Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Procurement of Print Journals

Meeting of the Library Working Committee (formerly, Library Development Advisory Committee), INFLIBNET Center (Gitanjali Net), Central Library, 14 December 2019 at 3.00pm

Steps for Journal procurement:

a)     Soon after receiving Grant Allocation for procurement of Journals, hardcopy of renewal notification has been circulated to all the HOD along with uploading of notice in the Library website.

b)     After issuing proper notice, Departmental Purchase Committee (DPC) meeting has been organized (to finalize the procedure regarding the Journal procurement and tuning the list of Journals sent by the HOD with the available fund. If any HOD asked to drop one journal and include another one in that place, the request may be accommodated considering the price margin. But, inclusion one new print journal, is depend upon the availability of the fund and accessibility through ESS or any other consortium.

c)      Tender is to be invited for supply of journals (Indian & Foreign) as per recommendation of the DPC. For wide publicity the tender is to be uploaded in the VB website, Library website, newspaper (The Statesman) and individual posting to intending/known (those have participated in the tender process in earlier occasion) vendors.

d)     After receiving tenders, DPC meeting to open the tender and note the proceedings accordingly. Then the proceedings along with the following enclosure will be sent to the appropriate authority for necessary approval.

e)     The conversion rate for foreign currency will be dealt with current RBI rate on the date of the placing supply/work order.

f)       After receiving necessary approval work/supply order will be issued with a request to provide triplicate bills/invoices including bank details.

g)     Bills will be sent to the Accounts Office for releasing payment against necessary Bank Guarantee / Security Deposit as Cheque/DD.

h)    To complete the procurement process, invitation of tender may be avoided for every year. Considering the satisfactory services existing vendor may be requested to supply the journal(s) for another one/two year / years with same discount rates. But total amount will be calculated on the basis of titles for the New Year and price of the individual journals.

i)       It is needless to note, if the existing supplier is unwilling to supply with the same discount rate, then fresh tender will be called to proceed.

Encls:

           i.         Allocation of money as recommended by the Fund Allocation Committee including necessary Office order from Development Section.

        ii.         Renewal notification for Journal Requisition as sent to the HODs along with receive copy

      iii.         All notices for DPC meeting

       iv.         All Proceedings of the DPC meeting

         v.         Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) along with Terms & Conditions and Lists of Journals

       vi.         Copy of advertisement for NIT in The Statesman, URLs of VB Website and Library website.

    vii.         Copy of SOP for procurement of Journals as approved by the competent authority.

Terms and conditions of the Notice Inviting Tenders (as annexure – I) will be revised in passage of time:

Annexure - I

Terms & Conditions of Supply of Journals

1. The supplier shall be in existence for at least 5 years. (Registration certificate must be submitted as a proof).
2. The supplier must have minimum turnover of Rs. 02.00 crores or above for the financial year ending March. (A copy of the current Sales Tax and Income Tax Clearance certificates issued by the competent authorities and audited balance sheet and profit & loss account for past two years must be submitted as a proof).
3. Satisfactory supply status reports for the past three years from your prestigious customers like Central Universities, IITs, IIMs, ICMR, ICAR, NIT etc.  must be furnished.
4. The supplier must have permission from Reserve Bank of India to remit foreign exchange for the purpose of subscription of journals. (The copy of such permission should be attached).
5. Registration of the company/firm issued by the competent authority (self-attested copy to be enclosed)
6. Quotations in the prescribed format along with the supporting documents and payments are to be sent to: University Librarian, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal- 731235 so as to reach the office on or before of the time mention in the NIT. Super scribe in the envelop with “Expression of Interest for Supply of Journals.”
7. Serial order of journals as given in Annexure II is to be strictly followed.
8. The supplier will acquire journals by air mail and no additional cost will be charged for the same as well as for handling/service charges including packing and postage.
9. The exchange rate shall be the bank rate on the date of billing, notified by Reserve Bank of India. Proof for the exchange rate charge must be enclosed with the bill.
10. Special offers/ discount/ grand total discount for the journals are to be mentioned clearly in the proposal.
11. Late/ delayed quotations and conditional and e-mail quotations will not be accepted.
12. On receiving a firm order from Visva-Bharati, the supplier should process it immediately. Advance payment should be made by the supplier to the publisher on behalf of Visva-Bharati University (as subscriber) and invoice/ bill should be raised for payment along with a) remittance proof, b) publisher’s price proof c) copy of order placed to publishers and d) FDR to the tune of 10% of the order amount as Security Deposit.
1. NB:  The University requires the proof of payment, made for each journal from the actual publisher (i.e not by intermediary).
13. The University will make 100% payment on fulfilling clause No.12 in toto.
14. No supplementary bill will be entertained.
15. It would be obligatory on the supplier to arrange for online access to journals wherever it is complimentary to the print version. 
16. Every effort should be made to supply all the titles ordered in time. Missing issues should be made good by replacement/ pro - rata refund. In case of non-supply of all issues of a journal, the subscription amount paid towards the same should be refunded within three months after the end of the subscription period without fail with 10% interest. Refund of amount will not be an excuse for non-supply.
17. If the publication of the journal is behind schedule, the same will be informed accordingly along with the expected date of availability.
18. Journal issues should be supplied to the Library within three weeks after publications of the same.
19. The supplier’s representative shall visit to reconcile supply status by 20^th of each month. 
1. Follow-up measures for non-supply of journal issues are to be reviewed every quarterly between the Library and the vendor.
20. The University reserves the right to make any amendment in the above Terms and Conditions in the interest of the Library and the same will be binding on suppliers.
21. Successful bidder will have to sign an agreement on a stamp paper (Rs. 100/- purchased by the vendor) after receiving the work order and before starting the works.
22. If any dispute arises, the decision of the Authority will be final and binding on the vendor and will be subjected to the jurisdiction of Bolpur Court.
23. Earnest Money Deposit (EMD): The bidders shall enclose with the Tender an EMD amounting Rs. 20,000/- (Rupees twenty thousand) only in the form of Bank Draft / Pay Order drawn on any nationalized/scheduled bank in favour of the “Accounts Officer, Visva-Bharati”, payable at SBI, Santiniketan. EMD will bear no interest. EMD of bidders will be refunded within 40 (forty) days of the awarding of service contract.
24. Pricing and availability of Tender Form:  Form may be downloaded from the website of the Visva-Bharati University (http://visva-bharati.ac.in) and submitted with DD/pay order (for Rs 1000/- as  price for tender documents) drawn in favour of “Accounts Officer, Visva-Bharati” payable at SBI, Santiniketan or may be purchased from Central Library on all working days during 10.30 am to 1.30 pm) after depositing Rs 1000/- as price for tender documents at the Accounts Office, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan – 731235. The payment for tender document is not refundable.
25. The vendors/ subscription agencies are requested to quote the rate of only print journals but not the combine rate of print & online.
26.  University Librarian reserves the right to cancel the tendering if any situation arises.
27. The tender should be submitted in three sealed covers.

A.     The first sealed cover should be super scribed “Technical Bid” and should contain

                                i.            Agency profile including previous experience of work in the field of “Supply of Journal”. 

                             ii.            Satisfactory certificate from the clients on supply of journal in recent date

                           iii.            Acceptance of terms and conditions as mentioned in the tender.

                            iv.            Copy of the trade license, IT clearance, VAT, PAN, GSTN, last two years audited Accounts, etc.

                              v.            All other required documents.

B.     The second sealed envelope super scribed “Financial Bid” should contain only rates which are to be quoted as per the given proforma (annexure II) at the end.

C. The third envelop contains the above two envelopes (A & B) and super scribed by “Expression of Interest for Supply of Journals.” for Visva-Bharati Library Network.