B08_SOW_PRWI_CCS_9SEP24_0001.pdf

Updated as of 9/9/2024

I.

United States Department of the Interior

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Interior Region 1- National Capital Region Museum Resource Center

3300 Hubbard Road Landover Maryland, 20785

SCOPE OF WORK

Prince William Forest Park (PRWI) Collection Condition Survey

PR 40652831

I. BACKGROUND

Prince William Forest Park (PRWI) is a 13,000+ acre forested area in Prince William County, Virginia, administered by the National Park Service (NPS) as part of the Interior Region 1- Nation Capital Region (NCR). It was authorized by the U.S. Congress on November 14, 1936, as Chopawamsic Recreation Demonstration Area, and was later renamed PRWI on June 22, 1948.

As part of its mission, PRWI offers recreational opportunities rooted in its legacy as the model for the New Deal-era recreational demonstration area program, and preserves, protects, and interprets a diverse array of natural and cultural resources.

PRWI administers a museum collection comprised of cultural and natural history collections that support the park’s interpretation, scientific research, education, and resource management programs through exhibits, research, and interpretive programs. The park’s cultural collection includes subcollections for archeology, history, and archives. PRWI‘s natural history collection contains subcategories for biology that include flora, fungi, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, insects and arachnids, and other invertebrates; as well as representative subcollections for geological and paleontological disciplines.

Items from the PRWI museum collection are exhibited primarily at the park’s visitor center and stored in a storage facility onsite in Triangle, Virginia; however, most PRWI museum collections are stored at the NCR Museum Resource Center (MRCE) in Landover, Maryland.

Fundamental resources are those that the NPS has determined merits primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. NPS museum collections serve in this capacity to directly support the park mission; aid understanding among park visitors; advance knowledge in the humanities and sciences; provide baseline data for managers, scientists, and researchers; and preserve scientific and historical documentation of the park’s resources and purpose.

One planning and management tool that ensures these goals are achieved for a NPS museum collection is a Collection Condition Survey (CCS). Mandated by NPS policy for all museum collections, a CCS is a report identifying the current conservation and preservation needs of museum collections stored and/or exhibited at a park. CCSs focus on material stability to determine and record the condition of individual objects, or groups of like objects, in need of professional conservation treatment. Recommendations for preventive care, and improvements to museum storage and exhibit conditions, such as storage techniques, environmental conditions, and pest control are also included. Results are intended to guide NPS staff in setting priorities for object stabilization and/or treatment and making informed decisions to improve the management, protection, and preservation of NPS museum collections. In addition, CCSs provide informed suggestions for work plans; funding requests; equipment replacement or upgrades; and facility maintenance to align collections care with the standards set forth in the NPS Checklist for Preservation and Protection of Museum Collections.

II. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES REQUESTED

The Contractor, independently and not as an agent of the government, shall provide all travel, personnel, supplies, materials, and professional services required to produce a Collection Condition Survey (CCS) as a single, comprehensive report that incorporates all requirements and recommendations from the NPS Museum Handbook Part I, Chapter 3, Section D: Collection Condition Survey (2012) to include an assessment of no more than 400 items from the PRWI museum collections in accordance with the criteria and tasks identified under the Description of Services and Task and Deliverables sections of this Scope of Work (SOW).

Material types in the PRWI museum collections include (but are not limited to): metal, glass, and ceramic objects; electronics such as radio equipment; textiles, clothing, and uniforms; paper, stone, leather, and wood items; and natural specimens such as herbarium, entomology, taxidermy collections. The Contractor must demonstrate practical experience working with these material types in their proposal. Items from the PRWI museum collection are on display at the park’s main visitor center and are stored in a storage facility onsite at the park in Triangle, Virginia. Most PRWI museum collections are stored at the NCR Museum Resource Center (MRCE) in Landover, Maryland. The Contractor must plan to perform assessment services at each location as part of the proposal.

The CCS must focus on material stability of museum collection items to determine conservation treatment needs, inclusive of determining and recording the condition of individual objects, or groups of similar items, in need of professional conservation treatment. The survey must include recommendations for preventive care and improvements to storage and exhibit environments when needed, and it must provide sufficient information for budgeting, scheduling, and subsequent communications with conservators regarding treatment, so that the NPS can set priorities for object stabilization and/or treatment, and preservation management of the museum collections.

The Contractor must comply with the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) in all work performed.

At times the Contractor will be exposed to sensitive and proprietary information which must not be made available to others. Upon completion and acceptance of all work, the Contractor must return all government provided resources to the Contract Officer’s Representative (COR).

A. GENERAL CRITERIA

1.) Style, Usage, and Grammar

The Contractor must develop, edit, and format the CCS using the style, usage, and grammar as identified in the most recent edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, making sure to include the following requirements as part of the general criteria:

• Single, active voice.

• Simple and to the point sentence structure.

• Avoid multiple clauses or thoughts in the same sentence.

• Set margins as follows: top and bottom- 1 inch, right- 1 inch, left- 1 ½ inches.

• Align paragraphs to be left.

• Single space lines and use an extra line between paragraphs.

• Single spaces between words and after punctuation at end of a sentence.

• Standardize fonts and format throughout the document.

• Standardize grammar, spelling, and acronyms.

• Standardize forms, charts, and tables.

• Standardize table of contents, chapter/section headings, and appendices.

• Standardize all headers, footers, footnotes, page numbers, and image captions.

• Standardize binder covers and spine.

• Follow printing and binding requirements defined under each phase of the project.

2.) Structure and Content

The Contractor must develop, edit, and format the structure and content of the CCS making sure to include the following requirements as part of the general criteria:

• Cover Page o Full name of NPS unit(s).

o Full title of document.

o Cover art [furnished by the government].

o Full date [MM/DD/YYYY].

o Full name of Contractor.

o Contract number.

• Signature Page o Full name of NPS unit(s).

o Full title of document.

o Full title, name, and NPS unit designation of applicable NPS leadership associated with the museum collection(s) [furnished by the government].

o Signature line and designated date area for each of the aforementioned to endorse.

• Executive Summary o Brief overview of the project including purpose, funding mechanism, full name of

Contractor, and major findings and recommendations (not to exceed 3 pages).

• Table of Contents o Include each chapter/section title and appendix document with page numbers.

• Introduction o Include a narrative that generally describes the project such as full name of collection(s), the full name of Contractor, the methodology and procedures used in conducting the survey, the date range, and location(s) in which the project was implemented, and definitions of any technical terms used in the report.

• General Recommendations o Include a narrative that addresses the overall condition of the items surveyed, general recommendations of preventive care tasks, and a prioritized summary of significant conservation needs.

• Individual Object Assessments o Include a one (1) page condition survey form for each item included in the survey.

The form must include the following categories of information:

1) Catalog number.

2) Object name.

3) Material type(s).

4) Condition.

Identify one term from each group. Example: COM/EX

Group 1 COM Complete [100% of object present] INC Incomplete [>50% and <100% of object present] FRG Fragment [<50% of object present]

Group 2

EX Excellent [no damage or deterioration] GD Good [minor damage and no active deterioration] FR Fair [some damage and/or active deterioration] PR Poor [significant damage and/or active deterioration]

5) Description of storage/exhibit method, supplies/equipment, and environment.

6) Conservation treatment priority.

Identify one of the following categories for each object surveyed:

Priority 1 Requires urgent treatment by a professional conservator to prevent serious damage or loss, or requires immediate improvements in storage or exhibit conditions.

Priority 2 Requires major treatment by a professional conservator or the object is unstable and short-term deterioration can be expected if nothing is done.

Priority 3 Requires minor treatment by a professional conservator, or the object is somewhat unstable and long-term deterioration can be expected if nothing is done.

Priority 4 Requires treatment, but the park curatorial staff can perform it.

Priority 5 Currently stable, but requires preventive maintenance attention by the park curatorial staff in order to forestall the onset of deterioration.

Priority 6 Preventive maintenance is being done or is not needed, and the object is stable and requires only eventual improvements in storage or exhibition conditions.

Priority 7 Preventive maintenance is being done or is not needed. The object is stable and no additional actions are required to improve its storage or exhibition.

7) Treatment responsibility (park curatorial staff or conservator).

8) Estimated treatment time (when possible).

9) Estimated treatment costs (when possible).

10) Date of survey.

11) Name of surveyor.

12) Treatment recommendations.

Identify needed treatment(s) in terms of results, expectations, or anticipated benefits. Do not describe how to carry it out.

For objects identified as Priorities 1-4, express the degree of urgency in terms of how soon the work should be done and the anticipated consequences if the work is not carried out within the time period indicated.

Recommend materials for simple treatments generically. These must be selected for reversibility, stability, and ease of use.

• Summary Wording o Include a brief narrative summarizing the CCS that can be incorporated into a

Resources Management Plan (RMP) and/or Performance Management Information System (PMIS) statements. See NPS Museum Handbook, Part I, Chapter 3, Figure 3.3:

Sample PMIS Statement for Requesting Conservation Treatment Based on CCS.

• Appendix o Include a signed release form granting copyrights of all photographs and images developed in part of the CCS to the NPS. See NPS Museum Handbook, Part III, Chapter 3, Figure 3.4: Assignment of Copyright by Contractor.

o Include a full color image of each item included in the survey.

Each image should be printed on a separate full page labeled by the file name.

Organize pages with images sequentially by file name.

The Contractor must prepare an electronic version of the individual object information using Microsoft Excel format as listed above under Individual Object Assessments so park staff can transfer the data into the Conservation Module of the Museum Collection Management System (MCMS), the collections management system scheduled to replace the Interior Collection Management System (ICMS) in 2024/2025. Data should be organized by catalog number with subsequent columns for each data type. Guidance on data types and formatting can be found in the ICMS User Manual, Chapter 4, Section II: Conservation Associated Module and Chapter 8, Section: IV Import/Export Selected Fields.

The Contractor must produce digital image files in part of the CCS using the following criteria:

• Uncompressed, lossless .JPG format with a resolution of at least 600 dpi.

• Named using the following convention:

o NPS catalog number followed by “_CCSYEAR”. If there is more than one image per item, a two-character suffix is also required. In these cases “_XX” follows. An example of a third image associated with item, PRWI 01234, during a 2023 CCS:

PRWI 01234_CCS2023_03.jpg.

• Default Camera Data (Exif).

• Additional embedded metadata properties for each image file, under the IPTC Core &

Extensions schema, including the following properties:

o Title- “PRWI CCS YYYY”; example: PRWI CCS 2023 o Date Created- use the camera/scanner default or input manually o Copyright Status- “Public Domain” o Copyright Notice- “U.S. National Park Service” o Creator- “Contractor Name (Company)”; example: John Smith (Kodak) o Credit Line- “Photo by (Contractor Name)”; example: Photo by John Smith o Alt Text/ Description- “Condition of [NPS Object Name], PRWI #####, taken for PRWI Collection Condition Survey YYYY”; example: Condition of museum object CLOTHING, SHOE, PRWI 01234, taken for PRWI Collection Condition Survey 2023 o Keywords- “National Mall and Memorial Parks”; “PRWI”; “Museum Object”;

“Condition-YYYY” o Job ID- Purchase Order Number (this will be provided by the contracting office when the award is signed); example: 140P3019P0091 o Artwork or Object in the Image- Title- “NPS Object Name”; example: CLOTHING, SHOE Source Inventory Number- NPS catalog number in “PRWI #####” format

III. GOVERNMENT PROVIDED RESOURCES

The government will provide the following to the Contractor:

• Comprehensive list with object number, object name, and location of the items to be assessed as part of the CCS.

• Copies of core and/or baseline museum collection documentation for the NPS museum collection, inclusive of, but not limited to, the following (when available):

o Scope of Collection Statement (SOCS) o Museum Collection Management Plan (MCMP) o Collection Storage Plan (CSP) o Museum Housekeeping Plan (MHP) o Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan o Historic Furnishing Plan (HFP) o Environmental and pest monitoring records o Any previous surveys or reports that may assist in understanding the history, environment, or conditions of the collections.

• A sample CCS, upon request.

• PDFs of the ICMS User Manual, Chapter 4: Associated Modules, Section II: Conservation

Associated Module and Chapter 8: Moving and Sharing Data, Section: IV Import/Export Selected Fields, upon request.

• The NPS requires the use of specific graphics, images, and proprietary fonts, upon request. Graphics and images will be provided at a minimum of 300 dpi.

The government will provide the following to the Contractor onsite:

• A suitable workspace at each NPS facility with museum collections.

• Supervised access to collection storage rooms, vaults, cabinets, shelves, exhibits, and any other location with museum collections.

• Opening and closing of storage cabinets or other containers that may be locked.

• Assistance with moving heavy or unwieldy objects.

• Access to museum property accountability (catalog and accession) and conservation

(treatment and survey) records (when available).

• Information about existing environmental monitoring and control systems and the park's pest management program, preventive care of objects, current and planned uses of objects, and plans for future acquisition and disposition of objects.

• Other information required to complete the CCS, upon request.

Government provided resources which will be provided to the Contractor as part of the Phase II Development of First Draft Deliverables period include:

• Cover art.

• Full title, name, and NPS unit of applicable NPS leadership for signature page.

Government provided resources which will be provided to the Contractor as part of the Phase III Government Review period include:

• An endorsed and dated signature page.

IV. TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

A. PHASE I- ASSESSMENT

Phase I involves a project kickoff meeting and a site visit/ assessment period. Once complete, the Contractor may invoice for 25% of the total payment.

1.) Project Kickoff Meeting

The Contractor must conduct a project kickoff meeting with the project stakeholders lasting no more than 1 hour via conference call (or in person) to briefly describe the project methodology and to define the anticipated project timeline. This must be conducted at a mutually convenient time for all NPS stakeholders inclusive of the Park Superintendent (or their designee), the museum collection’s custodial officer, the Director of MRCE /Regional Curator (or their designee), the COR, and any other NPS staff as determined by the project’s stakeholders.

2.) Site Visit/ Assessment

Following the kickoff meeting, the Contractor must perform the following services onsite:

• Conduct a hands-on assessment of museum collection items by examining each object individually taking into account the factors which must be addressed in the CCS.

• Evaluate each the item’s condition and conservation treatment needs.

• Assess the environment in which the items are stored or exhibited including building structure, temperature, relative humidity, dust, natural and artificial light sources, pests, air pollution, and other agents of deterioration, as well as the local climate conditions.

• Evaluate storage methods, and exhibit mounts and techniques including appropriateness, quality, and efficiency of use.

• Document evidence of recent damage or deterioration, including failure of preservation treatments, damage to objects during their use for interpretation and study, effects of handling or vandalism, and deterioration due to adverse environmental factors.

• Document any other general or specific issues concerning the item’s preservation, conservation, and/or treatment needs.

B. PHASE II- FIRST DRAFT

1.) Development of First Draft Deliverables

Following the completion of Phase I, the Contractor must develop the first draft deliverables in line with the general criteria identified under the Description of Services Requested section within the period indicated in the project timeline. In addition, the following first draft criteria must be included in the first draft deliverables:

a.) First Draft Criteria

The first draft, electronic CCS deliverables must meet the following criteria:

• Delivered to the NPS via the DOI SharePoint site available at https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/nps-nca-external-mrce/SitePages/Home.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=md10Fj.

• Files must be labeled with the title of the report as the filename with date.

• Must include the full draft in both Microsoft Word and PDF formats with a representational sample of 100 object assessment forms (at minimum) and all appendices, spreadsheets, etc. indexed; appendix should include a representational sample of 100 images from objects surveyed.

• Each line of the first draft must be numbered on the left side of the page.

• Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with a representational sample of 100 items of data from the objects surveyed.

• Must include a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to document government requested action items and Contractor responses.

2.) Submission of First Draft Deliverables

The Contractor must submit the following for the first draft deliverables incorporating both the general criteria and first draft criteria identified for Phase II:

• 1- electronic copy of the draft CCS delivered via DOI SharePoint.

Following the submission of the first draft deliverables, the Contractor may invoice for 25% of the total payment.

C. PHASE III- GOVERNMENT REVIEW PERIOD

The COR will transmit the electronic deliverables to the applicable NPS staff who will participate in the government review of the deliverables within the period indicated in the project timeline. Upon completion, NPS staff will transmit a consolidated list of requested action items to the COR, who in turn, will transmit the requested action items to the Contractor.

D. PHASE IV- FINAL VERSION

1.) Development of Final Deliverables https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/nps-nca-external-mrce/SitePages/Home.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=md10Fj https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/nps-nca-external-mrce/SitePages/Home.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=md10Fj

Following the completion of Phase III, the Contractor must make any requested action item changes for the final version and must complete the final deliverables as needed. All final information and services (including print and digital products) must be accessible to persons with disabilities in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Guidance on creating 508 compliant materials is available through the GSA at: https://section508.gov/create.

In addition to the general criteria identified under the Description of Services Requested section, the following final version criteria must be included in the final deliverables:

a.) Final Version Criteria

The final version, printed CCS deliverables must include the following criteria:

• Printed using carbon-based, black laser printer ink on 8 1/2" x 11", neutral pH, high alpha cellulose, white paper.

• Copies must be double-sided, and comb bound.

• Must include the full final version with all appendices and spreadsheets indexed.

The final draft, electronic CCS deliverables must include the following criteria:

• Delivered to the NPS via the DOI SharePoint site available at https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/nps-nca-external-mrce/SitePages/Home.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=md10Fj.

• Files must be labeled with the title of the report as file name with date.

• Must include the full CCS in both Microsoft Word and PDF formats with all appendices and spreadsheets indexed.

• Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with complete data.

• Complete set of digital image files produced as part of the CCS. If more than one photograph was produced for an individual item, one photograph of each in the sequence is required.

2.) Submission of Final Deliverables

The Contractor must submit the following to the COR in final production formats for the final deliverables incorporating both the general criteria identified for Phase I and the final draft criteria identified for Phase II:

• 1- printed copy of the final CCS mailed directly to park contact.

• 1- printed copy of the final CCS mailed directly to the COR.

• 1- electronic copy of the final CCS delivered via DOI SharePoint.

3.) Project Closeout Meeting

Following the submission of the final deliverables, the Contractor must lead a closeout meeting with the project stakeholders lasting no more than 1 hour via conference call (or in person) to briefly discuss the major findings and recommendations. This must be conducted at a mutually convenient time for all NPS stakeholders inclusive of the Park Superintendent (or their designee), the museum collection’s custodial officer, the Director of MRCE/Regional Curator https://section508.gov/create https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/nps-nca-external-mrce/SitePages/Home.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=md10Fj https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/nps-nca-external-mrce/SitePages/Home.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=md10Fj

(or their designee), the COR, and any other NPS staff as determined by the project’s stakeholders.

Following the project closeout meeting, the Contractor may invoice for 50% of the total payment.

V. TIMELINE

Following the award of the contract, all work, including review and approval, shall be completed on or before September 30, 2025. Due dates otherwise for services, deliverables, and review periods will be confirmed by mutual agreement between the affected park staff, the awarded Contractor, and the COR following the contract award. A preliminary timeline follows:

Phase I Kickoff meeting TBD Phase II Onsite assessment TBD Phase III Development/submission of first draft deliverables following onsite 90 days Phase IV Government review and feedback 30 days Phase V Development/submission of final deliverables; closeout meeting 30 days

VI. INVOICING

The Contractor first must submit each invoice via email to the COR for review. After the invoice has been vetted by the COR, federal contracts require the Contractor to use the System for Awards Management (SAM) at: www.sam.gov and the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) at:

www.ipp.gov to submit the invoice. The invoice must be included in the IPP as an attachment.

Following the submission in the IPP, the Contractor should notify the COR via email.

Invoices must include the following information:

1. Company name and address

2. Invoice Date

3. Invoice Number

4. Contract Number or other authorization such as contract modification for services performed

5. Description of item in strict accordance with the contract line-item structure of the contract.

VII. PAYMENT

Per final negotiated agreement with the awarded Contractor, performance-based payments are permitted for work completed. Prospective Contractors shall request performance-based payment in their proposal for consideration. Such requests shall be structured to incorporate the specified phases including all tasks and work deliverables as described.

VIII. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

Contract Officer’s Representative (COR):

Ashley Carter Museum Curator National Park Service Interior Region 1 - National Capital Region http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.ipp.gov/

Museum Resource Center 3300 Hubbard Road Landover, MD 20785 ashley_carter@nps.gov 301-832-3968

Park Contact:

Anne Marie McKinney Cultural Resources Specialist National Park Service Prince William Forest Park 18100 Park Headquarters Road Triangle, VA 22172 anne_mckinney@nps.gov 571-361-6616 mailto:ashley_carter@nps.gov mailto:anne_mckinney@nps.gov

2.) Submission of First Draft Deliverables