REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) Digitization, Cataloging, and Access System for Cultural, Language, and Instructional Archives/Materials North Slope Borough School District (NSBSD) Issue Date: December 4th, 2025 Proposal Due Date: January 12th, 2026 Intent to Award date: January 19th, 2026 Tentative Award date: January 29th, 2026 Contact: Brittnay Bailey, Ed Tech Project Manager Email: Brittnay.Bailey@nsbsd.org Phone: 907-852-9683 I. INTRODUCTION The North Slope Borough School District (NSBSD) is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to design, develop, and implement a comprehensive digitization and archival access system that preserves, catalogs, and makes accessible the District's extensive collection of cultural, language, educational, and historical materials. This project is a cornerstone of NSBSD's commitment to culturally responsive instruction, language revitalization, and community partnerships. II. ISSUE SUMMARY NSBSD holds a significant and irreplaceable archive of Iñupiaq language and cultural materials, including paper-based documents, VHS tapes, CDs, audio recordings, photographs, and existing digital media. Much of this content is inaccessible due to its physical format and is vulnerable to damage or loss. A large-scale digitization and cataloging effort is essential to: * Protect cultural and intellectual property from environmental risks. * Make materials readily accessible to educators and approved community stakeholders. * Support the development of culture-based curriculum and instruction. * Create a secure, permission-based digital repository aligned with cultural protocols. III. BACKGROUND A working group—comprised of the Inupiaq Advisory Team, Curriculum & Instruction personnel, and technical specialists—is guiding planning efforts for this project. The Inupiaq Advisory Team will: * Set priorities for digitization. * Ensure cultural and intellectual property protections. * Guide content governance and access standards. The District intends for the final archive to operate as a closed system: users may view materials with appropriate permissions, but may not edit, delete, or upload content. Access controls must meet both cultural and security requirements. NSBSD also aims to support future collaboration with partners such as IHLC and Tuzzy Library. IV. SCOPE OF WORK Vendors must propose a comprehensive solution that includes the following components. A. Discovery and Rights Management * Inventory all current physical and digital holdings owned by the District. * Validate intellectual property rights, usage permissions, and cultural governance protocols. * Provide documentation and recommendations for long-term rights management. B. Data Center & Infrastructure Setup * Recommend and implement storage systems (cloud, on-premise, hybrid, or distributed). * Ensure appropriate backup, redundancy, and disaster recovery capabilities. * Provide robust access control architecture aligned with cultural access protocols and data-security standards. C. Staffing Plan Proposers must outline staffing for planning, setup, and implementation, including roles such as: * Archivist/Librarian * Security/Hardware Specialist * Software/Systems Specialist * Project Manager * Digitization Technicians D. Catalog & Taxonomy Development * Develop an organizational structure and metadata standards appropriate for cultural, linguistic, and instructional materials. * Define controlled vocabularies, including cultural and linguistic notes. * Build a taxonomy that supports educator use cases (standards alignment, grade-level tags, subject tags). E. Indexing & Access Portal * Create a search index optimized for instructional use. * Develop a secure, user-friendly access portal designed specifically for educators and approved cultural stakeholders. * Integrate granular permission levels, audit trails, and administrative controls. F. Coordination Workflows * Develop access and use workflows for schools, cultural sites, and relevant partners. * Provide protocols for ongoing uploading, approval, and catalog management by authorized NSBSD staff. V. DELIVERABLES The resulting system must include, at minimum: 1. A fully functional digital content library with audited access controls. - Permission-based viewing. - No end-user ability to modify or remove materials. - Administrative controls for the District and the Iñupiaq Advisory Team. 2. An archival-grade digitization pipeline, including: - High-quality, high-speed automated scanning equipment. - Digitization processes meeting archival standards for text, audio, video, and photographs. 3. An educator-focused discovery portal, including: - Alaska State Standards & Iñupiaq Learning Framework (ILF) Standards-aligned search filters. - Metadata-rich item views. - Secure integration with existing NSBSD systems, if applicable. VI. VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS Proposals should demonstrate: * Experience with large-scale digitization projects. * Knowledge of cultural and Indigenous intellectual property considerations. * Expertise in archival science, digital preservation, and educational metadata standards. * Ability to build secure, permission-based access systems. * Experience working with K–12 school districts or cultural institutions (preferred but not required). VII. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Proposals must include the following: 1. Executive summary 2. Detailed project plan and timeline 3. Technical solution description 4. Staffing plan and qualifications 5. Metadata, taxonomy, and indexing approach 6. Description of digitization equipment and standards 7. Security and access control design 8. Cultural and intellectual property protection plan 9. Cost proposal (itemized) 10. Three references for similar projects VIII. EVALUATION CRITERIA Proposals will be evaluated on: * Technical approach and alignment with NSBSD objectives – 25% - Security and access control capabilities - Strength of metadata and cataloging framework * Demonstrated expertise and qualifications– 20% - Including Cultural & intellectual property protections * Cost effectiveness – 25% * Quality and feasibility of digitization process, and Timeline and implementation readiness – 30% IX. QUESTIONS & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Please submit all proposals and questions related to the RFP to: Brittnay Bailey Ed Tech Project Manager North Slope Borough School District Email: Brittnay.Bailey@nsbsd.org Subject Line: RFP – NSBSD Digitization Project Deadline for questions – December 19th, 2025 4:00pm AKST Deadline for proposal submissions: January 12th, 2026 by 4:00pm AKST Late proposals will not be considered. Addenda and responses to questions will be posted on the District website - https://www.nsbsd.org/en-US/requests-for-proposals-bids-71b836f6 XI. GENERAL TERMS * NSBSD may accept or reject any or all proposals * NSBSD may request additional information from proposers * Proposers are responsible for all costs related to proposal preparation * Award of contract is subject to available funding and School Board approval, and in the best interest of the District XII. CONTRACT AWARD NSBSD will review all responsive proposals in accordance with the evaluation criteria outlined in this RFP. Following the evaluation process, the District may enter into negotiations with the highest-rated proposer to clarify details, finalize the scope, and establish final pricing. The contract will be awarded to the proposer whose solution is determined to be the most advantageous to the District, taking into consideration technical capability, cultural and intellectual property protections, proposed methodology, experience, timeline, and cost. All proposers will be notified of the intent to award and will be given 10 calendar days to protest the award. Pub: Dec. 10, 14, 17, 21, 24/2025