Industry Questions.pdf

N0018925Q0213, Photography Services for NHHC

Questions from Industry

CONTRACTING

1. Is there an incumbent for this request?

– This is a new requirement.

2. Do you want pricing included in this request for information?

– Yes, this is a solicitation requesting quotes not a Request for Information (RFI).

3. Is there a preferred page limit to the response?

– Refer to page 5 of the solicitation.

4. Are you looking for a single company to handle all the photography, or will you be spreading this among several companies?

– This solicitation will be awarded to a single contractor.

5. Is there a budget for this project?

– The Government has an estimate. However, it is the job of the contractors to submit their best quotes. As stated in the solicitation, Price Factors and Non-Price factors will be considered when determining the award.

6. For Item No. 0002, is this FFP or an estimate wherein the actual costs will be reimbursed to the Contractor when receipts provided?

– CLIN 0002 is an estimate not to exceed $31,000.00. The Government will reimburse as invoices are submitted.

7. Since travel and accommodation are not provided, I’d like to confirm that I may bill separately for these expenses. Will the contract allow for IRS-standard per diem rates or actual receipts?

– Actual receipts are required for invoicing.

TRAVEL

1. On Page 9, the “Not to exceed $31,000.00” is just for Item No. 0002 and not for the entire project? Does that include shipping costs (i.e. photo equipment)?

– CLIN 0002 is strictly for travel expenses. It can be utilized for “Airfare, lodging, and related travel expenses in support of photography.” This would include equipment shipping costs.

2. It is hard to estimate how much time is needed at each location without the number of artifacts per location. How detailed of a travel schedule are you looking for with the quote for the NHHC solicitation?

– A travel schedule can be determined once the contract has been awarded. We will need to work with the museums/locations that are geographically near each other; Puget Sound and Naval Undersea museums, War college, Subforce, DET Boston in the Northeast, etc so we can schedule those museums for the same general time frame while the photographer is in the area.

3. Is the Contractor permitted to have a “contingency budget” and schedule adjustments (including delivery date) to cover unforeseen or force majeure situations such as weather, facilities access/issues, object condition/hazards, NHHC staffing availability, etc.?

– The Government will not have a contingency budget.

4. Will site visits be expected to occur consecutively, or should we plan for gaps between access windows?

– All work shall be finalized by the end of the performance period, regardless of any gaps between visiting specific locations that may occur.

5. Is there a preferred sequence or schedule for the site visits, or will the contractor have flexibility in proposing a travel plan?

– Site visits will need to be planned and sequenced with each location and should be executed as to maximize efficiency in travel by grouping geographic locations

LOGISTICS

1. For objects in-situ that may be accessible to visitors, will those areas be cordoned off for the duration of photography?

– Yes as much as possible. Some locations may not be feasible to cordon off the entire area if the artifact is large or in a location that will not allow it

2. Roughly how many artifacts per location? This will help us with travel and scheduling.

– Refer to the revised Performance Work Statement.

3. Could NHHC provide a general breakdown of the artifact types and sizes per location (ex: approximate number of small objects vs. large equipment)?

– The following location have artifacts such as vehicles/aircraft or something larger:

U.S. Navy Seabee Museum

National Naval Aviation Museum

Naval War College Museum

Naval Undersea Museum

DET Boston-USS Constitution

Subforce Museum-USS Nautilus

Collection Management Facility, Richmond, VA

4. Can you provide the personnel and vehicle access procedures for the relevant military installations? Vehicle access can be tricky, especially when rental vehicles are involved.

– Each installation has specific requirements. NHHC staff will assist with facilitating access at each site as applicable. Access to Defense Supply Center Richmond requires a REAL ID, and a background check will be conducted before any parties enter the installation. Other Navy sites may be similar.

5. Are NHHC locations able and willing to receive shipments of Contractor equipment in advance of a production date? And store them safely until such time they’re needed?

– The Government will NOT receive shipment of contarctor’s equipment in advance.

6. Is NHHC willing and able to transport smaller to medium-sized objects to a central location for photography? This would reduce travel-related and shipping costs and improve production efficiency and visual consistency.

– NHHC staff will move artifacts within their specific museum/location to help facilitate photography if applicable. This decision will be made on a case-by-case basis at each location.

7. Will escort arrangements or base access clearance be facilitated by the NHHC?

– Yes, the Government will provide escorts.

8. Will points of contact be provided at each site to coordinate access and artifact handling?

– Yes, the Government will be providing point of contacts at each site.

9. Will artifacts be available to be moved, if needed, to a different environment, background, or removed from behind glass?

– This decision will be made on a case by case basis at each location.

10. Is each location providing staff to retrieve the artifacts from the storage/display or will the Contractor be responsible for retrieving and returning each artifact to their original locations?

– Only NHHC staff will physically handle the artifacts

11. Can artifacts be made available at each location all in one day (estimating 20-30 at each location) or will it be necessary to account for additional time at certain locations?

– This decision will be made on a case by case basis at each location.

12. Can images be delivered over the course of the period of performance in blocks as they become available?

– Yes, images can be submitted to the Government throughout the period of performance.

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Liability insurance limits or coverage preferences are not stated. What are those minimum requirements?

– U.S. Government is self-insured. Contractor shall have liability insurance for their operations.

2. What are the NHHC protocols for damage/incident reports and condition reports? Some objects are extremely fragile and can flake, crack, etc. even with careful handling.

– NHHC staff will conduct all handling of the artifacts. The contractor shall not touch or move the artifacts.

3. Do you know of any objects that may not be ready for photography that will meet specifications or within deadlines? (i.e. object needs conservation, cleaning, etc.)

– All artifacts will be made available, if not a Government POC will be on location to provide further instruction and it will be discussed with the staff at each location during the trip planning.

4. Is the Contract Photographer or their personnel allowed to handle the collection or is the physical touching restricted to NHHC personnel and is NHHC providing personnel for that purpose? If not, will NHHC require Contractor personnel to have collections-handling experience (i.e. Museum Technician or Museum Specialist)? If so, the Contractor will need those requirements.

– NHHC staff will conduct all handling of the artifacts. The contractor shall not touch or move the artifacts.

5. For each NHHC location, will heavy-lift equipment (forklift, pallet jacks, etc.) and certified operators be provided by NHHC for the transport, staging, and positioning of heavy, awkward, or dangerous collections as well as ladders, lifts, harnesses, and similar to aid in photography?

– Ladders and lifts may be available, this will be specific to each museum/location. There is no expectation that the contractor will be required to be in a lift, harness, etc.

6. Will NHHC provide miscellaneous equipment such as mannequins, busts, foam, etc. at each location? If not, can a list of NHHC-approved materials and equipment be provided?

– Yes, the Government will provide miscellaneous equipment.

7. Does each NHHC location have an indoor area with standard 120v AC electrical nearby for photography? An open area of a climate-controlled warehouse with appropriate loading paths can work well.

– Not all collection storage spaces are climate controlled, and not all artifacts to be photographed are indoors. Power will be made available as needed.

8. Is there any NHHC-specific training that is needed for the Contractor to operate within NHHC facilities and/or handle the collections?

– No, as the contractor shall not be handling the collection.

9. Is the Contractor allowed to be alone with the collection for the duration of photography or must NHHC staff always be present?

– No, NHHC staff will always be present.

10. May the Contractor store equipment at NHHC locations and maintain their setup for the duration of photography, especially if it spans multiple days?

– Possibly, this will be determined by officer in charge/museum director/site lead, etc. at each museum/location.

11. Are there hazardous materials in or on the collections? (i.e. heavy metals, lead, asbestos, radiation, corrosive materials, poison/venom, gases, etc.) Those hazards can dramatically change the protocols and time, effort, and personnel required to photograph those items.

– No, HAZMAT will impact the execution of this effort.

12. Will NHHC require Job Hazard Assessments (JHA) for each shoot? Particularly with hazardous materials or heavy objects?

– No, JHA will not be necessary. Contractor will be comfortable working in a museum, warehouse, storage, and outdoor location.

13. Is this project subject to EO 14151 and similar? Will NHHC make those assessments for those objects prior to photography? The Contractor may not know which objects may fall under those EO.

– NHHC will be making all decisions as to what historic artifacts to photograph

14. Will each museum or loan site provide an interior space suitable for temporary studio setup (e.g., ~18’ x 18’, 8’+ ceiling clearance), with access to standard power and a photography staging table?

– Each location has differing capabilities and space constraints. Some locations may have dedicated photos studio areas already set up, others may have temporary areas established. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to adapt to each location.

15. In situations where artifacts are not movable and are to be photographed in place, will these locations remain open to the public during the photo-shoot?

– Possibly, it will be on a case by base basis, but the presence of other people should not impact the contractor’s ability to execute the contract.

TECHNICAL

1. Does NHHC have a visual example of the desired outcome? The written technical specifications are quite good, but even this can be executed with tremendous variety.

– No, as each artifact is unique and may possess specific characteristics that need to be included, a blanket example is not possible.

2. Is NHHC applying FADGI to 2D objects (i.e. documents, lay-flat textiles, etc.)? Is NHHC requiring a measurement scale to be present in the delivered photo(s)?

– No scale is required

3. In Section 4.1, NHHC is requesting both TIFF and JPEG unedited files from the original capture. Nearly all files have some adjustments made to them for delivery (exposure, white balance, cropping, etc.). NHHC is not requesting RAW or DNG files too, correct?

– The contractor shall supply unedited photos, cropping, exposure adjustment, etc. shall not be executed.

4. In Section 4.1, aside from the FTP and DVD delivery methods are file-delivery services such as DropBox, WeTransfer, or other online gallery services with downloading acceptable?

– No, all files shall be delivered per the Performance Work Statement.

5. We have not previously photographed historic artifacts for a government institution, we have extensive experience photographing a wide range of objects — including materials such as metal, glass, wood, and textiles — in both studio and location environments, with fully color-managed workflows and high-resolution capture systems (100MP+).

Can you please confirm whether this experience meets the Government’s minimum qualifications as described in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and Technical Factors?

– The Government would need to see a portfolio to demonstrate the contractor has the ability to meet the Government’s need.

6. What is the process for image approval and reshoot requests?

– Images will be reviewed by staff at NHHC HQ for final approval.

7. Can flash be used on artifacts?

– Yes

8. Will the duplicate JPEG images require prost processing?

– No, no post processing should occur.

9. Will the sites be able to review images before the photographer leaves the site ensuring capture has met the expectations?

– Contractor should submit these to NHHC HQ, not the individual sites, for image approval.

10. Are composite images allowed, particularly for larger objects as long as the finalized TIFF & JPEG are appropriate? (focus-stacking, HDR, orthomosaic, lighting composite) These techniques have been used for large, oddly-shaped objects or when setting up multiple flashes wasn't feasible.

– Yes, assuming there is no distortion in the image

11. Does the 600 DPI requirement apply strictly to the original .TIFF images, or must the JPEG duplicates also meet this resolution?

– JPEG files are for reference. TIFF files should be a minimum of 600 dpi, sized appropriately for 9 x 12 (landscape) book with full bleed.

12. Is there a minimum number of views or perspectives required for each artifact beyond obverse, reverse, and close-up detail (ex: top, side)?

– No minimum number of views

13. Will NHHC assign background color requirements (white, grey, or black) ahead of time per artifact or per location?

– This will depend on the individual artifact and can be discussed during the travel planning.

14. What is the typical review and approval turnaround for submitted images?

– Two (2) business days will be typical.

15. If reshoots are required, is there a standard time frame within which those must be scheduled?

– All work shall be completed by the period of performance.

16. Will NHHC staff assist with handling or positioning artifacts, especially fragile or large items?

– NHHC staff will handle all of the artifacts. The Contractor shall not handle any artifact.

17. Will the Government provide sufficient space, lighting, and power for on-site photographic setup at each location?

– Space and power will be provided. Lighting will be the current lighting for each space.

18. While we understand the Government retains image copyright, would the contractor be permitted to reference the completed project (without images) for future capability statements or proposals?

– Yes, the contractor shall be allowed to reference the completed project for past performance.

19. For backgrounds specified as white or black, is the expectation that they be achieved fully in-camera (e.g., pure white hex code #FFFFFF), or would "near white" or "near black" backgrounds be considered acceptable when environmental or technical conditions make full separation in-camera impractical?

– On a case-by-case basis, “near white” or “near black” backgrounds may be acceptable, it is encouraged full separation in-camera if possible.