Bookstore

Location:	South Carolina
Posted:	Jan 10, 2025
Due:	Feb 14, 2025
Agency:	Clemson University
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	89 - Subsistence (Food)
Solicitation No:	195459071
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Bid Information

Type	SQST Request for Proposal
Status	Issued
Number	195459071 (Bookstore)
Issue Date & Time	1/10/2025 07:00:04 PM (ET)
Close Date & Time	2/14/2025 02:00:00 PM (ET)
Question Cut Off Date	1/17/2025 12:00:00 AM (ET)

Contact Information

Name	Rod Stanford
Address
Phone	864 (656) 2395
Fax
Email	stanfo2@clemson.edu

Bid Documents

Document name

Format

Bid Invitation (please login to view this document)

Acrobat / PDF

Bid Attachments

File Name

Description

File Size

195459071 Bookstore SOW 1.10.2025.pdf

Bookstore SOW

342 KB

Clemson University Standard Bidding Terms effective November 15, 2020.pdf

Standard Bidding Terms

261 KB

IMPORTANT TAX NOTICE.doc

Withholding Requirements for Payments to Nonresidents.

29 KB

Clemson University Standard Terms of Purchase effective November 15, 2020.pdf

Standard Terms of Purchase

331 KB

Attachment Preview

Bookstore/Textbook Service Contract Rev. 0

Bid #195459071

Scope of Work

I. Scope of Solicitation

II. Instructions to Offerors

III. Scope of Work / Specifications

IV. Terms and Conditions - Special

V. Appendices to Scope of Work

I. SCOPE OF SOLICITATION

Clemson University seeks proposals that offer a solution to provide services currently provided by the current on-campus bookstore from successful,

reputable suppliers in the higher education bookstore/textbook and fan/student shop space. The solution may be online-only or combined online and

brick-and-mortar.

Respondents should be mindful to conform to this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) completely and concisely and respond to all requirements, whether

phrased as a statement or a question. Emphasis should be placed on completeness, clarity of content, and conciseness. Failure to submit a complete

response may disqualify the Respondent’s proposal. The Respondent will bear the cost of preparing the Proposal.

The term will be a single, five (5) year term beginning around May 30, 2025.

The University seeks state-of-the-art bookstore/course material solutions and services that will result in the following:

A. Affordability for students through lower course materials costs

B. Student utilization and satisfaction

C. Visibility and transparency on bookstore sales

D. Ease for faculty adoption/compliance

E. Exposure of the University’s brand

F. Financial value to the University

Submission Requirements:

1. Technical Proposal

2. Financial Proposal (submitted separately from Technical Proposal)

3. Specific responses to the required sections (see details below)

Clemson may award the contract to one vendor or split between two if their proposals complement each other (e.g., one focusing on textbooks, the

other on merchandise).

II. Instructions To Offerors

Proposals must be submitted electronically through the Clemson University online bidding system at https://clemson.ionwave.net/Login.aspx.

Questions shall be submitted, in writing, to the online bidding system at https://clemson.ionwave.net/ by date and time listed in the online bid event

in the “Activities” tab. Answers will be submitted as an addendum to this bid. All Offerors are charged with a duty to inquire. By submitting an offer,

the Offeror represents that submitter has read and understood the solicitation and that the offer is made in compliance with the Solicitation. Offerors

are expected to examine the solicitation thoroughly and should request an explanation of any ambiguities, discrepancies, errors, omissions, or

conflicting statements in the Solicitation. Failure to do so will be at the Offeror’s risk.

Proposal Format: Indicate whether you are proposing for the textbook/course materials scope, student/fan shop scope, or both. Responses should

cover the following areas:

A. INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS TO SUBMIT - In addition to the information requested elsewhere in this solicitation, Offerors should submit

the following information for purposes of evaluation:

Technical Proposal

Your technical proposal must specify whether you are proposing for the Textbook and Course Materials Scope, Student/Fan Shop Scope, or both.

Regardless of which scope, you are required to submit a technical proposal that must specifically address the following using this format/order (as

applicable based on scope):

a) General

1) The traditional bookstore landscape is changing rapidly and dramatically on college campuses and in the general marketplace. Describe

how you will adapt to the changing buyer preferences for these services

b) Customer Service

1) Describe your customer service philosophy.

2) What methods will you use to evaluate the success of your customer service program?

3) What efforts will you make to assess the needs of and gather input from campus stakeholders?

4) What are your customer service capabilities for students, faculty and staff? Describe the available modes of contact (e.g., phone, email,

chat).

Bookstore/Textbook Service Contract Rev. 0

Bid #195459071

5) Do you have a call center or customer service operation? If applicable, describe your phone call handling capacity, staffing, agent training,

language capabilities, and hours of operation.

6) Do you offer 24x7 customer service? Describe your quality control measures for customer service.

7) Does your telephone system record all calls and other customer interactions via email and chat? If so, what is your process for reviewing

recorded interactions to ensure quality?

8) Besides live customer support, do you offer students the ability to upgrade, edit or cancel their own orders?

c) Textbooks and Course Materials

1) General

a. Describe your textbook services, both online and in store options if applicable.

b. Describe your course pack and custom publishing services. Do you offer digital delivery of course packs?

c. What are you doing to ease the financial burden on students and parents regarding textbook cost?

d. Describe how you will support Clemson’s compliance requirement with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008

Section 133; specifically explain how you will comply with university prescribed role in the HEOA reporting process.

e. How will you integrate registration and textbook purchases?

2) Academic, Scholarly, and Trade Books

a. Describe your marketing approach to publications by the University’s faculty, alumni, and local community authors.

b. How do you select trade books that will be appealing to the University’s students and other constituencies?

c. How would you define special orders and how would you accommodate these requests?

d. Describe any other academic, scholarly, and trade book services you offer.

3) Pricing

a. What are your pricing policies for textbooks/course materials, including new, used, rental, and digital?

b. What is your plan for price matching?

c. How will you manage used textbooks preference

d. Please explain your preference for used textbooks over new ones, outline your pricing strategy for managing both categories, and

provide a timeline for implementing these approaches?

e. How will your pricing policies for textbook/course materials address the desire of the Institution to provide affordable

textbooks/course materials to our students?

f. Are students able to see a price comparison from multiple vendors in one place and if so, what other retailers’ prices do you show

for comparison? Pricing should be competitive with online competition. What is your mechanism to guarantee?

g. Do you offer a price match guarantee? If sowhat is the prescribed process for students to seek and obtain a price matched cost? ?

h. Describe your delivery process and costing for on-line material purchases.

4) Explain your used textbook program.

5) Describe your textbook rental program.

6) Describe any other student and faculty academic materials services you offer.

7) Ordering, Buyback, Shipping, Delivery

a. How would you manage faculty published books in both online and brick and mortar

b. Do you offer a buyback policy and/or a program to purchase used books from students? If yes, outline the mechanics of the

buyback process, including any costs incurred by students. How do you price buy-back materials? Include a convenient on-

campus book return system that allows students to easily drop off textbooks and course materials without the need for mailing,

addressing student preferences for in-person returns.

c. What off-line ordering options for students do you offer?

d. Describe any variances in servicing campus and remote/international students.

e. Describe instances when student orders would be delayed and how you would communicate with the student.

f. Describe options you offer for new students (new freshmen or transfer students) that register in the summer for fall semester

materials.

g. Describe on-campus pickup options for on-line orders.

h. Describe your online delivery of digital/electronic course materials and integration with Canvas.

8) Faculty Adoption

a. Describe your process to ensure required, recommended and suggested course materials are available in a timely fashion in

sufficient quantities and requested formats.

b. Describe the resources offered to assist faculty and staff in making adoptions.

c. Are Faculty able to compare prices across multiple publishers and ISBN’s? If so, please explain.

d. In what ways do you support faculty use of OER to keep costs to students down?

e. How do you incorporate available reserve textbooks in the university library?

f. Describe the analytics and reporting capabilities of your online system.

9) Inclusive Access

a. What is your philosophy on emerging Inclusive Access conversations in the higher education realm?

b. If you support Inclusive Access, how do you insure transparency in process and costs?

c. How do you incorporate OER and library reserve texts into the process?

d. If you offer an inclusive access program, is the program opt-in or opt-out for students?

i. Is opt-in an option if not included at this time?

d) Technology

1) Describe your commitment to investing in new technology and developing products and services in anticipation of market changes.

2) What digital delivery methods do you offer?

3) What features will the Bookstore website offer?

4) What online services do you provide with regard to textbook ordering and faculty textbook adoptions?

5) What is the future for e-books in the classroom? How has this technology changed how you do business as a college bookstore?

6) What opportunities do you see for retail sales of hardware and software in the Bookstore?

7) How many publishers do you distribute and manage electronic code delivery for:

a. McGraw

b. Cengage

c. Pearson

Bookstore/Textbook Service Contract Rev. 0

Bid #195459071

d. Elsevier

e. Wiley

f. EBSCO

g. Others?

8) Do you work with VitalSource, Redshelf, or TopHat?

9) Do you support integrations using the following methods:

a. API/Real time

b. S/FTP

10) Do you support integrations using the following formats:

a. XML

b. CSV/Plain Text

c. Other

11) Do you offer a native Canvas integration?

Provide plan for data analysis capabilities to evaluate program performance and student engagement while ensuring the protection of

student personal information in compliance with privacy regulations.

12) Do you offer end to end HTTPS encryption on every page?

13) Do you offer a native Banner plugin?

14) What types of integrations with Banner are available to allow students direct access to the courses in which they are enrolled? Include

information on whether the following are supported: Ability to embed customized messages, real-time advisement of stock availability,

estimated delivery time, customer support information, and order acknowledgements.

15) Do you offer an integration with Simple Syllabus?

16) Describe any other native integrations provided by the platform that are not listed above.

17) How do you handle the invoice reconciliation process? Include the timing of billing.

18) How do your solutions meet the needs of students or faculty with disabilities?

19) Are you EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant?

20) Are you PCI compliant?

21) In addition to credit cards, do you accept the following payment options:

a. PayPal

b. ApplePay

c. GooglePay

d. Venmo

e. Financial Aid

f. Clemson’s TigerOne (one card) Card

g. Bookstore Vouchers

22) Please provide a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) that evaluates how accessible your solution is according to federal

ADA/accessibility standards.

e) Marketing, Advertising and Promotions

1) What marketing, advertising, and promotional strategies will you employ to effectively and profitably serve students, faculty, staff and

other university constituents?

2) What events do you typically host during a year?

3) Describe your book promotions as well as book and author events, such as signings, readings, etc.

4) How will you elevate the visibility of the bookstore and become integrated in campus activities?

5) How will you participate in the academic, cultural, and social programs of the University to take advantage of opportunities for special

merchandising and other assistance?

6) How will you partner with University athletics, the Alumni Association, Undergraduate and Graduate Student Government Associations

and others to provide a presence at events and market soft goods?

7) What is your marketing plan for enticing students to order from your online bookstore? Include specific strategies to drive students to the

online bookstore and on-site shop.

8) Describe your proposed process and storefront solution for Clemson departments to purchase and offer branded promotional items (e.g.,

Department of Chemistry polos or hats) to the public. Include details on customization options, ordering procedures, and how departments

can manage their own branded merchandise

f) Policies

1) Will you offer discounts to faculty and staff and to departments making authorized departmental purchases? If so, what is the amount of

the discount that will be offered and under what terms and conditions?

2) How will you accommodate students with financial aid? Will you explore integrating your Point of Sale (POS) system with financial aid

or is that process manual?

3) What are your proposed hours of operation?

4) Describe your commitment to the environment and sustainability, both philosophically and operationally. How is this commitment

incorporated into the daily operations of the bookstore?

5) How are you prepared to accommodate student athletes purchasing textbooks?

g) Transition

1) What is your firm’s process, plan, and schedule for start-up and implementation of the program to ensure uninterrupted bookstore

operation?

2) Describe your process and guidelines for purchasing the current vendor bookstore inventory and terms of payment.

3) What steps and processes will be necessary to install your POS system? Will University IT staff be needed to assist with the installation?

h) Facilities and Store Design

1) The University desires for the Bookstore to be a destination and a center of activity for students, faculty and staff, as well as the

community at large. Respondents should describe the best use and configuration of the space to take advantage of its prime location and

views.

Bookstore/Textbook Service Contract Rev. 0

Bid #195459071

2) How will you adhere to University dining and vending contract guidelines mandating use of procured beverage, dining, and snack

contracts in the bookstore footprint? Fore additional information see https://www.clemson.edu/procurement/how-to-buy-and-

pay/catering.html

3) How will you comply with University public safety protocols including a robust camera, access, safety and security process?

i) Qualification, Staffing, Reporting, and Miscellaneous

1) All respondents should include a detailed description of background, experience, and qualifications to operate the University Bookstore.

2) All Offerors should include:

• A description of its management structure to include an organizational chart and biographical sketches for all key personnel

involved in the implementation phase and in the ongoing operation of the online bookstore.

• A description of its staff training and development polices

• A summary of its benefits plan

• Its most recent audited financial statements

• Its current college/university client list, including contact information

• A list of any college/university clients with which a contract was terminated within the past three years, including reasons for

contract termination

3) Who will be the main point of contact from your organization? Describe their duties and responsibilities in relation to our account.

4) What kind of reports do you provide an institution? Specifically include information on the following types of reports: student ordering

data, ordering history, performance (e.g., number of used books sold, number of e-books sold, backorders). Provide examples or sample

pages of these reports.

5) How frequently do you provide each type of report?

6) Do you make reports available online? If yes, describe the website.

7) Will you provide opportunities for student workers? If so, what benefits (i.e. tuition assistance), if any, will be present for these workers?

8) Have you previously worked with academic libraries on initiatives to reduce the costs of textbooks and curricular materials for students

(textbook reserve programs, open education resources, etc.)? If so, provide details.

9) Have you previously provided computer sales and/or services (Apple, Lenovo, Dell, HP, etc.)? If so, are you an authorized service center?

Financial Proposal

The Financial proposal must be separate from your technical proposal.

A. Additional items to include in you financial proposal. Offerors should provide detailed explanations for each of these financial components,

including any conditions or terms associated with them. The University will evaluate these proposals as part of the overall financial value

assessment

1) Proposed commission structure based on sales categories

2) Proposed minimum annual guarantee

3) Proposed signing bonus

4) Proposed annual scholarship contribution

5) Proposed annual textbook scholarship contribution

The offeror should assume your financial revenues follow Clemson University’s historical sales (provided in Table I). Assuming this information

will not change, what is the financial return that you will remit to the Institution for the operation of this program? The financial return can

include the following: Fixed Fee Payment, Commission Payment, and any additional financial incentives that you would like the Institution to

consider (e.g., Signing Bonus, Textbook Scholarships, General Scholarships, Sponsorships, Free Shipping, e-Readers, Miscellaneous/Other

Financial Contributions).

Offerors should provide a detailed schedule of commissions to be paid to the University from the right to operate the Bookstore. The schedule is

expected to establish thresholds to allow the University to participate in sales growth over time. It is expected that commissions will be based on

gross sales less, voids, refunds, and allowances. You should also state what level of commission is guaranteed.

Indicate the level of capital contribution that will be made toward a physical reconfiguration.

Your financial offer should detail clear differences in commissions, investments, etc… based on the current plan of operating a “pro-shop” that

will also be a gift shop at the new Alumni building (as noted in Section III.D.2) as well as an option if the offerors was going to operate that

facility themselves, creating an “exclusive” fan shop arrangement with Clemson on the main campus.

Include any costs associated with the implementation phase.

The cost must be all-inclusive, including any travel, lodging, and other expenses.

The cost must be entered in the online bidding system where required. Your separate cost proposal may go into more detail regarding cost

breakdown, options, etc.…, but it must also clearly indicate the cost you enter into the online system. This is the cost that will be used for

evaluation purposes and should reflect the cost for the base solution proposal you are offering in response to this solicitation. If there are

conflicts in the costs you propose or Clemson cannot clearly determine a total cost for your proposal, your response may be deemed non-

responsive.

A. Please follow submittal requirements outlined in the Bid Attributes in the online bidding system for breakdown of proposals and number of

copies that must be submitted.

B. Be sure to see the Event Activities in the online bidding system for details on deadlines for questions and/or pre-bid meetings.

III. SCOPE OF WORK / SPECIFICATIONS

A. About Institution

Bookstore/Textbook Service Contract Rev. 0

Bid #195459071

Clemson University is a public land-grant institution committed to teaching, research, and public service. Serving South Carolina, the nation,

and global communities, Clemson offers undergraduate and graduate programs across five academic colleges and supports various outreach

efforts through continuing education. The University plays a vital role in agriculture, architecture, engineering, health sciences, business,

education, and liberal arts, while conducting research that enhances its educational mission.

B. Current Institution Bookstore

The Clemson campus bookstore, operated by Barnes & Noble, is located in Douthit Hills Hub, occupying approximately 14,000 sq. ft. of retail

space, with 2,880 sq. ft. dedicated to office and storage.

The following table outlines historical sales for the past three fiscal years:

Table I

Clemson University #0490

Summary of Gross Sales by Merchandise Category

FY22-24

Digital Products

New Textbooks

Textbook Rentals

Trade Books

Used Textbooks

TOTAL BOOK MERCHANDISE

Cafe & Convenience

Computer Products

Emblematic Clothing & Gifts

Other

School Supplies

TOTAL GENERAL MERCHANDISE

3rd Party Revenue

Marketing Commissions

Ring/Announcements Commissions

TOTAL OTHER REVENUE

Digital Products

First Day Sales (Non-Digital)

Non-Commissionable Sales

TOTAL ADJUSTMENTS

GROSS SALES:

FY22

TOTALS

353,016

2,733,738

660,495

10,218

496,044

4,253,511

15,979

24,358

917,531

449,584

290,508

1,697,960

17,535

15,333

10,766

43,634

(353,016)

(4,122)

(357,138)

5,637,967

FY23

TOTALS

939,036

1,681,311

524,651

17,396

418,307

3,580,701

17,128

27,408

1,054,000

518,001

309,208

1,925,744

5,777

10,106

15,882

(939,036)

(12,701)

(951,737)

4,570,591

FY24

TOTALS

1,384,754

1,275,259

520,502

20,576

366,915

3,568,005

16,651

30,878

1,146,534

662,707

345,823

2,202,592

455

14,689

15,144

(1,384,754)

(30,512)

(1,415,266)

4,370,476

C. Objectives

Clemson University seeks proposals from reputable vendors in higher education retail to provide bookstore and fan shop services. Solutions may

include online-only or combined physical and online formats. Key objectives include:

1. Course Materials:

i) Offer the lowest-cost solutions for students with options such as new, used, rental, digital, marketplace, and Open Educational Resources

(OER).

ii) Ensure timely availability of materials, prioritizing instant access where possible.

iii) Maintain a student-friendly experience with seamless online and in-store integration and excellent customer support.

iv) Comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (Section 133), including:

(1) Maintaining real-time links in course registration software to show students the cost of required materials.

(2) Ensuring faculty meet course material submission deadlines and managing follow-up processes.

(3) Sharing names of non-compliant faculty with designated campus partners.

v) Provide competitive pricing, including a “lowest price guarantee” and a price-match system, ensuring refunds in the original payment

method (not gift cards) for verified price differences.

vi) Develop a comprehensive buyback program for used textbooks, even in cases where overstocking may occur.

2. Fan Shop:

i) Provide high-quality Clemson-branded merchandise with a strong physical and online presence.

ii) Emphasize branding, event merchandising, and collaboration with athletics and other auxiliary groups for joint marketing efforts.

iii) Offer ample options for fraternity and sorority merchandise.

D. Scope of Work

1. Course Materials:

i) Provide a full range of course materials in various formats (digital, rental, new, used).

ii) Ensure competitive pricing and a price-match guarantee to address competitor pricing.

iii) Provide a well-designed, interactive website for students to order materials online with timely delivery.

iv) Collaborate with faculty to ensure optimal delivery of materials, including Open Educational Resources (OER).

v) Maintain a relationship with the University’s print shop to facilitate quicker access to printed materials.

vi) Provide an online solution that simplifies faculty textbook orders and tracks historical adoptions.

2. Fan Shop:

i) Offer a wide selection of Clemson-branded apparel, memorabilia, and other related items.

ii) Create a welcoming and attractive in-store experience for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

iii) Maintain a robust online shopping platform that caters to students, employees, and alumni.

iv) Cooperate with athletics and auxiliary groups for joint event marketing and sales of hot market items.

j) General Merchandise

1) Describe your merchandising philosophy.

2) Who makes the buying decisions?

3) How is selection of merchandise to offer made?

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

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Bookstore

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