Archaeological Consultant for MHT

The Maryland Historical Trust is soliciting proposals for archaeological consulting services to conduct Phase I investigations at two Revolutionary War encampment sites in Cecil County and Harford County, Maryland, with proposals due April 1, 2026, and a hard deadline for completion by May 3, 2027. This is a firm fixed-price contract with no MBE/WBE/VSBE goals. Funding derives from a National Park Service FFY23 American Battlefield Protection Program Grant.

The scope requires excavation of a minimum of 10 total one-meter by one-meter test units across both sites to ground-truth geophysical survey anomalies; preparation of two Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Archaeology Forms; post-field laboratory work including artifact washing, labeling, and cataloguing; a comprehensive technical report incorporating MHT's geophysical survey data; and one public program presenting results to local stakeholders. The Project Lead or Principal Consultant must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification Standards in archaeology, requiring a graduate degree in archaeology, anthropology, or a closely related field, at least one year of full-time professional experience, and four months of supervised field and analytic experience in North American archaeology. All work must comply with the Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Survey and Excavation in Maryland (2025) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

The consultant must supervise volunteers, who will comprise at least 25 percent of the field technician labor pool, coordinated and provided by MHT at approximately 10 per day. Long-term curation fees at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory are waived; proposals should include estimates for artifact cataloging and curation based on theoretical maximum quantities. Three meetings with MHT staff (kickoff, fieldwork, and post-fieldwork) are required. Technical merit is weighted more heavily than financial proposal in evaluation. Questions are due March 18, 2026. Registration and good standing with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation is required prior to award.