montgomery college procurement office · a contracted (outsourced) bookstore management operation....

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE - OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT RFI TITLE: College-wide Bookstore Operations

BID NUMBER: 513-033 RFI OPENING DATE: 4/23/2013

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE PROCUREMENT OFFICE

Dated: April 1, 2013

ADDENDUM #1 ADDENDUM FOR THE PURPOSE OF: 1. Change Proposal Due Date to: April 23, 2013 @ 3:00pm 2. To provide attached Q&A and clarification information, as requested by

interested firms. *************************ALL ELSE REMAINS UNCHANGED*****************************

PLEASE SIGN BELOW TO ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF ADDENDUM AND RETURN WITH BID RESPONSE.

NOTE: BID ADDENDA WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY FACSIMILE. ________________________ _________________________ Company Name Authorized Signature ________________________ _________________________ Date Typed Signature



Questions Answers

Please provide two years of detailed sales history for each bookstore location. Please provide the following product sales detail:

Used textbooks New textbooks Text rental Digital textbooks Trade or general books Clothing/general merchandise School Supplies Computer sales Convenience items Miscellaneous

See attached

Is the booklist shared or sold to a non-college entity? If yes, please elaborate.

Our booklists are posted on the bookstore’s website.

What textbook management system is used within the bookstores?

MBS System

Please describe how textbooks are currently priced (new; used; rental; digital)

Prices are calculated using a floating margin based on the current market value.

Please provide your current course materials pricing policies in place for operation of the bookstores.

Prices are calculated using a floating margin based on the current market value.

Please provide the terms of your current buyback policy.

Prices offered are based on current market value and campus and/or national demand. Textbooks that are excessively worn, soiled, or damaged will not be purchased.

What program does the college use for processing Student Financial Aid awards?

Banner

How are the SFA awards processed within the bookstores? -Please provide details of section II as noted

Gateway between Banner and MBS System. -N/A

Please provide store plans, preferably in autoCAD, for all retail locations as described within the RFI. When was the last time these locations were renovated and are the current fixtures available for use by the selected contractor?

See attached for store plans. Fixtures will be available for use by contractor. The last renovations for each location are as follows:

a. Rockville-1997 b. Takoma Park-No renovations. New

building c. Germantown-Unknown

What is the anticipated length of this proposed agreement?

To be determined by the College’s senior administration

What is the current inventory value by location?

Rockville: $1,310,202 Takoma Park: $409,653 Germantown: $448,094 Cafritz: $106,312

Please describe any form of integration direct I. Financial Aid/AR Integration-Gateway



with the bookstore including systems used. between Banner and MBS System

II. Registration Integration-Gateway between Banner and MBS System

III. Campus Card Integration- N/A Please provide an employee organization chart/s for the College-wide Bookstore Operation.

See attached

Please provide the total wages for FY 11, FY12, and FY 13 with the inclusion of benefits.

See attached

Please provide sales information for FY 12 & FY 13 for the MC Copies and MC Munchies.

MC Copies FY’12 $91,808 FY’13 (July 2012 – December 2012)*- $41,855 MC Munchies FY’12 $276,005 FY’13 (July 2012 – December 2012)* $129,889 *Because the third quarter has not been closed and the numbers have not been finalized, data provided is for July 2012 – December 2012.

Please provide Appendix I as noted N/A

Assoc. Director of Retail Operations Senior Administrative Aide

Germantown Retail Operations Manager

Cafritz Arts Center StoreManager

TP/SS Retail Operations Manager

Rockville Retail Operations Manager

Asst. Retail Ops. Manager

Customer Service Technician



Graphic Services Manager

Customer Service


Logistics Technician

Logistics Technician




Transfer/Transportation Technician

Marketing & Graphic Services

Manager

Information Technology

Support Manager

Information Technology

Support Technician

Grants & Contracts Manager

Comptroller

Purchasing Manager

Account Manager

Accounting Technician

Book Buyer

Book Buyer

Merchandise Buyer

Director of Auxiliary Services

~ ~ Montgomery College Office of Procurement

900 Hungerford Drive, Suite 110 Rockville, MD 20850

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

513-033

College-wide Bookstore Operations

All responses MUST BE RECEIVED in the Procurement Office BY 3:00 PM local time on April 9, 2013. Responses will not be accepted via facsimile or electronic mail.

Prices must remain firm for: NA

Bid Bond Requirements: NA

Periormance, Labor and Material Bond requirements: NA

Pre-bid / Pre-proposal conference: NA

Minority vendors are encouraged to respond to this bid solicitation.

Important: No bid/proposal will be accepted after the date and time stated above.

~ Patrick Johnson, CPPB Director of Procurement

NOTE: Prospective Bidders who have received this document from a source other than the Issuing Office should immediately contact the Issuing Office and provide their name and mailing address so that amendments to the RFI or other communications can be sent to them. Failure to contact the Issuing Office may result in non-receipt of important information.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 – RFI INFORMATION Page No

1.1 INTENT 3

1.2 RFI DUE DATE 3

1.3 CONTACT INFORMATION 3 Section 2 BACKGROUND

4

Section 3 SCOPE OF REQUEST 5-8

Section 4 REQUIRED SUBMITTALS 9

ATTACHMENT A CONTRACTOR INFORMATION FORM 10

ATTACHMENT B REFERENCES 11

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE - OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT RFI: College-wide Bookstore Operations

RFI NUMBER: 513-033 RFI CLOSING DATE: April 9, 2013

3

SECTION 1 – RFI INFORMATION

1.1 INTENT

It is the intent of this Request for Information to provide Montgomery College with information regarding contract managed bookstore operations in accordance with all information contained herein. Any information received as part of this RFI will be used for planning purposes only and will not lead to a contract as part of this process.

1.2 DUE DATE

All responses to this Request for Information are due in the Montgomery College Procurement Office, 900 Hungerford Drive, Room 110, Rockville, Maryland 20850 by 3:00 p.m. on April 9, 2013 and must be clearly identified and marked as pertaining to this request. No facsimile or email transmissions will be accepted. No responses will be accepted after this date and time. In the event that the College is closed on the bid opening date due to an emergency, the bid will be opened at the stated time on the next open business day, unless the Bidder is notified otherwise.

1.3 CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions about this Request for Information, please contact Patrick Johnson at 240 567-5288 or [email protected]



4

SECTION 2 –BACKGROUND

2.0 BACKGROUND Montgomery College, Maryland's oldest community college, is a multi-campus institution serving more than 60,000 credit and non-credit students. Since opening its doors in 1946, Montgomery College has evolved into one of the Nation’s most culturally diverse institutions with more than 120 countries represented among its student population. The College offers an array of educational programs, certificates, services, and outreach activities that benefit the County, State and region. More than 2,500 faculty and staff are employed by the College to support students’ academic and professional goals. Given the ongoing evolution of the publishing industry, changing customer reading habits, and the trending shift in bookstore sales, Montgomery College must prepare for the inevitable transformation of its current bookstore model. To this end, the College has awarded a contract to a consulting firm to conduct a thorough assessment of its bookstore operations, which includes MC Copies and MC Munchies. The assessment period is scheduled from April 1, 2013 through October 31, 2013, culminating with a final report and recommendations due by November 15, 2013. The College’s bookstore operations offer a wide range of school and art supplies, hardware, software, insignia items and more. MC Copies offers print, graphic design and other office services; and, MC Munchies provides snack food and beverage options. These retail outlets are located on each of the College’s three campuses, located in Rockville, Germantown and Takoma Park/Silver Spring. Rockville: MC Books & More is a 6,803 sq. ft. facility. An additional 1,354 sq. ft. is dedicated for administrative use, storage, safe, etc. Shipping and Receiving, approximately 1,111 sq. ft.

MC Munchies is a 405 sq. ft. facility, including storage.

MC Copies customer service counter is located inside the Rockville bookstore, with an addition 537 sq. ft. dedicated for production. Coin copiers located at other campuses, with production requests completed at this location. Takoma Park/ Silver Spring: MC Books & More is a 2,025.8 sq. ft. facility. An additional 600 sq. ft. is dedicated for a Tech Zone, administrative use, and shipping and receiving. MC Munchies is a 223 sq. ft. with an additional 98.5 sq. ft. dedicated for storage.

Cafritz Arts Store is a 1,146.7 sq. ft. facility. An additional 406.4 sq. ft. is dedicated to storage. Shipping and receiving managed through the main store. Germantown: MC Books & More is an 853.9 sq. ft. facility. An additional 642.2 sq. ft. is dedicated for administrative use and shipping/receiving and storage, respectively.



5

SECTION 3–SCOPE OF REQUEST

3.1 Scope of Request

It is the intent of this Request for Information (RFI) to help the College determine the feasibility of a contracted (outsourced) bookstore management operation. The information gathered from this RFI will be compared to recommendations made by Consultant selected to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the College’s bookstore operations.

3.1.2 Deliverables

A. Company Experience & Resources 1. Provide a list of your current community college/university clients, including:

a. institution size; b. contact person - name and phone number; c. date you started service; and d. number of employees.

2. Describe your experience in providing community college bookstore management services in environments of similar size and complexity as Montgomery College. Also include snack shop and copy service.

3. Describe your firm’s competitive advantage over other contract bookstore management firms.

4. Provide the last three years of corporate financial statements of your firm, including the financial statements of your parent company, if applicable.

5. What was your increase in revenues in the last twelve (12) months, and how many new college bookstores does that dollar volume represent?

6. How has the poor economy over the last twelve months affected your business? 7. How has the Maryland and federal Higher Education Affordability Legislation affected your

business over that last three years? 8. Provide a sample marketing plan inclusive of sponsorship funds and programs that will

support the College community as a whole. Additionally address specific needs of students, faculty and staff marketing ventures.

B. Operations Plan 1. How would you organize resources (both capital and human) to perform the work (assume

base scope)? The plan should define operating departments and describe, by department, how employees and equipment will be assigned and scheduled.

2. Describe, in detail, your on-campus marketing plan. Include a marketing budget, as well as strategies for competing with on-line booksellers.

3. Describe your standard textbook adoption process and procurement procedures, used text and book buy-back policies, and text inventory policies.

4. Describe your strategies for complying with State and federal affordability legislative mandates.

5. Describe your strategies for educating faculty about state and federal affordability legislative mandates and their responsibilities.

6. Describe your pricing structure for the products/services you provide, including gross margins and discounts. Indicate the mechanisms used to compare pricing to the external market.



6

SECTION 3–SCOPE OF REQUEST -continued

7. Describe how the corporate/regional office supports the on-site management team. What

formal and informal reporting mechanisms do you have in place? 8. If you subcontract any work or utilize any vendors exclusively, list the following for each

subcontractor/key vendor: a. services provided, and b. your experience with the subcontractor/vendor.

9. Describe, in detail, the accounting and control systems to be used in the performance of a perspective contract.

10. Describe, in detail, how technology will be utilized to perform your work. Include point-of-sale and inventory control systems, Internet applications, and other systems.

11. Describe the equipment you will require to perform your work, including: a. what existing equipment can be reused; b. description and quantity of new equipment to be purchased; and c. proposed method of maintaining equipment used at the location.

12. What resources are available through your firm to guide planning and development of the bookstore facilities? Provide a sample of renovation projects performed at other accounts, including plans, photographs, etc.

13. Describe the improvements you would propose to make to all the facilities within the first twelve months of a contract. Provide drawings or examples and appropriate cost(s).

C. Human Resources

1. Describe your plan for current store employees. Based on your previous experiences, what has been the most successful approach?

2. Describe, in detail, the process you would use to recruit, identify, evaluate, and select members of the management team assigned to the College. Provide the qualifications, qualities, skills, and experience you look for in a candidate.

3. Describe the store manager’s role in general, and how that person will interact with other managers within your organization, the designated College representative, and other College personnel.

4. Describe your management development and training program(s). Describe how your organization provides growth opportunities for managers and staff and/or minimizes turnover.

5. Describe your hiring process for hourly personnel. 6. Provide a complete description of your staff training programs, including:

a. the number of hours and type of training a typical hourly employee receives each year;

b. the total number of training hours anticipated for each store location, and what percentage will be for new employee training;

c. a description of the system used to schedule and track training activities; and d. a description of how you measure the effectiveness of training.

7. Describe your performance appraisal system for both hourly and management personnel. 8. Provide a brief description of salary structure and benefits to be offered to on-site employees. 9. Describe your employee recognition/incentive programs for both hourly and management

personnel.



7


D. Customer Service/Quality Assurance

1. What methods of evaluation are performed to measure the service levels at your stores? Describe:

a. what data is collected to evaluate performance; b. how often the data is collected; c. methods of analyzing the data; d. benchmarking methods and sources utilized; and e. Benchmarking frequency.

2. Provide a description of programs utilized to solicit customer feedback. 3. Describe policies and practices used in your stores to respond to and resolve complaints,

including your refund policy. 4. Describe your experience operating under contracts that involve performance-based incentives.

Describe the program structures and the types of incentives provided for success in areas such as:

a. Customer satisfaction; b. Staff training and development; c. Financial performance/growth; d. Sustainability; and e. Utility conservation. f.

5. What trade associations, cooperatives, and other resources do you have access to in order to stay informed of the trends in the community college bookstore industry and the retail industry in general?

6. Provide any unbiased market white papers or details showing why your company should be chosen over your competitors, and the reason for that choice.

7 Answer to the above questions should include answer to all of the following: Account Management Service failure Quality Delivery Submission of estimates Issue resolution in the event of a dispute Adherence to time-scales

E. Transition Plan 1 Explain your approach to valuing and purchasing existing equipment in the College’s bookstores. 2 Explain your approach to valuing and purchasing existing inventory in the College’s bookstores. 3 Describe the timeline and activities associated with the transition of personnel from the existing

legacy operation to your firm. 4 Prepare a detailed plan of the activities needed to accomplish a successful transition, including:

a. a timetable of activities; b. how equipment and supplies will be distributed; c. a description of the resources (capital and human) to be used; d. a description of how you will measure a successful transition plan; and



8


e. a description of how you will engage faculty chairs, deans and the Senior Vice

President of Academic Affairs in your customer service plan.

5. How would other College employees/departments be involved in the transition? 6. Provide details on other examples of good transitions your company has affected. 7. What is the most frequent problem with transitions of this sort from your perspective?

F. Financial Information

1. Describe projections, supported by pro-forma financial statements, for the base administrative management of the MC Books & More (as described in section II above), including:

a. sales commission structure; b. guaranteed annual commission payment; and c. other payments (explain in detail).

2. Describe projections, supported by pro-forma financial statements, for the administrative management of the MC Copies and MC Munchies (operation described in Appendix I), including:

a. sales commission structure; b. guaranteed annual commission payment; and other payments (explain in

detail).



9

SECTION 4 –REQUIRED SUBMITTALS

4.1 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

A submittal consisting of the Technical Proposal and Required Submittals are required when responding to this Request for Information. One (1) original, three (3) copies of the Technical Proposal to this RFI are required. Proposals will be certified, signed and dated by a bona fide agent of the Bidder and include minority classification if applicable. All envelopes must identify that the submission is a response to the RFI and must be marked with the Bidder’s name and address, the RFI number, and the opening date and time.

4.2 REQUIRED SUBMITTALS

I. Technical Proposal Transmittal Letter Deliverables as identified in Section 3.1.2 References Form Contractor Information Form

The proposal should be organized using the following outline.

4.2.1 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL This section must contain a detailed description of deliverable requirements listed in section 3.1.2., along with completed Reference and Contractor Information forms.

4.2.2 TRANSMITTAL LETTER The transmittal letter must be prepared on the Bidder’s business stationery. The letter must introduce the company and give a brief history of the organization and the contact person responsible for the project. The letter should summarize the key points of the Request for Proposal; must indicate the Bidder’s understanding of the College's requirements; and demonstrate the Bidder's ability to provide the requested services. The letter must be signed by an individual authorized to represent the Bidder for this RFP.



10

ATTACHMENT B – CONTRACTOR INFORMATION FORM

B.1 I/We offer the terms, delivery and pricing for the requested products/services, and certify that I am a

bona fide agent, authorized to make offers on behalf of the firm.

B.2

Minority Contractor: Yes No

If yes, please specify minority classification

B.3

Price adjustment (is is not ) necessary for other public agencies as listed.

B.4 Please list any exceptions taken to any terms and conditions listed in the bid. Please note any exceptions taken may affect the award of a contract or purchase order.

B.5 Please provide the following information

Company Name Years in

Business

Federal Tax Number: Dun & Bradstreet Number

Street Address: City, State, Zip Code

Telephone Number Fax

Number: Contact Person: Title:

Cell Number: E-Mail

Address:

Company Name Name

Title Authorized Signature and Date



11

ATTACHMENT A: REFERENCES

REFERENCE 1

Company Name

Street Address

City, State, Zip Code

Contact Person

Title

Telephone #:

Service Dates

REFERENCE 2

Company Name

Street Address


Contact Person

Title

Telephone #:

Service Dates

REFERENCE 3

Company Name

Street Address


Contact Person

Title

Telephone #:

Service Dates Please note: References listed must be able to confirm the Bidder’s ability to provide the services requested in this bid document.

References submitted by:

Company Name

montgomery college procurement office · a contracted (outsourced) bookstore management operation....

Documents