The County of Rockland Department of Economic Development & Tourism is considering the issuance of a Sole Source award to Historical Society of Rockland, Inc. for the provision of collecting, preserving, and educating residents about Rockland’s past at the countywide level and to the general public.
This award may be made on a sole source basis in accordance with the Rockland County Procurement Policy.
TERM: January 1, 2022- December 31, 2022
The contract fills a need for maintaining the County’s History:
Collecting, preserving, and educating residents about Rockland’s past at the countywide level.
The study of history—particularly of local history—cultivates an understanding of and appreciation for the places where we live and the ideals on which the U.S. was founded. In addition, we study our history to commemorate those who gave their lives to preserve the liberties and freedoms we cherish as Americans and to learn from our experiences, so we do not reproduce mistakes. Through our programs, the HSRC can also help to strengthen smaller municipal and interest-based historical societies and museums, as well as schools, libraries, and other educational/cultural organizations, as venues for understanding how we arrived where we are today and learning about our unique place in the world.
Target Population:
Through our programs, the HSRC aims to promote appreciation of the county’s historical and cultural heritage among the people of Rockland, our core intended audience, as well as among visitors to the County. As such, the HSRC does not track the unduplicated services we provide. As a historical society with collections, we are open to the public the same way a museum operates. Although we capture some demographic audience data informally, we do not require visitors to our sites (actual and virtual) to provide information about their race, residence, cultural backgrounds, age, income, or educational level. Due to COVID-19, the HSRC was able to serve only 800 people directly at our facilities in 2021. However, we increased our indirect reach to more than 60,000 through collaborative Internet-bases streaming and social-media services, including Zoom, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. We expect on-site attendance numbers to begin returning to normal levels and online reach to continue to grow.
Service Delivery:
The HSRC’s history commemoration programs are multifaceted. Services are delivered by professionally trained historians in the form of on-site exhibitions, lectures, and events; off-site commemorative activities and guided walks; collaborative programs with other local historical and cultural organizations; performances, conferences, and workshops; on- and off-site education programs; and publications and digital media. This program is unique within Rockland, giving residents and visitors access to a full range of high-quality public history services that the county government does not provide. The HSRC strives to meet best practices in history programming as outlined by the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, the American Association of Museums, and the American Association of State and Local History.
Goals:
The specific goals of the programs are to make a greater number of programs and publications that promote our history and cultural heritage available to the public, with specific emphasis on opening these offerings to less advantaged members of the community and visitors to the county by expanding our collaborations and outreach and keeping admission low or free of charge. The anticipated outcomes are a higher level of awareness and support of the HSRC as a premier resource and destination both in Rockland and aboard as the county develops its presence as a regional tourism destination, as well as a better informed population with appreciation of Rockland’s unique historical assets and greater connection to areas of the county previously unfamiliar to them.
The funds will also be used to promote Rockland County outside of the county to attract tourists.
This notice is issued for informational purposes only and is NOT a request for competitive quotes.
Any non-profit agency that believes they are qualified to provide the services detailed above and is ready, willing and able to provide the services; shall respond to this notice no later than 3 PM on March 24, 2022 (14 days after advertisement) of this announcement. The response
should provide specific details regarding the agency’s interest in providing such services as well as their prior experience in providing the same or similar services. In addition, the response should detail the agency’s connections to the Rockland County community.
Responses to this notice must be sent via facsimile to 845-364-3809 or email to purchasing@co.rockland.ny.us. NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Organizations submitting a proposal must meet the following requirements:
- Experienced in providing the same or equivalent services
- Be a 501 (c)3
- Be governed by a Board of Directors
- Be up-to-date with all IRS filings
- Be up-to-date with all NYS filings
- Have a 2022 budget with Board approval
- Be fiscally sound
- Have a Non-discrimination Policy
- Have a Conflict of Interest Policy
- Submit quarterly and year end reports, including attendance lists for each group activity
- Demonstrated sufficient successful experience providing the above services
- Be available for on-site visits, announced and unannounced
A determination by the County not to compete the proposed contract is solely within the discretion of the County.
