[Michlib-l] NEW Statewide Book and AV Discounts Schedule: October 1, 2024 Through September 30, 2027

[Jim Flury]

Good Morning, 

Library cooperative directors, please share this email with your member libraries. 

TLN is pleased to share the news that new Book/AV discount agreements with eight vendors will go into effect October 1, 2024 and cover the period through September 30, 2027. Attached is a copy of the TLN issued RFP covering this project, which is also available on the TLN homepage at [ https://tln.org/general/custom.asp?page=bids | https://tln.org/general/custom.asp?page=bids ] 

Attached is a Statewide Book and AV Summary document that summarizes the discounts by category for each of the eight vendors. New this year is a second, accompanying document, Statewide Vendor RFP Response Notes. Previously the notes section was incorporated into the summary document. However, this round of RFP vendor responses, and in some cases negotiations concerning same, resulted in the generation of notes of sufficient length so as to warrant a dedicated document for them. JF's editorial comment is that it is important to read the new notes document; the devil is in the details there as it were. 

The summary and notes documents are also available on the TLN homepage at [ https://tln.org/page/statewide/ | https://tln.org/page/statewide/ ] 

TLN has electronic copies of all vendor RFP responses. These can be sent upon request to any library that wants/needs one or all of them. Please contact me off list for this. 

The third paragraph above makes reference to negotiations. When the vendor RFP responses were received, TLN requested alternative terms from three vendors. These were Ingram, Amazon, and Baker & Taylor. Ingram chose to make no change to its originally submitted response. Baker & Taylor did make some changes. Each is summarized in the notes document. Amazon indicated willingness to make changes. But they don't yet have a mechanism in place on their end to facilitate a category by category breakdown of discounts for libraries such as Brodart, Baker & Taylor, and Ingram do. The keyword here is yet. Based on some conversations I had with Amazon, the ability to submit a competitive bid based on the various categories of library materials is something that is in their wheelhouse. Assuming they decide to move forward with this, it is possible that the response from Amazon to the next RFP issuance in 2027 may look very similar (hopefully better!) to what we are used to seeing from B&T, Brodart, and Ingram. Stay tuned! 

Time to (briefly) enter into the more freewheeling comment/opinion part of this. At the end of the day, we didn't get everything we wanted as a result of this exercise. Of significance, B&T chose to implement a fuel surcharge for the first time. They did agree to lower that fuel surcharge for libraries that spend >$30,000 annually with them, and as part of negotiations also to increase their discount for the hardcover trade category from their initially bid 45.1% to 46%. But the fuel surcharge is still there. Could we have gotten B&T to get rid of the fuel surcharge by telling them that we would exclude their bid from the statewide agreement if they insisted on keeping the fuel surcharge? Possibly. But given the huge presence of B&T in MI libraries that would have been a big leap for us to take. Ingram decided to keep in place the 15 unit minimum, the mechanics of which are explained in the notes document. Neither Ingram nor B&T want to play backup vendor, second fiddle as it were, to the other, hence the fuel surcharge and the 15 unit minimum. Etc. 

I do believe we had a more positive outcome for libraries on a statewide level by virtue of having this RFP process in place, vs. not. And as I told the reps for more than one of these vendors, at the end of the day MI libraries will choose to vote with their $$$. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding the new statewide Book/AV discounts. 

Thanks. 

Jim 

Jim Flury 
Technical Services Manager 
The Library Network 
41365 Vincenti Court 
Novi, MI 48375 
248-536-3100, ext 133 
Note New Fax Number: 248-716-5584 
Note New Email Address:jflury at tln.org 

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