Historic Cemeteries Gravestone and Monument Conservation Project
| Location: | Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Posted: | Dec 16, 2025 |
| Due: | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Agency: | City of Northampton |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
|
| Publication URL: | To access bid details, please log in. |
| Bid Title: |
Historic Cemeteries Gravestone and Monument Conservation Project
|
| Category: | All Departments |
| Status: | Open |
|
Attachment Preview
INVITATION for BIDS
PROJECT MANUAL
for the
HISTORIC CEMETERIES
GRAVESTONE and MONUMENT
CONSERVATION PROJECT
December 16, 2025
sponsored by the
City of Northampton
Office of Planning and Sustainability
210 Main Street – City Hall
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
413-587-1263
SECTION ONE
INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
A. General Project Information
The City of Northampton, Massachusetts owns and maintains several historic cemeteries
located in separate areas of the city, and two of the cemeteries, West Farms and Park
Street, are the focus of this Invitation to Bid. West Farms Cemetery, laid out in 1788,
accommodated the families of late 18th century settlers in the west part of the city. Park
Street Cemetery, established in 1825, served the Village of Florence, a subsection of
Northampton, located to the north and west. City crews have maintained the trees, paths,
and lawns in both cemeteries, however many of the monuments and grave markers are
tilted, have fallen, or are broken. In 2018, the city contracted with a professional
conservator to begin the process of treating the most hazardous stones –17 at West Farms
and 44 at Park Street. In 2026, the city intends to continue this effort by conserving the
remaining at-risk (unstable) and tilted markers.
In 2017, the city worked with a team of consultants to prepare a Preservation Master
Plan for the two cemeteries. The planning process included thorough assessments of the
cemeteries’ monuments and markers, identification of all the markers in need of repair
and proposed treatments and priorities for conservation. The plan keyed the damaged
markers to cemetery maps. As previously noted, the most hazardous stones (“Priority 1”)
were conserved in 2018. Remaining to be treated are 82 at-risk (or “unstable”) markers
(“Priority 2”) and 42 tilted markers (“Priority 3”) This project aims to conserve a total of
124 markers in the two cemeteries. Precise methods for treating these markers appear in
Section Two of this Invitation for Bids, and in the condition assessments of each
cemetery are included in the Preservation Master Plan.
B. Timeline
Conservation work may begin once the City has selected a qualified conservator and both
parties have signed a contract. All conservation treatment must be completed by
December 31, 2026 as follows:
Base Bid (42 Priority 2 markers at West Farms Cemetery and 40 Priority 2 markers at
Park Street Cemetery)
Alternate Bid (30 Priority 3 markers at West Farms Cemetery and 12 Priority 3 markers
at Park Street Cemetery) – no later than December 31, 2026
Conservators must complete work between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
C. Project Funding
Project Manual
Historic Cemeteries Gravestone & Monument Conservation Project, Northampton, MA
Page 1
Funding for this project has been provided by the City of Northampton Department of
Public Works. The City has established a fee not to exceed $100,000 for the project.
D. Minimum Qualifications of Contractor
1. All proposers must demonstrate that they fulfill the following minimum criteria:
a. At least 10 years experience and a proven track record of high quality,
professional work in the conservation of historic headstones, footstones, and
monuments constructed of slate, granite, marble, sandstone and zinc.
b. Membership in the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and
Artistic Works (AIC).
c. Documented experience working with Massachusetts municipal governments
in the conservation of historic gravestones and monuments, in historic burying
grounds.
d. Familiarity with the Massachusetts General Laws regarding burials and the
rules and regulations for gravestone repair/reproduction and for removing
tombs, graves, and memorials for repair, as well as the Massachusetts
Historical Commission’s rules and regulations regarding the conservation of
historic markers.
e. Proof of Insurance provided below
E. Bid Submission Requirements
1. The City of Northampton invites firms having capabilities for this work to submit
three (3) hard copies of their bid and one electronic copy as a PDF file (by email,
CD, or thumb drive) to:
Sarah LaValley
Northampton Office of Planning and
Sustainability
210 Main Street
Northampton MA, 01060
slavalley@northamptonma.gov
2. Submittal Date and Time. Bids must be received no later than 2:00 PM, January 22,
2026.
Late or incomplete bids will be rejected.
3. Contents of Bids. All bids must include, at a minimum, the following:
a. Resume(s) of professional(s) to be providing conservation services;
b. Description of relevant conservation experience including:
• A list of municipalities and cemeteries in Massachusetts where the Bidder
has completed conservation services; and
Project Manual
Historic Cemeteries Gravestone & Monument Conservation Project, Northampton, MA
Page 2
• Sample documentation (completed treatment forms) for conservation of
slate, sandstone, marble, zinc and granite markers.
c. Names, titles, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of three current or recent
clients for whom the Bidder provided (or is providing) similar services.
d. General Liability and Workers’ Compensation Insurance certificates.
e. Completed tax compliance, affirmative action, and non-collusion
certifications.
f. Price Proposal (Section Four of this Invitation for Bids).
4. Bid Rejection. The City of Northampton has the right to reject any and all bids if
is in the best interest of the City to do so.
5. Award of Contract. A contract will be awarded within 30 days of the final bid
submission date.
6. Bidder Questions. Bidder questions may directed to:
slavalley@northamptonma.gov
7. Withdrawals or Corrected Bids. Prior to opening, a bidder may correct, modify or
withdraw his/her bid by making the request in writing prior to the final date and
time for bid submission. All corrections and modifications must be delivered to
the address and the contact listed in Item 1 above.
8. Bid Evaluation Criteria. The City of Northampton will evaluate bids based on:
a. the “Minimum Qualifications of Contractor” outlined in Section E (above;
b. the quality of the bidder’s resume(s),
c. the extent of relevant conservation experience,
d. three (3) professional references that can provide comment on the bidder’s
quality of work, reliability, expertise and overall performance in similar
preservation/conservation projects, and
e. price.
9. Fixed Fee. The services performed by the bidder shall be considered a lump sum
contract. Prices quoted by the bidder shall in be all-inclusive, with cost of labor,
materials, and all expenses (travel, lodging, phone, fax, etc.) factored into the total
bid price.
Project Manual
Historic Cemeteries Gravestone & Monument Conservation Project, Northampton, MA
Page 3
SECTION TWO
SCOPE OF WORK & CONSERVATION SPECIFICATIONS
A. The repairs and conservation efforts for the West Farms and Park Street Cemeteries
include a base bid and two alternate bids, as follows:
1. Base Bid: includes a total of 82 markers classified as classified as Priority 2-Unstable
and requiring treatment by a conservation professional listed in Attachment A of this
Project Manual (42 markers at West Farms and 40 at Park Street).
2. Alternate Bid: includes a total of 42 markers classified as Priority 3-Tilted and
requiring treatment by a conservation professional listed in Attachment B of this
Project Manual (30 markers at West Farms and 12 at Park Street).
The assessment and risk rating of all the markers can be found and defined in the
Gravestone Conditions Assessment sections of the following report: Preservation
Master Plan for West Farms and Park Street Cemeteries, 2017. Copies of this
document, along with cemetery maps locating each marker by number, may be
viewed and downloaded from the City of Northampton Department of Public Works
website:
http://northamptonma.gov/1800/West-Farms-Cemetery
http://northamptonma.gov/1798/Park-Street-Cemetery
Assessments appear in the “Appendices” files, and maps appear in the “Map” files
within each of the above listed links.
B. All work should be accomplished in accordance with the Code of Ethics and Standards of
the Practice of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
(AIC).
C. Conservators will be required to consult Preservation Master Plan for West Farms and
Park Street Cemeteries, for gravestone and monument condition assessments, maps,
photographs, and for guidelines as to suggested repairs based on risk assessment/condition
(refer to the links listed above).
D. All work by the Conservator will be documented with an inventory form for each
marker/monument for which services are performed. All forms must be dated, and
include, at a minimum, the name of deceased, date of death, marker type, stone carver (if
applicable), material (stone and base), inscriptions and a description of the carvings. All
conservation procedures performed will be described on the form. Before and afterblack
and white photographs of the item to be conserved will be required. This completed
documentation will be presented in the form of a completed “report” (3 ring binder, each
individual form and photos preserved in plastic sleeves) becomes the property of the City
of Northampton
Project Manual
Historic Cemeteries Gravestone & Monument Conservation Project, Northampton, MA
Page 4
This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
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