UCR-RFP-2026-MB330-DEPT#AUXDIV BOOKSTORE

UCR-RFP-2026-MB330-DEPT#AUXDIV BOOKSTORE

Proposal Instructions

Dear Suppliers:

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is seeking proposals from qualified Vendors to the University of California, Riverside (UCR) Auxiliary Services Division for the operation and management of the onsite UCR Campus Store, the UCR Campus Store eCommerce site, and participation in special events and satellite pop-up locations. UCR welcomes proposals from experienced third-party bookstore operators with proven ability to fully manage an active, on-campus physical store.

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) is a nationally recognized, premier public research university and a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) located in Inland Southern California. Renowned for combining world-class research with an exceptional commitment to social mobility and student success, UCR consistently ranks among the top public universities in the United States. The campus serves a diverse student body of over 27,000 students and acts as an economic and cultural engine for the region, driving innovation across agriculture technology, biomedical research, clean tech, and public policy.

As part of the 2021 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) approved by the UC Board of Regents, UC Riverside is planning for strategic, long-term growth, with a target of accommodating up to 35,000 students through 2035. To support this expanding campus community, UCR is actively investing in new teaching facilities, expanding on-campus housing capacity, and growing its graduate and nonresident enrollment. The selected campus store partner will play a crucial role in scaling retail operations to meet the needs of this growing student population.

UCR is looking for a partner to help reimagine the current model and space of the UCR Campus Store to deliver a seamless, omnichannel retail experience. This partner should be open to collaborating closely with the university on every aspect of the store's operations, including making adjustments that best serve UCR's community. The goal is to strengthen institutional pride and boost the visibility of the university's brand by offering high-quality, accessible, and affordable merchandise. This includes emblematic and non-emblematic apparel, gifts, school and office supplies, and other relevant products for students, faculty, staff, alumni, fans, and visitors. Operation of the bookstore shall not confer exclusive rights to sell merchandise bearing UCR trademarks.

Please note: Course materials are a core component of this RFP. UCR is seeking a single-operator brick-and-mortar model that integrates both course materials and general merchandise. Segmenting the physical store and the course materials between different operators is not permitted, nor can the campus transition to a 100% electronic or virtual-only model. The successful partner must provide students with flexibility across print, rental, used, and digital formats.

Beginning Monday, September 14, 2026, the RFP may be obtained at the UC Public Bid Site ("CalUsource") located at . Proposals must be submitted online through CalUsource on or before 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on Monday, November 2, 2026. Proposals will not be accepted after this date and time. Proposals sent via email will not be accepted. All proposals will remain available for UC acceptance for a minimum of 180 calendar days following the RFP closing date.

The overall objective of this RFP is to select a supplier to assist UC in establishing the most cost effective and efficient program for Bookstore Services while maintaining high standards of quality and service. Qualified suppliers are invited to submit proposals, based on the information provided in this RFP, with the intent to establish a business alliance with UC that will maximize the resources of both organizations to most effectively meet UC's needs. It is anticipated that the initial term of any contract awarded pursuant to this RFP will be for five (5) years with an option to renew.

Suppliers must register in CalUsource in order to access the complete RFP document. If you require assistance with this, please contact technical support at .

All supplier questions must be submitted in the Discussion Forum section (icon location shown below) on or before Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Late submissions will not be addressed.

Discussion Forum Icon

With the exception of the designated contact as provided in this RFP event, suppliers are not permitted to communicate with UC staff regarding this solicitation. If a supplier is found to be in violation of this provision, UC reserves the right to reject its proposal.

Table of Contents

Proposal Instructions

Required Supplier Information

Request for Clarifications and Q&A Submission

Withdrawal and Republishing of RFP and Addenda

Technical Proposal Content

Financial Proposal

Negotiations and Methods of Award

Ranking of Proposal

Attachments and Exhibits

Attachment A - Supplier's Affidavit

Attachment B - Scope of Work

Attachment C - Financial Proposal

Attachment D - UC Terms and Conditions

Attachment E - Supplier Bidding Guide for CalUSource

Attachment F - UCR Business Information Form

Important Dates

RFP Release date: Monday, September 14, 2026

Mandatory Site Visit: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 from 1 pm-3 pm

Request for Clarification and Q&A Submission deadline: Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Proposal due: Monday, November 2, 2026

Round Two (2) Finalists' Presentations: Week of December 7th, 2026

Anticipated Award: Friday, January 15, 2027

New Service Begins: Thursday, July 1, 2027

REQUIRED SUPPLIER INFORMATION

Communications & Addenda Regarding the RFP

All communications, including any requests for clarification, concerning this Request for Proposal ("RFP"), Request for Qualification ("RFQ") or Request for Quote ("RFQ") (collectively, referred to as "RFP") must be submitted via the Discussion Forum section of this RFP within the University of California Public Bid Site ("").

The University of California ("UC") will make any changes, additions, or deletions to the RFP in the form of addenda uploaded CalUsource. UC will not be responsible for failure of any prospective Supplier to receive such amendments. All addenda will become part of the RFP.

It is Supplier's responsibility to read the entire RFP document, including any attachments, references and addenda, and to comply with all requirements listed herein.

For instruction on how to bid, refer to the Supplier Bid Response Quick Reference Guide under the Guidelines section of this RFP.

With the exception of the designated contact as provided in this RFP event, suppliers are not permitted to communicate with other UC staff regarding this solicitation. If a supplier is found to be in violation of this provision, UC reserves the right to disqualify any suppliers found to be in violation.

Proposal Submittal and Evaluation

This solicitation, the evaluation of proposals, and the award of any resulting contract will be made in conformance with applicable UC policies and California law. UC reserves the right to withdraw this RFP at any time. All documents submitted to UC in response to this RFP will become the exclusive property of UC and will not be returned.

Supplier must complete and submit its proposal ("Proposal") in well before the RFP's closing date and time to allow for the possibility of technical problems. Late Proposals will not be accepted after the RFP's closing date and time.

Bids must follow the format specified in the RFP. The submission of a Proposal confirms that it has been issued and reviewed by an individual authorized to enter into contracts on behalf of Supplier.

Supplier must not provide superfluous materials such as marketing materials or website links in response to or in lieu of the Discussion Forum, and may be disqualified for providing superfluous materials. Supplier may, however, use attachments or website links to respond to Proposal Questions if Proposal is directly referenced in the question and such materials respond specifically to the question without extraneous information.

Any contract(s) resulting from this RFP will be awarded to the responsive and responsible Supplier whose Proposal, in UC's opinion, offers the greatest benefit to UC. Proposals will be evaluated by the UC evaluation team using the methodology set forth in Section I - Evaluation Criteria of this RFP Proposal Instructions document.

UC may waive irregularities in a Proposal provided that, in UC's judgment, such action will not negate fair competition and will permit proper comparative evaluation of proposals. UC's waiver of an immaterial deviation or defect will not modify the RFP documents or excuse Supplier from full compliance with the RFP specifications in the event a contract is awarded to Supplier.

UC reserves the right to reject all proposals, make more than one award, or make no award. Based on the results of this RFP process, UC reserves the right to request one or more separate proposals for selected items, with a select group of suppliers, including direct manufacturers of these products. Based on the results of such requests, UC or its locations may enter into contracts with other suppliers to provide those products, while remaining UC locations may buy those products through this RFP. Any contract awarded pursuant to this RFP will incorporate the RFP requirements and specifications, as well the contents of the Proposal as accepted by UC, and will be in writing.

Supplier must operate within the guidelines of all federal, state, and local labor laws and codes. Supplier must possess all trade, professional or business licenses as may be required by the work contemplated by this RFP.

Supplier will bear all costs incurred in the preparation and submission of the Proposal and related documentation, including Supplier's presentations to UC. If Supplier is the apparent awardee, Supplier will bear its own costs in negotiating and finalizing an agreement with UC.

Several UC campuses have enabled e-commerce using hosted catalogs and punch-outs. Supplier may be asked to comply with campus e-commerce requirements on a campus by campus basis, but must adhere to UC system-wide policy for consistency in catalog loading and pricing.

UC may visit Supplier's site to verify that Supplier will meet the RFP specifications set forth in the Statement of Work ("RFP Specifications"). Additionally, in assessing Supplier's ability to perform, UC may consider factors including but not limited to Supplier's financial resources, past performance with UC, references from other customers, experience, organization, personnel, technical skills, operational controls, and quality control.

Anticipated Agreement

It is the responsibility of the Offeror to carefully review all the documents included in the RFP package, including but not limited to the anticipated agreement, which comprises the UC Terms and Conditions of Purchase and, if applicable, the UC Appendix Data Security and HIPAA-BAA (collectively, the "Anticipated Agreement"). The Offeror(s) selected to become a UCR supplier shall be required to execute a final contract with terms consistent with those in the Anticipated Agreement (the "Contract"). As such, UCR requests that Offeror carefully review all terms and conditions of the Anticipated Agreement, to ensure that Offeror can accept and comply with all of its provisions.

If Offeror does not accept, or cannot comply with, any terms in the Anticipated Agreement, Offeror shall identify any and all exceptions, and submit recommended language that Offeror would find acceptable. Such exceptions and recommended language shall be submitted no later than the RFP submission date of Monday, November 2, 2026 ("Submission Date").

UCR will review any exceptions and recommended language submitted by Offeror to determine if said exceptions and recommended language are acceptable to UCR.

Please note that acceptance of the terms in the Anticipated Agreement (and/or identifying exceptions and/or proposing recommended language) is one of the important criteria in the selection of a supplier. If Offeror does not submit any exceptions and/or recommended language, UCR will assume that Offeror finds all of the Anticipated Agreement's terms acceptable, and no changes to such terms, as they appear in the Contract, will be accepted after the Submission Date.

California Public Records Act

All proposals, supporting materials and related documentation are subject to the California Public Records Act. Marking a document "confidential" or "proprietary" may not prevent its release.

Insurance Requirements

If awarded a contract, Supplier must name UC as an additional insured and furnish a certificate of insurance acceptable to UC as outlined in the Terms and Conditions set forth in the RFP.

Errors & Omissions

Supplier should immediately notify UC of any apparent discrepancy, error, omission, ambiguity or lack of clarity in this RFP, any attachments, references and addenda. Supplier will not be entitled to compensation for any error or discrepancy that appears in this RFP.

Federal and State Water and Air Pollution Laws

UC will not contract with entities in violation of Federal or State water or air pollution laws. To determine if the State of California has a record that Supplier is in violation of California pollution laws, Supplier may contact the California Air Resources Board and California Water Resources Control Board. Supplier must disclose on an addendum to its Proposal any open violations of water or air pollution laws, along with Supplier's action plans to remedy the violations.

Collusion among Suppliers

Collusion among Suppliers is not allowed. If there is proof of collusion among Suppliers, UC will reject all proposals involved in the collusive action.

Exclusions

Supplier is advised that some goods and/or services may be subject to pre-existing agreements with other Suppliers, or may be outside the scope of this RFP and may not be included in any awarded contract or may be included on a limited basis.

Disqualification

UC may disqualify any Supplier that does not adhere to the provisions in this Proposal Instructions document. In addition, failure to submit the attachments listed below in the designated Questionnaire section of the RFP in the CalUsource will result in a non-responsive bid and will not be considered for award.

Affidavit - must be completed and signed.

Technical Proposal - There must be no cost, pricing or fees included in this section

Financial Proposal Forms - Suppliers must use the forms provided by UC, and must be completed.

Addenda - Each addendum, if any issued, must be signed.

Multiple Proposals

Supplier may not submit or be interested in more than one proposal for the same RFP; provided, however, that a person or firm that submitted a sub-proposal to a Supplier or who has quoted prices for goods and/or services to a Supplier is not thereby disqualified from submitting a sub-proposal quoting prices to other Suppliers.

Complaints and Protests

Controversies over the solicitation or award of a contract are covered by University of California Policy BUS-43, which is posted on the UCOP website. This policy is entitled "BFB-BUS-43 Purchases of Goods and Services; Supply Chain Management".

FAIR WAGE / FAIR WORK

Supplier will be required to agree to the UC Fair Wage/Fair Work provision in UC's Terms and Conditions of Purchase. This provision requires supplier to warrant that it is in compliance with applicable workplace requirements; to pay no less than the UC Fair Wage to employees who perform the Services ($15 per hour as of 10/1/17); to be subject to interim audits by UC in this regard; and in the case of services that exceed $100,000 per year, annually to certify completion of an independent audit of compliance with the UC Fair Wage/Fair Work provision. Annual audits may be performed by supplier's independent auditor or independent internal audit department in compliance with UC's required audit standards and procedures. By way of illustration, UC would consider firms listed in Inside Public Accounting's most recent annual ranking of the 200 largest accounting firms to be acceptable independent auditors,

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REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATIONS AND Q&A SUBMISSION:

All supplier questions must be submitted in the Discussion Forum section (icon location shown below) before the Supplier Question Submission deadline stated on page 2 of this Proposal Instructions document.

Q and A Submission date is on or before Tuesday, October 20, 2026, EOD.

As applicable, requests must be fully supported with all the technical data, or other pertinent information required as evidence that the substitute offered as an Approved Equal is equal to or better than that required by the specifications, to support other changes requested, or to explain clarifications requested.

Questions submitted with inadequate data, information, etc., will be denied.

Late submissions will not be addressed.

Answers to suppliers' questions will be provided in the form of an Addenda that will be added to the RFP.

WITHDRAWAL AND REPUBLISHING OF RFP AND ADDENDA

UC reserves the right to revise or amend the RFP documents. Since the CalUsource requires RFP events to be withdrawn to execute addenda, this RFP may be withdrawn and republished once or multiple times between the RFP opening and closing dates.

Addenda will be attached in the Guidelines section of this RFP.

Suppliers must sign and return all addenda in the designated location in the Questionnaire section in this RFP event. Failure to do this may render the supplier's proposal non-responsive.

Suppliers are responsible for reviewing and ensuring that their response file is complete upon acknowledging an addendum.

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL CONTENT

Table of Contents

Technical Proposals should include a table of contents with page numbers covering all parts including exhibits and addenda, with sufficient detail to facilitate easy reference to all requested information.

Affidavit

"Supplier's Affidavit" attached to this RFP must be submitted by a Supplier's representative authorized to bind the Supplier's organization to the terms and conditions of this RFP.

Supplier's Qualifications, Related Experience and References as an Organization

The section of the Proposal should provide a general description of the Supplier's background, nature of business activities, and experience providing the required products and/or services.

All Offerors should describe in detail their experience during the last five (5) years in operating bookstores on college campuses. In order to satisfy this requirement, Offeror should identify specific clientele; describe the scope of work; the period of performance. These citations should demonstrate that the Offeror has successfully performed substantially similar work to that anticipated by this RFP.

PROPOSAL SUMMARY AND APPROACH

Provide a summary of qualifications, capabilities and brief description of previous experience(s) that qualifies Offeror for this project, including but not limited to: (i) The length of time the Offeror's organization has been conducting business under the current organizational structure; and (ii) The length of time the Offeror's organization has been engaged in the operation of bookstores.

ORGANIZATION EXPERIENCE AND CAPACITY

Technical Capability and Infrastructure

Capacity

Quality Control

Reporting

Demonstration of Competency

Omnichannel Retail Strategy

LMS/Canvas deep linking

Digital adoption tools

Data transparency

WCAG AA accessibility

PROPOSAL EXHIBITS:

This section of the Technical Proposal should include the information listed below:

Business Information Form (BIF)

Go to the following link and complete and electronically submit the BIF. Include a copy of the completed BIF with your proposal as the form will be directed to a separate depository when you submit it electronically.

Financial Statements

Include audited financial statements or equivalent data for the past two (2) years in order to establish its financial stability and capability to perform the work specified in this RFP.

References

Include the company name, address, contact name, phone number and email address of reference accounts for whom the Supplier served, within the last five (5) years, as primary provider of similar services for clients of comparable size and complexity to UC.

Restrictions

Identify any restrictions that would preclude the Supplier from providing any of the products or services requested in this RFP in a cost-effective offering.

Lost Accounts

Provide a list of significant accounts the Supplier has lost during the past five (5) years. A lost account can be defined when the Supplier has been terminated on a contract because of unsatisfactory performance or default. Contact names and telephone numbers of affected clients should be provided. If there is none, please state.

Legal Actions

Identify any pending legal actions or legal actions completed within the last five (5) years involving your company that relate to services performed. Specifically, describe any actions related to failure to perform, breach of contract, satisfaction of warranty claims or license violations or right to use. If there are none, please state.

Licenses

Provide copies of all trade, professional, or business licenses of staff that are assigned to work on this project.

Small Business Utilization and Sustainability Initiatives

This section should provide a general description of the Supplier's small business utilization capabilities and sustainability initiatives with regards to the following:

Small Business Utilization:

Demonstrate compliance to The Regents of the University of California policies and procedures to facilitate the participation of small businesses, particularly small disadvantaged or minority business enterprises, women business enterprises, and disabled veteran business enterprises, in areas of commodity purchases and services. The University is committed to providing procurement opportunities to diverse suppliers and dedicating an appropriate portion of its business to small, diverse, and disadvantaged businesses.

Proposers must indicate type and size of business and which category is applicable as specified on above. Third-party small business certifications must be attached to receive points in this section.

Sustainability Initiatives:

UC is committed to responsible stewardship of resources and to demonstrating leadership in sustainable business practices and thus will require Offerors to present their commitment to sustainable practices as it applies to its goods and services. Offerors must describe commitment to sustainable practices as it applies to the services what will be provided in this RFx. Offeror Commitment to Sustainability: UC is committed to responsible stewardship of resources and to demonstrating leadership in sustainable business practices and thus will require Offerors to present their commitment to sustainable practices as it applies to its goods and services.

Environmental Sustainability: Describe Offeror's commitment to sustainable practices as it applies to its services. Refer to the , and align Offeror's response with the applicable categories outlined in the policy statements.

Environmentally Responsible Packaging: UC encourages its suppliers to utilize environmentally responsible packaging and recycling practices. Offeror's proposal must include a statement indicating what measures will be taken to minimize the adverse effects of packaging on the environment.

Sustainable Transportation: Describe Offeror's program(s) for promoting sustainable transportation practices within Offeror's organization.

Sustainable Operations: Describe Offeror's program(s) for promoting sustainable practices within Offeror's offices, warehouses, and other facilities.

evaluation: Offeror has obtained an industry-average or better EcoVadis score or commits to be evaluated by EcoVadis.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

Supplier must use the provided Financial Proposal Form to submit all offers associated with this RFP; failure to comply may lead to disqualification.

"Base Bid" is the Supplier's total offers as defined on the Financial Proposal Form for this RFP.

Submittal Instructions

Supplier must enter their Base offer in each Scenarios in the Financial Proposal Form.

Supplier must upload their completed and signed Financial Proposal Form found in the "Attachments" section of this RFP marked "Attachment C - Financial Proposal Form".

The Financial Proposal Form must be signed by an authorized representative of the Supplier's organization and submitted in the "Financial Proposal" section within "Questionnaires" of the CalUsource sourcing system.

Failure to provide this information will deem your bid unresponsive.

NEGOTIATIONS AND METHOD OF AWARD

The contract resulting from this RFP, if any, will be awarded to the responsive and responsible Supplier offering the greatest benefit to UC, as determined by UC, when considering technical suitability for intended UC purpose and Supplier performance potential.

Proposals will be examined by the campus department evaluation team ("Evaluation Team") and scored in accordance with the evaluation criteria. The intent of the evaluation process is to determine, through application of uniform criteria, how effectively the proposed products and/or services satisfy UC's requirements. In addition to material provided in the proposal, the evaluation team may utilize site visits, or may request oral presentations, additional material, information, or references from the Supplier and others.

The technical evaluation process may occur in two (2) stages at the option of UC.

Stage One (1):

The Evaluation Team will conduct a preliminary evaluation of each proposal. They will award points (0 - 100) to each Criteria ("Preliminary Points") for each proposal.

Once the Preliminary Points from each member of the Evaluation Team are complete, the Preliminary Points for each Criteria will be averaged, then the weight listed for each Criteria. EVALUATION CRITERIA ("Weight") will be applied to the average for each Criteria. The sum of that number for each Criteria will be the Preliminary Technical Score

The Suppliers will be ranked according to their Preliminary Technical Score from highest to lowest.

NOTE:

If UC decides to pursue stage two (2) of the technical evaluation:

Only the top two Offerors will be eligible to participate ("Qualified Supplier").

Proposal(s) which will not earn a Final Technical Score of 65 or greater may be disqualified.

IF UC decides to forego Stage Two (2) of the technical evaluation, the preliminary technical scores on Stage One (1) will be deemed final.

Stage Two (2):

The Evaluation Team will conduct a further evaluation of the Suppliers. This may include, but not be limited to, at UC's option, presentation to the Evaluation Team, requests for additional information, site visits to the Supplier's facilities, interoperability tests, reference site visits and other means to further determine the Supplier's capabilities.

At this stage, the Evaluation Team reserves the right to review and adjust their Preliminary Points based on additional information gathered. The points provided by the Evaluation Team at the end of stage two (2), adjusted or not, will be deemed the Final Points.

The Final Points will be averaged for each Criteria, then the Weights will be applied to the average for each Criteria. The sum of that number for each Criteria will become the Final Technical Score. If the second stage of the technical evaluation is not pursued by UC, the Preliminary Technical Scores will be deemed the Final Technical Scores.

Exceptions taken for clarification, changes, deviations to the Scope of Work or terms and conditions set forth in this RFP or the Sample Contract included in this package, or irregularities therein, may be negotiated with or corrected by the Supplier involved provided that, in the judgment of UC, such action will not negate fair competition and will permit proper comparative evaluation of proposal submitted. UC's waiver of an immaterial deviation or defect shall in no way modify the RFP documents or excuse the Supplier from full compliance with the RFP specifications in the event the contract is awarded to that Supplier.

For ranking purposes, the "Total Weighted Score" of the Evaluation Criteria will be weighted and the "Raw Score" of the Supplier's submitted financial proposal weighted as indicated in section I - RANKING OF PROPOSALS; with a highest possible "Total Combined Weighted Score" of 100 points.

The financial proposal(s) will be scored as follows:

For each Scenario, the proposal with the lowest Base Bid (as defined in the Financial Proposal Form) will be awarded a score of 100 points. This will be the Financial Score for each Scenario.

For each Scenario, each of the competing proposal(s) will be awarded a Financial Score using the formula below:

Raw Score of Competing Base Bid = (Lowest Base Bid/Competing Base Bid) X 100

The sum of the Raw Score from the four (4) Scenarios will constitute the Raw Score for the Financial Proposal Form.

Tabulation

The Weight for the Technical Proposal (as defined in section I - RANKING OF PROPOSALS) will be applied to the Final Technical Score for each proposal to determine the Technical Weighted Score.

The Weight for the Financial Proposal (as defined in section I - RANKING OF PROPOSALS) will be applied to the Financial Score for each proposal to determine the Financial Weighted Score.

Each supplier's Technical Weighted Score will be added to their Financial Weighted Score to determine their Combined Weighted Score.

The suppliers will be ranked according to their Combined Weighted Score from highest to lowest.

The supplier that earns the highest Combined Weighted Score during the ranking process will be considered for award.

Should UC be unable to finalize an Agreement at a fair and reasonable price through negotiations with the highest ranked Supplier, UC shall enter into negotiations with the next highest Supplier and may award that contract if the parties are able to finalize an Agreement at a fair and reasonable price. If that is unattainable, UC shall enter into negotiations with the next highest qualified Supplier in sequence until an Agreement is reached. This process will continue until an award is made or until UC rejects all bids.

Prior to contract award, UC may, at its sole discretion, seek clarification from any Supplier regarding proposal information and may do so without notification to any other Supplier.

RANKING OF PROPOSALS Technical Score and Financial Proposal must equal 100%