APSU’s bookstore will look different next semester, as the university is currently undergoing a proposal process to receive a new contractor for the bookstore. The proposal on behalf of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR).
Bidders or proposers interested in the bookstore had to submit their proposals by Feb. 28 to APSU. The University completed proposal evaluations on Tuesday, March 14, and will issue their intent to award letter on April 4.
The University held a pre-proposal conference on Jan. 24, in MUC room 307, where the scope of services wanted was discussed.
APSU is looking to buy vendor services that will provide fair but competitive prices, and give contractor and subcontractor jobs to women, small businesses and minorities. Vendors are required to complete a minority/ethnicity form.
The bidder chosen will have to provide a performance bond with a sum of $1 million. The deadline to receive the bond is April 18, and if not received the contract can be terminated.
The new contract will last five years, from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2022. The contract can be renewed for an additional five years but can also be terminated if there are insufficient funds.
The new bookstore location is intended to provide more space and more services to students.
The future bookstore will be at the corner of College Street and Fourth Street. This location provides a highly visible storefront, more square footage, additional parking and a loading dock.
The new space will allow for additional services not currently offered at the current location, such as brand name food venues and coffee and print shops. The bookstore’s current contract with dining services will be amended to allow this.
The name of the bookstore will still be “The Austin Peay State University- Ann Ross Bookstore.”
Students said the new location should bring improvement to the bookstore.
“I like the book setup and how simple it is to find the books that I need,” Corie Moore, a sophomore nursing major said, “However, when it comes to ordering a book online it gets confusing and crazy. I have had the bookstore lose my online order and not receive some of the books that I ordered online.”
Cierra Pegram, a sophomore history major, agreed with Moore on the issues of online ordering.
“It takes forever for a book to come in and sometimes I don’t get notified when my books are here,” Pegram said.
For more information on the Ann Ross Bookstore visit, http://www.bkstr.com/annrossbookstore/home.
