Each year the District sponsors the Literacy Compass Conference in partnership with the Hillsborough County Council of the International Reading Association (HCCIRA). The conference features a keynote address each day by a well-known author/illustrator, concurrent reading/writing workshops, and a teacher bookstore. On February 21, 2007, the Purchasing Department on behalf of the Curriculum and Instruction Division issued a RFP for a Bookstore Partner, based upon the specifications provided by the Elementary Language Arts Department. The purpose of this RFP is to establish a qualified firm capable of staffing the bookstore during the conference. Proposals were due on March 14, 2007. The District utilizes an online vendor registration system to notify potential bidders of opportunities. Through this system, one firm responded (Attachment A). Although many major bookstores were notified, this year as in previous years Barnes & Noble was the only firm to respond. The evaluation process included a committee of district-level personnel (Attachment B). Prior to Phase I, Purchasing staff contacted references to assist the committee in determining if the firm would advance. The committee evaluated the proposals during Phase I on March 15, 2007, based on the RFP criteria (Attachment C). The committee reviewed key points as a group and individually rated the firm for final compilation and ranking (Attachment D). The initial term of the contract shall be for a one year period with an effective date of April 11, 2007. The firm will provide 15% of bookstore sales, less any discounts and sales tax, back to the HCCIRA.