Subscription services

Tender description

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (“SCTS”) currently spends circa 2 100 000 GBP per annum on physical loose-leaf and journal subscriptions. This service is currently centrally managed by in-house staff based at The Supreme Courts Library, Parliament House, Edinburgh. SCTS invites Expressions of Interest (“EOI”) from suitably qualified and experienced suppliers to provide it with a library subscriptions management agent service to proactively administer and manage its current library publication and journal subscriptions portfolio. Subject to market feedback arising from the publication of this Notice, the anticipated range of Services to be delivered by the Library Subscription Management Agent shall include, inter alia: (i) scoping current requirements — working collaboratively with the supreme courts library service and individual Sheriff Courts to collate and centrally record current purchasing patterns and future requirements; (ii) supplier relationship management — to establish, maintain and proactively develop relationships with SCTS's supplier base for legal publications and journal subscriptions. This will include recommending new or alternative suppliers where it is economically advantageous to SCTS; (iii) management information — collation and submission of management information in relation to publication and journal purchasing - the format and frequency of such MI reporting yet to be determined; (iv) requisitioning and receipting of orders — to be responsible for the requisitioning and goods receipting of purchases within the bounds of SCTS' prompt payment of suppliers performance standard; and (v) efficiencies and cost reduction — the agent will be responsible for advising SCTS on how it can leverage its collective purchasing power to the fullest capacity in order to secure volume discounts and price reductions from publishers and journal providers. The financial savings and cost efficiencies realised will be gain shared between SCTS and the successful Supplier — See (vi) below for additional information in this regard; (vi) gain share mechanism — The SCTS is proposing that the Library Subscription Management Agent will be revenue neutral in terms of impact upon its own budgetary resource, with remuneration for the successful Supplier's service provision being realised via a gain-share mechanism between the successful Supplier and the SCTS financed from the realisation of volume discounts and price reductions achieved by the appointed Library Subscriptions Management Agent. The percentage share element, after the deduction of all costs, has yet to be determined.