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Supporting History
SHF Revises Program Guidelines
Originally published in Colorado
History NOW, January 2005
As a result of a recent audit, the State Historical Fund (SHF)
revised its “competitive procurement” policy that refers
to the selection process by which a grant applicant chooses contractors,
architects, archaeologists, surveyors, or other professionals to
work on preservation projects. The process by which these professionals
are chosen could be though obtaining quotes or estimates, a bidding
process, or even by going through a Request for Proposals (RFP)
process. As always, the SHF’s goal is to help applicants get
the fairest, most competitive team of professionals working on these
publicly-funded preservation projects.
Starting in January, the SHF will require that certain entities
maintain copies of requests for proposals, invitations to bid, and
other relevant documents for audit purposes. This way, if the projects
funded by the SHF are audited down the road, we will be able to
demonstrate with certainty that the public money was invested in
the most competitive and responsibly planned projects possible.
First, it should be noted that public entities (cities, counties,
school boards, etc.) generally have their own competitive bidding
requirements, and any individual requirements of a public entity
supercede this SHF policy.
Any entity (nonprofit group, private owner, etc.) that does not
statutorily regulate its own competitive selection process will
have to follow the SHF policy, which was modeled after the State
of Colorado’s competitive procurement process.
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The new policy will define different rules that you (the grant applicant)
must follow, based on different thresholds of grant money awarded.
If you’re asking for a smaller amount of grant money, you
might only need to demonstrate that you phoned a few qualified vendors
(contractors) and asked them to provide quotes for your project.
Or, you might need to go a step further and make the job available
to construction contractors through a formal bid process, or be
required to conduct a formal Request for Proposal process for professional
services. Both may require the publication of notice in a newspaper
of general circulation in the project area at least twice in a thirty-day
period.
The updated SHF Program Guidelines that will be released
in January 2005 outline the new policy and clearly explain the different
thresholds and guidelines. To some, the whole competitive selection
process might be a new concept, and can seem intimidating. There
are many sources of assistance available to the novice grant applicant,
including the American Institute of Architects
website, private project managers (often located through architectural firms),
and the SHF by calling 303/866-2825.
BY RACHEL SIMPSON, SHF Technical Advisor
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Good to know: Tips from the revised SHF Program Guidelines
Selection of Construction Contractors
When hiring construction contractors such as general contractors,
masonry experts, roofers, etc. there are several things you should
require of the contractor prior to hiring that individual or company.
These would include Certificates of Insurance, Labor and Material
Payment Bonds, Performance Bonds, and possibly a Lien Waiver.
Selection of Professional Consultants
Qualified professionals can often provide valuable assistance in
the planning and execution of even the smallest project. The employment
of a qualified professional consultant may save you considerable
time and frustration.
A set of standard qualifications for some professional consultants
have been developed and published as the Secretary of the Interior’s
Professional Qualification Standards (36CFR Part 61), a copy of
which is included in this packet. The process typically used to
hire a professional consultant is referred to as a Request for Proposals
(RFP). | |
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