FY 26 USAFA Herbarium Digitization Project

Solicitation description

SOURCES SOUGHT: THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION; THIS NOTICE IS FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing the information provided to the Government. The Sources Sought number is FY26_USAFA_Herbarium_Digitization_Project and shall be used to reference any written responses to this sources sought. The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) anticipates a requirement that is being considered under a small business set-aside program. The North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code proposed is 518210. The size standard for NAICS is $40M. This requirement is for digitization service for USAFA Department of Biology Herbarium. Digitizing the herbarium specimens makes irreplaceable plant collections globally accessible, preserves fragile physical specimens by reducing handling, and enables large-scale data analysis for biodiversity research, conservation, and education, allowing scientists and the public to virtually access our plant specimens to answer a number of scientific questions. The government intends to solicit a firm-fixed price contract. Delivery is FOB Destination to USAF Academy, CO 88040. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS/REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS: At a minimum, the contractor performing the requirement must meet the following specifications: General & Scope: Provide a complete, end-to-end digitization solution for approximately 1,800-2,400 herbarium specimens housed in approximately 600 folders. Create high-quality, research-ready digital surrogates paired with structured, searchable metadata to enhance discovery and accessibility. Collection Handling & Preparation: Implement a barcoding system to digitally track the collection at a minimum of two levels: individual specimen and the folder housing the specimen. Ensure the collection is returned in the exact same condition and arrangement as it was received. Employ trained technicians who will wear gloves at all times, maintain clean workstations, and are knowledgeable in handling fragile archival materials. Digitization Equipment & Image Quality: Utilize photographic-based imaging systems (e.g., tabletop setups with digital cameras). The use of sheet-fed scanners is prohibited. Employ equipment capable of achieving, and calibrated to meet or exceed, Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative (FADGI) 4-star image quality metrics. Validate equipment calibration daily using standard color and resolution targets (e.g., X-Rite Digital SG ColorChecker, ISA Device Level Target). The imaging system must support custom metadata tagging during the digitization process to note characteristics such as condition concerns or to denote folder separations. Digitization Process & Workflow: Digitize each specimen one...

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