Maritime Heritage Artifact Conservation

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), for information and planning purposes only. MARAD is conducting market research in support of preliminary planning for the conservation of maritime-related artifacts. Disclaimer: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Specifically, the Government is not committed to building or fully funding or partially funding a training ship. Further, MARAD is not seeking proposals at this time. Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. Any future RFP, if issued, may include all or only a portion of the supplies or services discussed in this RFI and may include supplies or services not discussed in this RFI. If an RFP is released, it will be issued on the FedBizOpps website (www.fbo.gov). It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor that site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is seeking a qualified conservation professional with experience working with maritime-related artifacts to preserve part of its maritime heritage collection. These artifacts, the majority of which were removed from MARAD National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) vessels, vary in condition from excellent to very poor. The collection consists of numerous maritime-related objects, many of which date to the 1940s. Examples include the following: alidades; azimuth circles; barometers; ship's bells; binnacles; builder's plates; name boards; among others. Examples of the different types of material include: finished and unfinished brass; lead; glass; synthetic leather-like cover material; rubber; aluminum; wood and more. The project's objective is to conserve the objects and bring them to a condition that is satisfactory for museum display . See attached for full notice and response requirement. ATTENTION: DBE Certified or SBA Certified under Section 8(a); Small Disadvantaged Business; HUBZONE Empowerment Contracting Program; and Service-disabled Veterans! (Start-up businesses are not eligible.) To help small businesses gain access to the financing they need to participate in transportation-related contracts, OSDBU's Financial Assistance Division manages the Short-Term Lending Program (STLP). STLP provides certified DBE's and other certified small businesses short-term working capital financing at competitive interest rates for DOT or DOT funded contracts and subcontracts. Maximum line of credit is $750,000 with interest at a variable rate tied to the Prime Rate published in the Wall Street Journal. DOT Short Term Lending Program