Town Archives Pilot Project and Action Plan

Location:	Massachusetts
Posted:	Feb 26, 2026
Due:	Mar 25, 2026
Agency:	Town of Brookline
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	D - Automatic Data Processing and Telecommunication Services R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services S - Utilities and Training Services U - Education and Training Services
Solicitation No:	P-26-07
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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TOWN OF BROOKLINE

Massachusetts

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE

PURCHASING DIVISION

333 Washington Street

Brookline, MA 02445

617-730-2195

Fax: 617-264-6446

www.townofbrooklinemass.com

TOWN OF BROOKLINE / PURCHASING DIVISION

INVITATION TO BID OR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Sealed bids/proposals for furnishing the following to the Town of Brookline, MA will be received at the

Town of Brookline, Town Hall, Purchasing Division 333 Washington St., 2nd Floor, Room 212, Brookline, MA

02445, until the time specified for the bid/proposal opening at which time bids will be opened publicly and

proposals in confidence, in accordance with provisions of M.G.L. c. 30B.

Item or Service

Town Archives Pilot Project and Action

Plan

Department

Planning

Reference

Number

P-26-07

Bid/Proposal Opening

Date and Time

Wednesday March 25, 2026

at 2:00 p.m.

Specifications and bid/proposal forms may be obtained at the Purchasing Division or by calling (617) 730-2195.

Bid/proposal forms may be downloaded at: http://www.brooklinema.gov/Bids.aspx

Bid/proposal shall be submitted on the form furnished and in sealed envelope, and marked on the outside with the

item title, reference number and bidder’s name. Contract awarded pursuant to the Invitation to Bid or Request for

Proposals will be subject to provisions of the Town of Brookline By-Laws Article 4.4 Fair Employment Practices

with regard to Contracts, relating to non-discrimination in employment, and Article 4.8 Living Wage By-Law,

relating to wages paid to employees. The Town reserves the right to accept any bid/proposal in whole or in any

part, and to reject any or all bids/proposals if it shall be deemed in the best interest of the Town to do so.

Richard M. Saville, Chief Procurement Officer

March 11, 2026

TOWN OF BROOKLINE

PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

333 WASHINGTON STREET, BROOKLINE, MA 02445

P-26-07

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

for

TOWN ARCHIVES PILOT PROJECT & ACTION PLAN

TOWN HALL

Overview

The Town of Brookline seeks to retain a consultant team to assist with Phase 1 of the creation of

a Town Archive for the municipality’s historic records*. Town of Brookline departments and the

Brookline Preservation Commission have partnered together for this project. Phase 1 consists of

two main tasks; Task 1 is a Pilot Project and Task 2 is the creation of an Action Plan. For the

Pilot Project, the chosen team will use the historic records of the Department of Planning and

Community Development to craft an item-level archival system of survey, documentation, and

arrangement of Town records of historic value. The results of Task 1, as well as a reconnaissance

survey of the historic records of the Town’s Finance and Health Departments, will be the basis

for Task 2, the Action Plan report. The Action Plan will provide an archival needs assessment to

assist in the evaluation and planning for a Town-wide archival program. Phase 1 is part of the

larger goal of creating a Town Archive which will broaden the collection’s scope to include the

all of the historic records of the Town of Brookline.

The work shall be accomplished in coordination with Town staff. The final report will be

presented to the Town of Brookline Department of Planning and Community Development.

This Request for Proposals consists of the following parts:

 Proposal Procedures

 Proposal Submission Requirements

 General Description of State of Town Historic Records

 Design Scope of Work

 Scope of Services

 Schedule and Fee

 Evaluation Process

 Submission of the Proposal

 Technical Proposal Signature Form

 Price Proposal Price Form

 Technical Proposal Certificate of Non-Collusion, Tax Compliance Certificate, Certificate of

Vote

*For the purposes of this project, historic records are records retained due to their historic content and potential

benefit to research and not those that the Town is required to maintain, institutional records, or active collections.

GENERAL

Competitive sealed proposals are invited in accordance with the provisions of Massachusetts

General Laws, Ch. 30B for a Director of Instruction for the Town of Brookline.

Procedures under this Request for Proposals (RFP) require a separate and confidential

submission of a Cost Proposal and a separate submission of a Technical Proposal. Technical

Proposals will be evaluated without knowledge of prices by a committee appointed by the Chief

Procurement Officer. The Chief Procurement Officer will determine the most advantageous

Proposal after taking into consideration the evaluation of Technical Proposals made by the

Selection Committee together with a consideration of prices set forth in the Cost Proposals.

Any questions pertaining specifically to the Scope of Services for this RFP are to be directed to:

Meri Beth Slaughter, Preservation Planner, 333 Washington Street, Brookline, MA 02445;

telephone: (617) 730-2089; email: mslaughter@brooklinema.gov

Any questions pertaining to the overall RFP are to be directed to Richard Saville, Procurement

Officer, Purchasing Division, 333 Washington Street, Brookline, MA 02445; telephone: (617)

730-2194; fax (617) 264-6446; email: rsaville@brooklinema.gov

Questions will be received until Wednesday March 18th at 11:00am.

Proposals may be held open for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days from the proposal due

date unless award is made sooner or the time for award is extended by consent of all parties

concerned. Award, payment and performance obligations shall depend on the availability and

appropriation of funds. The Town of Brookline reserves the right to reject all proposals.

Proposal Submission Requirements

Proposal will be accepted until March 25, 2025 at 2:00pm to:

Town of Brookline - Purchasing

Town Hall

333 Washington St., 2nd Floor

Room 212

Brookline, MA 02445

NOTE: Payment (Price) Proposals must be kept entirely separate from Technical Proposals.

Failure to follow this instruction will result in rejection of the proposal.

It is the sole responsibility of the Proposer to ensure that the proposal arrives on time at the

designated place.

NOTE: Cost proposals must be kept entirely separate from technical proposals. Failure to

follow this instruction will result in rejection of the proposal.

Technical Proposal shall be submitted as follows:

Each respondent shall submit five (5) copies (1 original and 4 copies) together with one USB

stick, in a separate and sealed envelope clearly marked as per the instructions,

Proposal Envelope A—Technical Proposal

Town Archives Pilot Project and Action Plan

P-26-07

Proposer’s Name________________________________________

Cost Proposal shall be submitted as follows:

Each respondent shall submit five (5) copies (1 original and 4 copies) in a separate and sealed

envelope clearly marked as follows together with one USB stick submitted per the instructions.

Proposal Envelope B—Cost Proposal

Town Archives Pilot Project and Action Plan

P-26-07

Proposer’s Name________________________________________

The Cost Proposal shall identify costs per task, including the fully burdened hourly rate of each

individual assigned to each task. If modifications are proposed to the Scope of Services, the

costs of said modifications should be clearly identified.

REJECTION OF PROPOSALS

The Town of Brookline reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.

General Description of State of Town Historic Records

The Town of Brookline is one of the oldest municipalities in Massachusetts, however, there is no

centralized record keeping or agreed upon retention policy among departments for historic

records*. Varied historic records are currently held by different offices and departments with no

centralized management. This creates difficulties in communication, decision-making processes,

research, and public accessibility to information. Inconsistent retention policies result in the

relocation or loss of historic records. The Brookline Historical Society and Preservation Planners

attempt to save documents before this happens; nevertheless, the absence of official procedures

have led to the misplacement or loss of countless records. Additionally, Town historic records

are not always kept in adequate spaces which has caused irreparable deterioration from moisture,

light, insects, the passage of time, and numerous other factors. These losses of historic records

have left the Town of Brookline without a holistic picture of its history.

The earliest study of Town records referenced was completed in 1940 using funding provided by

the Works Progress Administration. The Inventory of Town and City Archives of Massachusetts,

No. 11 Norfolk County, Vol. IV, Brookline found that the Town’s record management was

average; however, several offices did not retain records and others did not do so consistently.

Town offices and departments at the time of the study did not maintain a centralized collection,

thus, many used different filing systems and retention methods. The 1940 study identified gaps

in the records; whether due to misplacement or destruction is unknown. These challenges have

been persistent and continue to plague Town historic records into the digital age.

In 2017, the Town of Brookline’s Department of Planning and Community Development

(DPCD) commissioned an assessment of their historic records and archival materials using

funding from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The Northeast Document

Conservation Center produced a Report of a Preservation Needs Assessment with

recommendations in the following areas: Collection Management and Preservation Planning,

Environment, and Collections Storage and Handling. The document outlines short-, mid-, and

long-term goals for the department’s collection, among which is the drafting and adoption of a

collections development policy and retention schedule that aligns with established or emerging

Town policies. It also identifies the need for a collections’ survey and creation of records

acquisition policies.

The Brookline DPCD currently houses historic records and other materials of historic value in

multiple locations. The majority are at Town Hall in their third-floor office and in the seventh-

floor storage area; however, files have also been stored in the attic of the Robert T. Lynch

Municipal golf course and within Town own buildings within the Fischer Hill Reservoir Park.

Those in the latter two locations are consider historic records “at risk” due to their poor storage

locations and rapid deterioration as a result. The department’s collection encompasses historic

documents, building materials, monographs, maps, atlases, banners, and photographs in various

formats. There is no catalogue or inventory, leaving only a reliance on folder, filing cabinet, or

box labels. As a result, staff must probe multiple locations and verify contents to complete daily

functions and research requests.

*For the purposes of this project, historic records are records retained due to their historic content and potential

benefit to research and not those that the Town is required to maintain, institutional records, or active collections.

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

Bid Number:	P-26-07
Bid Title:	Town Archives Pilot Project and Action Plan
Category:	Purchasing
Status:	Open

Town Archives Pilot Project and Action Plan

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