AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for the conservation, maintenance, and preservation of over 50 million artifacts, 36 million of which reside in the 82 Parks and Historic Sites that are part of the Northeast Region. The region’s area extends from Virginia to Maine and includes historic structures and collections that represent countless facets of American history. While conservation as a field is highly specialized, navigating the many rules and regulations surrounding government work and government contracting also requires a specialized skill set. This talk seeks to demystify some of the complexity surrounding federal work and to ensure that independent conservators are able to navigate the solicitation process.

The Historic Architecture, Conservation, and Engineering Center, based in Lowell, MA, is home to the regional conservation lab where conservators with a variety of specialties work on materials ranging from 15th century works on paper to 21st century bronze monuments. Even with a robust group of conservators carrying out both bench work and administrative work, the needs of the NPS collections easily outnumber the capacity for in-house work. As such, NPS often requires outside conservation assistance, most commonly when an unexpected or detrimental event occurs.

Working for and with the federal government to ensure that our nation’s cultural resources are “preserved unimpaired… for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations” in accordance with the NPS mission statement, is both a great challenge and a great responsibility, but can also be lucrative and professionally rewarding. Understanding the expectations of and requirements for government contracting enables both NPS and independent conservators to successfully work together to ensure that our nation’s historic artifacts are preserved and protected for generations to come.