Request for Proposals

Into the Archives: Documenting America's Battlefields from Past to Present

The Civil War Trust ("the Trust"), America's premier nonprofit battlefield preservation organization, seeks qualified consultants to submit proposals for cataloging and mapping key battlefields centered in American conflicts beyond the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War. Two copies of each proposal should be sent, and arrive no later than Friday, December 15, 2017, to:

Civil War Trust
ATTN: Mark Coombs
1156 15th Street, NW
Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20005

Questions concerning this Request for Proposals (RFP) should be directed via email to Mark Coombs at mcoombs@civilwar.org. Funding for the project comes from a grant (GA-2287-16-002) provided by the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP).

Project Description, Scope of Work and Deliverables

Project Description

ABPP has awarded the Trust the aforementioned grant to contract with a qualified consultant for the completion of a concise, user-friendly guide — inclusive of mapping — identifying and cataloging significant American battlefields not primarily associated with the Revolutionary War, the Civil War or the War of 1812.

ABPP's mission includes "promot[ing] the preservation of significant historic battlefields associated with wars on American soil." Since its inception, ABPP has "identified, surveyed, and assessed significant sites associated with the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the War of 1812," presenting these findings in a series of comprehensive reports readily accessible to and easily navigable by the public. While it has also "undertaken or supported the identification, survey, and assessment of many other battles associated with additional wars," this information has not yet been featured in a similarly accessible or easy-to-navigate format. The consultant selected for this project will compile the available ABPP data pertaining to battlefields centered in American conflicts beyond the three wars noted herein above, which — when augmented with the chosen consultant's own research and mapping, further honed by way of extensive collaboration with and review by ABPP throughout — will facilitate future investigation into the preservation opportunities at these diverse battle sites.

Battlefields associated with these other conflicts — "ranging," ABPP notes, "from 16th-century contact encounters to World War II actions in the Pacific" — are highly vulnerable, not yet having had the benefit of the illuminating spotlight shone on those battlefields highlighted in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields or the Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites.

This project is intended to help remedy this disparity, paving the way for additional analyses of the relevant battlefields in the years to come by providing the battlefield preservation community with a solid base — i.e., a navigable resource by which Americans interested in battlefield preservation can quickly and easily grasp the known extent and essential details of these places pursuant to new research and ABPP's existing but diffuse data on this front.

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will produce a Web-compatible battlefields catalogue — organized by conflict as well as by state — for use by ABPP, the battlefield preservation community and the public writ large, encompassing significant battle sites identified, surveyed and assessed by ABPP and/or its grantees to date (again, not primarily associated with the Revolutionary War, the Civil War or the War of 1812.) The specific battlefields to be pursued over the course of this project will be determined in close consultation with ABPP and the Trust, subject to the availability of relevant data and funding; any field work will similarly be subject to approval on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of ABPP and the Trust.

In addition to battle summaries, the catalogue produced is also to include maps designed in accordance with ABPP specifications, delineating the boundaries of the battlefields featured. The selected consultant must utilize and rely upon the ABPP Battlefield Survey Manual and KOCOA military terrain analysis method in completing this task. Further, the selected consultant will be expected to compile and deliver GIS datasets for all relevant battlefields inclusive of the following, as the obtainability of such information permits:

Datasets must adhere to the highest standards of accuracy; all should contain complete metadata compatible with ArcGIS 10.1 or higher. All GIS data files shall be in shapefile (*.shp) format. Federal Geographic Data Committee compliant metadata shall be submitted for each shapefile. Include copies of all data layers used in the project. Where applicable, also submit all raw uncorrected GPS data. All data, metadata and datasets are non-proprietary.

Maps must have similar conventions as a stylistic dataset. All must comply with the federal GIS standards and be comparable, with the addition of the required attributes noted above, to the maps featured in the draft state-by-state updates to the 1993 Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields accessible via the following link: http://www.nps.gov/abpp/CWSII/CWSIIStateReports.htm. A JPG or TIF file of each map must also be produced.

Finally, all cartography will be displayed using GeoPDF, inclusive of the following layers:

1. Appropriate USGS quadrangle showing battlefield boundaries and troop movements;
2. 2-foot interval USGS quadrangle showing troop movements; and
3. USGS aerial photos / satellite images with troop movements superimposed.

GeoPDF work shall be no less than 300 dots per inch and need not be greater than 600 dots per inch. An in-depth description of GeoPDF maps can be found at the website below: http://store.usgs.gov/locator/about_digital_maps.html.

Deliverables

Within 30 days of being selected, the consultant must make the necessary arrangements to consult directly with ABPP — together with the Trust — in determining the ideal focal battlefields for this project. Given the pioneering nature of the project, this determination will remain subject to revision in light of new or changing circumstances as the project moves forward.

From this initial consultation, the selected consultant will draft a detailed work plan and timeline for development and delivery of the required battle summaries, battlefield mapping and accompanying GIS datasets. The work plan shall include specific tasks required to complete the project, the responsible party to complete the work and a schedule for completion of each task and the final materials, maps and datasets.

Concurrently, the selected consultant is to submit a draft battle summary, draft mapping and a GIS dataset for one battlefield for ABPP and the Trust to assess at the outset of the project. ABPP and the Trust will then provide feedback prior to the consultant continuing with the project to ensure that each party's vision of the final products is fully aligned.

Draft battle summaries, maps and datasets for the remaining battlefields must thereafter be completed and submitted electronically, in addition to digital copies of any hard-copy maps from NPS utilized in the course of this project. ABPP and the Trust will review all materials submitted; based on any comments received, the selected consultant will then revise and submit the finalized products incorporating these comments.

All products resulting from this project must include the following disclaimer where appropriate:

"This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior."

Responding to the RFP

Submissions should not be overly complex or longer than ten pages in length. Elaborate artwork, expensive paper or bindings and costly visual and other presentation aids are not necessary. Qualified proposals must include but are not limited to:

• A statement of qualifications and experience for the firm and the lead team members. Consultants should have strong professional qualifications relevant to this project — namely, the ability to accurately interpret and convey military history; knowledge of GIS, its principles and methodologies; and the production of quality maps and datasets.
• Principal personnel must have professional qualifications in accordance with 36 CFR Part 61: https://www.nps.gov/history/local-law/arch_stnds_9.htm.
• A discussion of related project experience by the proposed firm, including information regarding individual team members, and a description and examples of comparable projects;
• A list of references for such projects, including current contact information;
• A detailed description of the consultant's proposed approach for undertaking the project as presented in the Project Description and Scope of Work sections of this Request for Proposals, including:
  • A statement of purpose;
  • A proposed project timeline, broken down by tasks; and
  • A proposed project budget, also broken down by tasks.
• A detailed cost schedule noting that hourly payments cannot exceed $89 per hour and that the cost of travel cannot exceed federal travel regulations for reimbursement, accessible via the following link: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/100000. Low cost may be a significant selection factor.
• Any additional information that a potential consultant deems pertinent to his or her proposal that might prove useful during the review process, including the location of the consultant's primary office and any satellite offices.

Selection Criteria

The following factors shall be considered in selecting the consultant:

• General qualifications of the firms and individuals assigned to the project relative to the skills and disciplines needed for the project tasks;
• Experience with similar projects in light of the subject matter, scale and context;
• Proposed approach of the consultants relative to the circumstances and the Civil War Trust's needs, including their ability to provide the required services within the available budget; and
• References from past clients on similar projects.