The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has an exciting opportunity for a qualified collections manager to fully process a new acquisition of 100 late-20th-century American silhouette portraits. The position will include initial condition reporting and photography, cataloging and data entry in the TMS collections database, and rehousing of objects. Abbreviated Statement of Work and Request for Quotes below. Please contact Hallie Kroll, Collections Manager and Curatorial Assistant, National Portrait Gallery, [log in to unmask] with any questions or requests for additional information - Quotes are due by 4:00 p.m. EST, on Thursday, January 19, 2023.
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery
Statement of Work – Silhouette Collection Contractor
INTRODUCTION
The contractor shall provide professional, technical, non-personal services to fully process, document and catalog a collection of approximately 100 silhouette portraits from a private collection that will be acquired by the National Portrait Gallery (NPG). The collection is comprised of silhouette portraits representing a range of nationally significant figures, created in the late twentieth century by two eminent scholars and practitioners of the silhouette technique. The purpose of this contract is to ensure that the silhouette portraits acquired by the National Portrait Gallery are fully documented, catalogued, accessioned into the collection, and prepared for digital photography and archival storage.
This will not be an employment contract, and the business or individual awarded the services will submit invoices, sometimes with supporting documentation, for billable services rendered. Prospective contractors should submit a fully-burdened price quote for their services, i.e. a price per deliverable or unit of services (e.g., hourly) that covers all Contractor direct and indirect overhead expenses.
SCOPE OF WORK
The contractor shall provide professional, technical, non-personal services to condition check, house, catalog, and document approximately 100 silhouette portraits that will be acquired by the National Portrait Gallery from a private donor. The silhouettes are cut from dark paper and adhered to a light-colored support.
Contractor shall provide services to the Prints and Drawings Department and the Registrar’s Office. Contractor shall provide regular written reports to Collections Manager & Curatorial Assistant, Hallie Kroll (the Project Lead) and Collections Registrar, Laura Hovenac; see Specific Tasks for more detail.
SPECIFIC TASKS
The Contractor shall:
1. Participate in project kick-off meeting with the Prints and Drawings Department Curator, Collections Registrar, and the Project Lead to discuss the project in detail and go over the specifics of documentation and cataloging.
2. Create incoming condition reports for the silhouettes, to include basic record photography and accurate dimensions.
3. Create or edit The Museum System (TMS) records for the silhouettes and enter cataloging data in TMS.
4. Create new Constituent Records in TMS as necessary.
5. Request conservation assessments and track receipt of initial condition reports from Conservation Department.
6. Review NPG Historians’ files and work with Project Lead to create curatorial folders for each silhouette.
7. Work with NPG Art Handlers to rehouse and number each silhouette.
8. Prepare and track photography requests with NPG’s staff photographer.
9. Prepare reports for the NPG Commission.
10. Prepare accession number requests for Collections Registrar.
11. Maintain a tracking document to show each silhouette’s progress in acquisition process.
12. Prepare and submit weekly reports to Project Lead and Collections Registrar documenting the tasks completed.
This Request for Quote (RFQ) is issued by the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), Smithsonian Institution (SI), for technical professional, non-personal services for documentation and cataloging services in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW).
I. SUBMITTING YOUR QUOTE
A. Price quotes must be submitted by email to Hallie Kroll, Collections Manager and Curatorial Assistant, at [log in to unmask]
B. B. Quotes are due by 4:00 p.m. EST, on Thursday, January 19, 2023.
II. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIRED SERVICES
The contractor shall fully document a collection of approximately 100 silhouette portraits. For each silhouette, the contractor will assess the physical condition, complete NPG incoming condition reports, perform record photography, number, create a catalog record, and enter data in the The Museum System Database (TMS). The contractor will submit accession number requests, ensure that the silhouettes are properly housed, and will create paperwork to have them sent to and from the NPG photographer’s studio for digital imaging.
III. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
The period of performance is anticipated to begin on or around June 19, 2023. All work on the project must be completed by September 20, 2024.
IV. EVALUATION
The SI plans to award the contract based on best value, as defined by the equally weighted evaluation factors below. The SI plans to award without discussions but reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Contracting Officer determines that they are necessary. Evaluation factors are:
A. Relevant Experience/Past Performance
1. Experience creating, updating, and correcting collection records using The Museum System (TMS) collections database, preferably at least two (2) years.
2. Knowledge of proper handling procedures for works of art on paper, preferably with at least two (2) years’ experience.
3. Ability to work independently within a team-based environment.
4. Past Performance should be indicated by a list of at least two (2) references who can answer specific questions on quality of work similar to that described in the SOW. Provide points of contact and current telephone numbers, dates for periods of performance or employment, and brief descriptions of the work performed with each reference.
B. Résumé
Submit a cover letter and a résumé outlining your experience as it relates to this project, and the following competencies or qualifications:
1. BA in Art History, History, Museum Studies, or related subject required; MA preferred, but not required
2. Excellent oral and written communication skills
3. Excellent organizational skills
4. Object handling experience
5. Familiarity with museum collections management practices
6. Familiarity with museum object cataloging standards
7. Familiarity with TMS
8. Familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel
C. Price
Contractor shall submit a price to perform the services described above, quoted as an
hourly rate.
V. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
Prospective contractors are required to have General Liability Insurance including coverage for bodily injury and property damage in the minimum amount of $300,000. The SI must be listed as additional insured for the General Liability insurance. Proof of insurance or agreement to enroll in the Smithsonian’s General Liability insurance policy must be submitted with quotes.
VI. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM) REGISTRATION
It is a requirement that current and prospective recipients of contract and purchase orders awarded by the SI must complete registration and maintain an active record in the System for Award Management (SAM), formerly the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). The SAM requires a one-time business registration, with annual updates, and allows vendors to control the accuracy of the business information they enter. The financial data you enter, which includes the electronic funds transfer (EFT) data collected by SAM, will assist the SI in paying your invoices and complying with the Federal Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996. You may complete or update your information in SAM online at http://sam.gov. Questions regarding the process may be directed to the Federal Service Desk online at www.fsd.gov or via toll free call to 1-888-606-8220. There is no charge for registering in SAM.
For vendors who were registered in CCR prior to July 30, 2012, this means:
• All information in CCR was transferred to SAM and available for viewing and updating on July 30, 2012;
• Vendors will not have to re-register in SAM if their CCR was active and valid on July 30, 2012, however,
• They will have to set up a SAM user ID. Once this is done, the vendors will have access to all their information and may edit it as needed,
• They may set up an ID when they are notified by the SAM that it is time to renew registration.
• Vendors who attempted to access their information by going to the current CCR website on and after July 30, 2012, should have been automatically redirected to SAM.
For vendors who were not registered in CCR prior to July 30, 2012, this means:
• Beginning on July 30, 2012, they must be directed to http://sam.gov to complete registration in SAM.
• The registration process via SAM has been changed for SAM and is reported to be streamlined and much easier than the CCR process.
If yours is the acceptable price quote and you are selected for award, your organization's valid and active registration with SAM must be verifiable by SI staff administering this procurement prior to contract or purchase order award, and at the time any modifications or amendments to awards might be required.
VII. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION
If a contractor employee assigned to the SI under this contract will have an association with SI that will be greater than thirty (30) days, determined either at time of contract award or anytime during contract performance, and will need access to staff-only areas of SI controlled facilities and leased spaces, the employee shall be required to receive an SI Credential. Contractor employees who require an SI Credential shall be required to undergo and pass an appropriate background investigation and complete security awareness training before an SI Credential is issued. Employees whose associations with the SI will be less than 30 days shall not receive a background investigation or SI Credential, however, they must be escorted by Credentialed personnel at all times when in staff-only areas of SI facilities. If relevant to this RFQ, a form OCon 520, Background Investigations and Credentials for Contractors’ Personnel, is included. The following actions shall be required to be completed by the SI Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) and successful vendor:
1. The COTR shall provide an OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment form, for each of the Contractor’s employees who will be assigned to the SI for 30 days or longer. The OF-306 forms must be completed by each person and returned by the Contractor to the COTR, or other designated SI employee, within ten (10) workdays from receipt of the forms by the Contractor.
2. For contractors to SI organizations outside the Washington DC and New York City areas, forms SF-87, Fingerprint Cards, shall be provided to the Contractor by the COTR or other designated SI employee. Each form SF-87 must be returned to the COTR, or other designated SI employee, within ten (10) workdays from receipt of the forms by the Contractor. When necessary, the forms SF-87 shall be submitted by the Contractor with the OF-306.Homeland Security Policy Directive 12 (HSPD-12)
VIII. INFORMATION TO BE SUBMITTED WITH QUOTES
Quotes submitted must include the following information to be deemed responsive to this Request for Quote and accepted by the SI:
A. Project Title.
B. Business name, address, telephone number, SAM Unique Entity ID.
C. Business point of contact name, telephone number and email address.
D. Pricing and date through which pricing is valid.
E. Past Performance information should be indicated by two (2) references including
points of contact and their current telephone numbers, dates for periods of performance
or employment and brief descriptions of the work performed with each reference.
F. Cover letter and résumé detailing past experience.
G. Certificates or other documentation confirming appropriate types and levels of
insurance required are in effect, and other certificates and documentation requested. Or
acknowledgement of agreement to enroll in Commercial General Liability Policy for
Smithsonian Contractors.
ATTACHMENT(S):
• Statement of Work for Silhouette Collection Contractor 2023
• Form SI-147A, Smithsonian Institution Purchase Order Terms and Conditions
• Form SI-147B, Smithsonian Institution Privacy and Security Clause
• Smithsonian Institution Confidentiality Clause
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