Site Visit Verbiage.pdf

Welcome to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Tour and Visitor Center at the Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

I am Ellen Villeneuve and this is Nerys Molina. We are with the External Affairs Division, which is responsible for the operation of the Tour and Visitor Center.

Also here today is Terry Lawrence, the contracting officer for the TVC contract.

Please note, we will not be answering any questions during this site visit. All questions should be emailed to Terry.

The Western Currency Facility is one of only two places in the world that produce U.S.

paper currency. The other facility is in Washington, D.C.

More than half the nation’s paper currency is produced at the Fort Worth facility, and each note produced here has a small FW printed on the face (front).

Visitor center overview

The visitor center opened to the public in April 2004.

We average 60,000 visitors per year with March through August the busiest months.

The visitor center is open from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Tuesday to Friday. It is closed for federal holidays and the days between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The visitor center covers over 11,000 square feet and includes a theater, a Tour Walkway over the currency production floor and a gift shop.

There are two floors of exhibits and displays

• The first-floor exhibits feature the history of currency.

• The second-floor exhibits show the production process.

Information Desk

The tour begins here at the Information Desk where visitors are greeted and given a quick briefing about the visitor center.

Info Desk personnel also answer phones, provide information on tour times and upcoming events (both at the BEP and in the local community). Phones are monitored at all times during the hours the visitor center is open to the public.

Tour scheduling may also be conducted at this location.

The contractor is responsible for scheduling all BEP tours including Congressional, VIP, school and civic groups, sign language and others.

During operating hours, the contractor shall safely and efficiently manage crowd control logistics and monitor any time constraints regarding movement of visitors throughout the TVC.

The contractor shall also be responsible for ensuring all visitors are properly and safely relocated to designated areas in the event of an emergency.

The contractor will also operate the government-provided public address system and distribute tour stickers.

During operating hours, the contractor shall provide its employees with government-approved uniforms that will be worn by all personnel. Uniforms will include a prominently displayed company name and logo (if applicable).

The information desk serves as the major hub where visitors can go to educate themselves on the many activities offered in the TVC.

Please follow me to the spider press – discuss demonstrations offered – and then go upstairs.

Theater

The theater shows a 15-minute film about the currency printing process that might not be visible from the tour walkway and conveys the sense of scale of the endeavor.

The contractor is responsible for ensuring the movie is running properly and on schedule and performs equipment malfunction repairs.

If repairs cannot be made by the contractor, contractor staff are to report malfunctions to the COR.

Tour Wands at Titanic

Public tours are self-guided and are available in both English and Spanish with the option of using either a pre-recorded hand-held tour wand or government-furnished written tour spiel handouts for the hearing impaired.

Contractor staff distribute tour wands and/or written tour spiel handouts and maps to visitors, providing clear instructions to the visitors on how to operate tour equipment, explaining written tour spiels and maps, and communicating BEP-provided safety and security instructions prior to visitors entering the tour walkway.

Tour Walkway

The visitors can take as much time as needed to complete the walkway tour.

Contractor staff shall conduct periodic walkthroughs on the tour walkway to monitor the quality of the visitor experience and be available to answer questions.

Gift shop

The BEP sells currency and US Mint items directly to the public. Annual retail sales at the TVC average around $400,000 per year.

The contractor manages the full scope of the retail sales operations, including maintaining adequate inventory stock levels, receipt of products, product pricing and display, product setup and maintenance, public point-of-sales, inventories and deposits.

The BEP’s dual-control policy requires a minimum of two people in the retail sales shop at all times for security accountability purposes to conduct sales operations and access the vault areas.

Novelty items in the gift shop are sold by BEP Employee Recreation Association employees. The ERA employees are not authorized to sell currency and are not considered a second person for the dual-control policy. Also, contractor personnel cannot sell novelty items.

Snack area

The contractor manages, maintains and monitors the snack and rest area.

Contractor responsibilities include reporting vending machine issues, informing visitors that food and drink shall not leave the snack, and rest area and performing minor cleanup efforts.

Special events

In support of the BEP’s public education initiatives, the WCF may occasionally host special events before, during and after regular TVC hours.

The contractor may be asked to assist during these events by staffing informational booths, providing tours, selling currency and US Mint items, making announcements, and providing shuttle service.

The contractor is responsible for assembling informational packets and bags for distribution during the special events.

All materials are provided to the contractor by the government. The contractor is responsible for ensuring appropriate inventory levels are maintained.

At least a two-week notice will be provided to the contractor for special events.

Transfer Station

The Transfer Station is 2,290 square feet.

The visitor experience begins at the Transfer Station, which is a necessary and important security point for everyone visiting the Tour and Visitor Center.

The contractor is responsible for taking visitor to the Tour and Visitor Center and returning them to the Transfer Station.

The transportation route is approximately one-fourth of a mile, round trip.