Applications due September 12, 2014.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) seeks a part-time contractor within the Branch of Learning Venues and Visitor Experience, Office of Education & Outreach to assist the Volunteer Manager in the development and maintenance of the volunteer program for the exhibit Last American Dinosaur. Deliverables are in the areas of recruitment, scheduling, contributing to and executing an initial and ongoing professional enhancement program, record keeping, communication, and acting as liaison to Volunteer Coordinators in the museum’s learning venues and onsite programs, as well as other museum stakeholders.

2. Context: Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, located at 10th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W. in Washington, D.C., is the most-visited natural history museum in the world. Opened in 1910, the green-domed museum on the National Mall is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world’s most extensive collection of natural history specimens and cultural artifacts. It fosters significant scientific research and educational programs and exhibitions that present the work of its scientists to the public.

In 2014 the Fossil Hall closed for renovations and reinterpretation and will reopen in 2019. The temporary exhibition, Last American Dinosaur will provide visitors with the opportunity to “see dinosaurs” and other fossils during these next five years.

Last American Dinosaurs tells the story of the final days of dinosaurs as found in the Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota. Visitors can explore this world from 66 million years ago, before an enormous and sudden asteroid impact drastically altered the flora and fauna forever. Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, and many other fossils provide insight into their world and help us understand how the planet responds to drastic changes.

The exhibit and its FossiLab give visitors a glimpse into the process of discovery and research as we reveal how paleontologists uncover clues into how life and environments are connected to form dynamic ecosystems that persist and change over very long periods of time. We also “pull back the curtain” for a peek behind the exhibit development process by including the lively dialogue between science and art that leads to beautiful and accurate reconstructions of life in the past.

3. Context: NMNH Public Engagement Volunteer Program

The Education and Outreach Volunteer Program at the National Museum of Natural History manages all aspects of the public-facing (aka front line) volunteers. The program provides a number of core functions to the museum, including attracting and recruiting talented volunteers, interviewing, training, placing as well as ongoing development and skill building across the volunteer cohorts. The current program counts over 700 active volunteers.

The museum’s volunteers need to be skilled in the delivery of educational programming and visitor services practices, and knowledgeable about program and museum content and science. Volunteers will need to be prepared to engage museum visitors in personal interactions with objects from the museum’s teaching collection, with people (volunteers, educators, and scientists), and appropriate learning technologies during their visit. The Museum seeks a contractor to assist in the execution of the aforementioned aims of the volunteer program. The technician will work directly with Museum’s Volunteer Manager and other staff within the Office of Education and Outreach in support of the program’s objectives.

4. Deliverables

The deliverables for this contract are divided into FOUR major categories.

a. Organization and Daily Management of the Program

Bi-weekly activity report that includes updates on key areas of activity as described below, including key trends & metrics
Arrange all aspects of the LAD training, subsequent professional enrichment classes, and volunteer meetings for the program
Coordination of all volunteer resource needs, i.e. badge renewals, parking passes, computer and technical support, as relates to volunteering at NMNH
Use the SI Volunteer Database, EVANS, for all planning, communication, and tracking of the LAD volunteers
Ensure that all daily activities and programs within LAD have appropriate levels of volunteer staffing
Maintain a weekly tally of all services provided to NMNH visitors by the LAD volunteers and provide the Volunteer Manager with a seasonal statistical report.
Assists with all recognition, award, and benefits activities
Identify and resolve volunteer concerns and questions
b. Recruitment

Develop and implement recruitment plan using best practices
Use all available resources, print and media in recruitment activities
Process all volunteer applications, including entry into the Smithsonian wide volunteer database, EVANS
Coordination of onboarding volunteers, including security background checks, entry of data into EVANS, badging, and other procedures
c. Scheduling

Maintain placement and activity schedules in EVANS and assist volunteers in using the scheduling feature in EVANS
Ensures proper volunteer coverage in LAD
Develop and distribute to the information desk volunteers and staff weekly schedules of services provided by volunteers in Last American Dinosaur for NMNH visitors
Works with Tour Manager to ensure that tours, activities, and programs are assigned to an appropriate LAD volunteers by assessing critical variables of each
d. Training

Works with Education and Outreach staff to develop and implement training for LAD volunteers.
Ensures space, AV, and other logistical needs are taken care of for initial training and professional enrichment.
Compiles electronic and hardcopy materials for distribution during training and professional enrichment.
5. Scope and Timeframe

All project activities and deliverables will begin no later than October 10, 2014and will be ongoing for one (1) year from official start date.

The nature of the deliverables demands that this work will be conducted onsite at the NMNH, in an office environment. The offeror will be onsite twenty-five (25) hours per week each week during the length of the twelve (12) month contract.

The payment shall not exceed $24,000.00

PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

General

On or before 5:00 PM in the vendor’s time zone on September 12, 2014, Offerors will be expected to provide a proposal via email to NMNHeducation@si.edu.

At the minimum, offerors need to demonstrate that they meet the acceptability standards for non-cost factors, including that they have the ability to perform the requirements in a timely manner.

Technical Proposal

The Technical Proposal shall address the Statement of Work and Deliverables sections outlined above; and shall contain sufficient quantitative and qualitative details to allow a complete and accurate evaluation from a strictly technical viewpoint. When preparing their technical proposals, Offerors should consider the evaluation criteria set forth below, against which the proposals will be evaluated

a) Capability to Perform

The offeror shall specifically address capability and capacity to perform the work required for this project, considering its size, scope and schedule in writing. The offeror shall specifically address current capability, capacity and ability to complete this project considering the schedule.

b) Experience

The offeror shall provide examples of specialized experience and demonstrated technical competence in performing similar work as requested herein, preferably completed within the last five years. The offerer shall provide a current resume with references.

Proposal Evaluation

Proposals shall be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria being applied to the information requested above:

“Plan of Accomplishment” and “Capability to Perform” shall be granted equal weight and shall together be granted more weight than “Staffing,” and “Experience.” “Staffing” and “Experience of the Firm” shall be granted equal weight. All evaluation factors other than cost, when combined, are granted more weight than cost.

Award of a contract shall be made to the responsive, responsible offeror, whose combined cost and technical proposal is, in the opinion of the Contracting Officer, determined to be the most advantageous and in the best interest of the Smithsonian Institution.

Inquiries

Inquiries regarding this Request for Proposal should be directed via email to NMNHeducation@si.edu.

Interviews

It is the intention of the Smithsonian to interview a select group of responsive offerors; however, it is possible that interviews may not occur. Consequently, it is important that all responses to this request be complete and include all necessary information.

Submission of Proposals

The Smithsonian reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received in response to this request, and to negotiate separately with any offeror when such action shall be considered by the Contracting Officer to be in the best interest of the Smithsonian. After limited negotiations or based solely on initial offers received, notice will be provided indicating that an award may be made. It is therefore emphasized that all proposals should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms that the offeror can submit. Written proposals must be received 5:00 PM in the offeror’s time zone, on September 12, 2014.

Disposition of Proposals

All information submitted in response to this Request for Proposal shall become the property of the Smithsonian and shall not be returned.

APPLY FOR THIS JOB
Contact Person: NMNH, Office of Education and Outreach
Email Address: NMNHEducation@si.edu