Amendment_2_to_Digitization.docx

Amendment 2 to W91QF0-17-T-0002, Digitalization of Archival Materials.

The purpose of this Amendment is to answer vendor questions and provide inforomation.

Information:

Please note there is no security protocol to meet in the lobby of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center for the site visit.

The due date for this RFI will not be extended.

No more questions will be answered for this RFI. Any resulting request for bid/proposal/quote released in the future will provide an opportunity for vendors to submit questions.

Questions and Answers:

1. Question: Ref Answer #2 “papers are unorganized.” Will the government participate in the organizing of materials, placing into folders, and boxes? Or, is the contractor solely responsible to pack the material?

Answer: Contractor should plan on papers arriving in a folder in a box (inventory purposes only).

2. Question: Will Librarian skill sets be needed from the contractor at the packing phase?

Answer: Not at the front end. Government will pack for shipping to contractor, contractor is responsible for packing and inventorying materials for return to government.

3. Question: Who is providing/paying for the ~20k boxes and associated folders?

Answer: For the initial shipping to contractor, US Government will acquire these. Assuming new boxes or folders are required for return, then contractor needs to include those cost estimates.

4. Question: RE 2.1.b Archival Arrangement: What is the desired organization of the “unorganized” collections? Is the intent for the classification system to follow LC (Library of Congress) standards?

Answer: The RFI talks to 3 levels of organizations (low, medium, high).

5. Question: Does the entire 22k linear feet have current Catalog entries at the desired level of granularity?

Answer: No.

6. Question: Must the contractor create Catalog entries?

Answer: Metadata requirements are addressed in the RFI, an ILS record – no.

7. Question: Beyond a Catalog number, do the records already have a “six digit 1-up” organization number, or something similar?

Answer: No, to associate materials to digital records there is a standard naming convention.

8. Question: Please advise what percentage of materials are projected within each of the 3 categories: i.e. 50% Low, 25% Med, 25% High. Or, does the government intend to order the entire 22k feet based on the ROM and potential funding?

9. Answer: The Government’s intent for archival arrangement is to select one level.

10. Question: What is the contemplated length of the Period of Performance?

Answer: That is not determined at this time. More data is required; optimistically this RFI will provide necessary information.

11. Question: Is there a business driver or funding driver for completion by a certain date?

Answer: No specific date.

12. Question: Is there an anticipated start date for this work?

Answer: No, it depends on a number of variables, availability of funding, contracting, and Government work necessary to get the project started. There is no start data selected at this time.

13. Question: Is there a target completion date for the work?

Answer: No.

14. Question: Is there an incumbent currently/recently providing these services?

Answer: No.

15. If so, please provide the contractor name, contract number, value, and period of performance.

Answer: N/A.

16. Question: What firm created the existing online Cataloged Collections and Digital Products? Please provide the contract number(s).

Answer: It is an in-house effort only.

17. Question: FBO at the bottom, Attachment 1. Please estimate the percentages of each type of material (as a percent of the total of 22,800 linear feet or about 40M images).

Answer: See below in % of total:

% of total

18. Question: Would the government consider relaxing the standard for ‘all Color’ outputs?

Answer: No. The government is however interested in understanding the reason for this question.

19. Question: What percentage of the original documents are color (i.e. 80% color, 20% b&w)?

Answer: It is estimated 10% color and 90% b&w.

20. Estimate the percentage of the documents that require flatbed scanning due to Size or Condition.

Answer: 65% estimated.

21. Question: Estimate the percentage of material that is in Bound Journals. Will disbinding be allowed?

Answer: No. If required, the Government would disbind materials prior.

22. Question: Will rebinding be needed at the same quality as the original?

Answer: Return unbound materials, government would rebind.

23. Question: What is the maximum size above 18”?

Answer: Potentially a map 24”x36”.

24. Question: With regard to the Photos: What percentage require flatbed scanning?

Answer: All.

25. Question: Can B&W photos be scanned in greyscale?

Answer: Yes.

26. Question: Clarify Source Material. Section 1.1 refers to the Scope as being Manuscripts and Photos, yet 2.1.b adds “AV” and “AT”; Answer #5 says the “focus is on paper”. Ref Answer #5 - Are photos involved? Please indicate the percent in the Table above.

Answer: See above.

27. Question: Ref 2.1.b. - Are these other media types (AV AT) also subjects of this Scope?

Answer: No.

28. Question: Deliverables: Clarify “3-tier backup”; are more copies of the TIFF/OCR needed? Is the government requesting the contractor to retain full backup of all files?

Answer: No.

29. Question: RE 2.1.c Scanning file naming convention; “six digit 1-up.” It appears the intent of this six-digit naming convention to result in a unique filename for each file; is this a sufficiently robust number to accommodate the anticipated number of filenames?

Answer: Yes.

30. Question: How will the contractor identify the correct filename to apply? Will all 24 characters need to be typed by the contractor, or might some of the data be provided in a spreadsheet or similar? Please provide a sample file and associated filename.

Answer: Yes to all 24 characters. No to spreadsheet – contractor requirement. No samples are available.

31. Question: Data uploads. Please describe the concept-of-operations for data uploads. Can contractor upload files from a remote location (via FTP or Secure FTP)?

Answer: That is the intent.

32. Question: How often can uploads be performed (nightly, weekly)?

Answer: The answer is not known at this time and will be determined.

33. Question: Confirm that the XML-metadata elements are required to be uploaded simultaneously with the TIFF/OCR files.

Answer: Yes.

34. Question: Does the government have a Dublin Core template to populate in that system?

Answer: If required, the Government would provide one.

35. Question: If uploads are not allowed, what is the concept of operations for data transfer?

Answer: The answer is not known at this time and will be determined.

36. Question: 508 Accessibility Questions. Does the government intend to post the newly digitized materials online for public view/use/research?

Answer: Yes.

37. Question: Has the government used vendors in the past to perform Section 508 remediation of materials posted to their website? If yes, please offer some examples.

Answer: No.

38. Question: Or, for remediation of their website itself?

Answer: No.

39. Question: What is the government’s concept of operations to meet 508 Accessibility standards? Answer: Yes, USAHEC website and current online digital materials comply with 508 standards.

40. Question: What are the security management requirements?

Answer: A secure facility where the contractor is doing the work.

41. Question: Is the Collection considered classified?

Answer: No.

42. Question: What are the staff security clearances requirements (i.e. confidential, secret, top secret…) Answer: None are required.

43. Question: Will there be a need for a secured storage/archiving facility (i.e. dedicated production facilities)?

Answer: Yes the facility must have proper security and environmental controls.

44. Question: Are the Collections to be restored to their original state as received after digitization, or loosely re-bound to the original folder (with folder rubber banded)?

Answer: It depends on level of arrangement decided upon. At a minimum materials will end up back in a folder and box. No rubber bands.

45. Question: Can you please provide an estimated breakdown of the Collection material:

Answer: Assuming you are asking about the level of arrangement, the government will decide on one level for all materials.

46. Question: What is the percentage of:

a. Audio visual material?

Answer: 0%.

b. Photo material?

Answer: 20%.

c. Manuscripts material?

Answer: 45%.

d. Artifacts material?

Answer: 0%.

e. Foldered Loose Documents?

Answer: 75%.

47. Question: Type of Collection Material:

a. Percentage of Black/White versus Color?

Answer: Estimated at 10% color and 90% black and white.

b. Percentage of written text versus printed text?

Answer: printed text 10%.

48. Question: Can you please direct the Contractor to the Report concerning USAHEC Digitization Standards? Are the standards derived from NARA, AIIM, ANSI, I3A, ICC, ISO, FADGI, etc.?

Answer: A combination of NARA, LOC, and other agencies.

49. Question: Loading of the newly created data repository, will it be done onsite by the Contractor or via a secured VPN Portal push/pull action?

Answer: VPN.

50. Question: Upon completion of all work, what is the disposition event for the original archived collection (return to Client, remain in Contractor’s archive storage, etc.)?

Answer: Returned to Government.

51. Question: Is the Contractor to provide an Online Audit/Tracking System?

Answer: No. Contractor will provide QC and property accountability for archival materials

52. Question: Where is the Archive Collection currently being stored?

Answer: U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle PA.

53. Question: Is there a time limit to completing all work?

Answer: None at this time.

54. Question: Is there a requirement for environmental controls during production, especially for any image archival material (i.e. microfiche/microfilm, etc.)?

Answer: Yes, facility must have environmental controls. No microfiche or microfilm is involved at this time.

55. Question: Is there a requirement to restore any material (i.e. conservation, preservation, etc.)?

Answer: No. Government will handle all conservation/preservation requirements prior to shipping materials to contractor. Contractor will be responsible for any damage to materials, contractor will not be allowed to do any preservation/conservation of damaged items without written approval of government.

56. Question: The synopsis section 2.1 Concept of the Process Part B states that the "Contractor executes an archival arrangement..." which is then identified as Low, Medium and High. Does the government have an estimate of what percentage of the overall collection falls into the Low, Medium and High levels?

Answer: We are gauging cost of each level; any resulting request for bid/proposal/quote that is released in the future will have selected one of the levels and 100% of the collection will be done at that level.

57. Question: The synopsis section 2.1 Concept of the Process Part B states that the "Contractor executes an archival arrangement..." which is then identified as Low, Medium and High. Does the government have an estimate of what percentage of the overall collection falls into the Low, Medium and High levels?

Answer: At this time, the Government is working to access cost associated with each of the levels. Any resulting request for bid/proposal/quote that is released in the future will have selected one of the levels and 100% of the collection will be done at that level.