A04 Statement of Work for solicitation.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument

Oral History of Events Commemorated in National Monument

SCOPE

In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract, the Contractor shall perform the work of this purchase order for the National Park Service (NPS) as described below.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The information developed under this purchase order is the property of the U.S. government and shall be kept in strict confidence.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The work shall begin following the issuance of the purchase order, proceed in accordance with the schedule for submittals, and be completed no later than 24 months after award.

INTRODUCTION

Background of BICR

In 1963, images of snarling police dogs unleashed against non-violent protesters and of children being sprayed with high-pressure hoses appeared in print and television news around the world. These dramatic scenes of violent police aggression against civil rights protesters from Birmingham, Alabama were vivid examples of segregation and racial injustice in America. The episode sickened many, including President John F. Kennedy, and elevated civil rights from a Southern issue to a pressing national issue.

The confrontation between protesters and police was a product of the direct action campaign known as Project C. Project C—for confrontation—challenged unfair laws that were designed to limit freedoms of African Americans and ensure racial inequality.

Leaders from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) along with Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) took up residence at the A.G. Gaston Motel in April through May of 1963 to direct Project C. From the motel, which served as their headquarters and also as an area to stage events and hold press conferences, the movement’s leaders strategized and made critical decisions that shaped national events and significantly advanced the cause of the civil rights movement. In addition to the daily work of the campaign that occurred at the motel, several key events of the campaign publicly unfolded at the property.

Public outrage over the events in Birmingham produced political pressure that helped to ensure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The struggle for equality is illustrated by places like the A.G. Gaston Motel, located throughout Birmingham, where civil rights activists organized, protested, and clashed with segregationists. Also visible throughout the city are African American institutions and businesses that knit together Birmingham’s black community and laid a critical foundation for the fight for civil and political rights.

This scope of services directs the Contractor to conduct an inventory of available oral history interviews relevant to the events being commemorated in BICR and the AG Gaston Motel in existing local archives, determine what stories still need to be collected and collect oral history interviews to fill existing gaps and enhance existing resources for interpretation. This project will include a total of 10-20 video recorded interviews. These histories will be invaluable to BICR staff as they strive to better understand the history of the events in Birmingham and to build interpretive programs. Particularly needed (and underrepresented in partner collections) are oral histories associated with the A.G. Gaston Motel, such as the stories from Gaston family and friends and employees of the motel.

All interviews will be conducted based on the principles and best practices established by the Oral History Association. All recordings will meet archival standards (minimum 24 bit / 96 kHz / Stereo / .WAV for audio and 50 mbps / Stereo / H .264 / .mp4 for video). The final product provided to the park will include the inventories of the existing oral histories and their respective archival locations, as well as the oral histories collected as a part of the project and interview materials and all documentation necessary to understand and use these materials. These additional materials will include but will not be limited to, signed NPS release forms in hardcopy and two external hard drives (formatted for Mac and Windows) containing all archival quality recordings and access copies, full transcriptions, any structured datasets (e.g., spreadsheets) created through the course of the project, and a summary report of findings. All materials and documentation and associated metadata should adhere to the Oral History Association, Archiving Oral History: Manual of Best Practices.

The Contractor shall provide all materials, supplies, labor, supervision, coordination, and management necessary to complete the required work as specified in this scope of services.

POINTS OF CONTACT:

Contractual: Contracting Officer (CO): Celinda Hicks, celinda_hicks@nps.gov (404-507- 5625)

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and Project Manager:

TBD at Award

Park Point of Contact: TBD

SPECIFIC TASKS

mailto:celinda_hicks@nps.gov

1) Orientation Meeting (location and method TBD)

Meet with the appropriate NPS staff to discuss research goals, schedule, project deliverables, interview topics, and locations and community outreach.

2) Conduct Preliminary Research and Identify Participants

Conduct sufficient preliminary research on the history of the events to develop a preliminary list of possible interviews. This includes identifying pertinent archives and archival deposits to be utilized, and cataloguing what oral history interviews their collections currently hold to determine which interviews to prioritize.

3) Prepare Interview Guides and Schedule Interviews

Create and provide draft interview guides to NPS staff for review and comment. Contact potential interviewees from the list provided to explain the project purpose and schedule interviews with those who consent to participate. Provide list of scheduled interviews to NPS staff for review and comment.

4) Conduct Interviews, Collect Metadata, Complete Transcriptions, and Prepare Progress Report

Conduct 10-20 archival quality audio/video recorded interviews, compile metadata, and complete transcriptions in accordance with the Oral History Association guidelines and standards. The Contractor must obtain signed NPS release forms during each interview session.

Transcriptions shall be provided to interviewees for their review and approval. The Contractor is responsible for regular communication with the COR and park point of contact regarding the confirmation and scheduling of oral history interviews. There will be no compensation (monetary or otherwise) paid to interviewees in exchange for participation in this project.

Prepare a progress report that summarizes project activities up to the drafting of the summary report and includes a draft outline of the summary report. The summary report outline should indicate how the interviews address the principal research topic and any additional research topics (see Section 5 for research topics and additional topics). Provide the progress report and summary report outline to NPS staff for review and comment.

5) Prepare Summary Report First Draft

Prepare a first draft summary report that includes inventory of existing oral histories in archival sources and interview metadata as well as outlines the history of the events being commemorated by BICR. Particular note should be made of gaps in existing archives and how the newly collected interviews are addressing said gaps. Additional topics to explore include individual roles, common themes that emerge across interviews, recommendations for future research, and ethnographic resources of value to the community. Ethnographic resources are objects, places, structures, landscapes and natural resources with traditional cultural meaning and value to associated groups. Submit the draft summary report and associated data to NPS for comment and review. Develop and distribute a comment matrix to collect and track comments from NPS staff who will respond no later than 45 days after receipt of the draft.

6) Submit Edited Draft Which Responds to NPS Comments

Submit the second draft summary report and associated data to NPS review that responds to NPS comments. Include a comment matrix to collect and track any additional comments from NPS staff. NPS may return the draft to the Contractor to revise and resubmit before review of the draft continues if more than 15 grammatical, typographical, or factual errors are identified in the draft.

Provide a comment matrix that indicates how each previous NPS comment is addressed in the final draft. NPS may request a revised final draft if comments are not sufficiently addressed, or if grammatical, typographical, or factual errors are identified.

7) Submit Recordings, Transcriptions, Forms, and Final Summary Report

Inventory of existing oral history interviews in archival sources should be submitted electronically as a separate report to the COR and a copy included as a file with the interview materials below.

The final raw recording files, transcriptions, release forms, and summary report of findings shall be submitted on two external hard drives, one to the park and one to the regional office. The Contractor will submit any structured data sets created to analyze the materials and all metadata formatted to adhere to the Archiving Oral History: Manual of Best Practices.

PROJECT SCHEDULE AND SUBMISSION OF DELIVERABLES

All work specified shall be completed in accordance with the following schedule. All work will be completed no later than two years from the kick-off meeting. The NPS shall provide consolidated comments within 45 days of receipt of any submissions.

PRODUCT DUE

Orientation Meeting To be determined Archival Inventory and list of Participants 5 months from kick-off meeting Create Interview Guide and Schedule Interviews 8 months from kick-off meeting Progress Report 14 months from kick-off meeting First Draft Summary Report 18 months from kick-off meeting Second Draft Summary Report 22 months from kick-off meeting Final Submissions of All Deliverables 24 months from kick-off meeting

STIPULATIONS

1. The Contractor and key team members shall meet the professional qualification standards specified by the Oral History Association.

2. The Contractor shall coordinate with the COR and park point of contact as necessary to complete the work. This coordination may include participating in conference calls and product review meetings.

3. The Contractor shall follow the Oral History Association Principles and Best Practices.

4. Appropriate permissions and informed consent must be granted by interviewees and provisions for confidentiality must be implemented. Selected portions of sensitive or especially important data that need to be kept confidential may be provided as a separate file with the names of individuals deleted or the code name substituted, and excerpts deleted from interview transcripts. Management Policies (5:12, 13) recognizes the need to keep confidential the location, character, and cultural context of certain ethnographic resources, especially historic and archeological resources with sacred significance. Data on them are exempted from public disclosure consistent with Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 9(a) of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.

5. All documentation (metadata, photographs, sketches, audio and video recordings, transcriptions) produced in connection with this project are to become the property of NPS. All documentation shall be delivered to the NPS upon completion of contract services. Restricted access materials will be clearly marked. Original field notes will be retained by the Contractor under the condition that future NPS requests for information contained in the field notes will be made available at no additional cost, however interview metadata should be provided. The completed documentation may be used and reproduced in any fashion that the NPS chooses, with appropriate consideration given to confidential information and credit given to the researcher. A researcher may publish articles based on the research covered under this contract, provided that appropriate consideration is given to confidential information and credit is given to the NPS.

6. The Contractor's quality control efforts shall ensure that all draft and final deliverables are completed documents, as specified, that have been reviewed for academic excellence, professional and copy quality, and technical accuracy. Documents not displaying such efforts will not be accepted.

7. The Contractor will not subcontract any portion of this project without prior NPS approval.

FEE AND PAYMENT

Progress payments to the Contractor shall be made on the basis of proper and acceptable invoices submitted consistent with the quality requirements described in Stipulation 6 above.

Estimated Schedule of Payments

PRODUCT DUE

Orientation Meeting Up to 10% of total Archival Inventory and list of Participants Up to 25% of total Create Interview Guide and Schedule Interviews Up to 35% of total Progress Report Up to 60% of total First Draft Summary Report Up to 80% of total Second Draft Summary Report Up to 90% of total Final Submissions of All Deliverables Up to 100% of total