SNO- ISLE LIBRARIES REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Public Library Facilities for the Future

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1 SNO- ISLE LIBRARIES REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Public Library Facilities for the Future OVERVIEW Sno- Isle Libraries is seeking consultant services to create a report: Public Library Facilities for the Future. This report will be used as part of a facilities planning project. The RFP will be issued May 29 with proposals due June 22, 2015 and the final report due August 27, The consultant selected to create this report will provide a document that answers key questions about the future of public library services and the types of facilities a public library system needs to consider in order to provide services. BACKGROUND Sno- Isle Libraries is a two- county public library system serving about 700,000 people in northwest Washington State. The service area is all of Island County and most of Snohomish County, excluding the City of Everett and the Town of Woodway. We operate twenty- one community libraries, a bookmobile, and an administrative headquarters ( Service Center ) which houses centralized services such as acquisitions, Information Technology, etc. In 2007, the Sno- Isle Board of Trustees adopted Libraries for the 21 st Century: Sno- Isle Libraries Capital Facilities Plan: [ isle.org/facplan] Some of the recommendations from that plan have been met but because of the downturn in the economy the plan was not fully realized. Now we wish to revisit the planning process, and to create a Facilities Plan to guide us for the next decade. And because library services are evolving quickly, we want to obtain expert assistance in forecasting how the evolution of services should impact how we think about our facilities. In May and June 2015, Sno- Isle Libraries will issue two separate RFPs related to creation of a capital facilities plan to cover The first RFP (this document) seeks a consultant to examine trends, best practices, emerging technologies and evolving library services and create guidelines to assist us in planning future library facilities. The product of this RFP will be a report called Public Library Facilities for the Future. The second RFP, to be released in early June 2015, will seek consultant services to create a Sno- Isle Facilities Plan We will seek a firm with the skill sets to accomplish four distinct components: Community engagement to ensure we include both users and non- users in the process Data analyses resulting in specific recommendations for future facilities (locations, size, service focus, etc.) [Public Library Facilities for the Future will be part of the data.] A well- written, professional report which will be shared both in print and online Assessment and recommendations reflecting demographics and the evolving local landscape of our service area Page 1 of 7

2 THE REPORT The report, Public Library Facilities for the Future, will be used during community engagement activities. Guidelines established in the report will be used to shape specific recommendations in the Sno- Isle Facilities Plan The five points below must be addressed in Public Library Facilities for the Future. How they are incorporated and how the recommendations appear will be determined by the consultant. 1. Key Questions When the topic of physical library buildings comes up, we hear familiar questions from the public. Why do we need libraries when we have the Internet? Why are you calling for such a small / such a large building? Thus the report must address, at minimum, these specific questions: Will we continue to need physical libraries in the future? How will emerging technologies impact library service delivery and library spaces? What other societal trends are significant? For example, a shift toward collaborative work might point to a need for group study rooms of a particular size. How much space should we call for when we size a new library? What factors will influence this decision? For example, do the age demographics of a community have a bearing on the projected size of a facility? 2. National Trends / Future Directions / Best Practices In order for Sno- Isle staff to respond to key questions from the public, we expect the consultant to gather, analyze and share national data such as information from recent library construction projects. We also expect the consultant to incorporate futurist projections related to library services and facilities, including from experts outside the field of librarianship. For example, are any standards or trends now being used to size a new library relative to population and/or audiences served? Are there trends from other fields which might be significant? Page 2 of 7

3 3. Ensuring Future Relevancy When we build or renovate a facility, how can we ensure the space will be adaptable to future services we may not even be able to imagine? What are the best practices in construction of libraries or other community spaces we can learn from and adopt during our facilities planning efforts? 4. Alternative Service Methods Other than constructing or remodeling buildings, what other service options are available and how successful have they proven to be? For example, kiosks. What options exist, when do they work well, what have other libraries learned that we should factor in? 5. Siting / Sizing Strategies What does the data library- specific or from similar service providers tell us about where to site a library facility? The population of a service area might be X but they are not all library users. How important is proximity to people using a library? How far are people willing to drive for a service such as a library? What constitutes a local community library? What factors, such as crossing a freeway, influence the public s willingness to travel? Are there instances when two smaller facilities are preferable to one larger one? TIMELINE May 29, 2015 June 9, 2015 June 10, 2015 June 22, 2015 June 29, 2015 July 7, 2015 August 27, 2015 RFP issued Questions due by noon Addenda issued (if necessary) Proposals due Phone or Skype interviews (if necessary) Contract award Report due Page 3 of 7

4 SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL Proposals will be accepted via (preferred) or via surface delivery. The format may be Word or a pdf document. The deadline for submission/receipt is Monday, June 22, 2015 by 2:00 p.m. PDT. Jeanne Crisp is the sole point of contact at Sno- Isle Libraries for questions regarding this solicitation. All questions must be received via no later than 12:00 noon PDT on June 9, A list of all the questions and answers will be issued as an addenda on June 10, Proposers are responsible for checking isle.org/facplan for any addenda. Submit your questions and/or proposal to: Jeanne Crisp, Director, Facilities and Special Projects jcrisp@sno- isle.org Sno- Isle Libraries th Avenue NE Marysville, WA If you submit a proposal via , please notify Brina Burke at so we can assure you the proposal has been received. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS Sno- Isle Libraries reserves the right to reject any Proposal for any reason including, but not limited to the following: (1) any Proposal which is incomplete, obscure, irregular or lacking necessary detail and specificity; (2) any Proposal which has any qualification, addition, limitation or provision attached; (3) any Proposer who (in the sole judgment of Sno- Isle Libraries) lacks the qualifications or responsibility necessary to perform the work; and (4) any Proposal for which a Proposer fails or neglects to complete and submit any qualifications information. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION / PUBLIC DISCLOSURE All proposals received shall remain confidential until a contract, if any, resulting from this Request is signed by the Director, Facilities and Special Projects and the Consultant; thereafter, the proposals shall be deemed public records as defined in Chapter of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). Any information contained in the Proposal that is proprietary must be clearly designated. Page 4 of 7

5 PROPOSAL CONTENTS Length: We are looking for succinct answers with relevant information. Please limit your proposal to no more than a dozen pages. There will also be one Certifications and Assurances page you will include as part of your proposal. 1. Briefly describe the professional credentials of key staff who will work to create this report. Do not include lengthy resumes or vitae. 2. For each of the five points outlined above, describe your experience collecting and analyzing relevant data and creating a written or oral report on the topic. To recap, the five points are: Key Questions National Trends / Future Directions / Best Practices Ensuring Future Relevancy Alternative Service Methods Siting / Sizing Strategies 3. Describe your vision for this report. Provide links (preferred) or examples of other reports you have created which are similar to your vision for this report. (If the reports are lengthy, some sample pages, including a table of contents, will be sufficient.) 4. What information would you request Sno- Isle staff provide to help you create a report? 5. Provide a not- to- exceed budget amount with high- level detail showing projected costs. If you anticipate any travel expenses to produce this report, include them with a brief explanation. [We expect the consultant to be available for phone consultation with the firm hired for the Sno- Isle Facilities Plan ; we do not anticipate a joint meeting of both consultants.] 6. Provide contact information for two references who can describe work you have done which is similar or related to the report we are seeking. 7. Sign and submit the attached Certifications and Assurances as part of your proposal. Page 5 of 7

6 EVALUATION PROCESS Via , Sno- Isle staff will confirm receipt of all proposals received by the due date, and will later inform submitters of the status of their proposal. Proposals will be scored as follows: Experience with creation of similar reports Credentials of key staff Budget Adherence to submittal directions Possible Points 50 pts 30 pts 10 pts 10 pts Sno- Isle staff may elect to conduct interviews, either via Skype or by phone, with finalist candidates on June 29. We expect to make a decision and discuss the final contract with the selected consultant by July 7, Thank you for considering this RFP and for the efforts you may undertake to submit a proposal. Jeanne Crisp Sno- Isle Libraries May 28, 2015 Page 6 of 7

7 CERTIFICATIONS AND ASSURANCES I/we make the following certifications and assurances as a required element of the proposal to which it is attached, understanding that the truthfulness of the facts affirmed here and the continuing compliance with these requirements are conditions precedent to the award or continuation of the related contract: 1) I/we declare that all answers and statements made in the proposal are true and correct. 2) The prices and/or cost data have been determined independently, without consultation, communication, or agreement with others for the purpose of restricting competition. However, I/we may freely join with other persons or organizations for the purpose of presenting a single proposal. 3) The attached proposal is a firm offer for a period of 60 days following receipt, and it may be accepted by Sno-Isle Libraries without further negotiation (except where obviously required by lack of certainty in key terms) at any time within the 60-day period. 4) In preparing this proposal, I/we have not been assisted by any current or former employee of Sno-Isle Libraries whose duties relate (or did relate) to this proposal or prospective contract, and who was assisting in other than his or her official, public capacity. If there are exceptions to these assurances, I/we have described them in full detail on a separate page attached to this document. 5) I/we understand that Sno-Isle Libraries will not reimburse me/us for any costs incurred in the preparation of this proposal. All proposals become the property of Sno-Isle Libraries, and I/we claim no proprietary right to the ideas, writings, items, or samples, unless so stated in this proposal. 6) Unless otherwise required by law, the prices and/or cost data which have been submitted have not been knowingly disclosed by the Proposer and will not knowingly be disclosed by him/her prior to opening, directly or indirectly, to any other Proposer or to any competitor. 7) I/we agree that submission of the attached proposal constitutes acceptance of the solicitation contents and general terms and conditions. If there are any exceptions to these terms, I/we have described those exceptions in detail on a page attached to this document. 8) No attempt has been made or will be made by the Proposer to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a proposal for the purpose of restricting competition. 9) I/we grant Sno-Isle Libraries the right to contact references and other, who may have pertinent information regarding the ability of the Contractor and the lead staff person to perform the services contemplated by this Request. On behalf of the Contractor submitting this proposal, my name below attests to the accuracy of the above statement. Signature of Proposer Date Page 7 of 7