Internet site as consortial vendor?

My university is a member of several consortia, one of which is a group
of 6 local academic institutions.  Currently the member libraries have
an arrangement with a traditional book vendor to provide materials at a
blanket discount.  Each library has pledged an amount, which, when
combined with the others, constitutes a sizeable total on which the
discount is based.  We retain our individual shipping addresses, and we
have access to a monthly report on the status of our individual and
overall spending.  

With the growing use of institutional purchasing cards and internet
bookstores, we've gotten spoiled: now we want everything fast and
cheap.  Traditional book vendors cannot compete with Amazon's speedy
turnaround.  ... which leads us to wonder whether any library or
consortium has tried to contract with an internet vendor, such as
barnesandnoble.com, to provide materials?  When we wrote our RFP over a
year ago, we sent a copy to Amazon and got no response (I had not really
expected one).  

I am not suggesting that we would abandon the traditional book vendor,
but wonder if there are economies of scale to be realized here for the
purchasing of titles needed faster than a traditional book vendor can
provide them?  Could an internet book vendor behave like a traditional
one in providing the services we have come to expect (blanket discount,
free shipping, etc.)?  Would they be equipped to provide a reporting
mechanism so we can check our spending levels?  

I have my doubts about this, because I suspect that (a) such vendors
find the credit card/transaction mode of selling to be effective, (b)
they are not geared toward providing customized products, and (c)
libraries should just accept the notion that there are trade-offs with
both kinds of vendors the internet bookstore with its speedy fulfillment
but no value-added service v. the traditional book vendor with its
value-added service but not necessarily speedy fulfillment).

If any library or consortium has tried to contract with an internet
vendor, I'd like to hear about it.  Please respond to me privately.  If
there is any interest, I will summarize the responses for AcqNet. 
Thanks!

-- 
Helen P. Mack, Acquisitions Librarian
Lehigh University Information Resources  
Linderman Library, 30 Library Drive
Bethlehem, PA 18015-3067  USA

Phone 610 758-3035 * Fax 610 758-5605
E-mail hpm0_at_lehigh.edu