Request for Proposals

Questions & Answers Regarding the Space Needs Assessment RFP

Verona is a fast-growing community with a considerable technology emphasis.  Is the primary intent of the space needs study to right-size the building based on the service population and services?  The request for proposals includes future-focused recommendations and technology trends; is it a priority to incorporate new trends and technology in your future vision?  Are you interested in a national expert for technology trends?
The primary intent of this study is to inform our discussion on right-sizing the Verona Public Library, taking into account the expected growth of the community. We are looking for recommendations specifically around space needs. New trends and technologies are of interest if they would impact future space planning. We are not interested in a national expert on technology trends at this stage.  

Is the full 2025 Strategic Plan available to share?
Yes, the 2025 Strategic Plan is available at www.veronapubliclibrary.org/strategic-plan

Does the library have to ability to expand into the adjacent County Park?  Is an updated property survey/site plan available to review? 
The focus of this project is on current and future library space needs of the Verona community.  Specific location planning is outside of scope of this assessment. 
The library parcel can be viewed at https://accessdane.danecounty.gov/Parcel/Index/060815196112

What are the expectations for the questionnaires and surveys for information gathering from library staff and patrons?
The library can provide results of previous public and staff surveys and questionnaires. 
Time is allotted for engagement sessions with library staff, library board members, and Friends of the Library members. Proposals can outline recommendations for further surveys, but our intent would be observation and assessment of the library space as currently utilized and evaluating issues or needs based on those observations.  

Your schedule indicates a 2 ½ month timeline from project start to draft report which is a pretty aggressive timeline. How firm is your end date? Is there something driving that date? 
Our overall project schedule is firm as it is tied to budget planning for future fiscal years. Our intent is to take into account suggestions and recommendations from the space needs assessment for budget planning purposes.

In your proposal, there are maximum meeting estimations. Do those estimates include engagement sessions with Staff, Board, and Friends to discuss library needs/wants or are they intended to be updates or progress meetings? There is only one meeting listed for other stakeholders. Are you not intending to have any community engagement (other than Staff, Board, and Friends) prior to the development of the plan? 
The proposed sessions listed in the RFP are intended to be engagement sessions with the participant groups, not updates or progress meetings. If your proposal would recommend community engagement to confirm specific space allocation opportunities, we are open to those suggestions, but it is not required. We intend the final assessment report to be presented to the community with a question & answer period as outlined in the RFP.

Are you able to share a budget for this project?
The 2025 library budget has allowance for a maximum of $40,000 including contingencies.  

Is your library a department of the City? Do your service population boundaries align with the school district, or something else? (This may be tricky to define)
The library is a city department that receives funding from both the City of Verona and Dane County. This RFP is being initiated by the Board of Trustees of the Verona Public Library. 

Our service population boundary is the City of Verona and it does not align with the Verona Area School District. Our extended service population total does include a percentage of the non-resident population of the county. Because of our proximity to Madison and our reciprocal borrowing agreements with the other libraries in the South Central Library System, we have many library users who reside in surrounding communities.