Invitation to Tender: Archaeological company to manage a community excavation on Arney Fort, County Fermanagh (Re-Issue)

Submission Deadline: Thursday 4th July 2019 (12 noon)

The Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place Project is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

The project is being delivered in partnership by Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland (lead partner), Cleenish Community Association, Killesher Community Development Association and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council through the resources of the Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark.

1.0 Background.

1.1 Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. The project is being delivered in partnership by Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland (lead partner), Cleenish Community Association, Killesher Community Development Association and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council through the resources of the Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund Great Place Scheme aims to put heritage and culture at the heart of the local visions of four places across Northern Ireland from Coalisland, Bangor, North Belfast and Fermanagh, and to make step changes in the contribution of heritage to those places and embed it in their plans for the future.

1.2 The Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place project is located in west County Fermanagh approximately 7 miles from Enniskillen (see Appendix 1). Its area extends from the top of Cuilcagh Mountain on the Fermanagh/Cavan border to the shores of Upper Lough Erne. The area includes the highly popular tourist attractions at Marble Arch caves UNESCO Global GeoPark, the National Trust at Florence Court, the Arney River and several small rural communities including Killesher, Arney and Bellanaleck.

1.3 The Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place project provides a unique opportunity to interpret and understand the areas built, natural, cultural and archaeological history and heritage. It will provide place-making opportunities and develop new heritage trails, cultural and heritage events, and provide access to key sites of interest. The project will:

· Develop a Community Trail Network Plan and a set of meanwhile heritage projects

· Create a new Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place Management Group for project delivery and develop proposals for sustainability and a step change in partnership working in the area.

· Connect the people in the communities of Cleenish, Bellanaleck, Arney and Killesher and create a demonstrable pilot of how a community-led programme can combine heritage, culture and outdoor recreation to deliver strategic actions of local authorities.

· Share the learning from the project locally, regionally and internationally, sustaining the benefits for local communities within the Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place area.

1.4. This Community Excavation is one of many Meanwhile Projects taking place as part of the wider project. Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place has contracted the services of a Local Coordinator with the brief of successfully managing these projects and engaging the local community to encourage their participation.

1.5 Arney Fort (SMR Number FER 229:023) is located on the south bank of the River Arney close to the location of the Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits (August 1594) which was fought between an English force marching from Dublin to relieve Enniskillen castle, and local Gaelic chiefs led by Hugh Maguire. The battle was the opening salvo of what became known as the Nine Years War.

The route taken by the English relief column across the fording point on the Arney River is now believed to have been previously known as atha na Meirleach the Ford of the Robbers, or atha na nGall the Ford of the Foreigners, and was part of an ancient routeway between Ulster and Connaught along the western shores of Upper Lough Erne. At that time Arney Fort and ancient routeway may have been located at, or close to, the furthermost inland extent of flood water around Upper Lough Erne which had water levels 10-12 feet higher than today’s level.

Desk research also points to possible links between the fort and the writers of the Annals of Ulster which was compiled in nearby Belle Isle. A late bronze age sword (750 B.C.) came to light in 2015 at the 16 th century battle site and as recently as May 2019 a late bronze age axe head was uncovered at the same location providing further evidence that the sword, axe head, fort, ford, battle site and ancient routeway may have been connected as far back as the bronze age. Finding out who built the fort may unlock a great deal of the mystery surrounding this part of our landscape heritage.

2.0 Scope of Services

2.1 Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great. The archaeological company will provide at a minimum a professional qualified archaeologist to undertake Place wishes to undertake a two-week archaeological excavation at Arney Fort from Monday 16th – 30th September 2019. The excavation will involve local school children and members of the community. The project will be undertaken by a suitably qualified archaeological company with detailed experience in undertaking archaeological fieldwork with community-based archaeological initiatives and in working with young people and adults the programme of work and manage, provide or sub-contract the resources and activities outlined below.

It should be noted that the location of all trenches will be subject to agreement with HED prior to the issuing of the SMC. It is anticipated that this will be a two-week archaeological project but that the tenderer may suggest a timeframe based on their own experience.

2.2. Tasks – A summary of the requirements is provided in the table below, with further detail following

Task Deadline

Phase 1

1 Apply for and secure scheduled monument consent (two trenches & six test pits)

30/08/2019

2 Apply for and secure an excavation licence for the agreed project strategy which should include a targeted metal detector survey outside the site in addition to the trenches and test pits in the interior.

30/08/2019

Phase 2

1 Two-week Community excavation (two 10m x 2m trenches and six test pits).

30/09/2019

2 Work with local volunteers, young people and school-aged children on the dig.

30/09/2019

3 Provide opportunities (details to be agreed) for community participation in geophysical investigations and photogrammetry – see notes below 2.4.

30/09/2019

4 Two Sunday afternoon site tours for the public. 30/09/2019

5 Deliver a presentation on the excavation. 30/11/2019

6 Complete a specialist report on results of the project and the conservation and appropriate transfer of artefacts.

31/12/2019

· Overall management and sub-contract supervision relating to the tasks above. The contractor must ensure that all activities are undertaken on time, completed by the deadline and to budget. Note that no additional funds can be made available once the overall contract is agreed.

· Secure Scheduled Monument Consent and permissions from the Department for Communities – Historic Environment Division, including completion of all application forms.

· Obtain an excavation licence for fieldwork including geophysics and metal detecting from Historic Environment Division of Department for Communities (DfC) and obtain any further necessary permissions which may be needed to complete the archaeological excavation.

· Design, develop and deliver a two-week archaeological excavation as follows:o Step 1: Excavate two 10 x 2 metre max trenches at the west and south of the monument

beginning in the interior and perpendicular to the banks, and possibly extending through the banks into the ditch if conditions permit.

o Step 2: Investigate the interior of the site using test sites provisionally set at 4 in the interior of the main site looking for evidence of structures and use of the site, and 2 test pits on the annex to the east. The locations of the test pits are to be agreed in consultation with the HED. If substantial archaeological features are found it is expected that the contractor will liaise with the HED about how to proceed thereafter.

· Assist the Cuilcagh to Cleenish Local Coordinator in facilitating 300 participants and 10 volunteers such as local school children and adult members of the community to participate in the fieldwork programme. (Cuilcagh to Cleenish has already recruited four local primary schools to its wider programme and it is expected that older children from these schools will be provided with opportunities to participate).

· Other community participation opportunities will be provided such as through geophysical investigations on the monument site itself and the adjacent small drumlin (OS First Edition 1830: 222,312.31/336,240.15) above Arney Fort. Metal detecting will be carried out around the fort site to determine if there is evidence of musket balls connected to the nearby battle site. It is good practice to keep the HED aware of these activities and to provide them with digital data and reports.

· Preparation for the excavation will take place prior to 16th September, and the close/backfill of the excavation after Monday 30th September, leaving the sites as found prior to the start of the excavation.

· Provide site tours on Sunday afternoons to the visiting public, to which volunteers may contribute in addition to professional staff.

· Provide a post-excavation presentation to the community to be delivered locally.· Provide a full and illustrated report on the investigations and metal detecting to the Cuilcagh to

Cleenish: A Great Place Management Group (in both Word and pdf format). · Care for finds/artefacts: Create a catalogue of finds and liaise with the landowner and Cuilcagh to

Cleenish Local Coordinator about the after-care and conservation of uncovered artefacts. If the landowner donates finds to Fermanagh County Museum the museum has agreed to work with Cuilcagh to Cleenish to provide basic conservation as necessary. Should there be a need for more intensive and longer term conservation methods Fermanagh County Museum will seek funding to ensure that suitable processes are undertaken to preserve the finds for future display.

· Funder Requirements (HLF): · Create opportunities for sustained & meaningful contact between groups of different

backgrounds.

· Monitor and evaluate the activities in line with the HLF guidance in liaison with the Great Place Local Coordinator.

2.3 Additional Requirements:

· Provide insurance cover for the work to be undertaken. The site is on the river bank and health and safety requirements must be put in place and a risk assessment provided.

· Provide portable toilet facilities for staff and volunteers and a secure storage unit.

2.4 Notes

The interior of the monument has been colonised by vegetation and as a result finds may be compromised by the roots. However, there is the potential for archaeological survival particularly in the banks and ditches of the monument which are the priority areas for investigation. The site will be cleared of vegetation in the first week of September 2019 by a contractor following a method statement agreed with the HED, which will thereafter facilitate the scheduled geophysical work and the archaeological work to be undertaken in the third and fourth weeks of September.

Local young people have been trained in photogrammetry and opportunities should be provided for them to record a section of the excavavtion and any finds.

3.0 Budget

This is a two-phase project. The anticipated maximum available budget for Phase 1 is £2,000 (including VAT) and £18,000 (including VAT) for Phase 2.

· Phase 1 - development and submission of an application to the HED for scheduled monument consent and excavation licence (to include all the above).

· Phase 2 - If Phase 1 is successful, Phase 2 will involve the delivery of the archaeological excavation as outlined above.

· The appointed supplier will be responsible for ensuring that the project is delivered on budget and on time.

· The cost of all expenses associated with the undertaking of this project is to be included in the fixed price tender submission.

4.0 Payment Schedule

Imbursement for the Programme will be made in 3 payments

Stage

Payment

Milestone %

1st Phase 1 Complete 15%

2nd Completion of Phase 2 tasks 1 - 4 70%

3rd Completion of Phase 2 tasks 5 - 7

Project completed; including Monitoring & Evaluation

15%

5.0 Project Management

The appointed contractor will be ultimately responsible to Outdoor Recreation NI (as lead partner) and the Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place Management Group.

Day to Day liaison will be with the Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place Local Coordinator – Barney Devine.

6.0 Terms and Conditions

6.1. Appointment will be subject to the contractor being able to demonstrate a minimum cover of £10m public liability insurance and £5m employer’s liability insurance (if relevant). If you do not have the required levels in place currently, please confirm that you can obtain this level of cover and put it in place should you be successfully awarded the contract.

6.2 Outdoor Recreation NI is not obliged to accept any proposal or the proposal with the lowest bid, and no person making a quotation will be remunerated for any expense incurred in preparing a quotation.

6.3 The contractor will be required to formally report to Outdoor Recreation NI and will be supported by the Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place Local Coordinator.

6.4 Outdoor Recreation NI reserves the right to cancel the contract if the delivery is not meeting agreed targets and quality standards.

6.5 In the circumstance where scheduled monument consent and / or an excavation licence are not permitted the contract will terminate on the conclusion of Phase 1.

7.0 Indicative Timescale

Action Dates

Invitation to Tender Issued Thursday 13th June 2019

Deadline for clarification queries Monday 24th June 2019 (12 Noon)

Closing date Thursday 4th July (12 Noon)

Assessment Tuesday 9th July 2019

Appointment of Contract Wednesday 10th July 2019

Start Contract Following 5 working day standstill period

Completion As per Section 2.2.

Note:

The above dates are indicative and may be subject to change

8.0 Assessment Criteria

Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland does not bind itself to accept the quotation with the lowest stated price and will not compensate any proposer for costs associated with the production of the quotation submission.

The contract will be awarded to the most economically advantageous quotation based on the assessment criteria below.

Evaluation of tenders is carried out in two stages; each tender is evaluated on the pass/fail criteria provided below in Stage 1. The purpose of these criteria is to assess the capability of each contractor to carry out the

required services. The pass/fail criteria concern the capabilities of the contractor, rather than the work to be carried out.

Those who do not meet the requirements below will not be considered for inclusion in the assessment under Stage 2.

8.1 Stage 1 Previous experience of undertaking projects of a similar size, scope and complexity. Please provide 2 detailed examples of previous projects. All contracts must have been completed and successfully delivered within the past 5 years.

Your response should clearly identify: · Your company’s role· How you ensured successful delivery of the contract on time and within budget· Your approach to risk management/project management/operational requirements, etc.

Please provide client contact details for the contract to allow a validation check of your capability (this will only be completed for the successful supplier).

Max 2 A4 pages for each example. Please complete templates within Appendix 2. Pass / Fail

8.2 Stage 2

Methodology

Provide an outline of the methodology and programme of work for the archaeological excavation and post-excavation, explain your proposed approach undertaking / delivering the tasks required in this project as described in Section 2.0 of the specification.

The maximum response allowance for this question in total is 3 x single sided A4 Page in font size 12.

Scored 0 - 5 (50% Weighting)

Minimum initial score of 3 required or your submission fails and the remainder of the document will not be scored

Capability

Detail your organisation’s capacity to undertake this archaeological programme, with information on the resources, suitable expertise and training of your staff to undertake community-based archaeological projects.

The maximum response allowance for this question in total is 3 x single sided A4 Page in font size 12.

Scored 0 - 5 (30% Weighting)

Minimum initial score of 3 required or your submission fails and the remainder of the document will not be scored

Cost including VAT 20%

See 8.4

Total 100%

8.3. Definition of scoring

The following key to scoring will be used to evaluate the qualitative aspects of the Award Criteria i.e. Resource expertise and skillset applied (35%). The mark achieved by the bidder will be divided by the total mark achievable i.e. 5 for that question or sub-question. This will then be multiplied by the percentage score attributed to that question/sub question and calculated to two decimal places.

Score Indicators

5 ▪ Indicates an excellent response to the criteria with no weaknesses ▪ Detailed supporting evidence is provided with thorough analysis,

tailored specifically to the challenges of the brief. ▪ No areas of weakness

4 ▪ Indicates a good response to the criteria with few weaknesses▪ Supporting evidence and analysis have been provided to

demonstrate the competence required

3 ▪ Indicates a compliant response to the criteria, but lacks specific information or analysis on some aspects to award a higher mark

▪ Strengths outweigh weaknesses

2 ▪ Indicates that the response to the criteria is limited in detail with some reservations

▪ Understanding of the requirement and ability to deliver not fully demonstrated. Medium risk that the proposed approach will not be successful

▪ Weaknesses and/or risks outweigh strengths

1 ▪ Indicates evaluation panel have major reservations about response to the criteria and there is insufficient detail to award a higher mark.

▪ Weaknesses far outweigh the strengths

0 ▪ Indicates the response fails to provide sufficient detail to allow the panel to assess the response against the criteria

▪ An unacceptable response with serious deficiencies. High risk that the proposed approach will not be successful

▪ Very limited evidence provided against the criteria

8.4 Cost Score Formula The following formula will be used to calculate the scores for costing:

Lowest Overall Bid Cost ÷ Tendered Overall Bid Cost x 20%

In instances where the bidders achieve the same overall score and there is a tie break situation, the bidder with the highest % score in Methodology 50%) will be awarded the contract.

9.0 Clarifications

If you require clarifications on the above, please email chris@outdoorrecreationni.com . The email should have the following in the subject title ‘Community Excavation - Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place’. The deadline for queries is Monday 24th June 2019 (12 Noon).

10.0 Submission of quotation

Quotations should be emailed in either MS Word or PDF format to:

Gemma Lyttle Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland gemma@outdoorrecreationni.com

The email should have ‘Community Excavation - Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place.’ in the subject title. The submission must arrive no later than Thursday 4th July (12noon). Submissions or additional information received after the deadline will not be considered.

Appendix 1: Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place Map

Appendix 2: Previous Experience Template

Please demonstrate previous experience of undertaking projects of a similar size and scope. Please provide 2 detailed examples of previous projects. All contracts must have been completed and successfully delivered within the past 5 years. Max 2 A4 pages for each example.

CONTRACT 1

Start Date - End Date

Client Name & address

Client contact person (reference):

Phone no:

Email:

Nature and scope of the Contract

Note : If the Contract formed part of a wider project where others were involved please state your role within the overall project and how you interacted with the others involved.

Details of Services provided to the Client

Approx. Value £ of the Services provided under the Contract

CONTRACT 2

Start Date - End Date

Client Name & address

Client contact person (reference):

Phone no:

Email:

Nature and scope of the Contract

Note : If the Contract formed part of a wider project where others were involved please state your role within the overall project and how you interacted with the others involved.

Details of Services provided to the Client

Approx. Value £ of the Services provided under the Contract