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IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PERSON OR ENTITY DOWNLOADING THIS SOLICITATION TO CONTINUE TO

VISIT THIS PAGE PERIODICALLY, UNTIL BID OR PROPOSAL OPENING, TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE ANY

ADDENDA THAT ARE PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SOLICITATION. ALL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,

REVISIONS, OR ADDENDA WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE “DOING BUSINESS” WEBSITE https://www.richlandlibrary.com/doing-business

RICHLAND LIBRARY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID) LIBRARY SYSTEM

November 1st, 2021

Richland Library, South Carolina, is requesting proposals from vendors specializing in Radio Frequency

Identification (RFID) library systems, specifically RFID material self-checkout stations and RFID antennas with

readers compatible with Innovative Interface, Inc.’s Polaris ILS.

DATE: November 1st, 2021

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: RFID Library System

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 7th, 2022 at 12:00 noon Eastern

Interested parties are invited to submit proposals in accordance with the requirements of the solicitation

contained herein.

Proposals must be emailed to financeoffice@richlandlibrary.com, marked "RFID Library System" in the subject

line, no later than 12:00 noon, January 7th, 2022. Proposals will be opened in the Main Library 3rd floor

programming space at 1431 Assembly Street. Proposals received after the submission deadline will not be

accepted. Due to the possibility of negotiations with any offeror that may be eligible for contract award,

prices will not be divulged at time of opening.

The proposal must be signed by an official authorized to bind the offeror and must contain a statement to the

effect that the proposal price is firm for a period of at least 90 days from the closing date for submission of

proposals.

This Solicitation does not commit Richland Library to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the

preparation of proposals, or to procure or contract for the services solicited. The Library has the right to reject

any or all proposals, to waive any minor irregularities, to cancel in part or whole this Solicitation if it is in the

best interests of the Library, and to purchase goods and services that will be most advantageous for the

Library.

Richland Library is an affirmative action and equal opportunity agency.

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KEY EVENT DATES

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

1. Advertised in SC Business Opportunities November 1st, 2021

2. Issuance of Invitation to Proposal November 1st, 2021

3. Deadline for Receipt of Questions December 1st, 2021 at 12:00 noon Eastern

4. Submission Deadline January 7th, 2022 at 12:00 noon Eastern

Send Questions To: financeoffice@richlandlibrary.com

“RFID RFP Questions” in Subject Line

Email Proposals To: financeoffice@richlandlibrary.com

"RFID Library System" in Subject Line

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. GENERAL INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS

II. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

III. ATTACHMENT A – RFID LIBRARY SYSTEM CRITERIA

IV. ATTACHMENT B – PRICING FORMS

V. ATTACHMENT C – REFERENCES

VI. ATTACHMENT D – AFFIDAVIT OF NONCOLLUSION

VII. ATTACHMENT E – AFFIDAVIT OF NONDISCRIMINATION

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I. GENERAL INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS

Richland Library is a public library system in Columbia, South Carolina serving the residents of Richland

County with 1 main library and 12 branch locations.

Number of Locations 13

Community Size 416,147

Number of Patrons 260,977

Number of Staff 358

Annual Circulation 3,540,853

Library ILS Polaris 6.3

1. Purpose: Richland Library seeks to purchase an RFID self-check system to replace our existing system,

as well as RFID antennas with tag readers to be used at staff workstations for material cataloging and

circulation. All RFID equipment and software must be compatible with our current ILS, Polaris, and

must be able to read existing ITG tags.

The self-check system must be able to scan and read Codabar barcodes; recognize differing lengths of

barcode numbers, between 5 and 14 digits; scan and read barcodes from printed library cards and

from smartphone screens; and accept manual entry of patron barcodes via touchscreen.

2. Issuing Office: This RFP is issued for Richland Library, 1431 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201, by the

library’s Finance Office. This issuing office is the sole point of contact for this RFP.

3. Outside Discussions Prohibited: By submission of a response to the Request for Proposals, a vendor

agrees that during the period following issuance of Request and prior to an award, vendor shall not

discuss this procurement with other vendors or any outside party except staff officials of Richland

Library.

4. Vendor Responsibility: Each vendor shall fully acquaint itself with conditions and restrictions attending

the performance of the contract solicited. Vendors shall state a price that includes all costs reasonably

expected to be incurred by the Library.

5. Proposal Constitutes Offer: By submitting a proposal, the vendor agrees to be bound by all the terms

and conditions set forth in this document. A proposal containing variations from the terms and

conditions set forth herein may, in the sole discretion of the Library, be declared not responsive. The

requirements and conditions set forth in this document will become part of the successful vendor’s

contractual obligations upon award of the contract.

6. Preparation of Proposals: All proposals should be complete and clearly and carefully worded. Proposals

must convey all the information requested by the Library. The use of advertising and promotional

material is not desired. If a proposal contains less than the required information or if the proposal fails

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to conform to the essential requirements of the Request for Proposals, the Library, in its sole

discretion, may declare the proposal, in whole or part, not responsive. Vendor is required to submit a

digital version of the proposal by e-mail (financeoffice@richlandlibrary.com).

7. Inspection of Responses/Confidential Information: Responses shall be open for public inspection after

contract award except that proprietary or confidential information in any response or bid that is clearly

marked as such by the offering vendor shall be treated as follows:

For every document Offeror submits in response to this solicitation, Offeror must separately mark with

the word “CONFIDENTIAL” every page, or portion thereof, that Offeror contends contains information

that is exempt from public disclosure because it is either (a) a trade secret as defined in S.C. Code Ann.

§ 30-4-40(a)(1), or (b) privileged and confidential, as that term is used in S.C. Code Ann. § 11-35-410.

Do not mark your entire response as confidential. If your response, or any part thereof, is improperly

marked as confidential, the Library may, in its sole discretion, determine it nonresponsive.

8. Questions: Every effort has been made to ensure that all information needed by vendors is included

herein. If a vendor finds that they cannot complete a proposal without additional information, they

must submit written questions to the email address designated in the Key Event Dates section. No

questions will be accepted by the Library after the stated deadline. All questions and replies will be

published at https://www.richlandlibrary.com/doing-business. It is the responsibility of the person or

entity downloading this solicitation, to continue to visit this page periodically, until bid or proposal

opening, to ensure that they have any addenda that are published in association with the solicitation.

All questions and answers, revisions, or addenda will be published on the Doing Business page.

https://www.richlandlibrary.com/doing-business

9. Proposals signed: All proposals must be signed by a representative of the company authorized to

commit to the provisions of the proposal. Unsigned proposals will be rejected unless an authorized

representative is present at the proposal opening and provides the needed signature.

10. Offeror Qualifications: In addition to the information required by this Request for Proposals, the

apparent successful offeror must, upon request of the Library, furnish any and all information

requested by the Library to determine offeror's ability to perform the contract.

11. Clarifications: The Library reserves the right, at any time after opening and prior to award, to request

from any vendor clarification regarding information contained in the vendor’s proposal. The Library

may request all vendors to provide in-person or virtual demonstration of their RFID systems.

12. Indemnification: Vendor agrees to hold the Library, its employees, officers and agents harmless from

liability from any claims, damages, and actions of any nature arising from the use of any materials

furnished or services performed by the vendor, provided that such liability is not attributable to

negligence on the part of the Library, its officers, employees or agents.

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13. Approval of Board of Trustees: Any or all contracts obtained through this solicitation shall not become

effective unless and until approved by the Board of Trustees of Richland Library, where required.

14. Evaluation: Proposals will be evaluated based, in order of importance, on suitability of products for the

library’s purposes, price, and references. A team of library IT and public service staff members will

evaluate submitted proposals. All vendors who submit proposals will be contacted when a final

decision is made.

15. Award: Award will be made to the responsive offeror whose proposal is determined to be the most

advantageous to the Library, its employees, its users, and the taxpayers of Richland County. The

evaluation factors are included in this solicitation. Only the factors listed will be used to evaluate

proposals. The Library reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in whole or part, to waive any

minor irregularities, and to cancel in part or whole this solicitation if it is in the best interest of the

Library.

16. Right to Protest: Vendors who have submitted a response to a Request for Proposals and believe that

award has been improperly made may protest such award by submitting a protest, in writing, to the

purchasing agent, Richland Library, 1431 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201-3101, within ten (10)

days after the award or intent to award notice.

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II. RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS Responses must include the following to be considered:

1. Name of Vendor 2. Contact name and title 3. Address 4. Phone number 5. Email 6. Project Timeline 7. Name of project manager who will be the key contact for the entire installation, oversee the project,

and ensure library requirements are met 8. Description of project management process 9. Attachment A – RFID LIBRARY SYSTEM CRITERIA

a. Three criteria forms (general, self-check, and staff RFID antenna w/reader) must be completed and eleven additional questions must be answered

10. Attachment B – PRICING FORMS a. An official vendor quote may be included but the purchase option form MUST be completed

and signed by an authorized representative. Lease option form is not required 11. Attachment C – REFERENCES

a. Minimum of three references required 12. Attachment D – AFFIDAVIT OF NONCOLLUSION

a. Vendor must sign and have notarized the attached Affidavit of Non-collusion 13. Attachment E – AFFIDAVIT OF NONDISCRIMINATION

a. Vendor must sign and have notarized the attached Affidavit of Nondiscrimination 14. Vendor must agree in its proposal that if it is the successful vendor, prior to contract in the time

specified by the Library, that it will furnish proof of: Commercial General Liability Insurance in an aggregate amount not less than $2,000,000, Automobile Liability Insurance in an amount not less than $1,000,000, and Workers Compensation Insurance in an amount not less than $1,000,000

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III. ATTACHMENT A

RFID LIBRARY SYSTEM CRITERIA

Please indicate your responses in each of the three tables below with one of the following statuses:

Supported (Y)

Not Supported (N)

Future Release (F)

Paid Enhancement (P) **include cost of enhancement

GENERAL CRITERIA

Description Status Cost Notes (optional)

All proposed system components must be compatible with Polaris ILS

Proposed system components must not interfere with other equipment, ILS clients, or personal computers nearby

The RFID systems must compatible with existing ITG RFID tags

The installation of any equipment will be in full compliance with all current federal, state, and local government building and fire statutes, codes, regulations, and industry standards

Proposed solution must operate in Richland Library’s current IT environment

All equipment shall be new and manufactured within the past two years. No refurbished, recycled, or repaired equipment will be accepted

Staff training provided

SELF-CHECK CRITERIA

Description Status Cost Notes (optional) Circulation of items follows the rules in the ILS Ability to renew items based on ILS renewal rules Accurately identifies quantity of items on RFID antenna System accepts user input via touch screen Barcode reader in unit must detect Codabar barcodes in print and digital forms (ex: from a smartphone screen)

Vendor must allow changes in self-check system set-up, configuration, and system messages to be easily implemented by library IT staff, requiring minimal or no interaction with vendor support

System allows for PIN requirement to be enabled/disabled Messages/prompts are customizable by library IT staff Receipt email options are customizable by library IT staff Receipt print options are customizable by library IT staff

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Self-checks autodetect connectivity and enter functional offline mode

Offline mode activity is uploaded automatically when connectivity is restored

Vendor provides on-going support and maintenance of the new system

Technical support personnel are available on-site within 72 hours to address hardware malfunctions

The self-check system must provide prompts to guide patrons at each step of the process while clearly communicating any error conditions

Self-check displays status for items restricted from checkout, along with related instructions for processing

Allows patron to scan library card number via barcode reader Allows patron to input library card number via touch screen Allows patron to input account validation (PIN) via touch screen Ability to view account information including: items checked out, existing hold requests, and fees owed

Displays account information without compromising privacy System is ADA accessible

STAFF RFID ANTENNA W/READER CRITERIA

Description Status Cost Notes (optional)

Integrate with the Polaris ILS

Recognize ITG RFID tags

Accurately identify quantity of items on RFID antenna

Antennas shielded so they only pick up RFID sources that are on the antenna

The system must have the ability to read, write, and rewrite RFID tags

The RFID software must be able to display the programmed tag data elements (specifically barcode)

The system must support efficient staff processing of both check-in and check-out transactions, as well as modifying item records

RFID software must be Windows 10 compatible and not require administrative permissions to run

Ability to set minimum barcode length requirement, e.g. 14 digits, to prevent partially or incorrectly scanned barcodes

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

1. What operating system and version does your self-check solution use (Windows 10, Red Hat, other…)? 2. Describe the workflow at a typical staff circulation workstation performing both check-in and check-out

transactions of library materials. Include any function keys required, as well as what indicators on the screen confirm a successful transaction

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3. Describe how RFID tags can be rewritten on a staff workstation. Include any function keys required, as well as what indicators show on the screen to confirm success

4. How often is the RFID antenna software updated? a. How do the workstations get the updates? 5. How often is the self-check software updated? a. How do the self-check devices receive the updates? 6. Does your self-check solution offer a central management console? a. If available, does the console require local software installation or is it cloud based? 7. Describe the self-check receipt customization options for both print and email receipts (if both options are

available) 8. Are self-check reports available?

a. Describe canned reports

i. Can they be customized?

b. Can reports be scheduled to automatically email to library staff?

9. What information, if any, is stored on the self-check about transactions? a. Is this information cleared on a regular basis? If so, how often? 10. Please list all third-party vendors and products with which your systems integrate

11. Please describe your support process (ticket only, call for support) a. What are the support service levels and expected time to resolution for reported problems? 12. Please provide a sample maintenance agreement

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IV. ATTACHMENT B

PRICING FORMS

As part of your proposal, please provide hardware and software license costs for all components and

equipment as well as all services including installation, training, and ongoing support and maintenance.

Vendors may include a detailed quote sheet in addition to the completed Purchase and/or Lease forms listed

below. If both purchase and leasing options are available, complete both forms. Quantities listed below are

estimates.

PURCHASE OPTION

Description Quantity Unit Cost Total Price

Self-check station (hardware) 30

Self-check software license 30

Installation

Training

Support & maintenance - 7 years

RFID Antenna w/reader (hardware) 70

RFID Antenna w/reader software license 70

Installation

Training

Support & maintenance – 7 years

Subtotal

Tax

Shipping

Total Project Cost

If available:

Description Total Price

Support & maintenance – 5 years

Support & maintenance – 7 years

_____________________________________________ _______________

Offeror’s / Authorized Signature Date

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LEASE OPTION

Description Quantity Unit Cost Total Price

Self-check station (hardware) 30

Self-check software license 30

Installation

Training

Support & maintenance - 7 years

RFID Antenna w/reader (hardware) 70

RFID Antenna w/reader software license 70

Installation

Training

Support & maintenance – 1 year

Subtotal

Tax

Shipping

Total Project Cost

If available:

Description Total Price

Support & maintenance – 5 years

Support & maintenance – 7 years

_____________________________________________ _______________

Offeror’s / Authorized Signature Date

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V. ATTACHMENT C REFERENCES You must provide a minimum of 3 references with preference given to references who meet the following criteria:

1. Public library that is similar in size in terms of locations, collection, circulation, and population size 2. Project completed within the past 4 years

For each reference, please provide the following:

1. Name of the library/company 2. ILS in use 3. Number of locations 4. Number of items in collection 5. Annual circulation 6. Size of population served 7. Contact name(s), including phone number, email address, and title 8. Brief description of relevant projects or work that you have completed for this client 9. Products provided 10. Project date

The Library reserves the right to contact any and all references to obtain, without limitation, information

regarding the vendor’s performance on the listed jobs.

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VI. ATTACHMENT D

AFFIDAVIT OF NONCOLLUSION

INSTRUCTIONS: Each vendor submitting a proposal must complete this Affidavit of Noncollusion. This

sworn statement will be considered part of the vendor’s proposal.

PROJECT NAME: Richland Library

"RFID Library System"

SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS DATED: November 1, 2021

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 7, 2022

STATE OF

COUNTY OF

Personally appeared before me , who being duly sworn, says

that they are a member of the firm of ___________________________, and that their firm,

association, or corporation, has not, either directly or indirectly, entered into any agreement,

participated in any collusion, or otherwise taken any action in restraint of free competitive purchasing

in connection with the submission of a proposal on the above-named project.

VENDOR

_____________________________

Firm Name

_____________________________

Signature

SWORN and subscribed to before me

this day of , 20__

(L.S.)

Notary Public for

My commission expires:

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VII. ATTACHMENT E

AFFIDAVIT OF NONDISCRIMINATION

Offeror certifies that, during the performance of all obligations under its contract with the Library, the offeror

will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of an individual’s sex, race,

color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, service in the

uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, political ideas, marital or family status,

pregnancy, genetic information, genetic identity, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any

other characteristic protected by applicable law; that it will take affirmative action to insure that applicants are

employed and employees are treated during employment without regard to an individual’s sex, race, color,

religion, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, service in the uniformed

services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, political ideas, marital or family status, pregnancy,

genetic information, genetic identity, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other

characteristic protected by applicable law; that all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by or

on behalf of the offeror shall state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment

without regard to an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental

disability, medical condition, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran

status, political ideas, marital or family status, pregnancy, genetic information, genetic identity, gender

expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

_____________________________Offeror

SWORN and subscribed to before me

this ____day of ___________, 21

_____________________________(L.S.)

Notary Public for

My commission expires: