Statement_of_Work.docx

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

THADDEUS KOSCIUSZKO NATIONAL MEMORIAL

INTERIOR AND EXHIBIT AREA AUDIO DESCRIPTION

I. BACKGROUND

Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial (THKO) is a designated unit of the National Park Service (NPS), located in the heart of Old City Philadelphia. According to the park’s enabling legislation, the site “honors Thaddeus Kosciuszko as a great Polish patriot and a hero of the American Revolution by preserving and interpreting the house where he lived.” Located on the corner of 3rd and Pine Streets in the Society Hill neighborhood of Old City Philadelphia, the house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Later dedicated a national monument in 1972, the house was donated to the National Park Service and is currently managed by Independence National Historical Park. The National Park Service restored the exterior of the building and the second-floor bedroom to its 1798 appearance when Kosciuszko resided there while recovering from wounds suffered while fighting for his native Poland. At .02 acres, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial is the smallest national park unit in the system.

Despite its size, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial honors a man who was, in Thomas Jefferson’s words, “... as pure a son of liberty as I have ever known, and of that liberty which is to go to all, and not to the few or the rich alone.” Visitors to the memorial are able to get a glimpse into the life of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, who served with distinction during the American Revolution and advocated the principles of liberty and democracy throughout the world. The first floor of the memorial includes museum exhibits related to Kosciuszko’s military career as an engineer during the American Revolution and his work as a freedom fighter for his native Poland. The second floor includes the painstakingly restored room where Kosciuszko took up residency during the winter of 1797–1798, receiving notable visitors such as Chief Little Turtle and Thomas Jefferson. A short orientation film is presented in both Polish and English. The memorial serves as a window into the legacy of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, reminding us of universal struggles for liberty and freedom.

As with all units of the National Park Service, orientation information and site navigation is extremely important to provide visitors with an enjoyable and accessible experience. For visitors who are blind or have low vision, providing access to information and interpretation is an ongoing challenge. Though some of the exhibit panels and the park film are audio described, the audio description is both outdated and incomplete. Currently audio description is only available in the first-floor exhibit area and is delivered via a series of media players/handsets. The handsets are affixed to the exhibit framework. The content of the text panels attached to the framework are all that is audio described. None of the exhibits on the second floor are audio described and neither is the historic room that Kosciuszko occupied while living in the house. Additionally, none of the rooms are described and navigation through the site is not provided. The NPS Audio Description Tours App (ADT) for Apple iOS devices offers a solution to these challenges.

The ADT was designed to assist blind and low vision visitors in navigating and experiencing exhibit spaces. Paired with Bluetooth proximity triggers that automatically update and provide description for what’s nearby as visitors walk through exhibits, the app is designed to be used with the VoiceOver screen reader already installed on iOS devices.

Audio description work accomplished under this contract shall be integrated by the NPS with the ADT for use by visitors exploring the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial.

II. PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to develop and write up to 41 Audio Description scripts and navigation for the interior rooms and exhibits of Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, which include the four rooms, staircases, exhibit & text panels, one historically created room, and transfer the script information to the Audio Description Tour (ADT) Interior Exhibit Module (IEM) application spreadsheets utilizing the National Park Service (NPS) software framework, and provide and install the completed ADT-IEM App on delivery devices for use by visitor who are blind or have low vision.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

The offeror shall equip and install a complete and working ADT-IEM App for THKO. For the purpose of this contract the terms ADT and IEM are interchangeable.

The offeror shall provide all labor, supplies, materials, facilities, equipment, deliverables, documentation, and travel necessary to write and verify the accuracy of the script, create a tour route, place and test proximity beacons, and test and verify for acceptance all functions of the compiled and completed ADT-IEM App.

The offeror shall meet the following specific requirements:

A. The contractor shall write an Audio Description Tour script of the exhibits and ensure the script is accurate and complete. The script shall be machine read utilizing the delivery devices.

The ADT script shall:

1. Include a Table of Contents (ToC) that includes the exhibit title of each segment and any individual sections, congruent with the Scenes and Content Groups specified in the exhibit design.

2. Provide basic navigational assistance within the exhibit space and at large, such as location of the restrooms and theater.

3. Tell the story as already described in the exhibit text and images visually to enable visitors who are blind or have low vision to make connections to park resources through the same messages delivered to sighted visitors.

4. Be straightforward in its creative and technical approach.

5. Include vivid, succinct descriptions of exhibit panels, objects, maps, dioramas, tactile elements, interactive devices, exhibit audiovisual programs, and other elements as necessary.

6. Describe and identify the artifacts, models, and other objects on display in cases that cannot be touched by visitors.

B. Transfer of the script to the spreadsheets is critical to the success of the project. To ease that transfer formatting shall meet the following criteria.

1. Every description shall begin with the word count of the description and end with "End of Description".

2. Every main section or segment shall include an overview description.

3. Every hard return translates into a different section when viewed on the App. This feature is especially useful to create the feel of drilldowns and to sectionalize long descriptions. The accompanying overview shall state there are multiple section and the number of sections and include instruction that it may be necessary to page down to hear other sections. Each section shall end with "End of Section", the last section shall end with "End of Description".

4. Special characters do not transfer to the spreadsheets and shall not be used. Specifically, em dash or elongated hyphens translate as question marks on the spreadsheets.

5. Transferring data from script to spreadsheet can sometimes be confusing. Sections and subsections belonging to different spreadsheets shall be readily identifiable using bold, color coding, etc. or any other consistent method to enable ease of transfer throughout the script.

Once the script meets the requirements outlined above the offeror shall populate the IEM spreadsheets and provide to the government for acceptance and upload C. Audio Description Tours for people who are blind or have low vision are arranged and grouped by proximity to better enable the user to self-guide through the space and avoid long run-on descriptions. In large spaces each grouped area is sorted in the ADT App via a Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) iBeacon.

To facilitate this arrangement the contractor shall tour the space and set trigger locations to support script arrangement and exhibit flow. Prior to finalizing trigger locations, the contractor shall perform signal testing to ensure there is no interference from outside sources and to ensure iBeacon fidelity to the appropriate description group. Floorplan drawing provided as Attachment D_THKO Floorplan.pdf.

D. Attachment A_IEM v2 - Exhibits.xlsx is the spreadsheet that describes the separate physical locations within the IEM App.

The contractor shall populate this spreadsheet based on locations identified during creation of the script as follows:

Spreadsheet IEM v2 - Exhibits:

Fields for this spreadsheet are ID, TITLE, SUMMARY, and DESCRIPTION.

1. ID field is numbered 0 through the number of Visitor Centers or physical locations with 0 used as the General Description of how to use the app.

2. TITLE field is the name of the tour.

3. SUMMARY field is a purpose statement.

4. DESCRIPTION field is body text of the tour description.

E. Attachment B_IEM v2 - Rooms.xlsx is the spreadsheet that identifies and describes the separate content groups or sections associated with the locations named in the Exhibits spreadsheet.

The contractor shall populate this spreadsheet based on groupings identified in the accepted script as follows:

Spreadsheet IEM v2 - Rooms:

Fields for this spreadsheet are ID, EXHIBIT ID, SITE ID, BEACON MINOR, BEACON MAJOR, ACCURACY THRESHOLD, 3FEET ZONE ACCURACY

THRESHOLD, 10 FEET ACCURACY THRESHOLD, NOT BEACON ID,

NEAR BEACON ID, AND OVERVIEW.

1. ID field is numbered starting with 1 through the total number of TITLEs. The ID is what the program uses to sort the information on screen. It is recommended that numbers are skipped throughout to enable additions to content were it ever needed.

2. TITLE field are the Main titles taken directly from the script.

3. EXHIBIT ID field is the corresponding ID number from the Exhibits spreadsheet.

4. BEACON MAJOR field is numbered sequentially starting with 1.

5. BEACON MINOR field is not accessed in the current app a “1” is to be placed in all lines.

6. UUID field is a 28 alpha numeric code used by the content management system. It does not change. Always set field as “12345678-aaaa-bbbb-cccc- 123456789012".

7. ACCURACY THRESHOLD, 3FEET ZONE ACCURACY THRESHOLD,

and 10 FEET ACCURACY THRESHOLD fields are designed to increase the accuracy of the activation zone of the individual iBeacons. Recommended starting points for all iBeacons are 0.6, 0.9, and 2.5 respectively.

8. NOT BEACON ID and NEAR BEACON ID fields are not used and are left blank.

9. OVERVIEW field is the description associated with the TITLE field. Not displayed, include overview for each Room in Details.

F. Attachment C_IEM v2 - Details.xlsx is the spreadsheet that identifies and describes the panel content of the groups or sections named in the Rooms spreadsheet.

The contractor shall populate this spreadsheet from the accepted script as follows:

Spreadsheet IEM v2 - Details:

Fields for this spreadsheet are ROOM ID, TITLE, and DESCRIPTION

1. ROOM ID field value is the corresponding ID number from the ROOMS spreadsheet.

2. TITLE field is the subheading title from the script.

3. DESCRIPTION field is the description associated with the TITLE field.

When the spreadsheets are populated the contractor shall perform the following:

Create a folder and name it “Indoor Exbibits”. Move the three files to the newly created folder. Zip the folder and final script and name the new file with the park acronym, an underscore, and IEM v2 (ex. PARK_IEM v2.zip). Email file to the COR.

When the file has been uploaded to the server and it is ready for the contractor to download and test, the COR will send a verification email to the contractor.

G. The contractor shall provide, configure, test, and verify the following equipment in the quantities identified.

During initial fielding of the Audio Description Tour (ADT) Interior Exhibit Module (IEM) app, Apple products are the only compatible delivery devices. This is due to the application's internal programming.

1. Portable handheld device with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and vibrate capability (quantity. 3)

2. Ruggedized case for media player. (quantity 3)

3. Hardened screen protector for device (quantity 3)

4. Lanyard, 5/8", breakaway, cell phone loop / keyring, dark forest green (quantity 3)

5. USB charging station, 6 ports, 6 cables, white (quantity 1)

6. Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter (quantity 2)

7. Induction neckloop. (quantity 1)

8. Headphones, lightweight. (quantity 5)

9. Refresh Kit, replacement cushion and bag. (quantity 5)

10. Headphone cushion sanitary cover, black. (quantity 50 pair)

11. Location triggers, iBeacon. (quantity 20)

The contractor shall provide a storage case that holds all equipment safely from physical and environmental damage. The case shall include an airtight seal and individual cutouts for the various equipment types.

H. The contractor shall provide an electronic copy in Word and .pdf format and two hard copy sets of Operations Manuals consisting of permanent binders (no binder shall be larger than 2” thick) sectioned by tabs labeled by section, and an electronic version on the electronic drives. The contractor shall provide a printed operation's manual for use in operation and simple troubleshooting of the audiovisual systems specified in the task order. This manual shall be reviewed and approved by the COR prior to shipping the final submittal. The user manual shall include detailed drawings and photos and basic descriptions and purpose of system components showing control functions, control settings, and use connections. The manual layout as a minimum shall include:

1. Cover / Title

2. Table of Contents

3. Contact data consisting of a page listing names, addresses, phone and fax numbers, and any other relevant contact information, for both the contractor and the COR;

4. System Operation

a. System Procedures (e.g.: startup/shutdown procedures); provide typical procedures to activate each system function

b. Show Start operation

c. Device Settings and Adjustments

5. Troubleshooting Guide

6. Systems Overview description(s)

7. Equipment list, for each line item, show the quantity provided, the manufacturer's name, the full model number, a brief functional description, and serial numbers;

8. Consumables list (e.g.: headset, earpiece cushions, batteries, etc.) required to keep the system operating over time, along with sources of supply (if not readily available);

9. A recommended maintenance schedule followed by preventive maintenance and user-maintenance procedures, along with details on how to obtain service; include copies of sections from the applicable manufacturer's product manuals maintenance sections (or reference the page(s) if they cannot be extracted from the rest of the manual), along with any other maintenance procedures recommended by the contractor; clearly highlight any maintenance procedures required by the manufacturer to keep the manufacturer's warranty in force; include a troubleshooting guide detailing the more common malfunctions;

10. Operating instructions for custom-fabricated equipment.

11. A manufacturer's warranty certificate for each unique piece of equipment; if warranties are required to be registered, supply a warranty registration form for each piece of equipment to be registered; failure to provide warranty registration materials, at a minimum, binds the contractor to the same terms and conditions as the manufacturer would have had to meet had the warranty been registered; this in no way reduces any other warranty obligations of the contractor under the contract.

12. Floorplan of exhibit space showing beacon locations, Wi-Fi server and router and streaming audio locations if used.

13. A reference table that includes iBeacon location numbers, serial number, and settings.

14. Programming source files, compiled files, and documentation. Provide on the electronic drives.

15. Photographs of installed system to include wide shots and close-ups of all equipment. The photographs shall be of a quantity and quality to document the installation and allow a service technician to remotely talk a park employee through initial troubleshooting. The contractor shall ensure all photos are relevant and good quality to document the system. Provide on the electronic drives.

16. The final approved audio description script as Microsoft Word and as an accessible pdf.

for projects of similar scope Key Personnel – please provide resumes for key personnel to demonstrate experience in work relevant and similar to this requirement

IV. INVOICING

Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements - Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)

Payment requests must be submitted electronically through the U. S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP).

"Payment request" means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment by the Contractor. To constitute a proper invoice, the payment request must comply with the requirements identified in the applicable Prompt Payment clause included in the contract, or the clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items included in commercial item contracts. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov.

Under this contract, the following documents are required to be submitted as an attachment to the IPP invoice: none

The Contractor must use the IPP website to register access and use IPP for submitting requests for payment. The Contractor Government Business Point of Contact (as listed in SAM) will receive enrollment instructions via email from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (FRBB) within 3 - 5 business days of the contract award date. Contractor assistance with enrollment can be obtained by contacting the IPP Production Helpdesk via email ippgroup@bos.frb.org or phone (866) 973-3131.

If the Contractor is unable to comply with the requirement to use IPP for submitting invoices for payment, the Contractor must submit a waiver request in writing to the Contracting Officer with its proposal or quotation.

(End of Local Clause)

V. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The NPS anticipates a period of performance period starting in September 2022 and ending August 31, 2023 to include final review and approval.

VI. REVIEW AND APPROVAL

The COR shall notify the contractor, in writing, of approval or rejection of each deliverable within 15 calendar days. Any additions or corrections shall be completed and returned to the government within 15 calendar days.

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

VII. CONTRACT TYPE

The NPS anticipates awarding a firm fixed price contract.

VIII. TRAVEL

In accordance with Public Law 99-234, "Federal Civilian Employee and Contractor Travel Expense Act of 1985", travel-related expenditures for Contractor's personnel are restricted to the limits established for federal employees. This includes mileage for company-owned vehicles.

The Contractor shall travel as required to support program tasks. All travel arrangements are to be made by the Contractor. Payment for transportation, per diem, mileage, parking, and other fair and reasonable travel expenses will be paid in accordance with the effective

Federal Travel Regulations as amended and supplemented by the Department of the Interior travel regulations where applicable. No Federal travel authorizations are to be issued. The Contractor shall make every effort to keep travel costs to a minimum. No reimbursement will be made for parking at a Contractor's normal place of work. No overhead, profit or G&A shall be allowed on travel costs.

Travel costs shall be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations. Travel is only funded to the extent specified within the travel CLIN. The contractor shall not incur any travel costs in excess of the amount funded within the travel CLIN. The Government shall not be liable for any travel related costs incurred by the contractor which are in excess of the total amount funded within the travel CLIN.

If the contractor has reason to believe they may exceed the amount funded on the travel CLIN, they shall notify the Government Contracting Office immediately. Additional funding may only be added to the travel CLIN through a formal signed modification issued by a Government Contracting Officer. Profit, fee, G&A or overhead may not be incurred on travel costs.

IX. DELIVERABLES AND DESTINATION POINT

All deliverables shall be shipped Free On Board (FOB) Destination, within Consignee’s premises, with all shipping and transportation costs prepaid. Deliverables shall be shipped by either registered or certified mail to ensure that shipments can be traced, if lost.

The contractor shall furnish the following deliverables:

A. COR Deliverables:

1. Post award trip report.

2. Audio Description Script, drafts as required and final.

3. Populated Spreadsheets for acceptance and upload.

4. Equipment specification sheets for acceptance.

5. Closeout package which includes photographs of installation, operations manuals, and equipment manuals.

Delivery Address:

National Park Service Independence National Historical Park Attn: Bill Caughlan 143 S. 3rd Street Philadelphia, PA 19106

Delivery and Installation:

Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial 301 Pine Street Philadelphia, PA 19106

X. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY

Not applicable.

XI. CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORTING SYSTEM

Not applicable.

XII. ADDITIONAL WORK

Any additional work not detailed in this contract shall be approved, in writing, by the Contracting Officer via a bilateral modification.

XIII. LOSS OR DAMAGE

The contractor shall be liable for any loss or damage to any government property caused by negligence, theft, or willful misconduct of the contractor, his agents, servants, and employees, and shall indemnify and save the government harmless against all actions, proceedings, claims, demands, costs, damages, and expenses, including attorney’s fees, by reason of any suit or action brought for any actual or alleged injury to or resulting from the performance of this contract. The contractor shall submit a full written report to the Contracting Officer within 24 hours following the occurrence of such damage, loss, or injury.

If due to fault, neglect, dishonesty of the contractor, his agency or employees, loss or damage to government property is incurred during the performance of this contract, the contractor shall be responsible for same. The government, at its option, may in lieu of repayment, require the contractor to replace at his own expense, all such property as directed by the Contracting Officer. Until the equipment is repaired or replaced, the contractor shall furnish similar, adequate replacement property and/or equipment at no charge to the government, within two working days of the date the equipment has been lost, stolen, or damaged.

XIV. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

Contract Specialist: Debbie Coles 540-677-0325 Debbie_Coles@nps.gov Contracting Officer: Jody Auerbach 267-528-1416 Jody_Auerbach@nps.gov A. The contractor shall use the Contracting Officer as a point of contact on all business and administrative matters concerning this contract. All correspondence, other than that of a technical nature, shall be addressed to the Contracting Officer, with information copies of the basic correspondence to the COR.

B. The National Park Service, COR address is: National Park Service, Independence NHP, Attn: Bill Caughlan, 143 S.3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19026.

The contractor shall use the COR as the point of contact for all technical matters under the contract. Technical correspondence shall be addressed to the NPS COR, with an information copy of the basic correspondence to the Contracting Officer.

Action may include but is not limited to:

A. Placing all work into satisfactory condition;

B. Making good all damages to equipment, the site, the building, or contents thereof, that have resulted from such unsatisfactory work; and

XVII. SITE VISITS

The contractor shall be responsible for all travel necessary to address the project needs. The contractor shall meet with the COR or their designated representative, be oriented to the site, review available documents and drawings, and meet with park staff.

A. Travel to Site

XVIII TECHNICAL DATA CONFIDENTIALITY

The quote submitted in response to this Request for Quote may contain technical data that the offeror or his subcontractor (s) does not want used or disclosed for any purpose other than for evaluation of the quote. The use and disclosure of any such technical data may be restricted, provided that the offeror marks the cover sheet of the quote with the following legend:

“Technical data contained in pages _______ of this quote shall not be used or disclosed, except for evaluation purposes.”

If a contract is awarded as a result of or in connection with the submission of this quote, the government shall have the right to use or disclose this technical data to the extent provided in the contract. This restriction does not limit the government’s right to use or disclose technical data obtained from another source without restrictions. The government assumes no liability for disclosure or use of unmarked technical data and may use or disclose the data for any purpose and may consider that the quote was not submitted in confidence and therefore releasable under the Freedom of Information Act (5 USC 552).

XIX. LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

XX. PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Upon completion and acceptance of all work, the contractor shall be paid a firm-fixed price of $______ in accordance with the following schedule:

a. Upon completion and acceptance of the post award site visit report, populated spreadsheets, and floorplan drawings that show beacon locations: 65%

b. Upon completion, inspection, and acceptance of the complete and working audio description tour system at the park: 25%

c. Upon completion and acceptance of the As-Built drawings, closeout documentation, all programming files, and any project-specific software and/or encoding/security devices required to modify, read, or compile control programming and/or device configurations: 10%

· Contractor shall propose.

· Payments shall be whole dollar amounts, without cents.

· No two payments shall be for the same amount.