SOW.docx

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Interior Region 1, North Atlantic - Appalachian History and Preservation Assistance Philadelphia, PA

Azurest South National Historic Landmark Nomination

SCOPE OF WORK

NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION

FOR AZUREST SOUTH

Credit: Calder C. Loth, National Register of Historic Places

The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking the services of a qualified consultant to prepare a complete National Historic Landmark (NHL) nomination for Azurest South in Petersburg, VA according to requirements specified in this Statement of Work (SOW).

I. PROJECT BACKGROUND

Operating under the authority of the 1935 Historic Sites Act (16 U.S.C. 461-67) and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (54 U.S.C. § 300101 et seq.), the NPS administers the NHL Program, which provides for the identification, documentation, preservation, and interpretation of the Nation's nationally significant historic buildings, sites, objects, structures, and districts. NHLs are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Currently, over 2,600 historic places bear this national distinction.

The purpose of the current project is to produce a complete NHL nomination for the Azurest South in Petersburg, VA under Criterion 2 for its association with Amaza Lee Meredith and Criterion 4 as a nationally-significant example of an architectural type. Azurest South was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#93001464) on December 30, 1993. Azurest South is currently owned by the Virginia State University’s Alumni Association.

The NHL nomination for Azurest South will document the physical characteristics of the building through an architectural description and inventory of resources on the property, including landscape features and characteristics. The nomination will include a general property development history and will develop scholarly arguments for why the property possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. The nomination will provide historic context adequate to make a clear, convincing, and concise argument for national significance under one or more NHL Criterion. The focus of the nomination should be on the significance statements, not on creating a complete narrative of the building’s design and construction. The research and evaluation should be adequate to identify events or activities of clear significance to national history.

This project will build on existing documentation included in the National Register documentation form and briefing paper prepared for the NPS. The completed NHL nomination will be reviewed NHL Program state, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) staff, relevant partners, and two peer reviewers, then by the Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board. This committee reviews and recommends properties to the NPS Advisory Board for consideration as NHLs. The NPS Advisory Board then reviews and recommends properties to be forwarded to the Secretary of the Interior (SOI) for potential designation as NHLs. The SOI has the sole right to designate, or not designate, sites as National Historic Landmarks, pursuant to the Historic Sites Act of 1935.

II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Amaza Lee Meredith was born on August 14, 1895, in Lynchburg Virginia. Meredith received no formal training as an architect and never held an architectural license; however, she likely learned something about the construction of buildings from her father, who was a carpenter. She was, instead, trained in fine arts. After graduating from high school in 1915, Meredith taught school. In 1922, she obtained a two-year degree from Virginia State Normal and Industrial Institute, now Virginia State University, a land-grant college in Petersburg, Virginia, founded specifically for African Americans. She eventually earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Columbia University Teacher’s College in 1930, and a Master’s in Art Education from Columbia in 1935, at age 40. In 1930, while in the course of pursuing her education, she joined the faculty of her alma mater Virginia State Normal and Industrial Institute and was one of the founders of the art department at that institution. She became Department Chair in 1935, a position she held until 1958 when she retired.

In about 1938, Meredith began designing a small one-story home for herself and her domestic partner, Edna Meade Colson. The house was built in 1939, adjacent to the Virginia State University campus, by Russell Holmes, a Petersburg contractor. This home, which Meredith christened “Azurest South,” followed the International Style, which had only officially been recognized in the United States a few years before, with a 1932 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Azurest South was one of the first International Style buildings in Virginia. Meredith and Colson lived in the house until Meredith’s death in 1984.

III. PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The project will produce a finished and fully complete NHL nomination for Azurest South in Petersburg, VA, for presentation to the Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board.

The selected consultant will be expected to complete the following tasks:

1) General Requirements:

a) Become familiar with the site and historic property, referenced NPS Guidelines, NPS supplied materials, and Requirements listed in this Task Order. Conduct site visits and research to gather and report required information

b) Review all documents supplied by the Government. Conduct new, historical research to supply relevant and missing information related to the construction, evolution and use of the structure, and to the site’s historical context.

c) Provide all incidentals required to perform the services in this task order including but not limited to: travel arrangements, work to be performed, and accuracy and completion of all reports and graphics.

d) Attend scheduled progress meetings and furnish a written record of each meeting. Email a written record of site meeting minutes within five (5) business days of the meeting to the COR.

e) All field and research notes, photographs, sketches, finished original drawings, narratives, computerized inventories and assessments, and reports produced by the CONTRACTOR in connection with requirements of this contract become the property of the Government and shall be delivered to the COR upon completion of the Task Order.

f) Do not submit or issue any project information, data, drafts or any version of the proposed reports to any individual or to any federal, state or local authority without prior written approval of the COR.

2) Project Requirements

a) Complete Nomination Outline: The outline should include a draft nomination cover sheet and an outline of the NHL nomination form that includes proposed NHL criteria with brief explanation of how each criteria will be explored and an outline of the description section laying out how the site will be broken down for description purposes.

b) Complete National Historic Landmark Documentation:

i) Contractor will provide documentation on NPS Form 10-934, which will be provided by NPS using a program compatible with Microsoft Word and that is compliant with Section 508 of the United States Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

ii) Contractor will base documentation on National Historic Landmark criteria for significance and the integrity of resources, and it will consider appropriate historic contexts and comparable properties.

iii) Contractor will apply the guidelines of the National Register of Historic Places Bulletin, How to Prepare National Historic Landmark Nominations (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/nhl-bulletin.htm), and online guidance for National Historic Landmark nominations (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/nhl-nomination.htm). The NPS will provide the contractor with the May 2018 Draft Revised National Register of Historic Places Bulletin, How to Prepare National Historic Landmark Nominations.

iv) Contractor will use all readily available primary and secondary source material, perform physical investigations as necessary

v) Contractor will follow the guidelines for counting contributing and non-contributing resources in National Register Bulletin: Guidelines for Completing National Register of Historic Places Forms. The resource count will conform to the Rules for Counting Resources in Bulletin 16A. http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/index.htm#bulletin.

vi) Contractor will include select photo log and photographic views that represent the overall character of the property as required for a successful NHL nomination to be submitted electronically on the template provided by NHL Program staff and completed according to NR guidelines, using a program compatible with Microsoft Word and that is compliant with Section 508. The contractor shall adhere to the National Register Photo Policy Fact Sheet (http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/guidance/Photo_Policy_final.pdf). Identify any material for which copyright is unknown and/or for which permission to use must be sought. Seek and obtain permission after consulting with NPS. Note: Any photograph taken as part of a project funded by NPS is not copyrighted and can be used in the public domain.

vii) Contractor will prepare and provided electronic copy of a detailed site plan and location map(s) of the property to show the nominated areas with contributing and noncontributing resources identified, following the instructions contained in Bulletin 16A, How to Complete the National Register Form, and the NR Bulletin, How to Prepare National Historic Landmark Nominations and in the National Register Draft Electronic map Policy Factsheet: (http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/GIS_maps/GIS_Guidance_2013_05_15.pdf)

viii) Contractor will include USGS quadrangle or electronic map(s), which will be annotated with the boundary, bounding polygon, and UTM and/or lat-long coordinates

c) Complete revised draft NHL nomination for the property in consultation with NPS staff that appropriately addresses comments received, following review of the draft nomination. Additional research and graphic materials may be required to address any questions, comments, or concerns.

d) Deliver the revised draft NHL nomination to the NPS for review electronically in MS Word format. The NHL program will send the revised draft NHL nomination to select scholars for peer review.

e) Prepare the final NHL nomination following and based on comments received from the peer review, in consultation with NHL program staff.

f) Deliver the final NHL nomination package to the NPS for final submission to the Landmarks Committee, electronically in MS Word format, which will include images and figures (with appropriate permissions to use) and maps.

g) Provide the NHL Program with contact information for the property owner(s), the highest local official, all Congressional legislators (two senators and one representative), as well as all other interested parties.

h) Prepare draft and final versions of an executive summary on the template provided by the NPS for the final nomination in accordance with NPS standards, for presentation at meetings of the Landmarks Committee. The consultant will revise and edit the draft executive summary, based on comments received from NHL Program staff. The consultant will deliver the executive summary to the NHA and the NPS electronically in MS Word format.

i) Deliver field notes, research notes, data collected, all photographs, and maps included data to the NPS.

IV. GUIDELINES, POLICIES, STANDARDS AND CODES

1) All work to be performed under this agreement will comply with all applicable federal standards including but not limited to those found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Chapter 36; the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards (http://www.nps.gov/history/local-law/arch_stnds_9.htm); the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (as amended and annotated); the Antiquities Act of 1906 (Pub.L. 59–209, 34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. § 431–433); the Historic Sites Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 666; 16 U.S.C. 461-467); the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended--Public Law 89-665; 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.); National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (PL 91-190, 83 Stat. 852 42 U.S.C. §4321 et seq. (1969); 1969 Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1972 (AHPA); Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA); American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (AIRFA); Native American Graves and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA); and any other applicable laws, standards and/or guidelines.

2) All work must be technically and legally defensible.

3) Additional specific technical standards and guidelines to be applied include:

a) U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register Bulletin: How to Prepare National Historic Landmark Nominations. Washington, DC, 1999. http://www.nps.gov/NR/publications/bulletins/nhl/index.htm

b) Guidance presented in archived webinars available on the NHL website: http://www.nps.gov/nhl/learn/webinars.htm

c) Style Sheet for the National Historic Landmarks Program: http://www.nps.gov/nhl/apply/pdfs/NHLStyleSheet.pdf

d) Photo and map guideline found on the NHL’s webpages: http://www.nps.gov/nhl/apply/compile.htm (Use drop down headings)

e) National Register's Photograph Policy Factsheet: http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/photopolicy/Photo_Policy_update_2013_05_15.pdf

f) National Register's guidelines for electronic maps: http://www.nps.gov/NR/publications/bulletins/GIS_maps/GIS_Guidance_2013_05_15.pdf

g) The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.): http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/16/contents.html

h) National Historic Landmark Program Nomination Checklist: http://www.nps.gov/nhl/learn/pubs/NominationChecklist.pdf

4) The researcher 's quality control efforts must ensure that all draft and final deliverables are completed documents, as specified, that meet the standards of scholarship as defined by the guidelines of the various professional organizations including but not limited to the American Historical Association and the National Council for Public History and that have been reviewed for copy quality, technical accuracy, and consistency with style guidelines. Submittals not displaying such efforts will not be accepted.

5) The researcher must coordinate with the NPS as necessary to complete the work as and when required. This may include participating in conference calls and product review meetings.

6) The researcher must obtain prior Government approval from the Contracting Officer for any public information releases concerning this award (including outside publication) which refer to the Department of the Interior or any bureau or employee (by name or title). The specific text, layout photographs, etc. of the proposed release must be submitted with the request for approval.

7) All research material collected in conjunction with this project remains in the public domain and is archived and otherwise managed by the National Park Service, Region-1.

V. Delivery/Performance Schedule

All work specified shall be completed in accordance with the following schedule and all deliverables will be made to the NPS. In addition to the products listed below, the researcher shall provide the project manager with a quarterly report outlining the work accomplished in the preceding three months and providing an outline of work to be done in the forthcoming three months.

1) An official schedule of deadlines will be included in a contract with the selected preparer.

2) Proposed Schedule of Deadlines:

VI. SCHEDULE OF PAYMENT

While the specific terms of payment will be included in a contract with the selected preparer, suggested terms of payment appear below:

1) Schedule of Payments:

a) Upon accepted nomination outline: 20% of total payment

b) Upon accepted draft historical narrative based on research, with arguments for NHL Criterion and national significance, and figures as needed for NPS internal review: 20% of total payment

c) Upon accepted draft physical description including contributing resource list and maps, and figures as needed for NPS internal review: 20% of payment

d) Upon accepted submission of complete draft NHL nomination to NPS for internal review: 20% of total payment

e) Upon accepted submission of revised draft NHL nomination to NPS to reflect comments and revisions suggested by NPS for external peer review: 10% of total payment

f) Upon accepted submission of final draft NHL nomination to NPS revised to reflect comments and revisions suggested by external peer reviewers, complete with maps and photographs with full permissions: 10% of total payment

2) Invoicing:

a) All invoices shall be electronically emailed to the Project Manager in PDF format. Also, invoices MUST be submitted utilizing the Invoice Processing Platform System, US Department of Treasury, http://www.ipp.gov. The PDF copy of the invoice must be in the exact amount entered into IPP. Put IPP invoice number on your invoice.

b) Invoices shall also reference the contract number, task order number, project title, park name, total task order amount, period of performance start and end date, percentage of work complete referenced to scheduled task number and amount due.

VII. EVALUATION CRITERIA

1) Required Consultant Qualifications The selected consultant will be a qualified historian with demonstrated experience in successfully preparing NHL nominations and/or theme studies, and have the capability of preparing a fully complete NHL nomination for Azurest South, for presentation to the NHL Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board. The consultant, at minimum, will meet the following qualification requirements:

a) Meet the qualifications for a GS-0170-11 Historian as established by the U.S. Office of Personnel and Management and approved by NPS staff in its Washington Support Office.

b) Have experience evaluating and nominating historic properties for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or for designation as National Historic Landmarks associated with African American history. Experience evaluating and nominating nationally significant properties and demonstrated knowledge of the NHL Program and nomination process is preferred. Knowledge and experience in African American history or African Studies history is highly desired.

2) If the consultant comprises a consulting firm or team, then a Principal Investigator must be designated for the project. The Principal Investigator must meet the minimum qualification requirements specified above and must agree to be principally responsible for all work conducted by other consultant personnel for the project. The individual selected as the Principal Investigator may not change during the project without prior written approval of the NPS.

3) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

a) Past Experience

b) Adequacy, feasibility and soundness of proposed technical approach and methodology

c) Realistic and reasonable project cost proposal demonstrating an understanding of level of effort required to successfully complete the project.

4) Quotes received by fax WILL NOT be accepted

5) Quotes received after the solicitation close date/time WILL NOT be accepted

6) Past performance is a measure of the degree to which a contractor has satisfied its customers in the past. The NPS will evaluate past performance based on contacting references provided by the contractor, the Government’s knowledge of Offeror’s past performance, and /or references obtained from any other source.

7) Offerors wishing to respond to this RFQ should provide the following:

a) Offeror must furnish a history of past performance with a minimum of 3 references listed with contact information including name, address and phone number. Offerors who do not provide past performance information will be considered non-responsive.

b) Offeror must furnish company name, official point of contact name, DUNS number, TIN number, address, phone and fax number along with email address

8) The Technical Proposal will be evaluated on the firm that meets all the technical criteria and has the lowest price. Consultant shall include in their proposal the following:

a) A letter of interest stating an understanding of the scope of work and estimated costs for each of the tasks identified in the scope of work (Not to exceed 5 pages)

b) At least one but no more than three (3) projects highlighting previous work experience in conducting historic research and preparing Administrative History Reports. This factor will be used to evaluate the offeror’s most recent and relevant experience and performance in accomplishing the type of work required by this solicitation. To be considered relevant, projects submitted must be similar in scope, magnitude and complexity to the requirements of this solicitation. Experience with properties associated with African American history required. To be considered recent, projects submitted must be on-going, or must have been completed within the past five (5) years. This factor will also be used to evaluate how well an offeror has performed on previous projects of similar scope, magnitude and complexity, and is an indicator of the likelihood of completion of new projects in terms of time, cost, and quality of work. References with contact information must be included for each project (Not to exceed 5 pages).

c) Resumes of key personnel (Not to exceed 2 pages on each resume). This factor will be used to evaluate documented evidence of the offeror’s ability to provide key personnel who meet all contract qualifications requirements. Proposed key personnel must meet all minimum requirements specified in the RFP for the duties / positions they are proposed to perform.

VII. PERSONNEL

1) Contracting Officer: Cary Atwood

2) Contract Specialist: Debbie Coles

3) Contracting Officers Representative - All communications and invoices shall be addressed to the Contracting Officer and directed to the attention of:

4) Contracting Officers Representative (COR) and Project Manager:

Amanda Casper, PhD History and Preservation Assistance National Park Service Interior Region 1, North Atlantic – Appalachian

(267) 357-1602 amanda_casper@nps.gov image1.jpeg image2.wmf