1. Making the Most of Your Publisher Search Process: A Publisher Perspective
April 18, 2019 Chris Reid
Executive Publisher Oxford University Press

2. Outline In this presentation, we will review:
How publishers determine whether to bid or not
Steps involved when a publisher receives an RFP
Timings for bids
Conflict of Interest Statement:
I’m an employee of Oxford University Press, and my presentation is based on our experience with the RFP process.

3. External RFP Received: Review Decision
RFP Received and Assessed
Assessment Criteria
Quality
Can we add value?
Detail of RFP
Compliance/ Due Diligence

4. External RFP Received: Quality
Metrics
Reputation
Delegates
Potential
Metrics: Citations, Altmetrics, Usage
Reputation: Society/ Journal
Potential: field, business model, space in the market,
Delegates

5. External RFP Received: Publisher Added Value
Can we add value?
Editorial Strategy
Sales and Reach
Marketing
Production
Digital
Finances
Managing complexity

6. External RFP Received: RFP Detail
How detailed is the RFP?
Are the following included:
Full financial information
What is the driver behind the RFP?
Is all relevant information included?
Are all society “must haves” included?
Avoiding the “unknown unknowns”
Particularly those with financial implications

7. External RFP Received: Compliance/ Due Diligence
Ethical considerations
Reputational considerations
Initial due diligence

8. Senior Executive Review Publisher Review Proposal Team Meeting
Publisher Bid Process
Senior Executive Review
Publisher Review
Proposal Team Meeting
Questions
Proposal sections
Financial Review and Approval

9. External RFP Timings Headline: The more time the better! January 2021
Start Date
RFP and Proposal Review:
4-6 months
Finalist Selection & Approval:
2-3 months
Contract Negotiations: 2-3 months
Publisher Transition: 6 months minimum
RFP and Proposal Review:
Ideally receive RFP by summer 2019
Finalist Selection & Approval:
Finished by end of February 2020
Contract Negotiations: Need to be concluded by end of May (latest)
Publisher Transition: June to December 2020
Mention collection deadlines
Caveats: Journals with publisher vs self published
Needs as much time for transition as possible

10. Internal RFP Timings Same as external but:
RFP and Proposal Review:
4-6 months
Finalist Selection & Approval:
2-3 months
Contract Negotiations: 2-3 months
Publisher Transition: 6 months minimum
Same as external but:
Be clear with your publisher about plans
Check your contract
Try to avoid surprises/ be transparent
No surprises
Transfer Code of Practice:

11. Take Away: Publisher’s Perspective
Open, responsive, communication
Be clear in your expectations and priorities
More detail is better
Have a realistic timeline
Use an attorney experienced in publishing
I’ll be at the CSE Meeting in Columbus, from 5th – 7th and happy to discuss anything addressed here further.