NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE This notice is being published in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 5.101 requiring dissemination of information for proposed contract actions. This is a notice of intent to award a sole source contract, and is not a request for competitive quotes/proposals. The statutory authority for this sole source procurement is prescribed by FAR 13.501(a)(2). The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) intends to issue a five year (one 12-month base year; and four 12-month option years); firm fixed prices; sole source award contract to South Dakota State Historical Society Archaeological Research Center (ARC). However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement demonstrating the ability to provide the requested services, which shall be considered by the agency before the intended award date. Interested sources who submit data are responsible for appropriately marking information if it is proprietary in nature. The Government shall not reimburse interested sources for any information provided. No requests for capability briefings will be honored. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Interested vendors must respond to this notice on or before January 5, 2017 by sending an email to
[email protected]. NAICS Code: 712110 - Museums - primarily engaged in the preservation and exhibition of objects of historical, cultural, and/or educational value. Background: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Museum Program is mandated to ensure that BIA archaeological collections housed in nonÂFederal repositories are cared for according to Federal standards, as outlined in 36 CFR Part 79. BIA is also responsible for compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA) on human remains, funerary objects, objects of cultural patrimony, and sacred objects in its collections. The South Dakota State Historical Society Archaeological Research Center (ARC) houses approximately 111.5 cubic feet of archaeological materials and approximately 15 linear feet of associated documentation on behalf of the BIA that were recovered from Indian trust or restricted lands ("Indian lands"). Archaeological material originating from Indian lands, and administered by the BIA, was deposited at the ARC as a result of archaeological field projects conducted under the authority of Antiquities Act permits, between 1906 and 1979, prior to enactment of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA). Collections from this specific time-frame come from sites on or near the Yankton Sioux Reservation, the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Reservation, the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation, the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation, and the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation within the State of South Dakota, in addition to the Pierre Indian Learning Center property in Hughes County. Based on a preliminary review of the ARC collections database, no collections from tribal trust lands within the Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation appear to have been collected prior to 1979. The repository staff at the ARC has preliminarily identified collections that were excavated from sites believed to have been under BIA control at the time of removal. Additional research must be completed to definitively identify collections that came from BIA-administered lands prior to the enactment of ARPA. This statement of work is intended to cover the task required to determine BIA ownership, catalog, photograph, and rehouse archaeological collections that are owned by BIA and housed at the ARC. In general, the associated documentation related to these archaeological collections has been filed in the ARC repository, library, and site files. A finding guide for these materials will be developed by referencing the in-house Archaeological Resources Management System (ARMS) Microsoft Access database. Based on a preliminary inventory of the collections conducted in 2012, ARC staff has identified a single human molar from site 39CH0068. Other than this single molar, ARC staff is not aware of any NAGPRA items in these collections. However, it is possible that additional NAGPRA items may be identified during comprehensive collection processing work on collections originating from the Pierre Indian Learning Center (site 39HU0010) given that dozens of burial features have been documented on this property. Scope: The contractor (ARC) will locate all archaeological collections that came from Indian lands between 1906 and 1979 that are in the physical possession of the ARC. The contractor will conduct research to identify site locations that were on Indian lands at the time of excavation or removal of archaeological collections. Once identified, the objects in the BIA collections will be cataloged, photographed, and rehoused. If any additional items subject to NAGPRA are identified, the contractor will notify BIA of its findings. Objectives: The objectives of this contract are to identify, catalog, and properly house all the collections housed at the ARC that fall under BIA¿s control. This is required in order for BIA to maintain accountability over its collections that are housed in non-BIA repositories. If additional items subject to NAGPRA under the control of BIA are identified within the ARC¿s BIA collections, the ARC will provide information regarding these items to the BIA.