Response to Vendor Questions.pdf

15JPSS24Q00000036 DOJ Museum Interpretive Master Plan

Response to Vendor Questions

No. Bidder’s Question DOJ Answer

1 What is the anticipated award date? The award is anticipated in late April.

2 Has DOJ/JMD been collaborating with a potential contractor in the lead-up to this project or to establish the parameters of the

RFP?

No.

3 Has DOJ/JMD determined a location for this museum? Will it be within the existing building or will it be built?

Yes, it is being built on the first floor of the Robert F. Kennedy Justice Building, 950

Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, DC.

4 If the space is existing, can DOJ/JMD share photos?

We are unable to share photos

5 What is the square footage of the museum and exhibit space?

Over 1,000 square feet but less than 1,900 square feet

6 What is the anticipated project budget?

We will not be sharing that information at this time.

7 The period of performance is 180 days which can be quick when coordinating workshops, research, etc., is there any room to extend the time frame?

180 days is the current goal however we may consider longer timelines.

8 Can the government provide guidance on what level of design is expected? Is this primarily a written document or are you looking for design elements such as: bubble diagrams? Square footage guesstimates?

Sketches/renderings of exhibits?

It is primarily a written document with an expectation of design elements in the plan, such as bubble diagrams to show the museum themes and layout/flow of the DOJ

Museum core exhibits and space to assist in envisioning and implementation of the plan.

15JPSS24Q00000036 DOJ Museum Interpretive Master Plan

9 Is there a floorplan for the proposed exhibit room? Any existing exhibits?

The DOJ Museum space is currently being constructed and there is not a finalized floorplan layout of the exhibit room at this time. There are no existing exhibits. This is a new DOJ Museum so the Interpretive Master Plan will be relied upon to develop the new space and exhibits.

10 Is there a list of artifacts or other potential exhibit materials (photos, etc) that are available, etc.

There is no list or potential exhibit materials at the current time.

11 Are you looking for more of a General

Interpretive Plan Outline for Visitor Center

Exhibit Planning or a general project interpretive plan?

This is a standard interpretive master plan for a museum.

12 How would you like the pricing to be reflected in the proposal?

A pricing proposal that outlines the total fixed cost. This will include all costs but travel costs.

13 By what date will the DOJ History Program be “fully staffed and operational”? Does this timeline have any bearing on our response to this RFP?

The timeline for increasing the DOJ History Program staffing does not bear on this RFP response.

14 Is there an anticipated budget range for this interpretive master planning phase?

We will not be sharing this information.

15 How many in-person meetings are required in Washington, DC during the 6-month interpretive planning phase? Will you permit most meetings to be conducted virtually?

There are no required number of in-person meetings and are negotiable. One or more rounds of in-person meetings of DOJ senior leadership should at least be conducted.

Other meetings involving DOJ employees may be able to be conducted virtually. This would have to be considered in light of senior leadership expectations.

16 With what audiences do you expect the contractor to conduct “demographic and audience research”? What form will this take? In person group discussions? On-line survey? Other? Please indicate your expectations for the duration, breadth, The current plan is to make the DOJ Museum open to DOJ employees and escorted visitors, such as those that are provided a building tour. There is no expectation of conducting extensive surveys, such as demographic surveys, involving employees or members of the public. To date, members of the public would not be able to enter unsponsored and unescorted by a DOJ employee.

15JPSS24Q00000036 DOJ Museum Interpretive Master Plan number of sessions, etc. for this demographic research.

17 When do you expect to begin work on this contract?

The schedule is stated in section 4 of the Statement of Work. We expect to have a kickoff as soon as possible, no longer than one week from the date of award.

18 Please provide a sample payment schedule, type of contract that will be utilized for the project, and draft contract language that will be used to contract this project for contractor review.

This will be a firm fixed price contract and payments will be conducted with normal

DOJ percentages, with a monthly invoice and monthly payment.

19 What do you all mean by ‘the payment schedule will be consistent with all DOJ regulations and schedules…..”?

There will be monthly payments as discussed above.

20 Combined IMP and Exhibit Plan – Typically, an Interpretive Master Plan (IMP) is completed first and then an Exhibits Plan

(EP) is completed with the level of detail to use for a Design/Build/Install RFP/Q. Does this project expect to have BOTH an IMP and an Exhibits Plan as one deliverable?

The expectation is to complete an IMP first to determine the mission and theme(s) of the DOJ Museum with proposed layouts and core exhibit area plans. After completion of the IMP, another separate RFP will be issued for a detailed Exhibit Plan for the new

DOJ Museum to include design/build/install in order to fully stand-up the new museum.

21 Level of detail for EP – What is the level of detail needed for the Exhibit Plan component of this project? Is the expectation that the

Exhibit Plan component would be ready for release to be fabricated (i.e. specific locations

/ measurements / content)?

Same as above. This would be a separate RFP after the IMP is completed.

22 Visitor Studies – With this new museum being planned , I am assuming there is no existing visitor data/information. I know that the process of surveying people in a project with the federal government can be

The current plan is to make the DOJ Museum open to DOJ employees and escorted visitors, such as those that are provided a building tour. There is no expectation of conducting extensive surveys, such as demographic surveys, involving employees or members of the public. To date, members of the public would not be able to enter unsponsored and unescorted by a DOJ employee.

15JPSS24Q00000036 DOJ Museum Interpretive Master Plan cumbersome. Will standard information on visitation to Washington D.C. (possibly from existing museums and attractions on the

National Mall meet the needs of this project?

23 Is anything in particular you would like to see in the submission on this Solicitation.

And what would be the best way you are looking for this submission?

All details related to that are located in the RFQ and the evaluation factors.

24 Item 2.9 Visitor Experience in the Statement of Work requires the development of an

“integrated visitor experience model.” Please clarify what the DOJ/JMD team is anticipating as the deliverable for this. Does it include a narrative and bullet-pointed outline of the visitor experiences? Or are you also expecting bubble diagrams and/or sketches?

It is primarily a written document with an expectation of an integrated visitor experience model: design elements in the plan, such as bubble diagrams and proposed floor layout diagram(s), to show the most efficient use of the museum’s floor and exhibit space and the relationship of the museum theme(s) with the exhibits’ location and the visitor’s experience as they walk through the DOJ Museum.

25 Please clarify what the Section 508 compliance requirements are for the IMP deliverables. If we’re providing PDF documents of the final deliverables, are they required to be submitted in other formats (i.e.

audio) in order to meet compliance requirements?

PDF documents are acceptable as long as they are not scanned and customer can convert into accessible software readable Section 508 documents. There is no expectation of audio or other accessible formats.

26 Are there any formatting requirements or restrictions for Volume I - Technical

Submission? Is it acceptable to include items such as a cover, letter of interest, Factor dividers, etc?

That is acceptable as long as it is in accordance with the RFQ. Please remember all submissions will be digital.

27 What is the format requirement for Volume II

- Price Submission? This volume isn’t

There are no format requirements for the pricing submission. Please see question 12 for further details.

15JPSS24Q00000036 DOJ Museum Interpretive Master Plan described on pages 5-7 within the Factor descriptions/contents.

28 Should we submit Volume I and Volume II as separate PDF documents?

Yes, they should be two separate documents.

29 For Factor 1 (page 5), are we correct to assume that the total maximum pages is six

(one page for Summary and one page each for up to five project examples)?

Yes, that is correct.

30 Does the inclusion of the project owner’s name and contact info in Factor 1 fulfill the requirements of Factor 3?

As the solicitation states in Factor 4 “Submit client references (name, number, and email) for those projects listed in Factor 1.”

31 Should we assume that Factor 3, Past

Performance, does not need to be a separate section in Volume I because it’s covered in

Factor 1?

No, you should not assume that. See the answer above.

32 When you anticipate posting an addendum with responses to all questions?

Yes, a response to all questions is in this document.

33 Does this project involve the creation of any design documents?

It is primarily a written document with an expectation of an integrated visitor experience model: design elements in the plan, such as bubble diagrams and proposed floor layout diagram(s), to show the most efficient use of the museum’s floor and exhibit space and the relationship of the museum theme(s) with the exhibits’ location and the visitor’s experience as they walk through the DOJ Museum.

34 The RFQ makes reference to expenses.

Should these be quoted separately, or stated as inclusive in the overall cost?

No, these should not be quoted separately and should be stated in the overall cost.

Except for travel costs, those should be separate.

35 What relevant projects to the Department

Museum have you seen that have informed or inspired this project thus far in a positive way?

The Department has hired the first overall historian for the Department. The new

Department historian and librarian are creating a new DOJ history program as a result to officially collect, record, and publish the 235-year history of the Office of the

Attorney General and the 154-year history of the Department of Justice.

15JPSS24Q00000036 DOJ Museum Interpretive Master Plan

36 The RFQ states that you will determine the number of Government staff who will participate. Would you be able to give an upper and lower bound for that quantity?

Without some sense of range, we would have to assume it could be a very large number of people we would need to engage, perhaps in large town-hall type formats, versus a series of discreet group meetings.

A series of discreet group meetings is the goal, including meetings with senior leaders and employees.

37 The RFQ states that a team with diversity would be favored. Can you specify what type of diversity you mean, or which are critical here? There are many.

As stated on page 6 of the solicitation, under factor two:

“including experience with working with institutions that interpret the history of underrepresented voices. (Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, women, people with disabilities, etc.)”

38 The RFQ states that the contractor is

“responsible for all outside research” for the project. Can you describe or quantify what type of research you are anticipating in this category? Elsewhere the RFQ makes clear that DOJ are the subject matter experts.

The contractor is the SME on museum layout, collections, and exhibit designs: the best ways to use available museum space to display and relate the mission, theme(s), and history of the Department of Justice to visitors.

39 The RFQ states that the contractor will conduct “demographic and audience research”. Can you describe or quantify what type of research you are anticipating in this category? There is a great deal of research that can always be done in that field; we are trying to get a sense of what you need, and how much, for pricing purposes.

The current plan is to make the DOJ Museum open to DOJ employees and escorted visitors, such as those that are provided a building tour. There is no expectation of conducting extensive surveys, such as demographic surveys, involving employees or members of the public. To date, members of the public would not be able to enter unsponsored and unescorted by a DOJ employee. The expectation for the IMP is that guidance be given on how best to convey the mission, theme(s), collections, and exhibits primarily to DOJ employees. The contractor will be relied upon to help determine if any studies of the primary audience are needed and the best way to conduct.

40 The RFQ states that a team will be considered more technically qualified if they have “experience and understanding of the

We will not be discussing other vendors. However, no other vendors have been part of this project or any associated projects.

15JPSS24Q00000036 DOJ Museum Interpretive Master Plan

DOJ and its mission.” Are there existing providers qualified to respond to this RFQ that you are aware of, who would have this desirable characteristic? If so, have you worked with those providers before?

41 Would the selected IMP prime or consultants be precluded from the design work?

No.