Document Restoration & Preservation for the Broome County Clerk

Broome County, New York is seeking a qualified document restoration and preservation firm through Request for Proposal (RFP) 2024-066 for the County Clerk's office. The project requires comprehensive restoration services for twenty-one specific record and deed books, including volumes from Deed Books 23-60, 77, 143-149, 156, 168, 178, 227, and Supreme Court Orders spanning 1859-1870. Required services include complete archival restoration, which involves dismantling bindings, surface dry cleaning, page repair and reinforcement, de-acidification, and rebinding using archival-grade materials. Proposers must have a minimum of ten years of document preservation experience and provide five professional references, with preference given to firms experienced with New York county government work. The evaluation criteria will allocate 40% to pricing, with the remaining points distributed across conservation experience (20%), project management (20%), and references (20%). The proposal submission deadline is November 13, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. local time, with a mandatory physical inspection of the documents required prior to proposal submission. The county anticipates awarding the contract in December 2024, with project implementation scheduled for January/February 2025.

No specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises were explicitly mentioned in the documentation. The contract term will be 12 months from execution, commencing upon Broome County Legislature approval and mutual agreement. While a specific budget range was not disclosed, the RFP allows for an optional separate quote for digital imaging of the documents. The procurement process requires proposers to demonstrate substantial experience in document conservation, with a strong emphasis on government agency references, particularly from New York State entities. Bidders must submit five references from the past five years, with at least three from government agencies specializing in conservation, image processing, and indexing services. If a proposer lacks government references, they must provide a detailed explanation of why alternative references are relevant. The county's approach suggests a comprehensive and detailed evaluation process designed to select a highly qualified vendor with proven expertise in historical document restoration and preservation.