In-House Conservation Technician

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. The NAICS code for this Small Business Sources Sought notice is: 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for market research. The Government reserves the right to respond to some, all or none of the questions submitted. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement which will be considered by the National Library of Medicine. Capability statement must address the organization's qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor able to perform tasks described in the attached draft Statement of Work (SOW). This Sources Sought Notice is not a Request for Quotations (RFQ), nor is an RFQ available. The capability statement should contain enough sufficient detail for the Government to make an informed decision regarding your capabilities; however, the statement should not exceed 10 pages (excluding attachments.) Interested firms responding to this Sources Sought Notice must provide a capability statement that displays the following: (a) Microsoft Word or PDF file in 12 point font; (b) DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code); (c) Technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses; (d) Staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (e) Current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (f) Prior completed projects of similar nature; (g) Corporate experience and management capability; and (h) Examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) requires capability statements to be submitted via eCPS.: 1) Electronic copy via the NLM electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) website at https://ecps.nih.gov/. All submissions must be submitted electronically no later than 10:00am Eastern time on March 22nd, 2019 via the method indicated above. 2) For directions on using eCPS, go to https://ecps.nih.gov/home/howto Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). -------------------------------------------- DRAFT Statement of Work STATEMENT OF WORK Title: In-House Conservation Technician Background: The National Library of Medicine (NLM), one of the three national libraries in the United States, is the world's largest research library in a single scientific and professional field. NLM's primary mission, as mandated by the Congress, is to serve the health professions. To support this mission, the Library comprehensively collects materials in biomedical subjects. Objectives: The focus of the procurement is to acquire a Conservation Technician working on-site at the National Library of Medicine. The technician will work primarily on stabilization and/or conservation of collection items prior to digital scanning and any related collection maintenance. As part of the digital workflow for oversized items, the vendor shall provide digital photography services on an as needed basis. Services to be Performed by Contractor: 1. General Requirements: The Conservation Technician will carry out repairs to bound collections and paper objects, design and construct housings and exhibit supports, keep records of treatments, and provide collection maintenance to the collections. The technician may also participate in training sessions on book and paper conservation with NLM staff. The bench work will be performed in NLM's Conservation Lab. Photography services provided to NLM staff for internal projects and specific digital initiatives. On an as needed basis, after a water or fire emergency affecting rare collections, the technician will aid HMD staff in salvage and recovery of damaged objects. 2. Specific Requirements: The contractor shall provide between 1200 to 2200 hours of work time during each year (12-month period) of the contract. Normally, during each month of the contract, between 100 to 183 hours shall be provided. Usually work will be performed during at least two weeks of every month. The hours will be on a regular schedule, to be arranged by the project officer, with some room for flexibility. All work shall be performed out in accordance with acceptable principles of rare book conservation and in adherence to American Institute for Conservation (AIC) "Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice (available at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/aic/pubs/ethics.html. Duties: The Conservation Technician shall: Perform treatment and rehousing on the historic collection of bound and flat paper objects including: 1. Performing repairs to bound volumes and flat paper objects. 2. Constructing boxes, portfolios, and other housings using appropriate conservation materials and structures. 3. Preparing volumes for digital scanning. 4. Providing photography services for NLM staff on internal and digital projects. 5. Constructing exhibition mounts. 6. Performing regular collection maintenance, such as cleaning shelved books. 7. Applying NLM property stamp and bookplates to volumes. 8. Preparing condition and treatment worksheets including keeping statistical records of repairs. 9. Assisting HMD staff in salvage and recovery of damaged objects after an emergency. Government Responsibilities: The government shall provide workspace, telephone, supplies, NIH ID card and parking permit. NLM shall also provide a detailed orientation. Reporting Requirements and Deliverables: Within five working days after the end of each month, the contractor will submit an electronic monthly report to the project officer including the number of hours worked, type of work performed, and statistics for construction of rehousings and the number of volumes and/or leaves on which work was performed. The vendor will supply an electronic monthly statistics, report, and invoice specifying billable hours, and estimating the amount of time left in the purchase order. The vendor will meet face-to-face with the project officer to provide status reports. All completed repaired items and constructed rehousings will be reviewed by the Senior Conservator. If any repairs or rehousings are not done correctly, the Senior Conservator will make suggestions for correcting the mistake on the contractor's own time.