Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Secondary Department: County Library
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Edward Melton
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Renewal
Project ID (if applicable): 210438
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): BiblioCommons Corp.
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): 0%
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): 0%
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: 0% - Non-Divisible
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of a renewal option with BiblioCommons Corp. for integrated website, discovery, content management, and library catalog solution for the Public Library for the period of May 10, 2026 - May 9, 2027, at a cost of $370,011 (210438), Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: 0% - Non-Divisible.
end
Background and Discussion:
Harris County Public Library uses BiblioCommons as a core part of its digital patron experience. The BiblioCommons platform includes BiblioCore, which serves as the discovery layer for catalog searching and browsing; BiblioWeb, which supports the library’s public-facing website; BiblioCloudRecords, which integrates digital content records such as OverDrive into the catalog; BiblioFines; and multilingual support for Spanish and Vietnamese. BiblioCommons describes BiblioCore as a discovery layer that improves search relevance and patron discovery, BiblioWeb as an integrated website builder for libraries, and BiblioCloudRecords as a service that automatically retrieves vendor holdings and creates cloud-based records for e-content discovery and borrowing.
Expected Impact:
Approval of this renewal will allow the Library to continue providing a modern and integrated online experience for patrons, including catalog discovery, account access, website content, and digital collection visibility. Continued access to these services supports patron self-service, improves discoverability of physical and digital materials, and helps ensure residents can access library resources online in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Alternative Options:
If this renewal is not approved, the Library would lose or significantly disrupt critical public-facing online services that patrons use to search the catalog, access digital content, interact with the Library’s website, and manage certain account-related functions. That would reduce access to library materials and services, create operational disruption, and negatively affect the patron experience for county residents who rely on the Library’s digital platforms.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 3. Make our economy more inclusive.
County Strategic Plan Objective: Choose an item.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
05/10/2022 |
215 |
Award |
|
01/31/2023 |
528 |
1st Renewal |
|
02/27/2024 |
289 |
2nd Renewal |
|
05/08/2025 |
303 |
3rd Renewal |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Choose an item.
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
Integrated Website, Discovery, Content Management, and Library Catalog Solution for the Harris County Public Library |
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
1000 - General Fund |
$ |
$ 370,011 |
$ 370,011 |
$ 370,011 |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$ 370,011 |
$ 370,011 |
$ 370,011 |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$370,011 |
$ 370,011 |
$370,011 |
|
Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
|
Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
|
CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
|
CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 5/14/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Ty Beauchamp (Harris County Public Library); Jose Camacho (Contract Manager - Purchasing)
Attachments (if applicable): Letter