Request for Proposal

Independent Contractor:  Workshop Development Assistant

Association for Living History, Farm & Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM)

Skills Training & Preservation Initiative (STP)

Statement of Purpose

The Association for Living History, Farm & Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) requests proposals for a Workshop Development Assistant (individual or organization) to support the work of the organization’s Skills Training & Preservation Committee (STP).

Background Information

The Skills Training & Preservation Committee (STP) was created to advance ALHFAM’s initiative to foster the preservation of living history skills and intangible culture through the STP Action Plan adopted by the Board of Directors on November 10, 2018.

The STP Committee began its task by designing an initiative to consolidate existing and new skill resources for members, and to help members establish skill management and skill-succession planning at their museums and historic sites. One of its first tasks was to conduct an organization-wide skills survey to assess member-held skills, as well as members’ skill needs and interests. In 2022, the committee partnered with ALHFAM’s 2024 Conference Committee to host “Curating Living History: Preserving Skills & Intangible Culture,” a 5-day conference during which 200 museum professionals participated in 63 classroom workshops and hands-on field training sessions documented in the organization’s 2024 conference Proceedings.

Extension and expansion of the project is part of the Board's long-term commitment to the mission-based goal of helping members bring history to life at their museums, historic sites and cultural heritage centers. Current objectives include working with the 2025 Conference Committee to document skills workshops for inclusion in the conference Proceedings, developing templates for hands-on workshops and training sessions, and working with the ALHFAM Skills & Knowledgebase (A.S.K.) committee to add video-based training resources to the database.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Workshop Development Assistant will support the STP Committee’s

2025 action plan by assisting the Workshop Manager with following projects:

●       Prioritizing and creating workshops that address ALHFAM member needs and interests identified in the 2018 and 2023 member skill surveys.

●       Developing templates and lesson plans for use by workshop presenters and trainers.

●       Acquiring and editing workshop lesson plans and other workshop materials generated during the 2025 ALHFAM Conference and enter related metadata within CatalogIt accessioning software so these materials can be accessed through searchable links published in the conference’s Proceedings and through searches of the ALHFAM Skills and Knowledgebase. 

●       Developing standards and evaluation systems for workshops.

Contract Details

●       Performance Period and Reporting

-Project period is May 5, 2025, to September 1, 2025.

-Progress reports must be submitted to the Workshop Manager on the 1st of 

  each month. 

-Final report is due September 15, 2025.

●       Payment

           -Compensation is based upon qualifications.

           -Contractor's compensation requirements should be included with proposal and specify the hourly rate and the minimum and maximum number of hours required for the project period. 

-Work hours are billed to nearest quarter of an hour; travel hours are not billable.

-Payments will be made per invoice submitted upon receipt of deliverables and must be approved by the STP Co-Chairs.  

●       Terms and Conditions of this RFP

 -Costs involved in the creation of the proposal will be the responsibility of the individual or organization submitting the proposal.

 -RFPs must be received by ALHFAM no later than May 5, 2025.

How to Submit a Proposal

Please email the items below to the STP Co-Chairs c/o pete.watson@alhfam.org no later than May 5, 2025:

●       A summary of your recent projects and their relevance to the objectives of this project.

●       An estimate of the fees to be charged and an estimate of reimbursable expenses.

●       References: Names, phone numbers and email addresses of individuals at 3 museums or history organizations that have been your recent clients.

Notes:

●       Questions should be emailed to pete.watson@alhfam.org