Document Scanning & Digital Conversion Services (PDF/A Compliant)

Background
The City of Williamsport is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide professional document scanning and digital conversion services. The goal is to convert approximately 2,000,000 pages of paper records into PDF/A archival format with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and indexing. This initiative aims to ensure long-term digital preservation, security, and compliance with public records requirements across various departments including administrative records, permits, legal documents, historical archives, and engineering drawings.

Work Details
The selected vendor will be responsible for providing all labor, equipment, materials, supervision, and transportation necessary for the project. Key tasks include:

1. Document Preparation: Removing staples, clips, bindings; repairing torn pages; flattening folded documents; organizing into batches; reassembling files if required.

2. Scanning Specifications: Output must be in PDF/A format (ISO 19005 compliant), with a minimum resolution of 300 DPI (400 DPI for poor-quality originals). Color modes include black & white, grayscale, and color as needed. Full-text searchable OCR must be embedded in PDF/A files. Batching should follow logical file grouping as defined by the department.

3. Indexing Requirements: Documents must be indexed according to fields provided by the City such as Document Type, Department, Date, Case/Permit Number, Address, and Retention Code.

4. Quality Control: A documented Quality Assurance process must be implemented including image quality review and OCR accuracy checks.

5. Security & Confidentiality: The vendor must maintain a documented chain of custody for records and comply with state public records laws.

Period of Performance
The project will be conducted on a department-by-department basis until funds are expended. Specific timelines for milestones such as proposal due date and project start date are outlined in the solicitation.

Place of Performance
The work will primarily take place at the City’s location at 245 W. 4th St., Williamsport, PA where documents will be picked up by the vendor.

Bidder Requirements
Vendors must demonstrate experience with municipal or government projects and provide a company overview along with three government references. They are required to submit proof of insurance and descriptions of their scanning equipment along with any security certifications they hold.