TOC-RFP-21-01_Conservation_of_Historic_Documents-070620.pdf

1 | P a g e Chelmsford Conservation of Historic Documents BID# 21-01 07/06/20

TOWN OF CHELMSFORD

TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE

CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC DOCUMENTS:

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

BID#: 21-01

Pre-Bid Meeting: July 15, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.

Bid Opening Date: July 22, 2020 at 12:00 p.m.

Prepared By:

Assistant Town Manager Michael McCall

Town Offices

50 Billerica Road

Chelmsford, MA 01824

TOWN CLERK TRICIA DZURIS

JULY 6, 2020

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LEGAL NOTICE

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Overview

2. Bid Documents Available

3. Pre-Bid Conference

4. Questions

5. Addenda

HOW TO SUBMIT A BID

6. Bid Submittal

7. Estimated Quantities

8. Compliance with RFP

9. Form of Bid

10. Required Bid Documents

11. Modifications to Bids

12. Bid Opening

AWARD AND CONTRACT

13. Rule of Award

14. Tie Breaker

15. Timeframe for Award

16. Reserved Rights

17. Contract

BIDDER PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

18. Performance Capabilities

19. Experience

20. References

21. Subcontractors

PRODUCT AND PERFORMANCE TERMS

22. Quality Minimum Requirements

23. “Or Equal”

24. Warranty

25. Method of Acquisition

26. Delivery

27. Returns

28. Invoicing

29. Payment

APPENDIX A – PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

EVALUATIVE CRITERIA

FORM A - GENERAL BID FORM

FORM B - STATEMENT OF COMPETENCY

FORM C - BID PRICE FORM

FORM D - CONTRACT

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LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

TOWN OF CHELMSFORD

CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC DOCUMENTS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Town of Chelmsford is seeking proposals for the services of Conservation of Historic Documents. Proposals submitted pursuant to the RFP will be received by mail or delivery to the Town Manager’s Office, Town Offices, 50 Billerica Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 until 12:00 PM on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at which time and place they will be publicly opened.

All proposals shall be enclosed in an envelope, addressed to Assistant Town Manager Michael McCall, which is clearly marked: “BID #21-01 Conservation of Historic Documents.” Separate Price and Non-Price Proposals pursuant to M.G.L c.30B s.6 are required.

RFP documents will be available starting at 12:00 pm on July 6, 2020 at the Town Manager’s Office weekdays from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and from the Town of Chelmsford’s website:

www.chelmsfordma.gov The Town reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.

Advertisements placed as follows:

Newspaper Published: MON, July 6, 2020

Goods and Services Published: MON, July 6, 2020

Town Posting Posted: MON, July 6, 2020

COMMBUYS Posted: MON, July 6, 2020 http://wwwwww.chelmsfordma.gov/

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GENERAL INFORMATION

1. OVERVIEW

This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the Town of Chelmsford to secure the provision of goods and/or services.

The Town of Chelmsford seeks bids for the Conservation of Historic Documents to be provided to the Chelmsford Town Office Building, 50 Billerica Road, Chelmsford, MA, 01824.

2. BID DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE

Bid documents will be made available beginning 12:00PM, MON, JULY 6, 2020 through the following means:

By submitting a request for #21-01 and providing the prospective bidder’s Contact Person Name, Company Name, Address, City, Zip, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address through one of the following means:

1. By submitting a request for #21-01 through the Town’s website http://www.chelmsfordma.gov/bids.aspx and clicking on

“Current Open Bids” and completing the request for bid documents.

2. By e-mail to mmccall@chelmsfordma.gov

3. By phone to Michael McCall (978) 250-5200. In order to request by phone you must speak to a live person.

Voice mail requests will not be considered official requests.

4. By going to Chelmsford Town Office Building, Assistant Town Manager’s Office. Open M, Th, W, and F

8:30am-4:30pm; Tues 8:30am – 7:00 pm; Fri 8:30am – 1:00 pm.

Bid documents will be e-mailed unless delivery via U.S. Mail if specified by the requester.

3. PRE-BID CONFERENCE

There will be a mandatory Pre-Bid Conference on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 10:00 AM in Room 205 at the Town Offices, 50 Billerica Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 in order to review documents. Sample materials will be made available for contractors to view materials for which treatment plans are sought and for which price proposals must be submitted. While the Town of Chelmsford does not anticipate requiring oral presentations or site visits, it reserves the right to do so, in person or by telephone. The Town will only accept proposals from those respondents who attend the pre-bid conference. Questions from bidders received at the pre-bid conference will be issued as written addenda.

4. QUESTIONS

Direct all inquiries to Michael McCall via one of the methods listed above. No inquiries will be accepted within two days prior to the bid opening. Responses to inquiries that affect all bidders will be issued as addenda. Nonbidding parties will not be issued addenda without a public records request for the addenda after the addenda is issued and should not distribute this for use as an official bid document, only the Town will issue official bid documents. Note: We do not distribute “official” documents to non-bidders nor do we advertise outside of the newspaper and

Government Required Central Register/Goods and Service Bulletins.

5. ADDENDA

Written addenda issued by the Town of Chelmsford will be e-mailed or faxed to all parties that the Town of Chelmsford is aware have requested documents as necessary using the contact information provided to the Town of Chelmsford. Absence of “failure” messages electronically http://www.chelmsfordma.gov/bids.aspx mailto:mmccall@chelmsfordma.gov

5 | P a g e Chelmsford Conservation of Historic Documents BID# 21-01 07/06/20 transmitted from addressee’s site will serve as confirmation of delivery of addenda. Bidders should contact Michael McCall via e-mail, phone, or fax if they believe an addendum has not been received. Addenda will also be posted at the Town Office Building which will be the responsibility of all parties to review.

HOW TO SUBMIT A BID

6. BID SUBMITTAL

Separate Price and Non-Price Proposals must be in sealed envelopes and clearly marked:

“Conservation of Historic Documents Contract #21-01 Price Proposal” and

“Conservation of Historic Documents Contract #21-01 Non-Price Proposal”.

Bids must be signed as follows:

If the bidder is an individual, by her/him personally;

If the bidder is a partnership, by the name of the partnership, followed by the signature of each general partner;

and

If the bidder is a corporation, by the name of the corporation, followed by the signature of an authorized officer, whose signature must be attested to by the Clerk/Secretary of the corporation with the corporate seal affixed.

7. ESTIMATED QUANTITIES

Quantities and delivery and installation sites are cited on the Bid Price Form.

8. COMPLIANCE WITH RFP

Bidders must comply with all requirements of this RFP in order to be eligible for contract award.

Minor informalities will be waived or the bidder will be allowed to correct them. If a mistake in a bid is evident and the intended bid is clear on the face of the Bid Price Form, the mistake will be corrected to reflect the intended correct bid and the bidder will be notified in writing. The bidder may not withdraw such a bid. The Town of Chelmsford may reject, or a bidder may withdraw a bid if a mistake is clearly evident on the face of the Bid Price Form, yet the intended correct bid is not similarly evident.

NOTE:

Any proposal which fails to include the information or documentation specified in the proposal submission requirements will be considered nonresponsive, shall be rejected and shall not be evaluated further.

Any proposal which includes information on the Non-Price Proposal forms that does not meet minimum specifications for the information required on the form will be considered non-responsible, shall be eliminated from the competition and shall not be evaluated further.

9. FORM OF BID

Bids must be submitted on the Bid Price Forms provided and must contain all the required enclosures itemized in Section 10 below.

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10. REQUIRED BID DOCUMENTS

All bids are required to contain the following forms fully completed and signed:

General Bid Form (Form A)

Statement of Competency -- with list of references (Form B)

Bid Price Form (Form C)

A fully executed and signed Contract (Form D)

W9

11. MODIFICATIONS TO BIDS

A bidder may correct, modify, or withdraw a bid by written notice received by the Town of

Chelmsford not later than the close of business on the day before the bid opening. Bid modifications must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly labeled “Modification No. .” Each modification must be numbered in sequence, must reference the original RFP and must be signed by the same person who signed the General Bid Form or a surrogate so authorized in writing.

After the bid opening, a bidder may not change any provision of the bid in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Town of Chelmsford or fair competition as determined by the Town of

Chelmsford.

12. BID OPENING

Sealed bids will be accepted at The Town of Chelmsford, Assistant Town Manager, 50 Billerica

Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 until 12:00PM as read on the date stamp in the Assistant Town

Manager’s Office of the Town Office Building on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. RFPs will be opened privately and evaluated. Price Proposals are opened privately after proposal evaluations.

Unforeseeable Deterrents - If at the time of the scheduled bid opening, the designated site is unavailable due to circumstances beyond the control of the Town of Chelmsford, the bid opening will be automatically postponed (with or without notice to potential bidders) until 12:00 Noon at the same location on the next normal business day. In the event the same location cannot be used to accommodate a postponement, the bid opening will be formally postponed with notification to all parties provided bid documents by the Town of Chelmsford. Bids will be accepted until any postponement time.

AWARD AND CONTRACT

13. RULE OF AWARD

An award will be made as follows:

An award will be made to the lowest, responsive, and responsible bidder offering the most advantageous proposal for the goods and/or services that are the subject of this RFP (subject to the Town’s budget appropriation).

14. TIE BREAKER

In the event of a tie, the top bidders may be subject to an additional interview phase.

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15. TIMEFRAME FOR AWARD

All bid prices submitted in response to this RFP must remain firm for 30 (thirty) days following the bid opening or until a contract is executed, whichever occurs first.

16. RESERVED RIGHTS

The Town of Chelmsford reserves the right to:

1. Cancel this RFP at any time, with or without notice to prospective bidders. Reasonable efforts will be made to give timely notice.

2. Accept or reject, in whole or in part, any and all bids as permitted by law.

3. Award contracts as it deems best serves the interests of the Town of Chelmsford.

4. Waive or adjust non-statutory bid requirements before or after bids are opened in whatever ways it deems best serves the interests of the Town of Chelmsford, while also being non-prejudicial to the interests of fair competition.

17. CONTRACT

A signed contract will result from this RFP, and will remain in effect for 3 years with the option to extend an additional 2 years or until the purpose of the contract is fully realized.

While the contract is in effect, the Assistant Town Manager acting on behalf of the Town of

Chelmsford may continue to place orders for the awarded items at the original bid price. The contract term may be extended an additional two years, if circumstances warrant such an extension.

BIDDER PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

18. PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES

Bidders must be capable of providing the specified goods and services on schedule, in working order, in an intact and undamaged condition, and providing any support services in a professional and workmanlike manner. Time of performance is critical to this RFP. Bidders must reassure the

Town of Chelmsford of their capacity to perform within the timeframe set out in this RFP.

19. EXPERIENCE

Bidders must demonstrate competency in the business of providing the goods and/or services specified in this RFP by conformance with the following criteria:

Bidders must be authorized conservators of Historic Documents.

In business for a minimum of 3 years.

Provision of the specified goods/and or services is consistent with normal lines of business.

Incorporated to do business in Massachusetts.

Receive favorable ratings from references.

Vendor shall demonstrate that the products and services offered are the requested specifications.

Bidders that do not meet these minimum qualifications will not be considered.

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20. REFERENCES

Bidders must provide a list of all the responses for historic document conservation services made in the last three years with a monetary value of one hundred thousand or more. Any omission will be considered grounds to invalidate the proposer’s bid. Use a separate sheet(s) clearly marked “REFERENCES” to provide the following information for each reference.

1. Customer Name

2. Years as a customer

3. Street

4. City, State, Zip

5. Contact Person

6. Telephone number

21. SUBCONTRACTORS

No sub-contractors will be needed for this job.

Poor references may be used as a basis for determining that a VENDOR is not a responsible bidder. The Town of Chelmsford can and will act as its own reference.

PRODUCT AND PERFORMANCE TERMS

22. QUALITY MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Provide at least five references from public entities and 3 private/non-profit references that have recently been provided services by your firm within the past 3 years.

All work must be performed on-site at Contractor facility.

Contractor facility must be situated in the continental U.S., and to support contractor and

Town communication and quality service, facility must be readily accessible from major highway and within distance to support round-trip on-site visit by representative from

Town with one work-day.

Contractor must have capability to provide infrared digital imaging for creation of exhibition quality archival surrogate of original materials.

Contractor must meet requirements per Appendix ‘A’ specifications document.

23. “OR EQUAL”

An item at least equal to one or more that are named or described in the Specifications may be offered by a Bidder.

The naming of any commercial name, trademark, or other identification shall not be construed to exclude any item or manufacturer not mentioned by name or as limiting competition, but shall establish a standard of quality only. An item equal to one or more that are named or described in the Specifications may be offered by a vendor. An item shall be considered equal to the item so named or described if (1) it is at least equal in quality, durability, appearance, strength and design,

(2) it will perform at least equally the function imposed by the general design for the use intended, and (3) it conforms substantially to the requirements of the specifications with only minor deviations immaterial to the requirements of the preceding conditions (1) and (2). The name and manufacturer’s published product specifications establishing product equality must accompany “Or Equal” Bids. Acceptance of “Or Equal” Bids shall be at the sole discretion of The

Town of Chelmsford whose decision shall be final.

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24. WARRANTY

Bidder is required to provide a manufacturer warranty on all purchased parts.

25. METHOD OF ACQUISITION

All purchases shall be outright purchases. Leases, lease-purchases and credit-based purchases are specifically not authorized.

The Town of Chelmsford will issue purchase orders on behalf of the Town of Chelmsford, as well as any and all other Town of Chelmsford Departments if they deem the contract useable.

26. DELIVERY

All goods and/or services must be delivered per the Town of Chelmsford “Ship To” instructions

(those instructions will be given by the corresponding department during the award process).

All deliveries must be signed for by a properly authorized person at the “Ship To” address on the purchase order. Vendors will not be paid for deliveries left without proper signatures.

27. RETURNS

Selected vendor(s) shall unconditionally accept and pick-up or ship, at the vendor’s expense, any and all items found to be damaged or not in compliance with the specifications, model numbers, descriptions or other representations upon which a contract is awarded. Returns shall be promptly credited. Cash returns shall not be tendered.

28. INVOICING

Selected Vendors must direct all invoices to the Department being billed as well as:

Town of Chelmsford

Attn: Patricia E. Dzuris, Town Clerk

50 Billerica Road

Chelmsford, MA 01824

The Town of Chelmsford is tax-exempt. Sales taxes and finance charges will not be paid.

Invoices must contain, or be accompanied by, the following information:

The Town of Chelmsford Purchase Order number

The Town of Chelmsford Contract Number

Department that was Serviced

Contact that Ordered the Service

Item Number and Description

Unit Price per Vendor’s bid

Extended Price

Total Price

Total Amount Payable

Drop-ship Address

Delivery Date

Certified Payroll Report (for Prevailing Wage Jobs)

Record of Receiver’s Sign-off

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29. PAYMENT

The goods and/or services procured through this RFP are funded by the Town of Chelmsford on an indirect payment basis. All services applicable to prevailing wage must pay prevailing wage and send certified payroll reports with each invoice. The Town of Chelmsford will make payment to Vendors upon receipt of funding from the Town Accountant, which normally occurs within 60 days of delivery of a payment request to the Town Accountant. The Town of Chelmsford will make all necessary effort to expedite payment cycles. The Town of Chelmsford will not be liable for slow payment cycles.

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APPENDIX A – PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

GENERAL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The following specifications are for Conservation of Historic Documents with the Town, Office of the

Town Clerk, and all other applicable departments.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Town Clerk and municipal archives, on behalf of the Town of Chelmsford, has many historic documents and materials that need to be archived and preserved. As part of the Town’s ongoing effort to have these documents preserved, the Town Clerk’s Office is seeking qualified proposals to provide preservation, conservation and digitization of historic document services. The Town estimates the guaranteed, three-year contract value not to exceed $450,000.

Standards and Specifications

A. Specifications for Conservation Imaging:

If digital documentation is provided, the format shall be TIFF and pdf files and labeled with the same information as for film-based documentation. The images shall be submitted on archival-quality

DVDs and/or external hard drives that are checked for complete retrieval of all information.

Archived Digital Images

Color photos and documents:

Should be photographed at minimum 600 dpi for archival purposes.

Color space should be sRGB, at least 24 bit truecolor. 8 bits per channel is preferred.

Archival files should be in TIFF format, encoded with no compression or (where available) a lossless compression algorithm.

Black and white documents with gray tones, or black and white photos:

Should be photographed at a minimum of 600 dpi.

Color space should be grayscale. RGB is acceptable, but contributes nothing to pure grayscale images and only increases file size.’

Archival files should be in TIFF format, encoded with no compression or (where available) a lossless compression algorithm.

Black and white documents with pure text:

Should be photographed at a minimum of 400 dpi.

Color space should be 2 bit color (black and white), but should be converted to grayscale if the documents are to be digitally resized.

TIFF format for archived images.

Additional Considerations - the 3,000-pixel rule

Photographs at resolutions much higher than 600dpi may be required if the document is small in physical size.

All digitized documents should be photographed such that at least one dimension of the visible area of the document (width or height) is comprised of a minimum of 3,000 pixels each.

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If a photograph at 600 dpi does not meet this minimum, then the resolution should be increased and the document re-scanned accordingly. It is not acceptable under any circumstances to artificially increase the dpi by resampling the image. The original photograph must meet the 3,000 pixel minimum.

Extraneous image information (such as a calibration strip, record labels, or any part of the image that does not directly pertain to the document itself) should not be included in this calculation. Measurements should be made using only the visible area of the document.

Example: A 3”x4” color photograph digitized at 600 dpi will render an image that is 1800 x 2400 pixels. As the width does not meet the minimum, a 600dpi image will be unacceptable. The image, should be increased to 800 dpi to render a 2400 x 3200 pixel image, and thus bring the image to an acceptable level of detail.

On the other hand, an 8.5”xll” sheet of paper with black and white text will scan acceptably at 400dpi, rendering a 3400 x 4400 pixel image.

Web Presentation Images

Separate web images should be created from the archival images for access by users. These web images, while lower in image quality, will be presentable on a user’s screen and can be quickly downloaded.

Resolution of web images will be reduced to screen resolution, usually 72-150 dpi, or will be, at the same resolution as the master image but accompanied by a “page-turner” interface that allows a user to zoom in and out of the document as needed.

Such page-turner formats can also be used for multiple-page documents, such as Adobe Acrobat.

Links to any necessary plug-ins should be offered on the same page as the displayed documents so that users may easily download them.

Alternately, jpg format can be used to display individual images. If the digital document has multiple pages and jpg format is used, an interface will need to be created that allows the user to “turn” the pages of the document, displaying the next or previous page of the document as the user requests it.

GIF format can also be used for icons and smaller images, but the color space of each image will be dropped to 8 bits (256 colors maximum).

B. Standards for Preservation Photocopying

Library of Congress Standards (http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/photocpy.html)

Preservation photocopying shall be in accordance with the American Library Association’s

Guidelines for Preservation Photocopying.

By using dedicated photocopying machines along with permanent and durable paper, preservation -photocopying makes long-lasting replacement copies of deteriorating, damaged, or non-circulating documents and printed materials. The quality of a photocopy depends on the paper used, the machine making the copy, the expertise of the machine operator, the imaging materials adhering to the paper, the quality of the original image, and the completeness of the item.

http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/photocpy.html

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SCOPE OF SERVICES

The successful firm shall provide all minimum criteria and the most advantageous evaluative criteria to the Assistant Town Manager’s Office in the form of a proposal. This includes answering all attached questions, evaluative criteria, and providing in depth answers in order to assure the Town you meet or exceed the needs of the project. Such answers shall constitute the non-price proposal.

This contract does not limit the Town of Chelmsford to this vendor for these services and the Town of

Chelmsford shall, at its sole discretion chose to award similar scope projects and requests for services to other vendors, outside of this agreement if necessary to fulfill a growing program over time.

Required Questions: Responses to this RFP must address each of the following requests in the order indicated.

1. Describe the approach and plans your firm shall take to accomplish the work required by this RFP.

Explain the overall technical approach and plans to meet the requirements of the RFP in a narrative format. This narrative must convince the Town of Chelmsford that the contractor understands the objectives the contract is intended to meet, the nature of the required work and the level of effort necessary to successfully complete the contract. Mere reiterations of RFP tasks and subtasks are strongly discouraged. To be successful, a vendor must convey an understanding of the unique technical requirements surrounding conservation of historic documents including transportation, security and access. Because the Town will accept proposals to do portions of the work, this is the place where the contractor must identify the portions of the scope of work on which they are bidding.

The contractor must complete and submit Non-price proposal.

2. Document your firm’s experience in providing Historic Document Conservation services.

Provide an executive summary identifying and substantiating the basis of your contention that your firm is qualified to provide the RFP requested services.

Document your firm’s experience in the services identified in the scope of work.

Document your firm’s compliance with the standards identified in the scope of work.

3. Provide a staffing plan listing those persons to be assigned to the contract if your firm is selected.

This portion of the submission must include relevant resume information for all persons to be assigned to perform conservation treatment services under the contract. This information should include, at a minimum, a description of the person’s relevant professional experience, years and type of experience, and number of years with the firm.

4. Provide a description of resources of the firm (i.e., background, location, experience, staff resources, financial resources, other resources, etc.).

5. Provide at least three references from public entities and 3 private/non-profit references that have recently been provided services by your firm within the past 3 years.

6. If your firm has been engaged in any litigation involving a sum of $100,000 or more or, subject to

14 | P a g e Chelmsford Conservation of Historic Documents BID# 21-01 07/06/20 any professional disciplinary action over the last three years, you must provide a description of the litigation or disciplinary action. Also, provide a description of any ongoing investigations or litigation matters involving your firm, its directors, officers and principals and any individuals employed by the firm since January 1, 2008.

7. Provide the name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the individual or individuals responsible for the preparation of your firm’s submission who may be contacted in the event of questions.

8. Indicate the location where services will be performed. You must document the ability to provide responsive service from the identified location. A contractor may specify a geographic service area.

TERM

The Town reserves the right to enter into an annual contract with the selected firm, renewable, to provide services as described herein. The initial term of the agreement shall be from September 1, 2020 through

August 31, 2023, with the option for two (2) one (1) year contract extensions to end on August 31, 2025 at the Town’s sole discretion.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

The “work” shall consist of historic document conservation, preservation and digitization services in harmony with the Town of Chelmsford and all departments.

The Town of Chelmsford is seeking qualified contractors to provide a full range of historic document conservation and preservation services for the Town. Services will be requested for a projected 3 years to complete the document conservation and preservation project for which Community Preservation Act funding has been approved. Due to the nature of the documents involved, the contractor must, itself, operate the facility at which conservation treatment and preservation digital camera and infrared imaging services are performed. To support contractor/town communication and high-quality service, facility must be readily accessible from major highway and within distance to support round-trip visit by representatives from the Town within one work-day.

Description of Services - The contractor shall perform the following services for the Town of

Chelmsford:

Provide appropriate written and photographic documentation of the examination and treatment;

Develop a treatment plan;

Perform conservation treatment and preservation digital camera and infrared imaging of the documents at one facility;

Rehouse the documents;

Provide superior care for the documents during processing and while on site;

Provide preservation photocopying when identified;

Provide indexing of digital records.

Provide digital storage media as requested, including archival DVD and other portable storage hardware

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All services must comply with the terms established within this document and meet the approval of the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The contractor shall at all times follow the Code of Ethics and

Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC).

Restoration, conservation, and preservation services of these records may include:

Any information pertinent to the identification of the volume

Deacidification using aqueous calcium carbonate or ‘Bookkeeper’ non-aqueous deacidifier

Mending and reinforcement of paper, with Japanese tissue, as necessary.

Replacement or repair of index tabs, as necessary.

Re-sewing, with linen thread, as necessary.

Rebinding with goatskin using acid-free materials and reversible adhesives.

Encapsulation with Melinex 516 polyester film, using custom post binders, where appropriate.

Removal of all pressure-sensitive materials.

Use of reversible adhesives.

Microfilming, digitizing and indexing materials for archiving.

Volume of Records and Materials: Some records are in bound volumes; others loose manuscripts or paper records. Records are in varying states of decay and condition. Most are from the middle-to-late 1800’s, others are from the early 1700’s or 1900’s and still others are from more recent times.

Below are samples of items for which conservation, preservation, digital imaging (including infrared if deemed necessary), are sought. , proposal for treatment is to be provided, and estimated costs to be listed in price-proposal:

Sample Description Notes

1 Births, Marriages, Deaths 1843-1870 bound volume

2 Marriages 1854-1886 bound volume

3 General Records 1801-1804, Vol. 15 bound volume

4 Overseers of Poor 1817-1849 bound volume

5 General Record of Taxes H, 1762-1770 bound volume

6 General Record of Taxes I, 1770-1779 bound volume

7 General Record of Taxes N, 1778-1782 bound volume

8 General Record of Taxes L, 1781-1789 bound volume

9 General Record of Taxes, 1782-1787 bound volume

10 Returns of Deaths 1893-1898 Bound volume

The Town of Chelmsford reserves the right to contract with selected contractor for any or all items in possession of the Town deemed within the expertise of selected contractor. A contract shall be awarded for up to a period of 3 years, with an option for annual renewal for an additional 2 years total, during which time the contractor shall be requested to provide proposals for treatment of items to be identified. Priority will be determined based upon cost and preferred groupings according to available funding

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Documentation - The contractor shall produce accurate and complete written documentation of the examination and treatment of the collection. The contractor shall also photographically document the treatment process. Documentation shall include:

Written documentation of any examination or testing completed by the contractor;

A written treatment plan;

Written documentation of the treatment methods and materials, including proprietary information, and the nature and extent of all alterations. The Town of Chelmsford will make every effort to maintain the confidentiality of “proprietary” information;

Selective photographic documentation, including digital images, of before-and after-treatment condition and work-in-progress.

Except as specifically agreed by the parties (primarily regarding the extent of photo documentation), the level of all documentation shall meet the standards set in commentaries 24-27 of the “Commentaries to the

Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.”

All documentation shall be completed, or closely supervised by a paper or book conservator (as appropriate to the nature of the item[s] being treated).

Treatment

The contractor shall conduct a thorough examination of the collection, which shall support the proposed treatment process.

The contractor shall perform appropriate conservation treatment.

The contractor shall use materials and methods that are consistent with currently accepted practice and meet all criteria listed in “Commentaries to the Guidelines for Practice of the AIC” Commentary 22—

Materials and Methods: Minimum Accepted Practice.

The Town of Chelmsford, Assistant Town Manager’s Office staff, shall approve all treatment plans, based upon accepted proposal and any changes agreed upon, before any treatment is begun. The Town of

Chelmsford reserves the right to reject a proposed treatment plan or any part thereof.

All aspects of the conservation treatment of the collection shall be completed or closely supervised by a paper or book conservator (as appropriate to the nature of the item[s] being treated).

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Rehousing

If warranted by their condition, leaves shall be encapsulated or housed in polyester L-sleeves, using

2-3 mil thick polyester. The contractor must use polyester equivalent to Melinex 516. Only ultrasonic welders or heat welders shall be used for encapsulation; tape encapsulation and other methods are not acceptable. The treatment plan, submitted after the contractor’s examination of the materials, shall specify how the vendor will decide which items warrant polyester protection and whether to encapsulate the leaves or sleeve them.

If specified by the Town of Chelmsford, documents shall be placed in new alkaline-buffered, low

- lignin paper folders having a pH of approximately 8.5 and being 10 pt. in thickness and of an appropriate size to protect the documents.

If specified by the Town of Chelmsford, bound volumes shall be placed in a phase box, clamshell box, or other appropriate box constructed of alkaline/inert materials. A conservation technician may complete rehousing activities.

Preservation Photocopying and Digital Camera Imaging

Reformatting and retiring historic records is most frequently the best and most cost effective means of preservation. It is often most efficient and appropriate to reformat during the treatment and stabilization process. Infrared imaging capabilities shall be used when warranted to provide for creation of archival surrogate in digital or hard copy as needed. Preservation photocopying, imaging is to be done in accordance with the procedures outlined in this document.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Definitions rely on publicly available information from the Conservation Center for Art and Historical Artifacts, the Library of Congress, the Northeast Document Conservation Center, the

Online Computer Library Center and the Society of American Archivists.

Service Definition

Addition of Archival Endpapers Replacing or adding endpapers (front and back papers of book) using either the original papers or archival quality paper as directed by client.

Archival Backing Attachment of supporting paper to one-sided items.

Binding - Cloth Attaching cover boards and covers.

Binding - Leather Attaching cover boards and covers.

Binding - Paper Attaching cover boards and covers.

Cleaning/consolidating/oiling leather Repair of leather covers.

Collation verification Verification that volume is bound in proper order (may include addition of penciled collation in cases where disbound volume has no collation or inconsistent collation.)

Condition Reports Written description of the materials to be conserved, -structure and method of fabrication of the item as well as a description of physical damage, chemical deterioration or previous repairs.

Cover Repair Repairing original covers using archivally sound material and techniques.

Custom Polyester Dust Jackets Fashioning’ custom-fit book covers made of inert polyester.

Deacidification Aqueous Treatment Use of water to add an alkaline agent to paper in order to raise its pH level.

This includes media testing prior to treatment

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Deacidification - Non-aqueous treatment Treatment used to increase pH level of materials that cannot be immersed in water [such as methyl-magnesium carbonate (Wei ‘To) or precipitated magnesium oxide in an organic solvent (Book Keeper)]. This includes media testing prior to treatment.

Disbinding Reducing a sewn book to loose sections, or in the case of adhesives binding, to loose leaves by removing entire cover, the endpapers, the headbands, the lining on the spine and thread.

Final Treatment Report Written report outlining actual methods ‘and materials used in treatment of material.

Flattening A conservation treatment to remove curls, creases, or cockles from a document to return it to its original, flat condition.

Hinge Repair Service Repair of area on the inside of a volume were the book block is attached to the book cover

Humidification A treatment to restore pliability and flatten documents by placing them in a chamber where they absorb moisture from the air.

Leaf-casting Filling holes or losses with inlays of Japanese paper pulp.

Mending Repair of tears and losses using Japanese tissue and wheat starch paste.

Mold Removal Removal of inactive mold residue.

On-premise microfilming prior to rebinding

Preservation microfilming according to archival standards (see attached

OCLC description).

Packaging Volumes and manuscripts are housed in archival containers and then boxed in custom-made corrugated packages to ensure safe shipment.

Photograph Cleaning Cleaning of B&W photographic prints (carbon print on coated paper).

Photograph Flattening Flattening of B&W photographic prints (carbon print on coated paper).

Photographic Documentation Traditional or digital photography documenting the condition of the material prior to conservation in the form of 35mm slides. -

Preservation Photocopying Photocopying of original materials using dedicated machines, permanent paper and tested inks as per standards formulated by the Library of Congress

(see attached).

Removal of damaging tape and other forms of adhesive repairs Removal of tapes and adhesives without damaging the document.

Removal of lamination Removal of lamination without harming the document.

Reordering and labeling Placing treated manuscripts into archival quality folders and clearly labeling as per client specifications.

Resewing Hand sewing of disbound leaves and signatures.

Resizing After wet treatments, adding a substance designed to resist penetration by ink and improve printability.

Rounding and Backing Rounding - shaping the sewn, glued spine of a book into a slight round.

Backing — fanning out the binding edge of signatures to distribute the swelling caused by sewing and providing a groove into which the boards of the case can fit.

Spine labeling — leather Hand tooling labels into leather binding.

Spine labeling — paper Labeling using archival quality paper.

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Stain Reduction Cleaning of stains by use of water baths, sodium borohydride or light bleaching

Staple and clip removal Removal of staples and paper clips according to standard conservation practices.

Surface Cleaning The process of cleaning undesirable, superficial dirt or grime from a document without liquids.

Transportation Material is picked up, and delivered by two staff members (this cannot be sub-contracted).

Treatment Documentation Labeling Label describing item condition before conservation, treatment and materials used, contractors name and year of treatment (used for repaired volumes).

Treatment Proposals Written report outlining options for correcting conservation problems, procedures used to correct problems, estimate of time needed to complete the treatment and a cost estimate.

Contractor’s Facilities

Security: While at the contractor’s facilities, all Town of Chelmsford property shall be stored in a secure area and protected from theft or damage, meeting, at minimum, the following standards.

The manuscripts shall be stored in a fire resistant room when not undergoing treatment, rehousing, or documentation; the room in which the material is stored shall be locked and alarmed during non-work hours. The fire resistant storage room shall have a rating of at least 3 hours of fire resistance.

The contractor facility shall be located within the continental U.S. with a preferred driving distance from Chelmsford that supports delivery and retrieval of items, frequent on-site conferencing, and/or immediate access should the retrieval of materials and information contained therein be desired or warranted; have locks on all doors and windows providing access to the facility, and a 24-hour electronic security system connected to and monitored by a central control station.

The contractor’s facilities shall be equipped with an automatic fire detection system that meets NFPA

72, National Fire Alarm Code and automatic sprinkler protection and/or portable fire extinguishers suitable for a Class A fire in accordance with NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers, or standpipe systems in accordance with NFPA 14, Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose

Systems.

Climate Control: The contractor shall provide climate control 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Temperature — the temperature of the storage/work area shall not exceed 70° F or fluctuate more than ± 2°F in any 24-hour period.

Humidity — the relative humidity of the storage/work area shall be within a range of 30-50%

RH and shall not fluctuate more than ±3% RH in any 24-hour period.

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Light — the collection shall be stored in enclosures that block out light. During treatment, the contractor shall protect the documents from overexposure to light, especially daylight and unfiltered fluorescent light.

Environmental data — the contractor shall continuously collect temperature and relative humidity data in the storage area using a hygrothermograph or datalogger. All data charts shall be available for review by the Town of Chelmsford throughout the life of the contract.

Should any deviation from these conditions arise, the contractor shall notify the Town of Chelmsford of the situation and immediately initiate corrective measures to insure the safety and stability of the collection.

Pest Monitoring and Control: The contractor shall have a routine pest-monitoring program in place that includes routine inspections of storage furniture and incoming collections. Other collections that show evidence of insect or other pest infestation must not be stored in the same area as the Town of

Chelmsford’s collection.

Containers and Storage Furniture: The contractor shall keep the collection stored in appropriate containers and storage furniture.

Additional Precautions: There shall be no smoking, eating, or drinking in areas in which Town of

Chelmsford documents are photographed, examined, treated, rehoused, or stored.

The contractor’s facilities shall be subject to inspection and approval by representatives of the Town of Chelmsford, before and at any time during the performance ‘of the service.

Transportation

Document Delivery & Return: The Town of Chelmsford shall pack the collection, using appropriate shipping containers and packaging methods, for pick-up by the contractor for transportation in a secure, clean, and climate controlled vehicle. Upon completion of the project, the contractor shall pack the collection for return to the Town of Chelmsford using appropriate shipping containers and packing methods. The contractor shall prepare and submit an inventory like the one described below for the return shipment(s). The Town of Chelmsford may provide transportation of the documents to and from the contractor when deemed necessary.

Transportation Security: The contractor shall provide detailed information regarding the procedures involved in transporting documents in secure vehicle to ensure safety, security and protection of materials.

Transport Inventory: The Town of Chelmsford’s staff shall prepare an inventory that lists each file or volume in the shipment. The contractor shall verify the list and acknowledge receipt by returning an annotated and signed copy of the inventory.

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Quality Control Requirements

Quality Control Procedures: A quality control program shall be initiated, documented, and maintained by the contractor throughout the life of this project. The quality control plan shall address all specifications and reporting requirements associated with each phase of the services beginning with receipt of the collection through the acceptance of the treated collection by the Town of

Chelmsford. The program shall include use of generally accepted treatment practices.

Acceptance of Deliverables: The Town of Chelmsford shall require three weeks after receipt for inspection of deliverables prior to notification of the contractor of acceptance or rejection. The following conditions shall be considered suitable grounds, but not necessarily the only grounds, for the rejection of the treatment:

Treatment does not adhere to approved treatment plan.

Treatment method and/or materials do not meet AIC Code of Ethics or Guidelines for

Practice Treatment is improperly executed.

Substandard Deliverables: If the Town of Chelmsford determines, that all or part of the treatment of the collection does not meet criteria outlined above, and elsewhere in this RFP the part that is considered sub-standard may be returned to the contractor for further/ameliorative treatment at the contractor’s expense. The Town of Chelmsford reserves the right to correct the work at the contractor’s expense. The Town of Chelmsford shall assume no additional costs. In the event the conservation services performed do not meet the satisfaction of the Town of Chelmsford, then the contractor shall assume all shipping, handling and transportation costs for the return of the materials.

Reporting Requirements

The contractor must submit the following reports during the course of the project:

A signed inventory per shipment, within two weeks of receipt

Examination report(s) and treatment plan(s) as agreed upon with The Town of Chelmsford to which staff will act upon within two weeks of receipt.

A brief monthly performance report that describes work accomplished and problems encountered, and identifies participating staff.

At completion of treatment, treatment report(s) as agreed upon.

At completion of treatment, before- and after-treatment photographs, and other photographs illustrating the course of treatment if required pursuant to page 16.

On return of collection to The Town of Chelmsford, return shipment inventory.

Completion

The contractor shall complete all document conservation, including documentation, by a date agreed upon by the parties for each project. If the contractor discovers they will not be able to complete the project as scheduled, they must provide written notice as to why this is and the anticipated date of completion and request approval from the Town of Chelmsford. A project is not complete until accepted by the Town of Chelmsford.

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Additional Questions A: Overall Treatment

Method of Performance: Submit completed ‘Questions A’ with Non-Price Proposal

Non-price proposal shall also include thorough responses to the questions identified below.

1. Describe a typical “course of treatment” for letter/legal-sized, 19th-century manuscripts on paper with iron gall ink.

2. How does the presence of iron gall ink lead you to change or modify your treatment of otherwise-similar documents? Explain.

3. Describe assessment methodology, when treating materials with ink faded almost beyond readability, used to identify conservation and preservation approach to be taken to enhance readability beyond original material, i.e., imaging options vs. treatment of original, and preferred methods used.

4. Which testing methods most significantly shape the treatment plan?

5. What materials are relied on most often for surface-cleaning?

6. What materials are relied on most often for use in mending?

7. What factors are evaluated when determining whether to mend individual tears/losses or to back the sheet?

8. Given the goals of this project, it may not be necessary to mend every small tear. What criteria would be used to determine which size and/or type of tears may not require mending?

9. Name preferred methods and materials used in backing:

10. Are “pulp fills” ‘available? If so, what criteria are used to choose between backing and pulp fills?

11. What…