Museum-exhibition services

Tender description

The National Library of Scotland requires a contractor to provide exhibition design, build, and digital interpretation plus ongoing support contract for up to 5 years,in the newly converted treasures gallery in the George IV Bridge Building in Edinburgh. The design, build and digital interpretation services are for a semi-permanent exhibition, with a minimum life span of 5 years, in order to showcase iconic items from the Library’s collections. This will be a fully project managed service, subcontracted as required and will comprise of the following: Exhibition design and build services Digital interpretation services Graphic artwork Software and interactives and hardware Project management services Lighting design in collaboration with the Library’s directly appointed lighting contractor Ongoing support of the physical and digital content (Term Contract) Consideration for regular/annual small scale refresh — with the rotation of collection material on display as appropriate. The Library requires exhibition design, build, digital interpretation plus ongoing support services contract. The technical solution proposed for the design, build and digital interpretation must be robust and built to last for a minimum of 5 years. Exhibition design and build services Design and build of a semi-permanent exhibition in the newly converted treasures gallery within the operational parameters of the newly fitted out space and in collaboration with the Library project team. Aims The primary focus of the treasures gallery is: To provide a showcase experience where visitors can view a selection of ‘must see’ items from the Library’s collections which collectively communicate the span of the collections (the earliest item dates from the 9th century, with new material added daily) and the significance of the collections to an understanding of Scotland’s history and culture. Within this the space should deliver: 1) A build of quality and elegance (within the budget parameters) on a par with the Library’s national status; 2) An environment which allows for an integrated and seamless display of a wide variety of items of different sizes and formats: historic, modern, intimate, large scale, cased, framed, manuscript, print, audio visual and born-digital items; 3) An atmosphere which aims to actively engage the visitor, through language and interpretation which is welcoming and inclusive; 4) A feeling of shared ownership and continuity of collecting which reflects the Library’s status as a ‘memory institution’; 5) A range of digital presentations to showcase moving image, sound and digital items held within the Library’s collections, and which encourage visitor engagement. Digital interpretation To provide digital interpretation services i.e. interactives and audio visual displays including the physical infrastructure, hardware, software and content. Digital interpretation will be integrated throughout the new treasures gallery. Digital elements will provide multiple pathways for audiences to engage with the collections – both those which are on display in the gallery and those which are not. When designing the digital interpretation it must be done in a way that allows easy access to the hardware provided for repairs. Project management services The appointed designer will project manage the delivery of all the services in the design, build and digital interpretation of the treasures gallery redisplay. They will work collaboratively with the Library Project Team and in liaison with the internally appointed named Library Project Manager. They will be expected to attend monthly project management meetings with the Library Project Team as appropriate (approximately 7) and meet with the Library Project Manager out with the monthly project management meetings as required. The delivery of the project will be managed in accordance with key dates; any significant changes to the programme will be in agreement with Library Project Manager. The appointed designer will hold responsibility for managing the contracts of all their directly appointed sub-contractors and ensuring the project is adequately resourced at all stages of delivery. On-going support services The ongoing support and refresh contract will run for a minimum of 2 years with an option to extend for a further 3 x 12 month period. The support contract will commence the day following the actual snagging sign off date. The Library requires a reactive support service for the hardware and software provided for the digital interpretation. In addition small scale refreshes of the Treasures Gallery will be required with the rotation of collections material on display as appropriate and/or on an annual basis. The contract will not be divided into lots as it would make the execution of the contract overly complicated.