Alliance E-Resources Program: Price Quote Information

Benefits of Obtaining Price Quotes Through Our Program

The Electronic Resources Program (ERP) serves libraries by obtaining the best possible terms (including pricing) for electronic resources. There are myriad advantages why libraries should might join one of our agreements, which are detailed below…

Discounted Resources

Content providers often offer discounts on resources acquired through consortia like ours. Because we represent numerous Member and ERP Affiliate institutions, the Alliance is able negotiate on behalf of a large group of potential participants.

Supported Workflow

All Alliance ERP orders and subscriptions are managed through ConsortiaManager (CM), a state-of-the-art ERM purpose-built for consortia like ours. With subscription terms, e-resource descriptions, current and historical (to 2020) pricing, links to license documentation, and push-button reporting features, CM makes maintaining your Alliance subscriptions easy!

Neutrality

Since the Alliance is a non-profit that represents libraries’ interests, we provide an objective evaluation of products and prices to best fit the needs of a particular institution and subscriber group, without the pressure of up-selling a more expensive alternative. We are not a vendor, so we will not try to convince libraries to purchase, renew, cancel, or choose a particular resource.

Negotiation and Advocacy

We strive to negotiate the best terms possible on behalf of Alliance subscribers, including the lowest price and lowest annual increase that a content provider can offer. Our program has long-standing relationships with publishers and e-resource vendors that allow us to advocate for our subscribers’ best interests.

Analysis and Transparency

The Alliance manages over 130 agreements, which includes thousands of individual subscriptions. We track resource orders in order to make informed decisions about renewal prices. We are able to calculate savings per resource per library, and make savings and subscription lists available to libraries for their own use.

Mid-Year Additions

We are happy to provide libraries with the opportunity to purchase resources midway through a subscription cycle (when supported by the respective content provider), and negotiate for a prorated price based on analysis of the order history. (NB: Proration is at the discretion of our content partners; terms may vary.)

Central Billing

When convenient, we manage resource invoicing centrally, so that libraries don’t have to hassle with vendor business departments, taxes, and loss of access. The Alliance Finance Manager offers the option of a deposit account so that libraries don’t have to worry about getting late fees.

Trials and Technical Assistance

We are often able to assist subscribers with access to trials for resources and coordinating requests to vendors, and get trial access extended while orders are finalized. In case access is interrupted or libraries have difficulty with their account setup, we can direct them to the appropriate vendor customer service representative or salesperson.

Please note that the Alliance does not provide technical support for resource trials or other platform access.

How to Obtain an Alliance Consortial Price Quote

Alliance Members and enrolled ERP Affiliates may request price quotes for existing and new electronic resource subscriptions or one-time purchases under an Alliance agreement. Member staff are welcome to discuss e-resources and agreement terms directly with vendors. However, requests for Alliance consortia pricing must be requested by central ERP staff.

While it is possible to submit a quote through ConsortiaManager, these requests are just passed through the system to our eresources mailbox. However, these requests often don’t include complete information, so it is better to email eresources@orbiscascade.org directly.

To obtain a quote, the following criteria should be satisfied:

  • The person requesting a quote should be their institution’s designated ERP contact.
  • Order and renewal correspondence should be sent to: eresources@orbiscascade.org
  • Orders based on Alliance quotes need to be communicated directly with ERP staff via the eresources mailbox.
  • Pricing must be confirmed before any order request is processed.
  • Requested quotes should include enough information for staff to get an accurate response from the content provider. In the case of new resources, please provide:
    • Complete resource name.
    • Link to the resource description on the web.
    • Content provider.
    • Quotes will be obtained in a timely manner. Note that response times vary for each resource and content provider.

We look forward to fulfilling requests of both Alliance Members and ERP Affiliates, and invite subscribers–and potential subscribers–to contact us at any time with questions about our policies and procedures. We are here to help you!

Please reach out to us at: eresources@orbiscascade.org

Updated October 12, 2024.