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Columbia
Working Documents for the "Greene & Greene Virtual Archive" A joint project of The Gamble House/USC, UC Berkeley and Columbia University |
CONTENTSII.�� PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION
III. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND FORMAL CONDITIONS
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
FOR DIGITAL IMAGING PRODUCTION SERVICESColumbia University Libraries (hereafter CUL) has been awarded a grant to undertake a digital access project that includes digitizing material from the Avery Architecture Library�s collection.� A total of 5,000 35mm color slides, and 160 4x5 color transparencies, will be scanned and made available online via a web-based interface.� CUL is seeking a vendor to perform the digital conversion, production of .SID, .GIF and .JPG derivatives, related file naming and metadata creation.
During a 5 month period CUL will ship the slides to the vendor for the production of digital images.� The vendor will scan all of the slides to the specified resolutions.� The vendor will produce .SID, .GIF and .JPG derivative files.� The vendor will also name each file, set up a directory structure, and amend the metadata file using the instructions given in this RFP. The completed and quality checked image CDs, and database information will then be returned to CUL along with the original slides.
II.�� PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION
A.�Requirements for Submission
Submitted proposals should be addressed to:
Angela Bukowy
101f Butler Library
Columbia University
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027Phone: (212) 854-5519
Fax: (212) 854-3290
Email: [email protected]Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. on ---------.
Failure of bidding vendors to follow all proposal submission instructions will be cause for CUL to disqualify proposals.� If a vendor fails to respond to any portion of the RFP, CUL will interpret this as the vendor�s inability to meet specific requirements.
B. Confidentiality and Retention of Proposals
All proposals submitted become the property of CUL.� CUL will make all reasonable efforts to maintain proposals in confidence and will release proposals only to personnel involved with the evaluation of the project.� CUL will share the names and addresses of all respondents with each potential bidder so as to facilitate collaborative responses.
C.� Exceptions and Alternatives to the RFP
An exception is defined as the vendor�s inability to meet a requirement in the manner specified in the RFP.� Any exceptions must be identified and explained in writing.� If the vendor wishes to suggest an alternative solution to a requirement, the benefits of this alternative solution must be explained in full.
D.� Vendor Communication During the RFP Process
Communications between vendors and CUL may be in writing, by telephone, email, or by fax. Answers will be returned by CUL as quickly as possible.
E.�Subcontracting
Any subcontracting of image scanning, data entry, or inspection must be specified in the response to the RFP.� CUL reserves the right to request information about any subcontracting relationship.� In the event of a subcontracting arrangement, the primary vendor with whom CUL signs the contract shall assume all responsibility for work performed by the subcontractor.
F.�� Selection of Vendor
CUL will choose the vendor according to the evaluation criteria set forth in Section G. below.� CUL reserves the right not to make an award if it is deemed that no single proposal fully meets the requirements of this RFP.� The successful vendor will be notified during the week of------------.
The vendor chosen for award should be prepared to have the winning proposal incorporated, along with all other written correspondence concerning this agreement, into a contract and/or purchase order for services.� Any false or misleading statements found in the proposal will be grounds for disqualification.
Unsuccessful vendors will be notified in writing by the week of-----------.� CUL will answer written questions concerning the evaluation of the vendor�s proposal.
G.� Evaluation Guidelines for Vendor Proposals
CUL will evaluate vendor proposals using the following guidelines:
� Understanding of and compliance with the requirements of the RFP
� Ability to satisfy mandatory technical requirements
� Ability to meet the required scanning, data entry, and inspection within the required project timetable.
�� Fair pricing of the proposal relative to other proposals received
� Qualifications and experience, evidenced by customer references, resumes of key personnel, and so forth
� Guarantee of work, and the nature and extent of vendor support
� Financial stability and other various business issues as outlined in the RFP
III. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND FORMAL CONDITIONS
A.� Communication
CUL and the vendor shall each designate a representative who will be available to answer questions and to discuss any aspect of the project.� The vendor should anticipate occasional conference calls between the vendor and CUL to facilitate communication and to provide a platform for exchanging ideas to resolve problems that might be encountered during the project.
B.� Delivery schedule
CUL and the vendor shall establish a regular delivery schedule of slides from CUL to the vendor and products from the vendor to CUL.� Any changes in the delivery schedule shall be communicated by the party initiating the change within 2 weeks prior to the schedule change.� CUL must be able to change the scheduling agreement any time before shipment without penalty.
C.� On-Site Inspection of Vendor Facility
At any time during the agreement period, the vendor shall permit representatives from CUL to inspect its facility during the course of the vendor� normal working hours.
D. Default
CUL shall notify the vendor in writing in a timely fashion concerning potential conditions of default -- e.g., unsatisfactory service or poor workmanship.� Failure of the vendor to correct the conditions identified by CUL at its own expense, or to come to an amicable solution with CUL within 30 days, shall constitute default.
E.� Cancellation for Non-Compliance
CUL and the vendor shall both have the option to cancel the agreement upon 30 days written notice to the other party for performance that is not in compliance with all instructions and specifications stated within this document.
F. � Invoices
The vendor shall provide detailed invoices for each completed shipment within 7 working days of delivery of a shipment to CUL.� Invoices shall reflect the price structure delineated in the agreement.� The invoices must include:
� the total number of slides scanned, and the charge per image
� the total number of derivatives created, and the charge per set of� derivatives
� the cost for the creation of metadata, itemized per image/record
In addition, it should also include any other itemized charges and shall reference the CUL Purchase Order Number.� Invoices will be paid upon the acceptance by CUL of the products following inspection as described elsewhere in this RFP.
Invoices shall be sent to:
Angela Bukowy
101f Butler Library
Columbia University
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027G.� Rights Over Products
CUL retains all physical and property rights over the original slides, digital images, metadata, and files that are products of the project described in this proposal (including the sample test).� No part of the original slides, digital images, derivatives, or files may be sold or given away by the vendor.
H.� Pricing
Prices quoted by the vendor shall be firm for the duration of the project.� Prices quoted by the vendor shall be net, unless otherwise specified by CUL.
Materials and services furnished to CUL are not subject to Federal Excise Tax, Federal Transportation Tax, or State Sales Tax, and such taxes shall not be included in prices.� CUL�s Federal Tax Identification Certificate will be provided with the contract for services.
IV. PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES:� CUL
CUL project staff will be responsible for selecting, preparing, and shipping to the vendor 5,000 35mm slides and 160 4x5 color transparencies, and performing quality control of image capture and data entry.� The following provides a description of CUL�s project responsibilities, as well as the institutional infrastructure within which the vendor will be working.
A.� Selecting Materials for Conversion.
CUL will select 5,000 35mm slides.� These slides are all first generation, in cardboard mounts, and were taken on Ektachrome film.� The original materials are architectural drawings and plans of varying sizes and contrast.� The slides will not be removed from the mounts for scanning.
CUL will provide 160 4x5 color transparencies. The original media are mounted black and white photographs with some tonal variation [sepia], but generally consistent color-range overall. The copy work is being performed currently on a single emulsion/batch of� Ektachrome Professional Neutral [7508]� film with consistent processing.
B.�� Shipping Materials to Vendor
Slides and transparencies will be sorted and packed by CUL, and costs associated with the shipping and handling of source materials to the vendor within the United States will be borne by CUL.� A packing slip will be included with each box.
C.� Performing Quality Control of Image Capture
Although the vendor will be required to perform rigorous quality control procedures, CUL will also perform a detailed inspection of the digital files and associated metadata.
Upon receiving slides and products from the vendor, CUL will verify media integrity, directory structures and file naming. CUL staff will perform quality control of image files by inspecting the images and derivatives produced by the vendor:� any anomalies in image capture will be marked and compared against the original material.
D.� Performing Quality Control of Metadata
CUL will check for completeness and correctness of the directory structuring, file naming, and related metadata [capture information].
E.�� Identifying Unacceptable Images and Metadata
Any images or metadata considered unacceptable by CUL due to image conversion errors, incorrect data entry, or physical errors will be returned to the vendor with specific comments identifying the scope and nature of the problem. If the delivery media, or any files on the media, are nonfunctional, the entire disc will be returned to the vendor for replacement.�
V.� PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES:� VENDOR
The vendor will be responsible for receiving 5,000 slides and 160 4x5 transparencies from CUL, producing high resolution .TIF images, creating .SID, .GIF and .JPG derivatives, creating metadata, and delivering the products. The vendor will be responsible for guaranteeing the quality of the images, metadata, and delivery media.� The following sections describe vendor project responsibilities.
A.� Receiving and Housing Material from CUL
The vendor must acknowledge receipt of each item in a shipment, using an annotated copy of the packing slip.� If any discrepancies to the packing slip are found, or the originals and/or accompanying metadata instructions are problematic, the vendor will inform the institution immediately.�
The vendor shall insure the media, at no extra charge to CUL, against loss or damage while in possession of the vendor up to a per image limit of $50.
All materials will be stored in a secure, cool, dry location at the vendor�s facility.
B.�� Scanning Procedures
1. 35mm Slides
a. Vendor staff will scan all of the slides provided to produce a master image in .TIF format with a scanning resolution of 4000 pixels/long dimension, a viewable image compressed using Mr.Sid compression software [.SID format, 600dpi resolution], and a .GIF thumbnail at 300 pixels/long dimension.
b.�� A color bar slide that pertains to each batch will be provided by CUL for equipment calibration.� If the original slide is significantly under/over-exposed, or a significant color shift has occurred, the vendor should consult with CUL staff to establish the parameters of color compensation.
c.�� It is understood that scanning slides in the mounts may introduce slight fuzziness around the edges of the image.� As necessary, the vendor will crop the edges of the image to eliminate the fuzziness; such cropping will be limited to the background of the slide only and no portion of the drawing, ruler, accession number, or other content of the slide will be� cropped.
d.�� If any slide cannot be scanned in the manner specified, the vendor shall consult with CUL.� �If after consultation it is agreed by both parties that the slide cannot be scanned, it shall be returned to CUL with a note explaining its rejection.
e.��Images should be saved to the delivery medium in the appropriate viewing orientation.
2. 4x5 Color Transparencies
a. Vendor staff will scan all of the film provided to produce a master image in .TIF format with a scanning resolution of 6000 pixels/long dimension, a viewable image compressed using Mr.Sid compression software [.SID format, 600dpi resolution], and a .JPG thumbnail at 300 pixels/long dimension.
b. Vendor staff will use the color bar information included in each image, and consult with CUL staff, to insure consistent, and acceptable, tonal quality for the collection of photographs.
c.�� If any film cannot be scanned in the manner specified, the vendor shall consult with CUL.� � If after consultation it is agreed by both parties that the film cannot be scanned, it will be �returned to CUL with a note explaining its rejection.
d.�� Images should be saved to the delivery medium in the appropriate orientation for viewing.
3.�� Quality Control
a) Vendor staff will perform quality control to ensure that each image is fully rendered, properly aligned (i.e., right side up and not skewed more than 5% relative to the original slide), and free of distortions.
b) When necessary (e.g., poor image capture of a slide), vendor staff will re-scan the image.
C.� Metadata Creation
The vendor will produce information to allow determination of which image files (file names) correspond to which physical slide.� CUL has provided a unique accession number that is visible in the image on each slide.� The vendor will create a metadata file database associating the accession number to the image number created for each image, and to the metadata specific to each image, as displayed in the sample data below. The metadata file shall be supplied to CUL in tab-delimited ASCII format.
CUL requests that a checksum value for each .TIF image be calculated and entered in the metadata table.
Project Level: [information provided at onset of project, and updated as necessary]
Scanning Agency
Hardware
Software
Item Level:
Image Id
Accession Number
MIME type [GIF, TIF, JPG, SID, etc]
Scan Date/Time
Width [in pixels]
Height [in Pixels]
Color Space [RGB, CMYK, etc]
Compression
Resolution Target Id
Checksum Value
D.� Directory Structuring and File Naming GuidelinesAll directory names will be eight characters long, with a standard 3-charcter extension, and unique within the context of the project.� Uppercase should be uniformly used in naming directories and files.
E.�� Error Correction
Upon notification from CUL, as specified in Section IV.F above, the vendor will make all necessary adjustments and replace the unacceptable products (images, metadata, or delivery media) at the vendor�s expense to achieve an acceptable level of quality as specified in the proposal.
The vendor shall correct any errors identified during the institutional inspection process at no additional charge to CUL.� The vendor shall reproduce the unacceptable products within 14 working days of the vendor having received the item(s) for correction.� Any extra transportation or mailing costs resulting from such errors shall be paid by the vendor.
F.��Output/Delivery Media�
1. Derivatives and metadata files will be received from the vendor on an appropriate storage media. CUL currently prefers delivery on ISO compliant cds, but is willing to discuss alternate means of data transfer.
2.� Data will be batched for delivery by file type.
G.� Shipping
Return of all slides and all deliveries of products (images, metadata, etc.) to CUL will be made according to a schedule to be mutually agreed with CUL.� The vendor will be responsible for all costs associated with shipping and handling of the slides and the products to CUL.� The vendor will pack the delivery medium containing the products, prepare a packing slip, insure each shipment, and ship the material to CUL via overnight carrier.�
CUL shall have the option to specify, on a per shipment basis, whether or not the original slides should be retained by the vendor until CUL has fully inspected and accepted the products.� If the slides are to be returned at the same time as the products, the slides shall be sent in a separate delivery shipment from the CDs and other products.� Both the products and the slides shall be accompanied by annotated copies of the original packing list.� CUL will inspect the contents of each shipment to be sure that all items are present and complete.
Materials should be shipped to:
Angela Bukowy
101f Butler Library
Columbia University
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027
Columbia
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Last revision:
12/19/02
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