Attachment H.5 Expectations of Treatment Proposals.pdf
PDF 69 KB Posted
- Attached to
- U. S. Senate 1819 Chair Conservation
- Solicitation number
- RFP-2026-R-002
- Issued by
-
United States Senate
About this file
This document is an expectations guidance for conservation treatment proposals submitted to the Office of Senate Curator for projects involving historic and artistic works from the U.S. Senate Collection.
All proposals must adhere to the Code of Ethics of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, with emphasis on preserving original materials and surfaces through minimal intervention. When new materials are required, they must be isolated from original materials to allow future removal. Conservators are required to conduct in-person evaluations of objects using basic tools and non-invasive techniques before submitting proposals. Proposals must address all aspects described in the scope of work, incorporate findings from the evaluation that exceed or contradict the scope, and explain the relevance of those findings to recommended treatment. Three essential components must accompany each proposal: basic costs for labor and materials; a complete list of all materials that may be used during treatment with the range of materials under consideration for each treatment step and required testing methodologies; and the time allocation for each separate treatment step used to determine proposal costs. Treatment outcomes should reveal the original appearance of objects to the greatest extent possible while maintaining conditions reflecting the object's history and incorporating the minimal intervention philosophy.
View the file
Other files
On GovTribe
Work with this file
- Download the original file
- Contacts named in this file
- Similar government files
- Ask GovTribe AI about this file
Text version
Office of Senate Curator Expectations for Conservation Treatment Proposals
All proposals submitted to the Office of Senate Curator for conservation treatment projects must adhere to the Code of Ethics of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Accordingly, preservation of original material and surfaces, and minimal intervention through treatment are sought to the greatest extent possible.
When treatment requires that new material be added, it should be done in such a way to isolate original material from new, allowing for future removal of non-original material, as warranted by advances in conservation treatment methodology or discovery of previously missing original material.
The scope of work prepared by the Office of Senate Curator for each conservation treatment project is not written by a conservator, and while treatment for specific damage or agents of deterioration may be requested, the extent of problems or the methods best suited to treating these problems should not be assumed to be fully defined. In order to submit a proposal, conservators are first asked to evaluate the object(s) or art work in person, using basic tools and non-invasive techniques. The proposal submitted should be based upon observations made during the evaluation, and should address all aspects of the project described in the scope of work. In addition, information learned from the evaluation that goes beyond or perhaps contradicts what is described by the scope should be included, along with an explanation of its relevance to the recommended treatment.
Three types of information are important to include with each proposal in order for a fair comparison of proposals to be undertaken. First, the basic cost of labor, and where relevant, materials should be indicated. Second, the proposal should include a complete list of all materials that may be used to carry out treatment, and the range of materials under consideration for each step of treatment indicated, as well as the type of testing necessary to make a determination. Third, the amount of time used as the basis for determining the cost of the proposal should be noted for each separate step of treatment.
Unless otherwise specified, the result of treatment should incorporate this office’s curatorial preference towards revealing, to the greatest extent possible, the original appearance of an object or art work. At the same time, treatment should also incorporate the philosophy of “minimal intervention,” and preserve conditions resulting from age and use that are a reflection of an object’s or art work’s history.
Attachment H.5, RFP-2026-002, Office of Senate Curator 1819 Senate Chamber Chair, U.S. Senate Collection, 65.00106.000
Expectations for Conservation Treatment Proposals
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .