City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Library
Meeting Date: June 18, 2024
Report #:2405-3034
TITLE
Approval of Contract Number C25190507 with OverDrive in an Amount Not to Exceed $200,000 to Provide Library Electronic Content ("E-Content") for a Period of Two Years; CEQA status – not a project.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute Contract No. C25190507 (Attachment A), with OverDrive, to provide library e-content (digital materials) for a term of two years and a total amount not-to-exceed $200,000, with the option to extend one additional year for a total amount not-to-exceed $300,000. (Authorization of the third year will require a contract amendment and Council approval)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This contract enables the Library to acquire e-content (digital materials). The formats include e- books, audiobooks, e-magazines and streaming media. The Library will use OverDrive as a primary supplier of e-content and services related to the acquisition of e-content.
BACKGROUND
The Library provides a critical service to the community, offering an invaluable reading and learning resource to users of all ages. OverDrive allows the Library to expand its reach and engagement with a digital collection, providing access to e-books, audiobooks, e-magazine, streaming media (video and music).
OverDrive works with over 6,000 suppliers to aggregate a catalog of over 5 million titles in over 100 languages. OverDrive launched our content distribution service in 2000 and now offers the largest digital content catalog in the world to more than 92,000 libraries and schools in 115 countries.
In FY 2023, e-content items were checked out 120,000 times by Library patrons. 50% of those checkouts were e-books and 40% of e-book checkouts were in the Kindle format. OverDrive is the only digital library lending provider that offers downloads in the Kindle format and compatibility with all generations of the Amazon Kindle.
ANALYSIS
The role of an e-content service provider, such as OverDrive, is to negotiate agreements with e- content publishers in order to provide the Library with a wide diverse selection of e-content materials. Obtaining e-content from an e-content service provider offers a variety of advantages over purchasing from individual publishers. The negotiations that the e-content service provider undertakes when building their own inventory translates into higher discounts off list or retail prices due to the volume purchasing they provide. These prices are typically unavailable to libraries that work with individual publishers. E-content service providers are often able to provide larger and more varied inventories compared to individual publishers.
E-content service providers also support a streamlined ordering platform for staff and patrons that provides easy access to the most popular materials. Tools, such as apps, allow library users to easily browse and access the content they offer. Ultimately, this satisfies the requests of the Library customer base with a more organized and streamlined e-content experience.
Solicitation Process: City staff issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) on March 6, 2024 for the provision of e-content to the Library.
Table 1: Summary of Request for Proposal
Proposal Description RFP Library eContent Services
Proposed Length of Project 2 Years with an option to extend one year Request for Proposal Issued 2/6/24
Number of Vendors Notified 2,934
Total Days to Respond to Proposal 160
Number of RFP Packages Downloaded 16
Pre-Proposal Meeting and Date NA
Number of Company Attendees at Pre-
proposal meeting(s) NA
Number of Proposals Received 6
Proposal Price Range $0.00 - $370,000
Number of Companies Interviewed NA
Final Negotiated Contract Price (Basic
Services) $200,000/two years
Public Link to Solicitation https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/palo- alto-ca/projects/82555
The proposals were evaluated and four proposals were determined to be responsive to the criteria identified in the RFP. An evaluation committee consisting of Library staff convened to evaluate the proposals that met the RFP criteria. OverDrive was selected because of the quality and effectiveness of their proposal and overall solution, the experience of their firm, financial stability, prior record of performance with the City, and their ability to provide future services.
It is also the least expensive. Additionally, OverDrive’s content, user interface, selection and workflow were determined to be superior to other proposers.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Funding for this contract is included in the department's FY 2025 Proposed Operating Budget and no additional funding is needed; future years of the contract are subject to the annual appropriation of funds.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Staff has ongoing stakeholder engagement with the public on all library collections, including e- content purchasing, through a website feedback form, email and phone calls.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Approval of contracts to purchase library materials does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act guidelines 15061(b)(3)
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: OverDrive Contract C25190507
APPROVED BY:
Gayathri Kanth, Library Director