Courier contacts,

The Orbis RFP for library courier service closed on July 10.  As of this
deadline, Orbis received just one proposal.  This proposal was submitted
by LME and proposes a courier service using UCI Distribution Plus.

Up until the point when Pony Express (PE) halted operations, Orbis had
heard from several vendors expressing a very keen interest in submitting
proposals.  Unfortunately, the demise of PE left a great deal of shipping
work to be picked up by other vendors.  Those we have talked to express
great regret in having to withdraw their proposals on short notice.
Vendors are scrambling to pick up work left by PE and indicate that they
cannot respond to an RFP until the industry has adjusted to these recent
changes in the market.

Over the next week Orbis will be drawing on a group of library
stakeholders in Oregon and Washington to review and "score" LME's
proposal.  The scoring process consists of applying a pre-established
numerical rating system to determine how well the proposal will meet the
needs and requirements established in our RFP.  This group will be looking
at factors such as price, transit time, service guarantees, vendor
experience, business references, supporting documentation, and overall
responsiveness to the RFP.

Depending on the outcome of this review, Orbis may take one of two courses

1) Elect to pursue LME's proposal and negotiate final contract terms.
   After negotiating contract terms Orbis would summarize the contract
   provisions, price, etc. and invite dropsites to participate in the
   Orbis-administered courier service.  As always, Orbis' contract goals
   would include sound service expectations and a competitive fixed price.
   Whichever course is taken, I wish to emphasize Orbis' commitment to

2) Determine that the proposal does not meet our needs.  Under this
   scenario Orbis might decide to revise our RFP and go out to bid once
   again.

Orbis and the stakeholder group will need some time to review LME's
proposal.  I would expect to be able to provide an update on our next
steps in late July.

Whichever course is taken, I wish to emphasize Orbis' commitment to
regional courier service.  We continue to believe that the best way to
manage this service is to select a capable vendor, negotiate a meaningful
contract, seek the broadest participation possible, and encourage
oversight by participating libraries.

As always, please feel free to write to me or post messages to the courier
list if you have any questions or comments.

Thank you for your patience and support.

======================================================================
 John F. Helmer
 Executive Director
 Orbis Library Consortium                jhelmer@darkwing.uoregon.edu
 1299 University of Oregon                      voice: (541) 346-1835
 Eugene, Oregon 97403-1299                        fax: (541) 346-1968

 http://orbis.uoregon.edu                    orbis@oregon.uoregon.edu
======================================================================