Procurement of a Project Coordinator for the Tower Museum Laurentic Centenary Exhibition & Programme
T Bus 16-70
Invitation Document
Derry City & Strabane District Council
Council Offices
98 Strand Road
Derry
BT48 7NN
Email:
Web: www.derrystrabanecom
Table of Contents
Contents 2
Introduction & Background 3
Scope of Works 5
External Expertise & Timescale 6
Budget 7
Instructions to Tenderers 10
Evaluation / Award Criteria /Award Criteria Scoring 18
Form of Tender 21
Terms & Conditions 22
Form of Assurance 23
Collusive Tendering Certificate 24
Declaration of Commitment to
Promoting Equality of Opportunity 25
Fair Employment Declaration 27
Prompt Payment Certificate 28
Statement Relating To Good Standing 29
Freedom of Information 32
Non Submittal Form 33
Appendix (none included) 34
Introduction & Scope of Works (T Bus 16-70)
1. Introduction
The Museum & Visitor Service is a key component of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s (DCSDC) Business and Culture Directorate. It is made up of a number of buildings, Tower Museum, Guildhall and Harbour House, and service areas which include collections, learning and engagement and archives and genealogy.
The award winning Tower Museum is the city’s main civic museum and is located within the city walls across from the Guildhall. It is a popular visitor attraction for both tourists and locals alike with two permanent exhibitions; the Story of Derry and the Armada Shipwreck – La Trinidad Valencera. An annual programme of temporary exhibitions ensures interest for new and repeat visitors. It also includes the curatorial, learning and archive team as well as a genealogy service. The Museum has a number of spaces suitable for events and workshops such as a dedicated Learning Space, small 60 seater cinema and temporary exhibition space.
The Guildhall is the city’s premier civic building at the heart of the city and one of the most striking buildings in the North West. It is the centre for local government as well as an events and exhibitions space and venue for civil weddings and partnerships.
Harbour House was once the home to the Londonderry Port & Harbour Commissioners and is an impressive and unique part of our city’s industrial and maritime heritage. It is open to the public on special events days and pre-booked tours and is frequently used for business meetings and events.
Collections
Museums ‘collect’ items in order to preserve them for future generations and a key aspect of this process is creating access through exhibitions. The Museum Service team has experience in developing both permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as running events as part of the exhibition schedule. The Tower Museum is home to the curatorial element of the Service and many of the key collection items held by DCSDC in their care are on display here for visitors to see. The collection can be viewed under a variety of different themes and categories. There are items such as the civic collection alongside maritime, transport and social history.
Learning
Learning and participation are at the heart of what we do. We offer curriculum linked learning programmes for schools and colleges aimed at supporting key skills. We also offer an outreach service including a range of themed loan boxes alongside a learning website and learning materials. www.towermuseumlearning.co.uk
Informal learning is an increasing focus for the Museum Service team with the opening of our new Discovery Zone in 2013 linked to family fun type activities and intergenerational learning. This also embraces ‘lifelong learning’ activities which include cross community engagement, oral history and reminiscence.
Archive & Genealogy
The Archive Service is the only local authority service in Northern Ireland is very proactive in creating access to the archives. The archive collections are integrated into the temporary and permanent exhibition galleries and items are used regularly in learning programmes. There is a very dynamic partnership with the Public Record Office NI (PRONI) with an ongoing programme of digitisation of key collections.
We have also developed the Genealogy Service in partnership with the Irish Family History Foundation. This has made more than 1 million family records available online through the Roots Ireland website.
2 Background
The Laurentic was built in Belfast in 1907. Originally the ship was purposed as a luxurious and fast passenger ship, taking clients from Liverpool to Quebec in Canada. During the First World War she was used as an Armed Merchant ship for the Royal Navy carrying troops, ammunitions and gold.
In the cold of January, in 1917, the Laurentic was carrying forty-three tons of gold ingots (worth two hundred and fifty million pounds today), to Canada. The ship set sail out of Lough Swilly in Donegal on the 25th of January and sank that very night. Three hundred and fifty-three passengers and crew lost their lives. Many sailors froze to death while trying to row to safety, while others, who were fortunate enough to reach the shore were eventually brought to the Guildhall after a large relief effort organised by the Mayor of Londonderry.
The Laurentic came to rest on the sandy ocean floor one hundred and twenty feet beneath the stormy ocean with three thousand, two hundred and eleven bars of gold stored deep within its hull. The salvage operation to retrieve the lost gold lasted until 1924 when it was called off by the British Government. Of the three thousand, two hundred and eleven bars lost to the sea in 1917, only twenty-five bars remained in the depths.
In 1969 the Laurentic wreck was bought by Ray Cossum and his brother Eric. A resident here in the city, Ray has spent most of life researching the Laurentic and searching for the remaining gold. The Tower Museum would like to commemorate the sinking of the Laurentic by opening a new exhibition of the 25th of January 2017, which would also highlight Ray’s efforts in researching the wreck and searching for the elusive gold.
3 Client Team
Derry City & Strabane District Council (DCSDC) Museum & Visitor Service will be the commissioning authority for the Laurentic Centenary Exhibition & Programme. DCSDC will nominate a lead officer as the primary point of contact throughout the life of the scope of works. This officer will work in conjunction with the Museum & Visitor Service team. The Museum & Visitor Service will also be able to provide a variety of key in-house resources including access to archives and collections, learning material, publications and advice to aid with research.
4 Scope of Works
Derry City & Strabane District Council (DCSDC) Museum & Visitor Service seek to appoint a suitably qualified company/organisation to be the Programme Coordinator for the Laurentic Centenary Exhibition & Programme. The exhibition will open on January 25th 2017 in the Tower Museum and run until June 2017. The successful company/organisation will be responsible for the production, design and delivery of the exhibition content, and in partnership with the Museum Service team, coordinate and deliver the programme outputs as listed below:
Part 1 – Design and Delivery of Exhibition Content
Design, produce and install an exhibition on the Laurentic Centenary based around the following key themes:
· Construction and service in the Royal Navy (1907-1917)
· The Crippen Case (1910)
· Fateful Night
· The Rescue Effort
· The Fallen
· The Salvage
· Ray Cossum
· Cossum Salvage and Legacy
· Laurentic Today
Part 2 – Film/Animation
Design two x 1 minute film/animation pieces to be screened on televisions already located within the exhibition, using resources already available within the Museum & Visitor Service including oral histories, images and video. The themes for the film/animation should be based on the sinking and salvage of the wreck.
Part 3 – Interactive Story for iPad
Design an interactive story for iPad using the book app (8-10 pages) using resources already available through Museum & Visitor Service. Ideally this digital book would provide a timeline for the Laurentic Story.
Part 4 – Events Programme
Scope out a programme of monthly events (five) to be delivered at the Tower Museum to highlight the exhibition in partnership with Museum & Visitor Service. These can include talks, school workshops, music, drama and living history.
Part 5 – Opening Launch Event
Plan, organize and promote the opening launch event at the Tower Museum in partnership with DCSDC Museum & Visitor Service and the DCSDC Marketing team.
Part 6 – Marketing and Promotion
Design and produce promotional material for the exhibition.
Part 7 – Report & Evaluation
Prepare a report with evaluation on the success of the exhibition, to include photographs and media.
5 External Expertise
DCSDC recognises the need to obtain external expertise to assist with this programme. It is acknowledged that the organisation or individual should meet the following criteria:
· Strong leadership and co-ordination skills and a track record in delivering similar projects or events
· Demonstrate that they have a good understanding of the project brief
· Demonstrate that they have experience of event co-ordination and delivery
· Demonstrate an ability to incorporate flair and creativity into event content development and delivery
· Demonstrate experience in a variety of interpretative methods and historical research
· Demonstrate experience in consulting with a variety of groups or individuals
· Demonstrate that they have experience in working with different display mediums and the creation of exhibition style programmes
· Experience in creating and delivering a variety of programme outputs suitable for a diverse range of audiences
6 Timescales
The date of the centenary is 25th January 2017.
All the programme outputs must be completed by 16th January 2017.
The estimated delivery programme for this brief is as follows:
Tender issue / 17th October 2016Questions/Queries / 24th October 2016
Replies to Questions/Queries / 28th October 2016
Tender return / 7th November 2016
Selection panel / 8th November 2016
Appointment / 14th November 2016
Delivery & Completion of programme outputs / Part 1: Exhibition Content
Part 2: Film/Animation
Part 3: Interactive Story
Part 4: Events Programme
Part 5: Opening Event
Part 6: Marketing and Promotion
Part 7: Report and Evaluation / 16th January 2017
16th January 2017
16th January 2017
16th January 2017
16th January 2017
Dec to Jan 2017
10th July 2017
The time-table above is for illustrative purposes at this stage. Each applicant is requested to present an outline programme timetable for the delivery of the Contract.
7 Budget
The budget available for this work will not exceed £15,000 and includes all costs associated with the creation and delivery all six parts indicated within the scope of works.
A detailed breakdown of the costs associated with complete delivery of this work is required based on the % allocation as outlined below. All costs should be quoted in pounds sterling and be exclusive of VAT.
Applicants are requested to provide the following fee scales as follows (percentages provided indicate percentage of overall budget for delivery of project provided by applicant):
Part 1
Design and Delivery of Exhibition Content – up to 35% of overall budget to design, produce and install an exhibition on the Laurentic Centenary using the themes indicated in Part 4 (Scope of Works). The core design and layout will incorporate a series of approximately 15 graphic panels (height: 244cm x width: 120cm). It is recommended that applicants visit the current 1916: Untold Stories exhibition at the Tower Museum to further understand the space layout/limitations. A second set of duplicate panels designed for travelling exhibits must also be produced (approximately height: 122cm x width: 60cm).
Part 2 – Film/Animation – up to 12.5% of overall budget to create two short films/animations (approx. 1min) using oral history, image and video content from the DCSDC Laurentic Archive, to be incorporated into the exhibition design. The Tower Museum should also be assigned full copyright of the film to be used for education and online purposes. It will be displayed on two televisions currently located in the Tower Museum temporary exhibition space.
Part 3 – Interactive Story for iPad - up to 12.5% to design an interactive story for iPad using the book app (8-10 pages) using resources already available through Museum & Visitor Service. Ideally this digital book would provide a timeline for the Laurentic Story. It will be displayed on two iPads currently located in the Tower Museum temporary exhibition space.
Part 4 – Events Programme - Up to 7% to scope out a programme of monthly events (five) to be delivered at the Tower Museum to highlight the exhibition in partnership with Museum & Visitor Service. These can include talks, school workshops, music, drama and living history.
Part 5 – Opening Launch Event - Up to 2% to plan, organize and promote the opening launch event at the Tower Museum in resource partnership with DCSDC Museum & Visitor Service and the DCSDC Marketing team. This may involve planning the running order for the event, providing media content for the audience and hiring a suitable speaker.
Part 6 – Marketing and Promotion - Up to 10% to design and produce the following promotional material to accompany the exhibition:
· 500 copies of souvenir leaflet, reproducing panels in leaflet form
· 500 copies of single page leaflet detailing events programme
· 2 pull up banners
· 3 x A0 posters
· 50 x A3 posters
· 50 x A4 posters
· E-invite
Part 7 – Report & Evaluation
Up to 1% to prepare a report with evaluation on the success of the exhibition, to include photographs and media.
Project weighting 80% with remaining 20% allocated as programme co-ordination fee
8 Monitoring
The successful company/organisation will be required to attend regular progress meetings with the lead DCSDC officer and other assigned members of staff when requested to do so.
9 Payment schedule
Payment will be made in two stages as follows:
Stage Description / % of Total ValueStage 1 (Early payment TBA) / 50%
Stage 2 (Payment after the event) / 40%
Stage 3 (Payment after full evaluation) / 10%
Instructions to Tenderers (T Bus 16-70)
1. Invitation To Tender
1.1 Derry City & Strabane District Council principally invites detailed and costed proposals for Tender brief defined in Introduction & Scope of Works. Please ensure your submission includes all details as per section 19 of Instructions to Tenderers.