Library of Congress cataloging for each title by International Standard Serial Number (ISSN). 4. AUTOMATION SOPHISTICATION 4.1. The vendor shall be able to provide a computer to computer electronic data interchange (EDI) interface between the vendor's online system and the USAFA McDermott Library's integrated library system (ILS). The EDI interface shall provide for the automated exchange of ILS data related to the supplied products; to include but not limited to orders, invoices, and claims. 4.2. USAFA does not anticipate other automation requirements at the time of award, but may solicit the awarded vendor's ability to provide updated or increased automation services needed to adapt to developments during the period of performance. If USAFA proceeds with this requirement at a later time, a Request for Proposal (RFP) may be submitted to the vendor to add this work to the contract. ? 5. PRICING STRUCTURE 5.1. Published products. The vendor shall provide subscription prices to USAFA before award of each Delivery Order on a Fixed Firm Price (FFP) "guaranteed pricing" basis. Each publication price will be given at either actual publisher price or estimated publisher price contingent on the vendor receiving commission or volume discounts from the publisher. Estimated publisher price shall be determined by calculating a rolling average periodical inflation rate over the previous five years on all products that are being ordered to arrive at a single index. The previous year's published price will be multiplied by the index to determine estimated publisher price. The vendor shall charge the most favorable rate for which USAFA qualifies, whether it falls under government, military, or educational rates. The vendor must provide a listing that identifies each publisher's five year list price history and estimated or actual publisher price for the next ordering cycle. This list must be provided before award of each Delivery Order and before the exercise of each option period. Furthermore, the government may identify and the vendor shall provide up to 1% of all publishers' quotes or other supporting documentation given to the vendor for actual prices quoted. The government may require these documents to verify pricing received is accurate IAW the terms of the contract; i.e., this may be required for verifying surcharge or actual publisher prices. 5.1.1. Substitutes. If a publication cannot be delivered to USAFA after Delivery Order award, a substitute product may be provided in lieu of a contract modification. Substitute product must be of equal value, must be agreed to by USAFA and the vendor, and must be documented in the contract file. 5.2. Surcharge. If the vendor is unable to provide publications at publisher price, or estimated publisher price based on publisher history, a flat surcharge rate will be applied as negotiated in the contract. 5.3. Service fee. The vendor shall charge a single service fee for current and future option years on this contract as negotiated in the contract for subscriptions only. 6. MAGNITUDE 6.1. Products. USAFA currently purchases over 4000 ebooks per year and retains over 300 print subscriptions and 125,000 online subscriptions accessed through a mix of fixed firm orders, individual publisher subscriptions, publisher package subscriptions, and database subscriptions. USAFA anticipates future expansion of existing product deliverables to grow up to five percent annually. This contract primarily serves USAFA's McDermott Library, and may be used to provide publications for other USAFA organizations when required. Response Criterion All interested vendors may indicate their interest in this proposed acquisition by sending an email to include your name, contact information, company name, CAGE Code, DUNS number, the following listed documentation and answers to the below questions to michael.fredericks@us.af.mil. Documentation 1. Provide documentation showing capability to provide ALL products and services as listed. 2. Provide proof of an existing relationship with all listed publishers to show capability to provide uninterrupted service and to prove the complete requirement can be met. 3. Show a proven track record in supplying non-domestic materials and prove ability to communicate with non-domestic publishers. 4. Provide references/points of contact from Universities, Libraries and/or government organizations that currently receives these products and services. Questions 1. What past experience and/or contracts have you performed in this support? 2. How long have you been performing this work? 3. What pricing structure would you propose for this type of contract? 3. What is your interest level in this requirement? Will you: - definitely submit a proposal, - might submit a proposal, or - will not submit a proposal. 4. Please provide a brief description of your company and reference your business size status (i.e., 8(a), HUBZone, Woman/Women Owned or Service-disable Veteran-owned, small business, large business, etc.). Closing date for receipt of Information Please provide response no later than 11 May 2015, 1600 MST.