PRESOL | J | Library Artifact Conservation Project

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JULY 25, 2008 FBO #2433
SOLICITATION NOTICE

J -- Library Artifact Conservation Project

Notice Date: 7/23/2008
Notice Type: Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
NAICS: 541990 — All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Contracting Office: National Archives and Records Administration, NAA, Acquisition Center, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3340, College Park, Maryland, 20740-6001
ZIP Code: 20740-6001
Solicitation Number: NAMA-08-Q-0078
Archive Date: 8/30/2008
Point of Contact: Ann P Harrison,, Phone: (301) 837-0772, Darell Taylor,, Phone: 703-486-3266
E-Mail Address: ann.harrison@nara.gov, darell.taylor@nara.gov
Small Business Set-Aside: N/A
Description: DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION FOR ARTIFACT CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation Number is NAMA-08-Q-0078 and is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition circular 2005-26 effective date June 12, 2008. The resulting contract will be a hybrid contract with two time-and-materials (T&M) Contract Line Items (CLINs) having fixed unit pricing and one firm-fixed priced CLIN. CLIN 0001 (Phase 1 - T&M) will include a not-to-exceed (NTE) amount based on the contractor’s estimated hours multiplied by its proposed fully burdened fixed labor rate to provide services outlined in Phase 1. CLIN 0002 (Phase 2 – FFP) will be the firm fixed price the contractor quotes to provide the requested service outlined for Phase 2. Both CLINs 0001 and 0002 will have a period of performance of twelve months, which begins on September 1, 2008 and ends on August 31, 2009. CLINs 0003, 0004, 0005, 0006, 0007 (Phase 3 – T&M) will be optional CLINs, exercised at the discretion of the government, and include NTE amounts of $75,000.00 for services requested for Phase 3. The following is a list of performance periods for Phase 3 CLINs: 0003 (October 1, 2008 – September 30, 2009); 0004 (October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2010); 0005 (October 1, 2010 – September 30, 2011); 0006 (October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2012); and 0007 (October 1, 2012 – September 30, 2013). The anticipated award date of the resulting contract is August 25, 2008. The Government intends to make an award on the initial quotation without discussions for this procurement. This is a best value acquisition, in that the Government is more concerned with receiving superior services than in making award to the lowest priced offeror. As such, evaluation and award will be in accordance with the procedures of FAR Subpart 13.106 Soliciting Competition, Evaluation of Quotations or Offers, Award and Documentation as prescribed by FAR 12.301(c)(2). Accordingly, the technical evaluation factors are Technical Understanding and Approach and Relevant Past Performance. Award will be made to the contractor whose conforming quotation represents the best value to the Government. An assessment will be made of the Contractor’s technical understanding and overall approach to this project as it relates to the solicitation tasks, and the Contractor’s approach to management of logistics and quality control associated with coordination of these time sensitive efforts. The Government will also assess the suitability of the Contractor’s management and technical personnel who will work with the Government project manager. This may include such considerations as personnel qualifications, experience, and staffing including relevant education and training in professional conservation/preservation techniques and practices and specific experience in working with the types of materials, both in terms of age and medium, outlined in this solicitation. Furthermore, the Contractor will be evaluated to assess the demonstrated quality of performance on similar work, to include the ability to control the quality and cost of work, timeliness of performance, and effectiveness at accomplishing the goals of previous work. In order to evaluate the relevant past performance, the contractor must provide contact information for no more than five references that will be able to verify this particular competency. All qualified responsible business sources may submit a quotation, which will be considered by NARA. For a formatted copy of the Statement of Work as well as the Pricing Table necessary for proper response, contact Mr. Darell Taylor. DESCRIPTION: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) operates the Presidential Libraries documenting the Administrations of Presidents Hoover through Clinton. These unique institutions serve not only as archives containing millions of pages of primary documents, but also as history museums with repositories of major object collections. This contract is for the preservation of holdings at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library located at 4079 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY. The objects to be addressed through this contract include textiles, paintings, and prints. The Library maintains more specific information about its holdings in its collections management database. The textiles, paintings, and prints include not only gifts of state received by the President in the course of his official duties, but also gifts from the American people and personal and family items that provide insight into the President’s life and career. Library collections consist of a wide variety of objects including: ceramics, crafts, decorative objects, framed prints, photographs, images, furniture, glass, jewelry, metals, paintings, personal items, posters and other flat paper-based materials, pottery, sculpture, textiles, wooden objects and composite objects. NARA requires contract support in three phases of work: (1) Phase 1: The Contractor must undertake a general assessment of three classes of objects: (a) 180 oil paintings of various sizes with varying degrees of accessibility (i.e. frames, under glass, unframed); (b) 9,000 prints, water colors, and works on paper. Of these, the majority are loose prints with approximately 710 framed and albums. Between one and two thousand of works on paper are magazine and newspaper clippings of limited value; and (c) 700 textile pieces including approximately 50 articles of clothing, 150 handkerchiefs and ties, 30 folk art flags, 20 ceremonial flags, 200 other flags, and a mix of needlework, quilts, banners, and upholstered items. The contractors must conduct the general assessment onsite and produce a written report identifying the basic conservation and preservation needs of these broad classes of object(s) stored or exhibited at the Library. The results of this general assessment will provide guidance in setting priorities for preventative conservation and developing a long-range preservation plan. It is not anticipated that the conservator(s) will review each item, but rather review the general condition and current storage methods to provide general recommendations for the development and execution of a preventative preservation plan for these collections. During the on-site assessment, the conservator(s) must provide general training to the museum Registrar and other museum staff on handling and must provide detailed instruction and demonstration on housing techniques recommended for the objects. The painting conservator must provide training on preventative maintenance procedures appropriate for easel paintings including but not limited to: appropriate tension of canvas; keying out stretcher bars; framing paintings; backing paintings; and hanging paintings. The textile conservator must provide training on how to choose appropriate storage techniques for textiles (hanging, boxed, rolled, flat) and on how to implement these housing techniques including how to fold and pad garments and flat textiles when they are housed in a box; how to display textiles; and options for appropriate display forms. The paper conservator(s) must provide training and information on appropriate storage and framing techniques. Upon completion of the on-site review and training, the contractor’s assessor must meet with designated Library staff to discuss the findings. The close-out meeting must cover substantially the same subjects and recommendations the contractor’s assessor anticipates including in a written report. At this time, the contractor’s assessor will gather any data or information not already obtained that will be required for production of the general assessment report. No later than 30 days after completing each on-site assessment, the contractor must submit the written report in draft form in MS Word format to the COR. The report must include the following elements: identification of person(s) who conducted the assessment; date of the assessment; identification of Library staff who were involved in the assessment and how they were involved; and a brief summary of the entrance and exit interviews; a general description of the condition of the collections, preservation concerns of note to these specific collections; recommendations for storage techniques and; discussion of other preventative conservation practices or procedures that the assessors recommends for the collection. Prioritization of recommendations must be included in the report. The report must be thorough to support development and implementation of a long-range preservation plan for the collections. Photographic images are required as necessary to illustrate findings and/or recommendations. The contractor must provide the COR five copies of the draft report. No later than three weeks following the receipt of the draft report, the COR will submit NARA’s recommended changes or edits to the report. No later than three weeks following the receipt of NARA comments, the contractor must provide the COR five copies of the final report in MS Word format. (2) Phase 2: The contractor must undertake an item by item survey with complete treatment proposals for objects requiring more detailed examination and professional treatment: (a) 100 oil paintings; (b) 20 framed and 50 unframed prints and watercolors; and (c) 350 textile pieces. The Contractor shall conduct an on-site, detailed object(s) survey and produce written examination reports and treatment proposals identifying the conservation and preservation needs of individual object(s) or groups of like objects stored or exhibited at the Library. The Library will pre-select the specific objects that will be surveyed. The conservator must conduct a hands-on survey of identified object(s) by examining each object individually, or, as appropriate, by examining representative samples of large groups of essentially identical objects. The following factors must be considered in determining the condition of an object and its conservation treatment needs: the nature of the environment in which the object is stored or exhibited including temperature, relative humidity, dust, natural and artificial light sources, pests, and other agents of deterioration; storage methods, mounts, and techniques including appropriateness, quality, and efficiency of use; evidence of recent damage or deterioration, damage to objects during their use for interpretation and study; deterioration due to inherent vice or natural ageing; any other general or specific issues concerning the object’s preservation, conservation, and/or treatment needs. The written treatment proposals must include the maximum number of hours required for the proposed treatment and other costs for materials required for a professional conservator to carry out each recommended treatment. When appropriate, the contractor must note economies of cost or other benefits that might be realized by simultaneously treating similar objects, or objects with similar treatment needs. The treatment proposal must include a description of the schedule, sequence, procedures, and methodology that will be used in conducting the treatment. The proposal must also include a prioritization of the urgency of the treatment recommended for the object. Any materials recommended for treatment must be those commonly used by conservators and selected for reversibility, stability, and ease of use. Materials must be described generically, though brand names also may be given for reference purposes. The format used for the examination and treatment proposal must be approved by the COR in advance of the item level survey. The treatment proposal format must include fields for condition and preservation needs and established terminology used by NARA must be followed when completing these fields. The treatment proposals must be summarized in an MS Access database supplied by NARA. Information to be summarized includes condition and treatment needs and cost estimates for each item. This database must use key elements from the Library’s collections management software, iO, so that information in the database may be imported into the Library’s collections management software. Upon completion of the item by item condition and proposed treatment surveys, the contractor must meet with designated Library staff to discuss the findings. The close-out meeting must cover substantially the same subjects and recommendations the surveyor anticipates including in the treatment proposals. At this time, the contractor will gather any data or information not already obtained that will be required for production of the written treatment proposals. No later than 30 days after completing the on-site assessment, the contractor must submit a the written examination and proposed treatment reports in draft form in MS Word and the draft MS Access database to the COR. The contractor must provide five copies of the draft treatment proposals. No later than three weeks following the receipt of the draft proposals, the COR will submit NARA’s recommended changes or edits to the proposals. No later than three weeks following the receipt of NARA comments, the contractor must provide five copies of the final treatment proposals in MS Word and the final MS Access database. (3) Phase 3: Conservation treatment based on Phase 2 treatment proposals. The contractor must provide the treatment as outlined in the approved proposal for objects. Prior to approval of any treatment, the contractor must provide a total cost (including transportation, supplies, and personnel), location of work, transportation routes, proposed schedule, and any additional information deemed appropriate for the government to judge the merits of the plan. The contractor must furnish all materials, equipment and supplies as needed to treat the objects. The treatment must be carried out by a conservator or a conservation technician with appropriate training and experience. The COR must be kept informed of any new information discovered through the examination and treatment process. The COR must be contacted and must pre-approve any substantial change in the course of treatment. The contractor must manage all technical and administrative tasks required for the planning, initiation, execution, and completion or termination of object conservation treatment projects and furnish all materials, equipment and supplies as needed to treat the objects. (a) The contractor must either perform in-house conservation treatment on the selected objects, or off-site at a professional conservation laboratory as appropriate and approved by the COR. NARA reserves the right to inspect and evaluate the prospective off-site treatment facility in order to ensure compliance with all applicable contract security requirements. (b) Security requirements include a full coverage security system monitored by an off-site private company or the local police. NARA artifacts must be located inside a locked room or suite of rooms and must be located in a locked cabinet or otherwise secured when not being worked on. Access and keys must be controlled. The facility must be monitored by a fire detection system that is monitored by a private company or the local fire department. The facility should be covered with a fire suppression system. The facility must have a current emergency preparedness and recovery plan. The contractor must show proof of full insurance coverage for fire, theft, flood and other hazards. (c) The environmental conditions in the laboratory facility used for conservation treatment must be approved by NARA. The facility must have air conditioning and the HVAC systems must be run 24x7 without setbacks. Any sunlight must be filtered to exclude UV, and objects must be protected from light when not being worked on. (d) The contractor must maintain regular contact with the COR, either by teleconference, on-site or off-site meetings, and email throughout the course of the treatment project for each object, in order to collaboratively manage the treatment process and to report on the progress of the conservation treatment project. The contractor must contact the COR upon receipt of the object to be treated at the beginning of the treatment work, and upon the completion of the treatment work. The COR must be contacted immediately if NARA objects are threatened or damaged by an emergency situation, theft or any disaster. The contractor must provide a report for each object that includes the reasons for treatment, the treatment procedures and methodology, and materials used in the treatment. The contractor must provide five copies of the draft report to the COR. The draft report must be provided before the object is returned to the Library. No later than there weeks following the receipt of the draft report, the COR will submit NARA’s recommended changes or edits to the report. No later than three weeks following the receipt of NARA comments, the contractor must provide five copies of the final report in MS Word. Digital images must also be recorded for supplementary documentation of the condition and treatment of each object. A copy of each image file, in uncompressed TIFF or JPEG format, must be provided to the COR upon completion of conservation treatment. A photographic scale and the object identification number must be included in the image frame. PERSONNEL: The success of any contract is contingent upon the quality and performance of personnel. Conservation assessment and treatment require personnel with the technical expertise and experience to address the variety of holdings of the Presidential Libraries. (1) All contractors conducting work on this contract must be a citizen of the United States or a Resident Alien who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence as evidenced by an Alien Registration Receipt Card. Appropriate proof of citizenship or authorized resident alien status must be provided to the CO and the COR prior to the start of work by any contractor personnel, including new and replacement personnel. (2) All key employees must fluently speak, read, and write the English language. (3) The contractor must in all cases represent that it is an independent contractor and that its employees are neither agents, representatives and/or employees of NARA. (4) Due to the unique nature of each collection the contractor must ensure that all personnel, both contractor and subcontractor, performing services comply with NARA requirements regarding employment suitability and access to government premises if access is for more than 15 consecutive days in non-public areas of the facility. Subcontractor and contractor personnel performing short term services who do not have NARA clearances must be escorted by NARA staff at all times. The COR may request the contractor to immediately remove any personnel from the work site should it be determined that individuals performing services are disqualified for either suitability or security reasons, or who are found to be unfit to perform their duties. (5) Key Personnel. The Government has designated certain contractor personnel performing services for the Presidential Libraries as key personnel positions. NARA reserves the right to reject any proposed key personnel. (a) Project Manager. The contractor must provide a project manager as the primary contract coordinator. The project manager must be of sufficient seniority to represent the contractor, address performance issues and address contract administration as necessary. NARA prefers a project manager with conservation assessment or collections management experience. (b) Conservator. The contractor must provide a conservator(s) to undertake assessments and treatments. The conservator must be trained and skilled in the theoretical and practical aspects of preventive conservation and conservation treatment. Most conservators specialize in the treatment of specific groups of objects (for example, archeological objects, books, ethnographic objects, natural science specimens, fine and decorative art objects, photographic materials, paintings, paper, sculpture, textiles, or wooden artifacts). The contractor must provide conservators who possess the appropriate experience and training for the types of objects assessed and treated. NARA recognizes that conservators may specialize in more than one type of material. (c) Key personnel also include any other contractor or subcontractor assisting with the conducting of condition assessments on artifacts and treatment of artifacts. GENERAL: (1) The contractor agrees that all treatment documentation relating to any NARA artifact remains the property of NARA and cannot be used by the contractor for any purpose without prior written authorization from NARA. This includes all written estimates, reports and supporting documentation such as photographs and any technical evaluations. (2) The contractor must uphold the American Institute for Conservation Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. AIC Professional Associate or Fellow membership is preferred. (3) NARA recognizes that subcontractors may be used to undertake conservation assessments and treatment. All subcontractors must meet the same requirements outlined for contractors in this requirement. The contractor must not allow any subcontractor to work with NARA holdings without first receiving COR approval. (4) Additionally, NARA requires information regarding the facility to which any objects may be transported, the means of transport, and the security of holdings off-site. A detailed facility report may be required. Failure to fully comply with the stated requirement may be cause for rejection of the quotation. The following clauses and provisions are incorporated and are to remain in full force in any resultant purchase order: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (Jun 2008); FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items (Jun 2008) - vendors shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the vendor has completed the annual representations and certificates electronically at http://orca.bpn.gov. If an vendor has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at the ORCA website, the vendor shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (m) of this provision--a copy of the provisions can be found at http://www.arnet.gov/far/; FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Terms (Feb 2007) applies to the firm-fixed price CLIN 0002; FAR 52.212-4 Alt I, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Terms (Feb 2007) applies to T&M CLINs 0001, 0003, 0004, 0005, 0006, and 0007; FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items (Jun 2008). Paragraph (b) of this clause incorporates by reference the following FAR clauses: 52.222-3 Convict Labor (Jun 03), 52.222-19 Child Labor Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Feb 08), 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 99), 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (Mar 07), 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 98), and 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer Central Contractor Registration (Oct 03). The following FAR clauses also apply to this procurement: FAR 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (Jul 1990); FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999); FAR 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000); 52.232-18 Availability of Funds (Apr 84). The following NARA Terms and Conditions apply to this procurement: (1) Key Personnel. (a) The Contractor agrees to assign to the contract those key persons who are identified in the requirement as key personnel to fill the requirements of the contract. Resumes must be submitted for all key personnel. No substitution or addition of personnel will be made except in accordance with this clause. (b) The Contractor agrees that during the first 12 months of the contract period, no personnel substitutions will be permitted, unless such substitutions are necessitated by an individual’s sudden illness, death, or termination of employment. In any of these events, the Contractor must promptly notify the Contracting Officer/COR and provide the information required by paragraph (d) below. (c) If key personnel, for whatever reason, become unavailable for work under this contract for a continuous period exceeding thirty (30) working days, or are expected to devote substantially less effort to the work than indicated in its Quotation, the Contractor must propose a substitution of such personnel, in accordance with paragraph (d) below. (d) All proposed key personnel substitutions must be submitted, in writing, to the Contracting Officer/COR at least fifteen (15) days prior to the proposed substitution. Each request must provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution, a complete resume for the proposed substitute and any other information required by the Contracting Officer to approve or disapprove the proposed substitution(s). Resumes for key personnel substitutions must be submitted in Contractor format. All proposed substitutes (no matter when they are proposed during the performance period) must have qualifications that are equal to or higher than the qualifications of the person being replaced. (e) In the event the Contractor designates additional key personnel as deemed appropriate for the requirement, the Contractor must submit to the Contracting Officer for approval the information required in paragraph (d) above. (f) The Contracting Officer will evaluate requests for substitution and addition of personnel and promptly notify the Contractor, in writing, whether a request is approved or disapproved. (g) If the Contracting Officer determines that suitable and timely replacement of key personnel who have been reassigned, terminated, or have otherwise become unavailable to perform under the contract is not reasonably forthcoming, or that a resultant reduction of productive effort would impair the successful completion of the contract, the contract may be terminated by the Contracting Officer for default or for the convenience of the Government, as appropriate. Alternatively, at the Contracting Officer’s discretion, if the Contracting Officer finds the Contractor to be at fault for the condition, the CO may equitably adjust (downward) the contract price to compensate the Government for any delay, loss or damage as a result of the Contractor’s action. Four copies of each quotation should be mailed to National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Attention: Darell Taylor, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3340, College Park, MD 20740-6001 or e-mailed to: darell.taylor@nara.gov. Quotations should be received by 12:00 PM EST on August 15, 2008. Questions regarding terms and conditions should be submitted in writing to the Mr. Taylor by 12:00 PM EST on August 11, 2008. Contractors submitting via e-mail are cautioned to allow one extra business day for delivery and confirm receipt of quotation as the e-mail will need to pass through IT security. Failure to meet the deadline for receipt may result in rejection of the quotation as untimely. Telephonic responses will not be processed.
Web Link: FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=3876afdaae279842c967b9d10583d909&tab=core&_cview=1)
Place of Performance: Address: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, 4079 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, New York, 12538-1999, United States; Zip Code: 12538-1999
Record: SN01620880-W 20080725/080723222322-3876afdaae279842c967b9d10583d909 (fbodaily.com)
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J -- Library Artifact Conservation Project