B08_Solicitation_140P60Q0011(Attachment_1_SOW).pdf

SCOPE OF WORK

Collection Condition Survey

William Howard Taft NHS and George Rogers NHP And Midwest AC

I. CONFIDENTIALITY

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

II. BACKGROUND

The William Howard Taft National Historic Site (NHS) is at 2038 Auburn Avenue in the Mount Auburn Historic District of Cincinnati, Ohio. The birthplace and boyhood home of the nation’s 27th president and 10th Chief Justice, William Howard Taft, was built circa.

1840 in a neighborhood of prominent and stylish homes. The park was established when the enabling legislation adopted by Congress was signed into law on December 2, 1969 (Public Law 91-132).

George Rogers Clark National Historical Park was established to commemorate the actions of George Rogers Clark and his Big Knives in the winter of 1778-1779. Their surprise attack and capture of Fort Sackville secured the Old Northwest for the fledgling American republic and set the stage for the creation of a continental nation.

Dedicated in 1936, the Clark memorial passed through a number of administrative entities before the Park Service assumed responsibility in 1966. After construction of the memorial was authorized in 1928, the George Rogers Clark Sesquicentennial Commission maintained authority over the project until 1940. Between 1940 and the arrival of the Park Service, the Indiana Department of Conservation administered the area.

Both park units are preparing for new exhibits to be installed in their visitor centers and identified museum objects for display. This project will provide the condition assessment to prepare the objects for long-term exhibition. Objects are stored in three locations: the William Howard Taft NHS (WIHO) visitor center museum storage facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, the George Rogers Clark NHP (GERO) visitor center museum storage facility in Vincennes, Indiana, and the Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) repository for archeological materials in Lincoln, Nebraska.

III. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

A. The purpose of the work is to 1) conduct an on-site Collection Condition Survey (CCS) of select objects at William Howard Taft NHS, George Rogers Clark NHP, and the Midwest Archeological Center; and 2) produce a report identifying the conservation and preservation needs of individual objects or groups of objects, such as photographs, exhibited or stored at the park or the archeological center.

The Collection Condition Survey is intended to:

1) Provide base-line information concerning the physical state of individual objects against which the rate and extent of future deterioration may be assessed and the success of conservation treatments and preventive care strategies may be evaluated.

2) Establish conservation priorities for use in program development and estimation of funding needed for conservation treatment.

3) Identify levels of care and treatment responsibility to assist the park in arranging for those treatments requiring professional conservation services. Object-specific data from the survey will be entered into MCMS, the department’s automated collections management system.

B. The Surveyor must comply with the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) in all work performed.

Tasks

A. A time will be set for the site visit by coordination with park management, Regional Curator from the Midwest Regional Office, and the Surveyor when it is convenient.

B. Prior to the visit the park will provide, if they exist:

• a copy of the Scope of Collection Statement (SOCS),

• any previous surveys or reports that may assist the conservator in understanding the history of park collections including:

• Environmental monitoring records

• Fire protection or security surveys

• Emergency Operation Plan (EOP)

• Structural Fire Plan

The conservator shall provide the park and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) with a pre-visit survey that will be completed before the visit.

C. Except as may be additionally approved in advance by the Site Manager, the park staff will provide on-site:

A suitable work space, Access to collection exhibit locations of museum objects, A staff person assigned to be with the Surveyor at all times when they are in limited access museum areas, Assistance with moving heavy or unwieldy objects, Access to museum property accountability (catalog and accession) and conservation (treatment and survey) records when required, Answers to questions about such matters as existing environmental monitoring and control, preventive care of objects, uses of objects, and the park's pest management program, Other information as reasonably may be needed.

D. The conservator will conduct an introductory briefing upon arrival at the park with the Site Manager, the COR, and designated park staff (curatorial, maintenance). The purpose of the briefing is to explain to the staff the Surveyor's methodology, anticipated schedule for the survey, and to detail any local support that may be expected.

E. Conduct a hands-on survey of selected objects in the park museum collection. A list of groups of objects will be provided to the contractor (Appendix A). The following factors shall be considered in determining the condition of an object and conservation treatment needs:

• The nature of the environment in which collections are stored or exhibited including building construction, temperature, relative humidity, dust, natural and artificial light sources, pests, and other agents of deterioration.

• Evidence of recent damage or deterioration, including failure of preservation treatments, damage to objects during their use for interpretation and study, effects of visitor handling or vandalism, and deterioration due to adverse environmental factors.

• Exhibit cases, mounts and mounting techniques, lighting, environmental control, pest control, protection against handling by visitors, protective barriers (waxes, lacquers, etc.) applied to prevent deterioration, condition (harmful to objects or unsafe to visitors and staff), etc.

• Any other general or specific issues concerning the collection's preservation, conservation, and/or treatment needs.

• When examining objects, fragile objects must not be moved any more than is necessary to determine condition, state of preservation, and needed treatment(s).

Heavy, bulky, or unwieldy objects need be moved only to the extent necessary to fully comprehend their nature and condition.

F. Upon completion of the survey, the conservator will meet with the park Site Manager and COR to go over the results of the survey. The closeout meeting should cover the same subjects and recommendations the surveyor will include in his/her report. At this time, the conservator will gather any data or information not already obtained that will be required for production of the survey report.

IV. CONSERVATION SURVEY REPORT

A. The conservator will prepare a written report of the survey just completed. The report shall include the following elements:

Brief description of the schedule, sequence, procedures, and methodology used in conducting the survey in the park; identification of person(s) conducting the survey, identification of park staff who were involved in the survey and how they were involved; a brief summary of the entrance and exit interviews.

Overview and assessment of the condition of the museum collection. Significant conservation needs should be presented.

Completed Conservation Survey Forms that include condition information on individual items or groups of items in an electronic format. The Surveyor may use a form of their choice or design. The form may be narrative or checklist but must include the following categories of information:

Object catalog number(s) and name Other number Material of object Description of condition, including the following factors:

Object specific condition Storage methods, media (supplies and equipment), and environment and/or Exhibit methods, media, and environment

Conservation treatment priority: Objects shall be prioritized into one of the following categories. For Priorities 1, 2, and 3, the degree of urgency should be expressed in terms of how soon the work should be done and in terms of the consequences to be anticipated should the work not be done within that time.

Priority 1: The object or group of objects requires urgent treatment by a professional conservator to prevent serious damage or loss, or requires immediate improvements in storage or exhibit conditions.

Priority 2: The object requires major treatment by a professional conservator or the object is unstable and short-term deterioration can be expected if nothing is done.

Priority 3: The object requires minor treatment by a professional conservator, or the object is somewhat unstable and long-term deterioration can be expected if nothing is done.

Priority 4: The object currently is stable. The object may or may not require preventive maintenance attention by park curatorial staff in order to forestall the onset of deterioration. (NOTE: It is possible for objects in Priorities 1-3 also to require preventive maintenance; should that be the case, the need for their maintenance should be mentioned.)

Priority 6: Preventive maintenance is being done or is not needed, and the object is stable and requires only eventual improvements in storage or exhibition conditions. The maximum time to allow for making the improvements should be indicated.

Treatment responsibility (park or conservator) Estimated treatment time Estimated treatment costs, if possible

Date of survey Name of surveyor

Treatment recommendations: When conservation or preventative maintenance treatment is needed for any of the conditions listed above, that treatment should be described. Express what is needed but do not attempt to describe how to carry out treatments.

Describe needed work in terms of results, expectations, or anticipated benefits. In all instances, needed work should be described in the following manner:

o When an object is classified as conservation treatment Priority 1, Priority 2, or Priority 3, the work that is needed shall be described for each object individually, except that essentially identical objects with essentially identical needs may be grouped together for purposes of describing those needs.

o Work needed on objects classified as Priority 4, Priority 5, or Priority 6 should be described for individual objects to the extent that it is necessary and practical to do so. It may be more practical and efficient to group together objects that are similar in nature or that are similar in materials of construction when they are found to require the same or essentially the same treatments.

o When simple preventative maintenance treatments are described, the materials to be used in those treatments also should be recommended. All recommended materials should be those normally used by conservators and selected for reversibility, stability, and ease of use. Materials should be described generically, though brand names also may be given for reference purposes. The park can use this information to program funds to accomplish the work. When appropriate, note economies of cost or other benefits that might be realized by simultaneously treating similar objects, or objects with similar treatment needs.

V. DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

The report will be prepared using Microsoft® Word or Adobe software. The report will be printed on 8½ x 11 white, 20#, bond paper (if applicable, 8½” x 14” or 11” x 17” paper shall be fan-folded), single-spaced, and may be double-sided. Preferred typeface is Times New Roman, 12 point. Final reports are to be coil bound with cover page, numbered pages, using cover-stock for cover and back page. Cover page with photograph will include project title, date submitted, name and address, including phone number of Contractor.

Submit the final report, not draft report, in electronic format in Word or Adobe on a flash drive.

1. Submit a draft report to the COR according to the schedule below. Reports will be reviewed and returned with comments. Contractor will be expected to incorporate each comment into the report or be prepared to explain why doing so is not appropriate.

2. Submit final report 1(one) bound copy and 1(one) electronic copy of report, images, and floor plans on flash drive in Word or Adobe format.

3. All digital imaging documentation will be submitted with the final report on the flash drive. Digital imaging documentation includes photos in digital format with supporting photo logs, and one set of hard copy printed photos of the digital images.

4. All other materials generated for this task agreement will be submitted with final report.

Digital images shall be recorded for supplementary documentation of each object. A copy of each file, in uncompressed TIFF format, shall be provided to the park with, at a minimum, catalog number and location to allow the park to transfer the image into MCMS. JPEG files will not be accepted.

Work Schedule and Payment The Surveyor is responsible for contacting the COR to coordinate the onsite inspection dates. The onsite visits will be completed no later than September 15, 2025 at a time agreeable to the Surveyor, the COR, and park management. The on-site inspection and discussions with staff should take a minimum of one to two days. During the onsite inspection, the Surveyor will be responsible for all photographs and measurements necessary to document his/her work and recommendations. Upon completion of the onsite inspections, the NPS will make payment of 50 percent of the contract price.

The Surveyor will provide the COR with the final report in digital format along with one

(1) photocopy of the report and a flash drive containing the final report within 60 days of completion of the onsite visits. The report should include all supporting documentation and photographs. Upon approval and receipt of an invoice, the NPS will make payment of 50 percent of the contract price for the survey.

Task Date Proposed work schedule & orientation meeting

Within 14 calendar days of contract award.

On-site evaluation of museum objects On-site evaluations must be completed no later than September 15, 2025.

Final Report Submission for WIHO and

GERO

Draft reports should be submitted no later than 60 days after the conclusion of each site visit

Schedule of Partial Payments

Partial payments will be made upon successful completion of each successive phase of the work, as outlined below:

Completion of on-site visit 50%

Acceptance of final report 50%

Inspection and Acceptance

The COR is empowered to inspect and evaluate all work of this Contract for compliance with terms of this Scope of Work.

Appendix A List of Objects to be Surveyed

Objects from William Howard Taft NHS 63 items that include furniture, artworks, textiles, books, leather-bound books, personal artifacts, etc.:

Material Quantity Percentage of Total Prints, Photographs/Paper 21 33% Wood 3 5% Metal 6 10% Clay/Ceramic 1 1.5% Leather 1 1.5% Textile/Fabric/Wool 4 6% Glass 4 6% Mixed Materials 23 37%

Objects from George Rogers Clark NM*

133 items that include wood artifacts, paper, metal.

Material Quantity Percentage of Total Prints, Photographs 114 86% Wood 3 2% Metal, some composite* 13 9% Clay/Ceramic 1 1% Paper 1 1% Glass 1 1%

*Archeological artifacts are stored at the Midwest Archeological Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.