1. General Objective:

This assignment is part of Component 1 of the SANKOFA II project, which aims to strengthen the documentation, preservation and accessibility of Ghana's built heritage through improved documentation management, inventory, preservation and digitization.

The overall objective of this assignment is to support Expertise France and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) in preparing the implementation of the "Survey, Cataloguing, Quality Assessment and Digitization of Existing Documentation" activity by providing the technical, operational and financial framework required for its successful implementation.

Working in close collaboration with the GMMB, and particularly with the Monuments Division, the selected expert(s) will define the scope of the intervention, establish an appropriate inventory and preservation methodology, assess the documentation holdings and their conservation needs, estimate the human, technical and financial resources required, prepare an operational implementation roadmap, and develop the technical documentation necessary to launch the implementation phase of this activity.

The assignment will also support the planning of the future ArchLab by identifying the minimum rehabilitation works required, estimating associated costs within the project's available budget, and preparing the technical specifications required to recruit a specialized company/experts that will implement the documentation survey, inventory, preservation, digitization and ArchLab associated works.

The specific objectives of the assignment are to: 

• Assess the current state of documentary holdings under the responsibility of the GMMB;
• Define the scope and methodology for the documentation survey, inventory and cataloguing exercise;
• Identify and prioritize the documentation to be inventoried and digitized;
• Assess documentation preservation needs and recommend appropriate conservation measures;
• Estimate the human, technical, logistical and financial resources required to implement the activity;
• Identify the infrastructure, equipment and materials required for documentation handling, inventory, preservation and digitization;
• Develop a detailed implementation work plan for the documentation activity;
• Prepare a capacity-building strategy for GMMB staff responsible for documentation management and inventory;
•  Assess the rehabilitation needs of the future ArchLab and prepare a phased implementation plan;
• Estimate the costs of rehabilitation works that can realistically be financed under the available SANKOFA II budget allocated to this activity;
• Prepare the procurement documentation and technical specifications required for the recruitment of a specialized implementation company/experts.

I.                    Description of the assignment

1. Scope of Work

The assignment consists of providing technical expertise in documentary heritage management, archival preservation and digitization planning to support the preparation of the documentation activity of the SANKOFA II project.

The expert will work in close collaboration with Expertise France, the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), and particularly the staff of the Monuments Division.

The assignment aims to establish a realistic, technically sound and fully costed implementation framework that will enable Expertise France to launch the documentation activity under optimal technical and operational conditions.

2. Tasks to be carried out

A. Documentation Assessment and Scoping

The expert shall:

•  Conduct consultations with the GMMB, particularly the Monuments Division, and other relevant departments;
• Identify and map existing documentary collections relevant to the activity;
• Determine the precise location and storage conditions of documentary holdings;
• Assess the current state of organization and preservation of the collections;
• Identify the categories of documents to be included in the future inventory;
• Define the scope and boundaries of the documentation survey and inventory exercise;
• Estimate the overall volume of documentation to be processed;
• Identify priorities, constraints and risks that may affect implementation.

B. Operational Planning

The expert shall:

• Estimate the duration of the documentation survey and inventory implementation;
• Estimate the number and profiles of personnel required;
• Define the different implementation phases;
• Prepare a detailed operational work plan, including milestones and sequencing of activities;
• Identify operational risks and propose mitigation measures.

C. Equipment and Resource Assessment

The expert shall:

• Identify the equipment required to undertake the documentation survey, inventory and digitization activities;
• Identify the archival materials and supplies required;
• Assess hardware and software needs;
• Identify furniture and storage equipment required;
• Prepare technical specifications for the recommended equipment;
• Collect quotations accordingly. 

D. Budget Development and Cost Estimation

The expert shall:

• Estimate the costs associated with the documentation survey and inventory;
• Estimate equipment and material costs;
• Estimate digitization costs;
• Estimate logistics and operational costs;
• Consolidate a detailed and realistic budget for the implementation of the documentation activity.

E. Capacity Building Strategy

The expert shall:

• Identify GMMB staff who should participate in the documentation activity;
• Estimate the number of staff to be trained;
• Identify institutional capacity gaps;
• Recommend the competencies required for sustainable documentation management;
• Develop a capacity-building strategy;
• Design a draft programme for one or two training workshops on documentation inventory, archival preservation and documentation management.

F. ArchLab Development Planning

The expert shall:

• Assess the current condition of the space proposed for the future ArchLab;
• Define the functional requirements of the ArchLab to support documentation survey, inventory and digitization activities;
• Identify the minimum rehabilitation works required to make the ArchLab operational;
• Prioritize rehabilitation works according to operational needs;
• Estimate the cost of rehabilitation works that can realistically be financed within the available SANKOFA II budget;
• Identify additional rehabilitation needs beyond the available project budget, where relevant;
• Prepare a phased work plan for the rehabilitation and operationalization of the ArchLab.

G. Preparation of Procurement Documentation

The expert shall prepare the technical documentation required for the recruitment of a specialized company/experts responsible for implementing the documentation activity.

This shall include:

• Draft Terms of Reference and Technical Specifications;
• Scope of Services;
• Technical requirements;
• Expected deliverables;
• Indicative implementation schedule;
• Required expertise and staffing profiles;
• Technical equipment specifications where applicable;
• Evaluation criteria for the procurement process.

This procurement package shall enable Expertise France to launch the recruitment of a specialized contractor responsible for carrying out the documentation survey, inventory, preservation, digitization and related activities.

3. Anticipated Deliverables