SR-08-13-2013 -3CCity of city Council Report
Santa Monien
City Council Meeting: August 12, 2013
Agenda Item: 3 —C-
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Susan Annett, Acting Library Director
Subject: Automated Materials Handling System for Pico Branch Library
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services
agreement with Bibliotheca, LLC, a Georgia -based company, in an amount not to
exceed $182,443 (includes a 10% contingency), to provide sorting and conveyor
equipment, computer software configuration services, hardware and peripherals,
training, and a one -year warranty for a library Automated Materials Handling
System.
2) Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute four additional one -year
renewal options with Bibliotheca, LLC in an amount not to exceed $97,077
(includes 10% contingency) to provide maintenance and support for the
Automated Materials Handling System upon completion of the first year warranty
term.
3) Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a software license
agreement with Bibliotheca, LLC, that defines the terms of use for the software
purchased under the professional services agreement.
Executive Summary
The Library seeks to optimize the process of discharging and sorting materials returned
to the Pico Branch Library, which is currently scheduled to open to the public in early
2014. This goal can be accomplished through the implementation of an Automated
Materials Handling System (AMHS), which allows the return of library materials through
a software - driven conveyor system that automatically discharges items from the
patron's account and pre -sorts the materials to the re- shelving process.
In March 2013, the City solicited requests for proposal for the configuration,
implementation, and support of an AMHS for the Pico Branch Library. Bibliotheca, LLC
distinguished itself amongst the six RFP respondents by achieving the highest rate of
compliance with the Library's functional requirements and by designing a customized
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layout that optimizes the use of the allocated space. Bibliotheca LLC's cost.proposal
was the second lowest across all bidders. Also noteworthy is Bibliotheca's experience
in working with the Library's current integrated library system provider (Polaris) and their
experience in providing an entire range services that take advantage of the Radio
Frequency ID (RFID) tags that the Library programs and inserts in each Library item for
identification purposes.
The cost to purchase the system - including implementation, training and a one year
warranty — would not to exceed $182,443. Committing to a five year contract for
maintenance with annual payments enables the City to benefit from a 15% vendor
discount. The total cost for the additional 4 years of maintenance and support beyond
the first year warranty would not exceed $97,077. The entire project cost would not
exceed $279,520 over a five year period.
Discussion
The Library's current practice for discharging and sorting returned library materials is
labor intensive and requires constant attention to detail. The steps required to process
items returned to an exterior book returns are as follows:
a) staff reaches over the material return bin to retrieve returned items and then
stacks the items on a book cart.
b) staff pushes the book cart — which may weigh up to 300 pounds when full - to a
desk equipped with check -in software and equipment.
c) staff places between 1 -5 items on the RFID enabled check -in pad to
communicate the barcode information to the software. It is at this point that the
item is removed from the previous borrower's record.
d) staff views any messages on the screen, such as the need to route the item to
another branch, and then pre -sorts the items in stacks according to their shelving
destination.
e) as the stacks of pre - sorted item accumulate, staff moves the items to branch
delivery bins or to shelving trucks that will be used to transport the materials to
the public areas for re- shelving.
With an Automated Material Handling System (AMHS), patrons can feed their materials
into return slots to be located both inside and outside the Pico Branch Library facility
and have their borrowing record immediately reflect that the items have been returned.
The system can accept returns during both open and closed hours. The materials are
transported through a conveyor system that automatically directs the materials to one of
five pre - sorting bins based on their ultimate destinations. Each bin is equipped with a
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spring - loaded floating bottom so that staff can easily reach in to retrieve returned items
and place them on a book cart for re- shelving. The system can also automatically alert
staff when a bin is becoming full, eliminating the need for staff to constantly monitor the
bins.
The efficiencies offered by the system would allow staff to focus efforts on the person -
to- person customer service and program and event planning that are expected of
today's public library. Patrons have also communicated to the Library a desire to have
returned items removed from their account more rapidly so that they could check out
additional materials. The AMHS would address this request for users of the Pico
Library. $200,000 was earmarked for the purchase of an AMHS as part of the proposed
Pico Branch Construction Budget approved by Council on May 12, 2012. Funding for
ongoing maintenance and support of the system would be paid from the Library's
general operating budget.
Contractor Selection
The Library developed a set of functional requirements for an AMHS and also solicited
input from Public Works and ISD on architectural, ADA and computing platform
requirements. The requirements were compiled in a Request for Proposal which was
posted on the City's online bidding site on March 29, 2013. Six vendors submitted
responses.
Library staff reviewed the responses and also solicited information from customer
references, customer site visits, and online reviews. The Library recommends an
agreement with Bibliotheca, LLC based on the following criteria: responsiveness to the
functional requirements; experience in integrating AMHS solutions with the Polaris
software used by the Library to manage its material check -in functions; positive
customer feedback regarding product functionality, product reliability, customer support
services, innovation in new product development, vendor integrity, and other factors
relevant to the success of the proposed solution; compliance with the latest RFID
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standards; flexibility in customizing a system layout that optimizes the use of space in
the Pico Branch Library workroom; years of experience in providing complete AMHS
solutions without reliance on subcontractors; and competitive pricing (Bibliotheca's cost
proposal ranked second lowest amongst the six respondents).
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The contract to be awarded to Bibliotheca, LLC is for an amount not to exceed
$279,520. Funds in the amount of $182,443 are included in the FY 2013 -14 budget at
account 0014032.589000. Funds in the amount of $23,204 for FY 2014 -15 expenses
are included in the FY 2014 -15 budget at account 01613.533580. Future -year funding is
contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared by: Diane Z. Bednarski, Principal Librarian — Information Management
Approved:
a
Susan Annett
Acting Library Director
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Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
Reference:
Agreement No.9777
(CCS)