In a request for qualifications (RFQ) released May 28, the Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) seeks “Information Technology Professional Services.” Having marked its 150th anniversary last year, LAPL offers more than 8 million books and thousands of public programs through 72 branches and its Central Library to nearly 19 million people in metropolitan L.A., the largest urban population served of any library system. Among the takeaways:
- LAPL is governed by its five-member Board of Library Commissioners, which sets its policy and controls funding. The IT Section manages the IT system for the library and its patrons and oversees projects — as well as chosen contractors. It turns to contractors for “professional, expert, and technical services” for short-term initiatives and for support on replacing, upgrading or maintaining parts of its infrastructure or network.
- LAPL is issuing the RFQ to create a list of “qualified individuals or agencies to provide (IT) professional services on an as-needed and as-requested basis.”
- Respondents have to be able to provide services in one or more of 13 categories. These are:
- Data cabling and electrical installation
- Network switch maintenance and upgrade
- Wireless access point maintenance and upgrades
- Uninterruptable power supply (UPS) maintenance and upgrade
- Technical support
- Asset management
- CARLweb technical support for the library’s CARL web server processes underlying its CARL.X system
- Disaster recovery
- Network security management
- Network monitoring and optimization management
- Network design, installation and support
- Audio/video services
- Data analytics
- Potential work includes replacing outdated UPS in the Central Library’s main data center; offering tech support to patrons and staff during regular library hours; researching and recommending virtual desktop infrastructure or cloud-based desktop-as-a-service technologies and ensuring efficiencies around managing more than 1,600 public computers via Citrix XenDesktop. The system is also looking for conctractors to be “responsible for the complete rebuild/restoration of the library’s physical and data infrastructure.”
- Respondents must have at least three years’ experience providing IT professional services to governments or large organizations. They must describe their qualifications and experience, with “names and titles of the organizational principals in charge and key project members,” and a description of how they meet the minimum experience requirement. Three references to verify this must be included. They must register at the Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement (RAMP) website to access the RFQ. Respondents must also provide a fee schedule for meeting the library’s goals, completing its scope of work and any other items necessary to meet its needs.
- The term of this contract would be three years with the option of two one-year renewals. The precise value of any contract isn’t stated in the RFQ. A “highly recommended pre-proposal conference” is slated for 10 a.m. June 14 via Zoom. RSVPs for this conference are due by 5 p.m. June 13. Proposals are due by 5 p.m. July 13. Responses will be evaluated by a panel and the library will present recommendations in a report from the city librarian to the Board of Library Commissioners.