A04_Statement_of_Work.pdf

The Tok Main Street Interagency Visitor Center Caribou Family Sculptures

Statement of Work

The Background: The Tok Main Street Interagency Visitor Center at 1314 Alaska Highway, Tok, Alaska 99780. The visitor center is in east central Alaska along the Alaska/Canada Highway.

It is approximately 315 miles from Anchorage or 195 miles from Fairbanks by road. The Visitor Center is along the historic Alaska-Canada (ALCAN) Highway. The Visitor Center is a partnership between the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Tok Chamber of Commerce.

As part of the Visitor Center’s Visitor Interpretive Exhibit Plan, completed in 2022, an exterior exhibit features bronze sculptures of a caribou family (bull, cow, and yearling caribou). The sculptures are planned for the Visitor Center lawn and will serve as a visual attraction for travelers entering Alaska on the ALCAN Highway. This unique sculpture for Alaska will create an unforgettable, interpretive, and welcoming experience and memory for all who travel the ALCAN and explore the public lands and communities of Alaska’s eastern interior. It will also offer numerous photo and interpretive opportunities that can be shared across social media networks around the world. Last but not least, the bronze sculptures will add a distinguished artistic touch that enhances and amplifies the recent improvements to the Tok Main Street Interagency Visitor Center.

Visitation: At the completion of the exhibit project, visitation along the ALCAN Highway, where these outdoor caribou sculptures will be placed, is expected to reach 250,000 visitors annually.

The highest visitation occurs from June through August. The visitor center is open from mid- May through mid-September and closed for the remainder of the year. Visitors consist of Alaska Highway travelers, which are made up of retirees from the lower 48 and youthful adventurers, European and Canadian travelers, and individuals and families moving to Alaska for work or military assignment. For most visitors to the center, this is their first time to Alaska, and they are eager to learn about the wildlife and recreational opportunities on public lands in the region. Also, they are interested in trip planning and fulfilling their needs like finding a campground. The outdoor caribou exhibit sculptures will greatly increase the interest in Alaska’s wildlife, hunting opportunities, and access to Alaska’s public lands.

Scope of Work:

• The sculptures must be designed to capture the essence of Alaska’s eastern interior caribou herds. The sculptures should depict a caribou family—an adult female “cow,” a yearling, and an adult male “bull”—posed in a still-life arrangement.

• The female, cow caribou shall be in the lead. Her eyes and ears will be focused forward in an ever-alert pose. The cow will have small antlers, indicative of the species.

• The yearling caribou will be trailing close behind its mother, the cow. It will be noticeably smaller than both the cow and the bull.

• Bringing up the rear of the group is the male bull caribou. It will have a large, impressive set of antlers that are indicative of Alaska’s eastern interior caribou bulls. The bull will be sculpted in a loping gait, which they use to cross the tundra during their migration.

• See the attached photo of a caribou family for position and pose reference.

• The caribou will be life-like and realistic sculptures approximately 1 1/8 to 1 ¼ times actual size.

They will be anatomically correct for the caribou native to Alaska’s eastern interior.

• The three caribou are to be patinated to give them natural color contrast, luster, and sheen.

• The three caribou will be designed and sculpted to be securely fastened to concrete pads and/or piers. The sculptor will provide design and construction drawings showing how the brackets will be attached. These should be submitted well before installation so the concrete pad or pier can be built and properly cured beforehand. This will ensure a smooth, efficient, and long-lasting installation.

• Representatives from the Visitor Center Interagency group will be consulted as subject matter experts during the design and sculpture phases to ensure accuracy.

• The contract sculptor will create sketches and maquettes of the caribou family that will be reviewed and approved by the USFWS’s COR, their group of subject matter experts. The approved maquettes will then be used to scale up the design for the large caribou family.

• There will be a minimum of one site visit to the sculptor’s studio to inspect and approve the clay caribou sculptures prior to the bronzes being cast and produced.

• The sculptor shall package and crate all three bronzes to ensure they are protected from damage during transit and installation at the project site..

• The Service will be responsible for transporting the bronze sculptures from the contractor sculptor’s shop to the Visitor Center in Tok, Alaska.

• The contract sculptor will be responsible for coordinating the logistics of the bronze caribou installation with the USFWS’s Contract Officer Representative (COR) in Alaska.

• The contract sculptor will give the USFWS COR a list of areas to be closed for installation, the equipment used to hoist the caribou into position, and the utility needs..

• The USFWS will be responsible for coordinating the materials and equipment required for installation.

• The contract sculptor will install the caribou sculptures at the Tok Main Street Interagency Visitor Center site and handle any touchups or assembly.

• The USFWS will review the final installation for approval.

Deliverables

• Approved sketches and maquettes.

• Design and construction drawings for mounting brackets.

• Three bronze sculptures (bull, cow, yearling) meeting specifications.

• Completed installation at Visitor Center site.

Inspection and Acceptance

• Design Phase: COR will review and approve sketches and maquettes by June 15, 2026.

• Pre-Installation: COR will review and approve design and construction drawings for mounting brackets by September 1, 2026.

• Fabrication Phase: COR will inspect and approve three bronze sculptures (bull, cow, yearling) for compliance with specifications by April 15, 2027.

• Final Acceptance: COR will inspect completed installation at the Visitor Center site for compliance with approved design, structural integrity, and finish quality. Written acceptance will be provided upon satisfactory completion by June 1, 2027.

Period of Performance

The period of performance for this requirement is Award Date through June 1, 2027.

Place of Performance

• Fabrication: Contractor’s studio or designated facility.

• Installation: Tok Main Street Interagency Visitor Center, 1314 Alaska Highway, Tok, Alaska

99780.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Contractor: Responsible for design, fabrication, packaging, coordination, and installation of sculptures.

• USFWS: Responsible for transportation of sculptures, providing installation materials/equipment, and final acceptance.