SPECIAL NOTICE
B -- Museum Assessment
- Notice Date
- 9/19/2006
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- Contracting Office
- Bureau of Reclamation - Upper Columbia Area Office 1917 Marsh Road Yakima WA 98901
- ZIP Code
- 98901
- Solicitation Number
- DOI-SNOTE-060919-003
- Archive Date
- 9/19/2007
- Description
- The Bureau of Reclamation's Upper Columbia Area Office (Reclamation) intends to negotiate a sole-source contract for special studies and analyses service to complete a museum assessment with The Burke Museum, University of Washington. Museum property is a class of reportable and accountable federal assets that requires an assessment to understand its value and potential investment in order to maintain the property for public benefit. The Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region, is undertaking a pilot project to assess one collection already housed at the Burke Museum to better understand professional assessments of museum property collections for the long term impacts or implications to the agency-wide property management program. The Keechelus collection is Bureau of Reclamation museum property obtained from an archeological excavation of the historic construction camp for Keechelus Dam. The collection consists of 6393 separate items, organized into 1580 catalog numbers. As an archeological collection from an early 20th century historic occupation, the majority of the artifacts are discards from the normal activities of camp life, and includes predominantly fragmentary remains of a wide variety of domestic and industrial items, such as clothing, shoes, metal, glassware, dishes and similar kitchenware, medicine bottles, personal hygiene, tack, and construction materials (window glass, nails, and similar hardware). Viewed in its entirety as a representative sample of the debris of early 20th century camp life, the collection's value is primarily to research; there are few, if any, "museum quality" artifacts amenable to the art or collector's markets. Most, if not all, of the Keechelus collection will be either rated Good or Fair. In addition Good or Fair presumes the item is in a relatively stable state of preservation. Poor is applied to a relatively high value item(s) in need of specialized conservation treatments beyond the ability a stable storage environment could not provide. Proposed service will require: 1. Expanding existing catalog by the necessary data fields to incorporate the observations made on each item: a. fragmentary or whole specimen b. condition (good, fair, poor) c. security tag number 2. Use professional judgement to repackage collection in order to enhance artifact stability in its storage environment. For example, remove items from polyetheline bags and place in open trays together with supportive padding if necessary to prevent breakage from stress or normal handling, or to provide necessary ventilation. 3. Count and weigh bags instead of separate items/specimens. Record bag weight with the items included. 4. Separate and consolidate the collection by material type, and store items of the same or similar material type together. 5. Secure storage boxes with security tags; record tag numbers in catalog. Deliverables: 1. Revised and updated collections catalog to include specification #3, above. 2. A report describing: a. the work completed relative to the specifications listed above; b. technical problems encountered and how they were resolved; c. if difficulties were encountered whose resolution were outside the scope, recommend a treatment or further course of action, if warranted. d. a professional assessment of the overall condition, noting, for example, proportions of good, fair and poor items; opinion as to the stability of the whole collection in its storage environment, and if the assessment appreciably enhanced the long-term stability of the collection; items in immediate need of conservation treatments; items that will likely need conservation treatments in the near future, for example within 10 years; the value of the collection when viewed as a whole, for example, as research in experimental conservation treatments, research on early 20th century material culture, research in museum disaster scenarios, or in exhibits or displays. Performance Period: October 1, 2006 through March 1, 2007 Sole Source Justification The Burke Museum has been storing the collection under an annual purchase order since 2003 and the Burke has already expressed a willingness and capability to perform the assessment to benefit both their students, and Reclamation's desire for quick turn-around in order to accommodate a GRPA reporting goal for 2007. Because of our existing storage procurement with the Burke, the museum has coincidentally scheduled a review of the storage conditions that would include some of the tasks involved in a museum assessment. The cost to relocate the collection to another vendor for this service, and then back to the Burke to continue the long-term storage arrangement would add significantly to the overall cost of this museum assessment. The cost to temporarily relocate then return the collection to another vendor in a 300- mile radius of Seattle has also been determined to be a burden cost to the project. The proposed contract action is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302-1(2)(B)(C)ii(A)(B) This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties that are certain they can meet the requirement must submit in writing an affirmative response and technical capabilities. All written responses must include a written narrative statement of capability, including detailed technical information demonstrating their ability to meet the above requirements. All proposals received within 7 days after date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by Reclamation. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by Reclamation not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of Reclamation. Written proposals may be submitted to Connie Morgan via fax to 509-454-5615 or electronically at cmorgan.usbr.gov no later than close of business 9-25-06 Technical questions should be sent to Mark DeLeon, Area Archeologist Upper Columbia Area Office, desk: 509-575-5848 extension 320, fax: 509-454-5650, email: mdeleon@pn.usbr.gov
- Web Link
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- Record
- SN01148419-W 20060921/060919221337 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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