Library Technology Roadmap

Agency:	City of Berkeley
State:	California
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	A - Research and development
Posted:	Nov 22, 2023
Due:	Dec 21, 2023
Solicitation No:	24-11632-C
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Finance Department

General Services Division

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Specification No. 24-11632-C

FOR

Library Technology Roadmap

PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE OPENED AND READ PUBLICLY

Dear Proposer:

The Berkeley Public Library is soliciting written proposals from qualified firms or individuals experienced in work with libraries and

with technology planning to aid in the development and facilitation of a community-focused learning and discovery process resulting

in the co-creation of a Library Technology Roadmap. The Roadmap will serve as a tool to guide the development of a suite of

interconnected technology tools for the library organization to better serve the needs of both the library staff and the community.

As a Request for Proposal (RFP) this is not an invitation to bid and although price is very important, other factors will be taken into

consideration.

The project scope, content of proposal, and vendor selection process are summarized in the RFP (attached). Proposals must be

received no later than 2:00 pm, on Friday, December 16, 2023. Proposals are to be sent via email with the “Berkeley Public

Library Technology Roadmap” and Specification No. 24-11632-C clearly indicated in the subject line of the email. Please submit

one (1) PDF of the proposal with the filename saved as, “Proposal Vendor Name - 24-11632-C Berkeley Public Library

Technology Roadmap.” Corresponding pricing proposal shall be submitted as a separate document with the filename saved as,

“Pricing Vendor Name - 24-11632-C Berkeley Public Library Technology Roadmap.”

Email Proposals to:

City of Berkeley

Finance Department/General Services Division

purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

Proposals will not be accepted after the date and time stated above. Incomplete proposal or proposals that do not conform to the

requirements specified herein will not be considered. Issuance of the RFP does not obligate the City to award a contract, nor is the

City liable for any costs incurred by the proposer in the preparation and submittal of proposals for the subject work. The City retains

the right to award all or parts of this contract to several bidders, to not select any bidders, and/or to re-solicit proposals. The act of

submitting a proposal is a declaration that the proposer has read the RFP and understands all the requirements and conditions.

For questions concerning the anticipated work, or scope of the project, please contact, Henry Bankhead, Deputy Director of

Library Services, via email at hbankhead@berkeleyca.gov no later than Friday, December 1. Answers to questions will not be

provided by telephone or email. Answers to all questions or any addenda will be posted on the City of Berkeley’s site at Bid &

Proposal Opportunities | City of Berkeley (berkeleyca.gov). It is the vendor’s responsibility to check this site. For general questions

concerning the submittal process, contact purchasing at 510-981-7320.

We look forward to receiving and reviewing your proposal.

Sincerely,

Darryl Sweet

General Services Manager

2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: 510.981.7320 TDD: 510.981.6903

E-mail: purchasing@berkeleyca.org Website: cityofberkeley.info/finance/

City of Berkeley Specification No. 24-11632-C

Library Technology Roadmap

BACKGROUND

Page 2 of 22

Release Date 11/16/2023

LIBRARY SYSTEM BACKGROUND

Berkeley Public Library’s current mission statement is: “We believe free, universal access to information is

fundamental to a healthy democracy and that reading and learning are key to a well-lived life. The Berkeley Public

Library is a trusted hub of reading, learning, and community engagement.”

The Berkeley Public Library (BPL) has served the people of Berkeley since 1893 and is one of the most heavily

used public libraries in California. The Library is supported by a $25,060,391 budget and 144 staff members. The

Library provides access to collections of physical and electronic books, music, articles, and films; offers cultural

and learning experiences for community members; provides access to spaces for studying and meeting with others;

and develops opportunities for community engagement and skill sharing. The Library has five facilities: Central

Library in downtown Berkeley and four neighborhood branches: Claremont, North, Tarea Hall Pittman South, and

West branches. The Tarea Hall Pittman South facility includes the Tool Lending Library that provides access to a

wide range of borrowable household tools. Although hours vary between the Central Library and the branches,

Berkeley Public Library generally offers services seven days a week with some temporary scheduling changes in

place due to the impacts of the pandemic.

In 1980, Berkeley citizens passed a special tax to exclusively fund the yearly budget of the Berkeley Public Library.

This tax includes a cost-of-living adjustment. The tax continues and currently brings in over $20 million a year.

CITY OF BERKELEY

Famous around the globe as a center for academic achievement, scientific exploration, free speech and the arts, the

City of Berkeley is renowned for its green space, mild weather, and world-class cultural life. International shopping

districts, outstanding restaurants, cutting-edge environmental organizations, art galleries, theaters, museums,

Berkeley City College and the University of California at Berkeley all add to the City’s uniquely diverse and

culturally rich atmosphere. Residents are highly educated and ethnically, economically, socially and politically

diverse.

Berkeley is noted for its activism and community involvement. Berkeley is a thriving creative environment, with

more than 100 cultural arts organizations, including the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, Black

Repertory Group Theater, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Aurora Theatre Company.

Incomparable weather, over 50 public parks, miles of bike lanes and walking trails, a public marina, Lake Anza in

Tilden Park, and the Botanical Garden at UC Berkeley, with 34 acres of plants from all over the world are all

resident favorites.

Berkeley Unified School District educates more than 9,400 students in 11 public elementary schools, 3 middle

schools, one comprehensive high school, and one alternative high school. The district has 3 preschool facilities and

an Adult School serving several thousand students.

The City of Berkeley experiences disparity in socioeconomic levels. While the Bay Area’s technology sector and

University of California, Berkeley, represent significant economic influences among others, there is a poverty rate

of 17.8% and the city (and surrounding area) is characterized by a high cost of living.

Berkeley’s Diversity Index, the likelihood that two people chosen at random will be from different ethnic groups,

increased from 64% in 2010 to 68% in 2020. Berkeley’s population, about 124,000 people, has grown by 10%

since 2010. The percentage of Hispanic and Asian residents grew as white and Black/African American

populations decreased, according to 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data. Berkeley saw an 11% increase as of 2020 in its

density, which is a measure of the city’s population divided by its land area.

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2021/08/13/2020-census-berkeley-is-denser-and-more-diverse-than-it-was-10-years-

ago

City of Berkeley Specification No. 24-11632-C

Library Technology Roadmap

Page 3 of 22

Release Date 11/16/2023

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/berkeleycitycalifornia

BPL libraries are community gathering places for people with many backgrounds, values, interests, and challenges.

BPL serves people who are not residents of Berkeley as all California residents are eligible for free cards.

Predominant social concerns in the city include access to affordable housing and homelessness, which are also

reflected in libraries. Gentrification continues to be a critical issue, as does reimagining public safety and police

reform. Berkeley residents and local government are highly focused on climate change and addressing

environmental sustainability through local and collective action.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please find attached to this RFP the following documents:

Final Report of the Berkeley Public Library

Organizational Assessment, Moss Adams LLP (November, 2018)

The City of Berkeley’s Digital Strategic Plan (DSP), FUND$

Replacement Program and Website Redesign Project Update (March, 2021)

Board of Library Trustees

The Berkeley Public Library is administered by a Board of Library Trustees [BOLT], the only appointed

administrative Board in the City. The Board consists of five Berkeley residents; one member of the Board must also

be a member of the City Council.

The Berkeley Public Library is in the midpoint of a strategic planning initiative to better serve community needs as

we look to the future. We are currently working with the Pivotal Group in this strategic planning process.

More information about the Library System is available through the Library’s website at

https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

II. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The term of the proposed contract:

February 20, 2024 through June 20, 2024:

February 20, 2024 – June 20, 2024:

June 30, 2024:

Work performed

Final deliverables submitted

Summary of Deliverables

Staff and Community Engagement:

Work with the staff and community using a racial equity lens to explore and develop the functional requirements to

create a technology roadmap for the Berkeley Public Library by engaging library staff to identify problems and co-

create solutions. Have a clear engagement strategy with community members.

Functional Needs for Technology Roadmap

Facilitate and organize the creation of a set of functional needs to illustrate, inform and achieve a technology roadmap

for library and community technology solutions to be implemented and developed by the Berkeley Public Library.

City of Berkeley Specification No. 24-11632-C

Library Technology Roadmap

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Release Date 11/16/2023

Communication

Provide ongoing reports, updates and iterations of the planning process in the form of notes, insights, reports and

images to illustrate the development of the ongoing process.

Final Report and Presentation

Final report and presentations to the Board of Library Trustees and other stakeholders of the results of the

Technology Roadmap Development including specific details, elements, designs, outcomes, branding, timelines

and software and hardware solutions.

• List of recommended changes to technology and approaches to technology uses that defines a technology

roadmap as connected to needs derived from staff and community learning processes.

• Include the results and insights obtained by the interactive process by which these functional needs were

determined.

• A five-year flexible timeline for the staging, sequencing and duration of the phased implementation of the

technology roadmap.

• Estimates of budgetary implications.

Facilities the City will provide to proposer

Access to Berkeley Public Library staff, locations, virtual meeting space and physical meeting space.

Performance of Services

Services will be performed remotely and in-person, at Berkeley Public Library locations, based on mutual agreement

between the contractor and Berkeley Public Library.

Payment

The contractor will complete all services listed for an agreed upon amount of payment, with any amendments or

additional work to be mutually agreed upon in writing between the contractor and the Berkeley Public Library’s

Director of Library Services.

Work should be completed by June 1, 2024

III. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All proposals shall include the following information, organized as separate sections of the proposal. The proposal

should be concise and to the point.

1. Contractor Identification:

Provide the name of the firm, the firm's principal place of business (see section VII, F. – Local Vendor

Preference), the name and telephone number of the contact person and company tax identification number.

2. Client References:

Provide a minimum of 3 client references. References should be California cities or other large public sector

entities. Provide the designated person's name, title, organization, address, telephone number, and the project(s)

that were completed under that client’s direction. Please include examples of projects/deliverables completed

under client’s direction.

City of Berkeley Specification No. 24-11632-C

Library Technology Roadmap

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Release Date 11/16/2023

3. Price Proposal:

The proposal shall include pricing for all services. Pricing shall be all inclusive unless indicated otherwise. Pricing

proposals shall be a separate document. The Proposal shall itemize all services, including hourly rates for all

professional, technical and support personnel, and all other charges related to completion of the work shall be

itemized. Evaluation of price proposals are subject to the local vendor business preference (see section VII.F.)

4. Contract Terminations:

If your organization has had a contract terminated in the last five (5) years, describe such incident.

Termination for default is defined as notice to stop performance due to the vendor’s non-performance or poor

performance and the issue of performance was either (a) not litigated due to inaction on the part of the vendor,

or (b) litigated and such litigation determined that the vendor was in default.

Submit full details of the terms for default including the other party’s name, address, and phone number. Present

the vendor’s position on the matter. The City will evaluate the facts and may, at its sole discretion, reject the

proposal on the grounds of the past experience.

If the firm has not experienced any such termination for default or early termination in the past five (5) years, so

indicate.

IV. SELECTION CRITERIA

The following criteria will be considered, although not exclusively, in determining which firm is hired.

1. Project Approach, including

how proposal addresses

racial equity concerns

50%

2. Expertise

20%

3. References

20%

4. Costs*

10%

* Effective 1/1/2022. Local Vendor Preference. For the purposes of comparing pricing as part of this competitive

RFP for goods up to $100,000 or non-professional services up to $250,000, 5% shall be deducted from the bid price

proposal from any local Berkeley vendor.

A selection panel will be convened of staff to evaluate and score submittals.

This is the opportunity summary page. You are currently viewing an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation. For more information, please visit the Publication URL Web page.

Library Technology Roadmap

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