SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- The contractor will perform an assessment/analysis of a Records Handling Operation for security weaknesses.
- Notice Date
- 10/15/2004
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- National Archives and Records Administration, NAA, Acquisition Center, 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 3360, College Park, MD, 20740-6001
- ZIP Code
- 20740-6001
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-NSRI-05-SS01
- Response Due
- 10/25/2004
- Archive Date
- 11/12/2004
- Description
- The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is seeking information and capabilities statements from responsible small and large business firms for improving security measures against the theft of records. NARA is interested in having an assessment of its records handling operations to identify current weaknesses that could lead to theft or other losses of permanently valuable records in its custody and to obtain expert recommendations for improvements with likely costs for each new measure. NARA is responsible for somewhat more than 2,000,000 cubic feet of archival records of the Federal Government that are housed in two building in the Washington area. These buildings are in the Federal triangle area of downtown Washington, DC and in College Park, Maryland; they are commonly known within NARA as Archives I and Archives II. The holdings include historical records from the 1780s to the present day that document major Government programs, wars, and many of the most important movements and events in American history. They include records from all three branches of the Federal Government. They are in a wide variety of media including textual paper records, motion pictures, video tapes, sound recordings, maps and charts, still photographs, and electronic records on tapes and hard drives. NARA is responsible for the preservation of these holdings, for describing the records in order to facilitate access, and for making them available to interested researchers. Some of these researchers are served through written correspondence, through the NARA web site and through reproduction orders via mail in and online fee orders. But many researchers come to the NARA research rooms in the two buildings, where they examine and handle the records in person. In FY 2003 these on site researchers made 33,043 visits to use microfilm and 56,922 other visits to use records in a variety of other kinds of media, but chiefly to use original textual paper records. These researchers include historians, lawyers, genealogists, and people with many other interests. Security measures in place. NARA has taken steps to minimize the vulnerability to thefts. The steps focusing particularly on researchers include: Institution of a ?clean research room? policy to control what researchers can bring into the rooms where they work with original records; Introduction of cameras and re-design of the layouts in research rooms to monitor behavior of researchers more effectively; and Imposition of stricter limits on researcher access to stacks that effectively keeps virtually all public researchers out of the stacks. The steps focusing on staff and Contractors include: Introduction of secure vaults and safes in labs as well as a secure vault for ?treasure? items; Establishment of badge control access for staff in Archives II stacks, processing rooms, and preservation labs at Archives II as well as procedures for end of the day lock up checks of stacks and specially protected areas at Archives I; Scheduling of annual inspections and inventories of the vaults and safes where records needing special protection are stored; and Imposition of requirements for reporting valuable items in open files and for reporting missing records and security violations. Other steps that focus on better control of the records, include: Improvments in the tracking of records loaned for exhibits, including adopting a new database; Clarification of the procedures for the physical transporting of records between NARA facilities; and Development of guidance for handling and protecting records during the major records moves required by the construction of Archives II and the renovation of Archives I. Continuing concerns. Despite these measures NARA is concerned about the possibility of a continuing vulnerability to theft and is interested in a loss prevention survey to better understand its vulnerabilities and to improve its security measures. Overview of facilities and work processes. The archival holdings of NARA are kept in storage rooms commonly called stacks in the two buildings. Archives I opened in the 1930s and has recently been undergoing a major renovation. Archives II opened in the 1990s. There are about 112 relatively small stacks in Archives I with holdings capacities ranging from 2,000 cubic feet to 12,000 cubic feet and 28 very large stacks in Archives II with holding capacities ranging from 13,000 to 110,000 cubic feet. The NARA staff works in the stacks to locate records relevant to answer researchers? inquiries and to describe records. They bring records from the stacks to the research rooms for use by onsite researchers. The staff also brings records from the stacks to processing areas to work on arranging and describing the records; these processing locations are sometimes work spaces within stacks at Archives I or separate rooms at Archives I and II. Some processing of records may also occur in office space. Some records are also taken to preservation labs for microfilming and other types of preservation work. Access to the stacks, processing rooms, and labs is controlled by keys issued to staff at Archives I and by coded badges issued to staff at Archives II. There are plans to convert from key to badge controls at Archives I if adequate funding is obtained during the next 2 ? 3 fiscal years. When records are removed from the stacks for transfer to either the processing rooms or office areas for work by staff or the research rooms for use by researchers, there is a paper trail of forms that are filled out to show the stack location of the records, the destination of the records, the persons moving and receiving the records, and the dates of the movements. The quantities involved in these moves that are tracked via this paper work trail can be as much as a full cart containing up to 21 archives boxes equaling circa 7 cubic feet or as little as one pension file or a few letters that are placed in a small envelope. In the research rooms, there is a procedure that requires the researcher to sign for the records and return them when finished or when the room closes each day. Each research room has staff monitoring the use of the records by the researchers and contract guards that inspect the possession of researchers at exit points. The clean research room approach prevents researchers from bringing into the rooms many personal belongings or equipment, unless approved by the staff. At Archives I, there are two main rooms where original records are used by the public as well as a microfilm reading room. At Archives II there are five rooms where original records are used by the public, as well as a microfilm reading room. Between October 2003, and August 2004, more than 340,000 items were provided to approximately 49,000 researchers. A large percentage of the NARA staff has access to records in one or more of these locations and functions. In March 2004, there were about 730 permanent employees in the NARA Office of Records Services (NW) and another 120 student temporary employees. Of the permanent employees approximately 340 - 360 have stack access and about 72 work in the preservation labs. Another 60 ? 70 permanent and student employees work in the branches that operate the research rooms in both buildings. Between October 2003 and August 2004, NW staff members accessed stack areas more than 33,000 times. To assist in determining qualified sources for future acquisitions, all business firms responding to this synopsis must provide: (1) The name of the firm, point of contact with phone number, number of employees of the firm for the past 12 months, and annual gross revenue for the last 3 fiscal years. (NAICS code 541690 with an SBA size standard of $6 million applies.) (2) Detailed information supporting their capabilities and qualifications to provide the required services, (3) Specific relevant contracts being performed or recently completed, detailed description of the work, explanation of how work relates to NARA?s requirement, number of employees working on contract, annual and total dollar value of contracts, contract numbers, points of contact and phone number, and (4) Any other pertinent information which would enable the Government to assess the firm?s capabilities. Small business firms responding to this synopsis must state that they are a small business based on the size standard above and state if they are small disadvantaged, woman-owned business, or 8(a). It is imperative that firms respond with the required information so that capabilities can be evaluated accurately. This synopsis is for information gathering and planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to pay for the information requested, issue a solicitation, or award a contract. All interested firms must submit their complete response, not to exceed 15 single sided pages, to the attention of Mr. James Newell (james.newell@nara.gov) no later than 3:00 PM EST on the date that is 30 days from the date of publication of this document on FedBizOpps. Responses must be e-mailed to the above address or faxed to (301) 837-3277. Questions concerning this project must be submitted in writing to the National Archives and Records Administration, Acquisition Services Division (NAA), Room 3360, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland, 20740-6001, ATTN: Mr. James Newell. (Telephone 301-837-1502, Fax 301-837-3277). Telephone requests will not be honored. *****
- Place of Performance
- Address: National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001
- Country: US
- Country: US
- Record
- SN00695044-W 20041017/041015212128 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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