College Book Sales and Service

Location:	Arkansas
Posted:	Feb 5, 2026
Due:	Mar 11, 2026
Agency:	State Government of Arkansas
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	76 - Books, Maps, and Other Publications R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services U - Education and Training Services
Solicitation No:	NP-26-0006
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Bid Number:

Description:

Agency:

NATIONAL PARK COLLEGE

101 College Dr.

Hot Springs National Park, AR 71913

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

BID SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

NP-26-0006

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Solicitation Issued:

February 5, 2026

College Book Sales and Service

National Park College

SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR RESPONSE

Submission Deadline Date: March 10, 2026

Submission Deadline Time:

4:30 p.m., Central Time

Bid Opening Date:

March 11, 2026

Bid Opening Time:

9:00 a.m., Central Time

Deliver proposal submissions for this Request for Proposal to National Park College (NPC) on or before the designated

bid opening date and time. In accordance with Arkansas Procurement Law and Rules, it is the responsibility of

Prospective Contractors to submit proposals at the designated location on or before the bid opening date and time.

Proposals received after the designated bid opening date and time may be considered late and may be returned to the

Prospective Contractor without further review. It is not necessary to return "no bids" to National Park College.

Delivery Address:

Proposal’s Outer

Packaging:

DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

National Park College

Gerald Fisher Bldg, Suite 327

101 College Dr.

Hot Springs National Park, AR 71913

Email: kmarkish@np.edu (Include bid number in subject line)

Delivery providers, USPS, UPS, and FedEx deliver mail to NPC’s street address on a schedule determined by

each individual provider. These providers will deliver to NPC based solely on the street address.

Prospective Contractors assume all risk for timely, properly submitted deliveries.

Seal outer packaging and properly mark with the solicitation number and prospective contractor’s

name and return address. If outer packaging of proposal submission is not properly marked, the

package may be opened for bid identification purposes.

Agency Buyer:

Email Address:

Agency Website:

Kurt Markish

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

Buyer’s Direct Phone Number: 501-760-4351

kmarkish@np.edu

Agency’s Main Number: 501-760-4222

https://www.np.edu

NP-26-0006

Collegiate Book Sales & Service

ARKANSAS SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY

NON-NEGOTIABLE

SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY:

Language in these terms and conditions, and the terms and conditions of any resulting contract, must not

be construed or deemed as the State’s waiver of its right of sovereign immunity. The Contractor agrees

that any claims against the State, whether sounding in tort or in contract, shall be brought before the

Arkansas Claims Commission as provided by Arkansas law and governed accordingly.

GOVERNING LAW AND VENUE:

A. This contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of the State of

Arkansas. Exclusive venue arising under this Contract is Pulaski County, Arkansas.

B. Any legislation that may be enacted subsequent to the date of this Contract, which may cause all or

any part of the Contract to be in conflict with the laws of the State of Arkansas, will be given proper

consideration if and when this contract is renewed or extended. At such time, the parties agree that

the Contract shall be amended to comply with any applicable laws in effect.

C. Under Arkansas law, the release of public records is governed by the Arkansas Freedom of

Information Act found at Section 25-19-101 et. seq. of the Arkansas Code Annotated.

INDEMNITY:

The Contractor shall be fully liable for the actions of its agents, employees, partners, and assigns and

shall fully indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Agency, department, and their officers, agents, and

employees from third party suits, actions, damages, and costs of every name and description, including

attorney’s fees to the extent arising from or relating to personal injury and damage to real or personal

property, caused in whole or in part by the negligence or willful misconduct of Contractor, its agents,

employees, partners, or assigns.

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NP-26-0006

Collegiate Book Sales & Service

SECTION 1 – INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

1.1 OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified and interested firms

to establish a contract through competitive negotiation for providing collegiate books/course materials

sales and service for students and faculty of National Park College, hereinafter referred to as the “NPC”

or “Agency”.

This RFP is to obtain a contract with a single qualified vendor that will provide quality collegiate

book/course materials sales and services on the NPC campus. NPC is interested in receiving proposals

from national, regional, or local firms specializing in collegiate book sales/service.

1.2 BID OPENING LOCATION

Proposals will be opened at the following location

National Park College

ATTN: Kurt Markish

Gerald Fisher Bldg, Suite 327

101 College Dr.

Hot Springs National Park, AR 71913

1.3 TYPE OF CONTRACT

A. As a result of this RFP, the Agency intends to award a contract to a single approved and qualified

contractor.

B. The anticipated starting date for any resulting contract is April, 2026, except that the actual contract

start date may be adjusted unilaterally by the Agency for up to three (3) calendar months. By

submitting a signed bid in response to the RFP, the Prospective Contractor represents and warrants

that it will honor its bid as being held open as irrevocable for this period.

1.4 DEFINITION OF TERMS

A. Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms defined in Arkansas Procurement Law have the same

meaning herein.

B. The terms “Request for Proposals,” “RFP,” and “Solicitation” are used synonymously in this

document.

C. “Contractor” and “Vendor” means a person, organization or business who submits a proposal in

response to this solicitation.

D. “Prospective Contractor” means a responsive and responsible bidder who submits a bid that meets

the Requirements and criteria set forth in this Solicitation.

E. “Requirement” means a term, condition, provision, deliverable, Specification, or a combination thereof

that is obligated under the Solicitation, resulting contract, or both.

F. “Responsive Proposal” means a proposal submitted in response to this solicitation that conforms in all

material respects to this solicitation.

G. “Shall” and “must” mean the imperative and are used to identify Requirements and Specifications.

H. “Specification” means any technical or purchase description or other description of the physical or

functional characteristics, or of the nature, of a commodity or service. “Specification” may include a

description of any Requirement for inspecting, testing, or preparing a commodity or service for

delivery.

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NP-26-0006

Collegiate Book Sales & Service

I. “State” means the State of Arkansas. When the term “State” is used herein to reference any

obligation of the State under a contract that results from this Solicitation, that obligation is limited to

the Department using such a contract.

J. The Arkansas Office of State Procurement shall herein be known as “OSP.”

1.5 CONTRACTOR SELECTION

A. Award is expected to be made to the responsive and responsible Prospective Contractor determined

to have received the highest total score that meets the Requirements and criteria set forth in the RFP

submitted by a Prospective Contractor.

B. If the Agency so chooses, negotiations may be conducted with the highest scoring responsive and

responsible Prospective Contractor if:

• All bids received from responsive and responsible bidders exceed available funding or do not

meet the full needs of the Agency; or

• It appears that additional savings to the Agency may result from negotiation.

C. If negotiations fail to result in a contract, the Agency may negotiate with the next-highest scoring,

responsive and responsible Prospective Contractor.

• The negotiation process may be repeated until an acceptable contract is negotiated, or until such

time the State determines negotiations are no longer in the best interest of the State.

• Negotiations are conducted at the sole discretion of the Agency.

D. Once the anticipated awardee(s) has been determined, the anticipated award will be posted to OSP

website, generally for a period of seven (7) days prior to the issuance of a contract. The postings are

anticipated awards only, subject to protest.

E. A contract is not effective prior to final award being made by the State; some contracts may be

subject to Legislative review prior to final award.

1.6 CLARIFICATION OF SOLICITATION

A. Submit questions regarding this Solicitation via email to the Buyer on page one (1) of the RFP by

midnight, Central Time on or before February 16, 2026. For each question submitted, Prospective

Contractor should reference the specific Solicitation item number to which the question refers, as

applicable.

B. The Prospective Contractor should notify the Buyer of any term, condition, etc., that precludes the

Prospective Contractor from submitting a Responsive Bid. Prospective Contractors should note that it

is the responsibility of the Prospective Contractor to seek resolution of all such issues, including

those relating to the terms and conditions of the contract, prior to the submission of a bid.

C. Prospective Contractors may contact the Buyer with non-substantive questions at any time prior to

the bid opening.

D. An oral statement by the Department will not be part of any contract resulting from this Solicitation

and may not reasonably be relied on by any Prospective Contractor as an aid to interpretation unless

it is reduced to writing and expressly adopted by the Department.

1.7 RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. All bids must be submitted to the delivery address or email and by the submission deadline on page

one (1) of the RFP.

B. Bid Response Packet

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NP-26-0006

Collegiate Book Sales & Service

• The following are bid submission Requirements and must be submitted as part of a Prospective

Contractor’s bid.

a. Signed Bid Signature Page; signature may be ink or digital.

b. Bid Response, which must be in English.

c. Copy of Equal Opportunity Policy (if required to have an EEO policy)

• Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-11-104, OSP requires a Prospective

Contractor bidding on a state contract to submit a copy of the Prospective Contractor’s

Equal Opportunity (EO) Policy. Prospective Contractors not required by law to have an

EO Policy must submit a written statement to that effect.

• Prospective Contractors should not include any other documents or ancillary information, such

as a cover letter or promotional marketing information unless directed to do so within this

solicitation.

C. An EO 98-04 Contract & Grant Disclosure Form must be submitted prior to a contract award to the

Prospective Contractor.

D. Prospective Contractors should not alter any language in Solicitation document(s) or additional

documents provided by the Agency.

E. Prospective Contractors’ bids cannot be altered or amended after the bid opening except as

permitted by law or rule.

F. As requested, Prospective Contractors shall provide clarification regarding Prospective Contractor’s

bid response.

G. Prospective Contractors may submit multiple bids.

SECTION 2 – GENERAL OVERVIEW

2.1 SPECIFICATIONS

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified and interested firms

to establish a contract through competitive negotiation for providing collegiate books/course materials

sales and service for students and faculty of National Park College, hereinafter referred to as the “NPC”

or “Agency”.

This RFP is to obtain a contract with a single qualified vendor that will provide quality collegiate

books/course materials sales and services on the NPC campus. NPC is interested in receiving proposals

from national, regional, or local firms specializing in book and merchandising store/retail services.

2.2 BACKGROUND

A. National Park College, located in Hot Springs, AR, was established in 2003 as a result of a merger

between Garland County Community College (established in 1973) and Quapaw Technical Institute

(established in 1969). NPC is now one of the state’s largest community colleges. You may visit

np.edu to learn more about National Park College.

B. NPC enrollment figures for the last four years are indicated below.

Period

Spring AY22

Summer 2022

Spring AY23

Enrollment

1,844

556

1,961

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

College Book Sales and Service

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See also