Integrated Library System Request for Proposals

Request for Proposals
for an
Integrated Library System
Date Issued: May 8, 2026
Sealed proposals must be received by noon on: June 5, 2026
In the o(cid:431)ice of the Assistant Director
For further information regarding this RFP
contact Chris Brown, Assistant Director,
via email: cbrown@cityofpella.com
Pella Public Library
603 Main St.
Pella, IA 50219
(641) 628-4268
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Section 1: Introduction
The Pella Public Library is seeking proposals for a modern, secure Integrated Library System (ILS)
that supports public discovery, circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, serials management,
reporting, and system administration, and that integrates with a library mobile app
(vendor-provided or third-party).
The mission of the Pella Public Library is [to]
"Enrich our community by welcoming, creating, and nurturing curious minds and supporting
lifelong learners."
In addition to meeting the Functional Specifications, proposals will be evaluated based on how
e(cid:431)ectively the system supports an intuitive, accessible, and end-to-end service experience for both
patrons and sta(cid:431). Across all functions of the ILS, thoughtful consideration will be given to the
opportunities the system creates for us to fulfill our mission.
Evaluation Criteria Weight (%)
Functional Fit & Workflow Support 35%
User Experience (Sta(cid:431) & Patron) 15%
Implementation, Data Migration & Training 15%
Vendor Support, Stability & Product Direction 15%
Cost / Total Cost of Ownership* 15%
Future Scalability & Consortium Readiness 5%
*Cost will be evaluated in relation to demonstrated functionality, implementation quality, support
services, and long-term value to the Library.
Proposal Requirements
A complete proposal must include the following to receive full consideration:
Cover Letter Provided with the proposer's letterhead, signed and dated by a duly authorized
representative.
Vendor Profile Including background, product line, financial information, sta(cid:431) information.
Costs All costs to deliver the proposed system must be presented in a separate,
itemized section, including one-time implementation costs and ongoing
annual costs. Vendors must also provide a five-year total cost of ownership
summary and disclose any anticipated annual increases.
References Provide three references from libraries of similar size to the Pella Public Library.
Functional Respond to each item in the "Functional Specifications," section of this
Specifications document. Provide any necessary clarifying information in the, "Vendor
Response," field for each item.
Implementation Plan Provide a schedule for system installation, outlining milestones and
responsibilities of the Vendor and the Library. The Vendor will describe how the
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proposed hardware will handle future growth of the library, including additional
collections, patrons, system features, and multiple library branches.
Training Describe training approach for the new ILS.
Warranty, Describe the warranty and maintenance policy for hardware and software;
Maintenance, customer support policies, including help lines, hours of operation, and
Support, and Updates emergency service; and policy for software updates.
Certification of The Vendor certifies that, as of the proposal submission date, it is not subject
Stability to bankruptcy, foreclosure, or major corporate restructuring, and has no
knowledge of a pending acquisition or sale. The Vendor agrees to notify the
Library in writing of any such changes prior to contract execution. Vendor
understands and agrees that, regardless of preliminary proposal acceptance
by the Library, such an event may be grounds for proceeding with an alternate
proposal and Vendor.
Vendors are requested to provide a copy of their standard contract(s) with their proposal
submission to use as a starting point for negotiations.
The Pella Public Library will review all valid, complete proposals and evaluate the extent to which
each meets the specifications herein. Please note the following declarations:
1. The Pella Public Library is not bound to accept the lowest priced proposal.
2. The Pella Public Library reserves the right to reject any or all proposals for any reason
deemed to be in the best interest of the Library. The library may, but is not obligated to,
provide a rationale for a rejected proposal.
3. The Pella Public Library reserves the right to request clarification on any item in a proposal
or to request additional information when necessary to perform a complete evaluation.
4. The Pella Public Library reserves the right to contact any references provided.
5. The Pella Public Library reserves the right to postpone selection or the contract award for
any reason.
Tentative Timeline
Activity Tentative Date
RFP Issued May 8, 2026
Proposal Deadline June 5, 2026, 12:00 p.m.
Vendor Demonstrations (optional) June 8 - June 12, 2026
Proposal Review Period June 8 - June 19, 2026
Board Review June 9, 2026
Vendor Notification June 26, 2026
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Proposals must be received no later than 12:00 p.m. (Noon) on June 5, 2026. Proposals may be
submitted in one of the following formats:
Electronically via email attachment to cbrown@cityofpella.com
Electronically via file-sharing service (e.g., Dropbox link) sent to cbrown@cityofpella.com
Physically in a sealed envelope delivered by mail or hand-delivery to:
Chris Brown, Assistant Director
Pella Public Library
603 Main St.
Pella, IA 50219
Vendors are responsible for ensuring successful delivery prior to the submission deadline.
Confirmation of receipt by reply email will be provided by the Assistant Director for electronic
submissions. If utilizing a delivery service, Vendors are strongly encouraged to select a service with
delivery confirmation or require a signature on delivery.
Proposals will not be reviewed until after the submission deadline.
All proposals submitted in response to the RFP shall become the property of the City of Pella and
shall not be returned.
Under Chapter 22 of the Iowa Code, "Examination of Public Records", all records of a governmental
body are presumed to be public records, open to inspection by members of the public. Proposals
submitted in response to this RFP shall be considered public records.
Proposals will be considered by the Pella Public Library Board of Trustees at their scheduled June 9,
4:00 p.m. meeting. The Vendor selected by the Trustees will be notified no later than June 26, 2026.
Vendors must be able to provide a full launch of the ILS with complete functionality no later than
January 15, 2027.
Complete Functionality includes:
1) The complete ILS, and all modules, and the Discovery Layer (catalog) must be running at
full capacity, and be fully functional across the entire system.
2) Complete datasets, both historical and current, have been migrated from our previous
vendor, SirsiDynix. Any additional data work must completed to the library's satisfaction
prior to launch to correct any and all data deficiencies, corruptions or undesired alterations.
3) A complete and stable connection to all interfacing hardware and software, such as
Envisionware's PC Reservation and Bibliotheca SelfCheck machines owned by the library.
4) A complete and stable connection to a Library App, either Vendor- or third-party provided.
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5) Completion of any administrative configuration and setup within the ILS which allows the
ILS to be tailored to the library's specific needs. This includes any custom reports which are
needed by the library.
Vendor Demonstrations
The Library reserves the right to invite selected Vendors to participate in demonstrations of their
proposed system as part of the evaluation process. Demonstrations may include sta(cid:431) workflows,
patron discovery experience, reporting functionality, acquisitions workflows, mobile functionality,
and other areas identified by the Library.
If demonstrations are requested:
Vendors may be asked to demonstrate Library-defined workflows.
Demonstrations may be conducted virtually or in person.
Demonstrations may be considered as part of the final evaluation process and overall
proposal scoring.
The Library is not obligated to conduct demonstrations with all Vendors submitting proposals.
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Section 2: Background and Scope of Project
Background
The Pella Public Library is a single-site library serving the City of Pella, Iowa, and rural Marion
County, Iowa. Its core service area within the City of Pella is 10,464, which is included in the county
population of 33,414. The library has an annual circulation of 158,176, excluding digital items, and
there are approximately 80,247 physical items in the library collection.
The Library currently uses the SirsiDynix Symphony Integrated Library System, hosted on
SirsiDynix's servers o(cid:431)site. The proposed ILS must be delivered as a fully hosted Software as a
Service (SaaS) solution. The Vendor is responsible for system hosting, security, backups,
monitoring, maintenance, and upgrades.
The Library currently uses the OCLC Connexion Client program for bibliographic copy cataloging.
Once prepared with local holding information, the program then batch-loads MARC records into the
ILS. The ILS determines which, if any, existing bibliographic records should be overlaid by the newly
imported records.
The Library is a member of the Marion County Library Coalition, a group of five libraries within
Marion County, Iowa, who have informally agreed to work together towards goals such as increased
county funding. Within the group, there has been discussion about bringing some or all county
libraries on to a single ILS system, and perhaps even participating in materials sharing. While the
Pella Public Library is currently a stand-alone library, preference will be given to systems capable of
supporting multi-library and consortium configurations, including shared catalogs and resource
sharing, should the Library pursue such arrangements in the future. An ideal system will not only
provide cost savings for all libraries involved but will allow for catalog searching and materials
sharing between libraries.
The new system must be capable of accommodating, at minimum:
110,000 bibliographic records, with the ability to accommodate more.
At least fifteen concurrent sta(cid:431) users accessing and utilizing the system.
An unlimited number of concurrent users accessing the public access interface(s).
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Scope of Work
The successful Vendor shall:
Take responsibility for and manage the implementation project
Provide implementation services, including
o Data conversion
o Policy conversion
o System configurations/customizations, including custom reports.
Provide services in the extraction of data from the current SirsiDynix system.
Provide training and provide documentation for all sta(cid:431) roles.
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Section 3: Functional Specifications, Workflows, and Strategic
Priorities
Overview
This section is intended to help the Pella Public Library better understand your product. By marking
if or how your product meets each of the criteria below, the Library can get a better sense of how
the proposed ILS not only serves our existing needs and workflows, but also aligns with our
strategic priorities, both near-future and long-term.
This section is divided into subsections for responses based on general classification of function.
For example, section 3a is specific to the circulation functions of the ILS. Keep in mind that some
functions are necessary or pertinent to two or more sections, so you may see an item, or a form of
it, repeated more than once. If an item is listed in one section, such as, "Cataloging," but is a
function serviced in another module in your particular system, please elaborate using the "Vendor
Response," for each item.
There are two types of response tables, based on which subsection is addressed. Please see the
examples below to understand the di(cid:431)erences between table type "A," and table type, "B."
Vendor Guidance:
Narrative responses ("Vendor Response,") are required for all rows.
All Mandatory Requirements must be fully available at go-live.
The Library prioritizes workflow clarity and real-world usability over checkbox
compliance.
Current Workflow items describe existing operational practices at the Library.
Vendors should explain how the proposed system supports, improves, or
reimagines these workflows
Future-Focused items will not disqualify a proposal but may influence overall
evaluation of product direction and long-term strategic fit.
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Example Workflow Requirements Table A
Meets Y/N is used for the go-live critical areas, such as Circulation.
Requirement Description Vendor Response Meets Evaluation
Tier (Y/N) Notes
Mandatory Non-negotiable requirements Describe how the requirement
Requirements required at go-live. Failure to is fully supported in
meet may disqualify the production.
proposal.
Current How the Library operates Describe how workflows are
Workflows today; vendor must explain supported and improved.
support and e(cid:431)iciencies.
Strong Capabilities that significantly Describe availability and
Preference impact sta(cid:431) e(cid:431)iciency or configuration options.
service quality.
Future- Enhancements that improve Describe currently planned
Focused service but are not required at capabilities or enhancements.
go-live.
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Example Workflow Requirements Table B
Availability A/D/P/N is used for more road-map sensitive areas, such as Acquisitions.
Availability Status Definitions
A - Available: Fully functional in production and available today.
D - In Development: Actively under development with a committed release
timeline.
P - Planned: On the vendor's roadmap but not yet in development.
N - Not Available: Not supported or planned.
Requirement Description Vendor Response Availability Evaluation
Tier (A/D/P/N) Notes
Mandatory Non-negotiable Describe how the
Requirements requirements required at requirement is fully
go-live. Failure to meet may supported in production.
disqualify the proposal.
Current How the Library operates Describe how workflows are
Workflows today; vendor must explain supported and improved.
support and e(cid:431)iciencies.
Strong Capabilities that Describe availability and
Preference significantly impact sta(cid:431) configuration options.
e(cid:431)iciency or service quality.
Future- Enhancements that Describe currently planned
Focused improve service but are not capabilities or
required at go-live. enhancements.
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