ID living descendants of veterans at vicksburg NAT

The National Park Service Southeast Region is procuring genealogical research services to identify living descendants of 130 known United States Colored Troops (USCTs) buried in Vicksburg National Cemetery. The contractor must provide a professional genealogist with at least 5 years of experience to conduct comprehensive research tracing individual lineages, working closely with an SOI-qualified historian to restore familial connections and potentially invite descendants to the national cemetery. The research must conform to professional historical research standards, follow Genealogical Proof Standards, and produce a multi-chapter report formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style. The evaluation will consider technical capability, past performance, and price, with technical and past performance being approximately equal to price in importance. The solicitation period has been extended with proposals now due by August 15, 2025 at 5pm CDT, and the contract performance period will run from August 18, 2025 to August 21, 2026.

This opportunity is designated as a total small business set-aside under NAICS code 712120 (Historical Sites) with a $13 million size standard, and will be awarded as a firm-fixed price purchase order. The contractor must self-fund all research expenses including database subscriptions, file retrievals, and travel costs while conducting research across multiple repositories including the National Archives, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and Vicksburg County Courthouse. The project aims to identify at least one living direct descendant per veteran lineage among the 130 USCTs, focusing exclusively on direct-line descendants through mid-19th century African American records from the American South. The work will be performed at Vicksburg National Military Park and various archival locations, with the contractor required to deliver 5 hard copies of the final report plus digital files, and partial payments up to 80% of the contract value will be made based on accepted deliverables.