CITY OF TEXARKANA, ARKANSAS
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) TO
CONDUCT A SMALL-SCALE MID CENTURY MODERN
SURVEY & DOCUMENTATION OF STRUCTURES
IN TEXARKANA, MILLER COUNTY, ARKANSAS

SUBMIT QUALIFIACTIONS TO:
The City of Texarkana
216 Walnut St.
Texarkana, AR 71854
Phone No. 870-779-4974
Fax No. 870-773-2395
Email: Jamie.Finley@txkusa.org

QUALIFICATIONS DEADLINE
Qualifications must be received (not postmarked) by
2:00 PM on Thursday, May 22, 2025

I. GENERAL INFORMATION
The Historic Preservation Department of the City of Texarkana, Arkansas seeks qualifications from individuals/businesses to conduct a study and inventory of Mid-Century Modern structures within the city limits of Texarkana, Arkansas.  This contract will have a start date of June 15, 2025.  All work and final reports and work products must be completed and submitted by June 15, 2026.

II. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This RFQ does not commit the City of Texarkana to award a contract. The City has the right to reject any/or all qualifications that are not deemed to be acceptable to the City. Qualifications must be delivered to City of Texarkana, AR, 216 Walnut Street, Texarkana, AR 71854 and clearly marked MID-CENTURY MODERN PROPOSAL.

Verbal communication made by any City employee/officials with respect to this RFQ is not binding and shall not be in any way considered as commitment by the City. Only written responses to questions submitted in writing to the City will be considered binding on the City.

City employees and officials are prohibited from responding to this RFQ or being a party, direct or indirect, to any contract resulting from this RFQ.

III. BACKGROUND
The City of Texarkana is located between the state line of Arkansas and Texas and serves the community as a Twin City. The City of Texarkana was incorporated in 1873. The community covers over 50 square miles of area and had a population estimated at 30,681 in 2013.  Our city is unique in many ways.

As Heritage Tourism continues to increase in popularity, the unique history that Texarkana has is a priority for our city.  The Texarkana Historic District Commission and Preservation staff work to ensure the preservation and continuation of sites and structures which narrate this history.

This Mid-Century Modern Survey will provide our Commission and staff with more knowledge and tools to highlight the evolution of the city’s history.

IV. PROJECT PARAMETERS
Candidate will be responsible for preparing and/or updating an inventory and photographing five (5) local Mid-Century Modern Buildings in Texarkana, Arkansas for use by the Historic District Commission and staff in preservation planning and National Register applications where suitable.  This contract will have a start date of June 15, 2025.  All work, final reports, and work products must be completed and submitted by June 15, 2026.

V. QUALIFICATIONS
To ensure a successful and useful final work product, a successful applicant must demonstrate the following experience and qualifications which have been used by the National Park Service, and have been previously published in the Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 61. The qualifications define minimum education and experience required to perform identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment activities. In some cases, additional areas or levels of expertise may be needed, depending on the complexity of the task and the nature of the historic properties involved. In the following definitions, a year of full-time professional experience need not consist of a continuous year of full-time work but may be made up of discontinuous periods of full-time or part-time work adding up to the equivalent of a year of full-time experience.

History
The minimum professional qualifications in history are a graduate degree in history or closely related field; or a bachelor’s degree in history or closely related field plus one of the following:

1. At least two years of full-time experience in research, writing, teaching, interpretation, or other demonstrable professional activity with an academic institution, historic organization or agency, museum, or other professional institution; or

2. Substantial contribution through research and publication to the body of scholarly knowledge in the field of history.

Architectural History
The minimum professional qualifications in architectural history are a graduate degree in architectural history, art history, historic preservation, or closely related field with coursework in American architectural history or a bachelor’s degree in architectural history, art history, historic preservation or closely related field plus one of the following:

1. At least two years of full-time experience in research, writing, or teaching in American architectural history or restoration architecture with an academic institution, historical organization or agency, museum, or other professional institution; or

2. Substantial contribution through research and publication to the body of scholarly knowledge in the field of American architectural history.

VI. CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY & DOCUMENTATION
a. Prior to commencing any work under the contract, any contractor who has not attended a training on the required procedures for historic sites surveys taught by the AHPP National Register & Survey staff within five (5) years prior to the survey initiation date must attend a training class on the procedures required for historic site survey. This one-day class, at the offices of AHPP, will train the contractor in the proper and thorough completion of Arkansas Architectural Resources Forms, photography requirements, mapping, and compilation of the finished product.
b. Prior to commencing any work under the contract, the Contractor, regardless of the date of his or her last training, must contact the AHPP National Register & Survey staff to determine whether changes to required historic site survey procedures have changed since the contractor last attended a training. If the AHPP National Register & Survey staff determines that the Contractor’s attendance at an additional training class is advisable, the contractor must attend a training class on the procedures required for historic sites surveys prior to the initiation of any fieldwork under the contract.
c. The contractor must comply with the standards and procedures set forth in the AHPP Survey Manual in carrying out the contract work and in completion of the final product. A copy of this manual will be provided by AHPP upon request.
d. The contractor must design and complete the survey and produce a survey report in accordance with the National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund Grants Manual Chapter 6, Section H, 2a-e and 3b and/or d as applicable and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Identification for Intensive Surveys (see at Identification Guidelines (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)). The survey report should, at minimum, contain the following elements: i. Survey methodology ii. A brief historic context specific to the area surveyed iii. A brief overview of historic resource types within the area surveyed iv. Maps outlining the boundaries of the area surveyed v. Tables listing addresses or other location information of properties surveyed, resource numbers supplied by AHPP, and data relevant to evaluation of National Register eligibility, such as date of construction, property condition and architectural integrity, vacant lots, etc. vi. Maps locating properties by resource number and address vii. Language collected on Arkansas Architectural Resources Forms should be provided with the survey report in an organized, sortable, searchable, digital format, such as a database, spreadsheet, GIS data, or similar data file.
e. The contractor must complete an Arkansas Architectural Resources Form and provide site plans for each resource in the field.
f. The contractor must provide, on the Arkansas Architectural Resources Form, information specific to the property for which the survey form is prepared, summarizing its history and any identifiable changes to the building that appear to have occurred since its construction.
g. The contractor will take color digital photographs of each resource in the field. At the very minimum the photographs should show all facades of each building. In addition, representative streetscape photographs will be provided by the Contractor. These photographs will be submitted with the final survey product in both electronic and print form.
h. To ensure efficient production of a quality product and to reduce the burden of repeated reviews, in projects involving inventory and documentation of more than 30 properties, the contractor will provide drafts of at least 10 completed Arkansas Architectural Resources Forms to the AHPP National Register & Survey staff for review prior to completion and submittal of all Arkansas Architectural Resources Forms. AHPP staff will review draft forms and return comments to the contractor within 14 business days of receipt of the draft forms.
i. The contractor will provide copies of any ancillary work product or information compiled or generated by the contractor in the course of carrying out the historic site survey or form completion, including but not limited to archival research, and photographs, to AHPP on request.
j. The contractor will grant the City, the State of Arkansas, and the United States of America a royalty-free, non-exclusive and irrevocable license to publish, reproduce and use, and dispose of in any manner and for any purpose without limitation, and to authorize or ratify publication, reproduction or use by others, of all copyrightable material first produced or composed under this Agreement by the contractor, its employees or any individual or concern specifically employed or assigned to originate and prepare such material.
k. The contractor must be able to adhere to set deadlines and provide initial and completed surveys by the dates set forth in contract documents.
l. The contractor will provide their own transportation and equipment.
m. For resurvey work, a copy of the previous survey form must be attached to the new survey form for each property and shall be included with final project deliverables.
n. The contractor will provide one full-color copy and one digital copy of the final survey report and forms to the City and one full-color printed copy and two digital copies of the survey report and forms to AHPP.

VII. SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS
Respondents may submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV), resume, or any information they deem necessary and appropriate for the City to fully and completely evaluate their qualifications. The qualifications must, at a minimum, include the following general information:

• Description of the respondent’s educational history
• Description of the respondent’s experience relating to architecture
• Description of the respondent’s experience relating to history
• Description of the respondent’s experience relating to the specific history of Texarkana, Arkansas.
• At least three references that have first-hand knowledge of the respondent’s ability to successfully complete projects.

Submission Date and Requirements
Submit qualifications to City of Texarkana, Arkansas Planning Department, Attn: Jamie Finley, 216 Walnut Street, Texarkana, Arkansas 71854. The qualifications must be submitted in a sealed envelope bearing the title “SEALED RFQ FOR MID-CENTURY MODERN PROPOSAL” along with Proposer’s name, address and contact information.  Email submissions can be sent to Jamie.Finley@txkusa.org

Qualifications must be received by 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Late qualifications will not be accepted. A review of these qualifications will be done by the City of Texarkana City Manager and his designee on/or by May 29, 2025.  The person or persons whose qualifications are accepted will be contacted by the Preservation Officer to begin contract negotiations.

In all hiring or employment made possible by or resulting from grant awards, the City (1) will not discriminate against any employee or applicant from employment because of race, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin, and (2) will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin. This requirement applies to, but is not limited to, the following: employment promotion, demotion, or transfer; recruitment or other recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training, including apprenticeship. The City and its sub-grantees will comply with all applicable statutes and Executive orders on equal employment opportunity and grant awards will be governed by the provisions, as implemented by, but not limited to, Department of the Interior policies, published in 43 CFR 17.