RFQ 140P1221Q0037_Att 1_FLFO_Age_Mammals_Exhibit_SOW_rev1.docx

National Park Service Florissant Fossil Beds National Monuments Age of Mammals Exhibit Statement of Work (SOW) Dated 3/23/2021

1. BACKGROUND

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument protects one of the richest fossil deposits in the world. Beneath the grassy valleys and forested hills of this 6,000-acre park lie the remnants of an ancient ecosystem trapped in stone from 34 million years ago, a time period known as the late Eocene. When visiting the Monument, visitors can see some of the largest petrified tree stumps (by diameter) in the world. These massive redwood tree stump fossils are 10 - 12 feet wide and weigh up to 100,000 pounds. They are easily visible in an outdoor exhibit area behind the visitor center and on two, short, self-guided trails also located behind the visitor center. The visitor center features an exhibit area that has numerous fossil displays featuring mostly insect and leaf fossils. Most of the 1,800 different species of fossils found in the world-famous Florissant formation are insects and leaves. However, they are not visible to visitors when they are walking the trails as most of these kinds of fossils are still embedded in layers of rock that are deep under the grassy meadows and forested hillsides. The visitor center then plays an important role in helping connect visitors to geologic history and significance of the fossil resources. Even lesser known, are the fragments of fossil evidence that come from about 20 mammals that roamed the area 34 million years ago. Many visitors are expecting and/or hoping to see the complete skeletal remains of larger animals. Though many interesting, and some large, mammals existed at Florissant they are only know by the fragmentary remains of just a tooth, and/or part of a jaw, etc.

The purpose of this exhibit is to catch the attention of the visitor on the front patio of the visitor center. A full sized display of three life size prehistoric mammals will draw them in and then provide interpretive information that explains the kinds of fossils that have been found and set out the expectations of what they will be able to see on their visit and how best to see them. The display will help them connect to the area in a positive way by instilling a sense of wonder and awe and providing a great place for family photos.

2. PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide design-build services for exhibit design, fabrication, and installation of an exterior “Age of Mammals” exhibit at the Florissant Fossil Beds Visitor Center at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Florissant, Colorado.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

The contractor shall provide all design-build exhibit services, including labor, materials, equipment, facilities, and travel necessary for the development, fabrication, and installation of an exterior metal panel exhibit representing life size scale of three prehistoric mammals; Brontothere, Oreodont, and Mesohippus.

All three prehistoric mammals lived within the region of the current day Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The exhibit shall present a life size Brontothere (largest of the three) in height and length (estimated to be 8’ tall x 16’ long) via a metal panel that will be mounted within a concrete entry plaza adjacent a visitor center wall. The additional two mammals the Oreodont (sheep sized) and Mesohippus (medium dog sized) can be represented in a layered fashion within the larger Brontothere panel.

The Florissant Fossil Beds Visitor Center was constructed in 2010-2011 and included a concrete plaza into which the exhibit base shall be installed. The concrete plaza and visitor center were built on 6’ of fill material. The contractor shall coordinate the design and installation of the exhibit, so that the exhibit is integrated with the building size, scale and site use patterns of the plaza with no adverse effect to the building or pedestrian flow.

The exhibit shall be placed where visitors can stand in front of the “Age of Mammals” exhibit and contrast their human scale with the prehistoric mammals for a photo opportunity.

The exhibit will also include interpretive panels providing narrative text and illustrations of all three prehistoric mammals.

A. Requirements for the Completed Project

1) Project Specifics

a. The exhibit shall represent a life size scale of three prehistoric mammals with the largest being a Brontothere which was estimated to be 8’ tall x 16’ long.

b. The exhibit shall be installed in the exterior plaza of the Florissant Fossil Beds Visitor Center. Installation techniques shall be approved by the COR. The contractor shall refer to Attachment A: FLFO Existing Conditions.

c. Material used shall not be harmful to the touch in extreme temperature conditions or contain sharp edges.

c. Interpretive content associated with the mammals shall be developed by park staff but may not be in final format.

2) Design Requirements

a. The exhibit and interpretive panels shall be fully accessible and designed to incorporate the principles of Universal Design as defined in Programmatic Accessibility Guidelines for National Park Service Interpretive Media (link provided in section “G” below), and shall communicate effectively to the broadest range of visitors, including visitors with and without disabilities.

b. The exhibit shall be designed in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications (link provided in section “G” below) Section 21 Tactile Exhibit Elements and Mechanical Interactives.

c. The contractor shall be aware of the temperature range and environmental conditions in Florissant, Colorado. The exhibit element shall be durable enough to withstand visitor wear and tear and shall withstand extreme heat and cold, and snowfall in winter with little maintenance required. The contractor shall select and use materials in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 14 Material, Color, and Finish Specifications and Section 22 Design Guidelines for Exhibit Structures.

d. The exhibits shall be developed using sustainable materials and equipment. The cost of equipment operation, shipping, and materials shall be considered from an energy-use and reliability standpoint. In addition, the carbon emissions for creation and transportation of materials shall also be considered to reduce the overall climate impact of fabrication and installation. Priority consideration shall be given to materials with recycled content, renewable materials, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood products, local materials, low- or no-Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) materials, or those with lower carbon footprint.

B. Project Management

The contractor shall provide project management as specified in National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 2 Project Management with the following clarification:

1) The COR shall schedule progress meeting conference calls as needed. The Project Manager shall attend all progress meetings and submit notes to the COR for review and approval. Meeting notes shall enumerate all issues discussed and decisions made relative to the project.

C. Phases of Work

Phases of work required for this project are condensed from the typical phases of work described in National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 3 Exhibit Development Processes. The contractor shall perform all work as described below:

1) Pre-Design and Post-Award:

a. Post-award conference:

The Project Manager shall attend a Post-award conference call with the COR and park staff. The date of the Post-award conference call shall be determined within two weeks of contract award. During the post-award conference call, the contractor shall:

· Identify and acquire resources to evaluate the architectural space into which the “Age of Mammals” exhibit shall be installed;

· Lead a discussion about the extent of the exhibit, and interpretive content.

b. Project Brief:

Following the post-award conference call, the Project Manager shall develop and submit via email a project brief including:

· Overview of project and notes from post-award conference;

· Analysis of project goals;

· Class C cost estimate and analysis of the production budget in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 8 Production Cost Allowances / Estimates;

· Project schedule.

2) Schematic Design:

a. Schematic Design:

i. The Project Manager shall develop two design alternatives including:

· Preliminary sketch for placement and size of exterior exhibit;

· Written descriptions of the design;

· Design approach including media style and appearance;

· Written descriptions of the proposed methods for meeting accessibility requirements as specified in Programmatic Accessibility Guidelines for National Park Service Interpretive Media.

ii. The Project Manager shall develop a Class B Cost Estimate for production of the design package in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 6 Production Cost Allowances / Estimates.

3) Design Development:

a. Design Development:

Based on the preferred design alternative, the Project Manager shall:

i. Develop design including:

· Graphic layouts for exhibit;

· Exhibit design drawings

· Floor plan layout and elevations;

· Sample graphic layout and typography;

· Material, finish, and color proposals.

ii. Further develop content including:

· Layout of text in draft form (draft text provided by NPS);

· Identify features;

· Layout of graphic images.

iii. Create a content specialties reference package for the “Age of Mammals” exhibit.

· Acquire all pre-existing images, illustrations required for the exhibit, including permissions and use rights for the life of the exhibit, and scans of suitable quality for exhibits as designed. It is anticipated that original illustrations may be needed for this prehistoric exhibit.

iv. Submit Design Development documents to the COR via email as electronic PDF files.

v. Attend a Design Development conference call with the COR and park staff to discuss Design Development documents.

4) Production:

a. Pre-production:

The Project Manager shall:

i. Prepare a Production Documents package, including:

· Fabrication and installation schedule;

· Graphic production files in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 15 Two-Dimensional Exhibit Graphics;

· Shop drawings with fabrication details for all exhibit structures in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 13 Exhibit Drawings;

· Class A Production Budget Cost Estimate.

ii. Prehistoric mammal exhibit submittals in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 21 Tactile Exhibit Elements and Mechanical Interactives, including:

· Mock up representing the size and scale of the exhibit to review size, scale and placement within plaza;

iii. Prepare one set of full-sized paper proofs for graphic layouts in full color, including final, high-resolution scanned images and or illustrations.

iv. Attend pre-production progress meeting conference calls with COR and park staff as needed following the submission of each deliverable.

b. Production:

The Project Manager shall:

The contractor shall travel to the park and install the exhibits in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 28 Installation.

6) Closeout / Warranty:

The contractor shall:

a. Provide closeout of the exhibits in accordance with National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications Section 30 Closeout.

b. Provide warranty service for defects in materials and workmanship for two full years, after final acceptance of the project.

D. Travel, Meetings, and Presentations

All required travel, meetings, and presentations shall be provided as follows:

E. DELIVERABLES and F.O.B Point for Deliverable:

A. The contractor shall furnish the following deliverables:

1. Project Brief

2. Schematic Design documents

4. Design Development documents

6. Production documents

7. Prehistoric mammal exhibit submittals

8. Graphic proof submittals

9. Production photographs of in-progress shop fabrication

10. Completed exhibits

11. Closeout package

B. Deliverables shall be shipped to:

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument c/o Jeff Wolin 15807 County Road 1 Florissant, CO 80816

Fabricated exhibits shall be delivered and installed at:

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument 15807 County Road 1 Florissant, CO 80816

No later than 10 calendar days prior to delivery, the contractor shall contact the COR with a detailed status report of exact date, arrival time, and arrangements for delivery of the exhibits for installation.

F. TIME FOR COMPLETION

All work, including review and approval, shall be completed within 1-year of contract award. Preferred completion date is May 2022.

The COR shall notify the contractor, in writing, of approval or rejection of each deliverable within 14 calendar days. Any additions or corrections shall be completed and returned to the government with 14 calendar days.

In the event that the government delays comments beyond the period specified, the contractor shall be entitled to a day-for-day extension in the final completion date.

G. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS

The following items are incorporated into this task order:

Attachment A: FLFO Existing Conditions, PDF, May 2013

Programmatic Accessibility Guidelines for National Park Service Interpretive Media:

Accessibility - Harpers Ferry Center (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

National Park Service Standard Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications: National Park Service Exhibit Planning, Design, and Fabrication Specifications (nps.gov)

National Park Service Graphic Identity and Style Guides: NPS Graphic Identity and Style Guides - Harpers Ferry Center (U.S. National Park Service)