Carnegie Hall Data Lab

Data Management Consultant: Request for Proposals

*Note: the response period has now closed and we are no longer accepting submissions.

Introduction

The Carnegie Hall Rose Archives (CHRA), a department within the nonprofit organization Carnegie Hall Corporation, is seeking a data management consultant to review and evaluate our current methods and approach to managing information. Following a need to upgrade our existing software, CHRA is initiating a project to assess the technology and improve the processes that support our mission of preserving and making our information accessible. The goal of this initiative is to modernize, streamline, and better harmonize the management and flow of information in the CHRA.

Objective

This work will be considered phase one of a multi-phase project. The selected consultant will work collaboratively with CHRA staff to identify requirements for new organizational needs, develop a data management strategy, and create an implementation roadmap for future work. The consultant will deliver a report summarizing current practices and products and defining recommended strategic and technical activities.

The consultant should be familiar with best practices associated with managing cultural heritage data. CHRA currently manages an on-premise commercial database of descriptive information for events that have taken place at or are related to Carnegie Hall. CHRA information serves both internal staff and the general public, is multi-purpose in use, and is used by other downstream systems. Data quality measures play a major role in the reassessment of our data management practices.

Scope of Work

CHRA will facilitate access to relevant systems, data, documentation, and staff/vendors to support research and discovery.

The consultant will evaluate how CHRA manages event-level performance history information containing granular data aligned with external identity authorities. The internal authoritative database with this data feeds several downstream access points, including a public Performance History Search, a linked open data (SPARQL) endpoint, and a digital asset management system (DAMS).

The consultant will review and assess the following within the context of CHRA:

• Data management activities: how information is collected, stored, transformed, distributed, and consumed.
• System infrastructure: software solutions and integrations, current and potential options for future growth.

The consultant will identify opportunities for the continued maturity and growth of established and experimental CHRA data initiatives. The consultant will develop the following recommendations:

• Strategic recommendations:
  • Short, medium, and long-term success and benchmark measurement.
  • Allocation of departmental and organizational resources.
  • Alignment with department mission and organizational needs.
• Procedural recommendations:
  • Prioritized activities for increasing efficiency, usability, and capacity for creating, managing, and delivering CHRA data.
  • Data quality improvement activities, including efforts to increase scalability, resiliency, reproducibility, accuracy, and/or completeness.

Deliverables

• A report including:
  • Summary of current performance history data management strategy, activities, achievements, and challenges.
  • Process and system risks, vulnerabilities, redundancies, and inefficiencies as well as suggested integrations or solutions.
  • Prioritized recommendations for two scenarios:
    • Defined requirements for migrating current performance history database to hosted version.
    • Re-imagining and expanding technology stack, products, and access points.
• A document establishing defined standards for future success measuring, including recommended KPIs for both established initiatives and experimental projects.
• An internal advocacy document outlining mutual benefits across the organization’s business areas and recommendations for how CHRA can present event information to the larger organization so it may engage with this data as a resource and destination. Include if there are comparable or aspirational initiatives at similar organizations.

Out of Scope

• Implementation of recommendations provided in the deliverables.
• Event/performance planning data creation and maintenance activities outside of CHRA.

Timeline

• 2022
  • August 1, 2022: Carnegie Hall releases RFP
  • September 1, 2022: Response period closes
  • October 14, 2022: CHRA selects and notifies consultant
  • November 2022: Initial meeting with CHRA staff and relevant stakeholders
  • November – December 2022: Evaluation of data sets, technology; calls with other CH staff and vendors as needed, inventory and analyze CHRA data sets and technology stack
• 2023
  • January 2023: Additional review and availability of CHRA to support consultant
  • January 27, 2023: Consultant submits all Deliverables
  • February 17, 2023: CHRA provides all feedback and requested changes
  • March 3, 2023: Consultants submit final version Deliverables
  • April 2023 – onward: Support and further conversation (to be billed separately at rate agreed upon)

Selection Criteria

CHRA looks to engage an experienced, thoughtful Data Management Consultant with expertise in the not-for-profit cultural heritage sector, ideally with familiarity in the performing or creative arts. Primary selection criteria include:

• Experience evaluating and making strategic enterprise or multi-use data management recommendations that can be applied to CHRA’s current and possible future systems and procedures, including strategic options addressing prioritization of effort and resources.
• Experience and interest in archival data/information systems, relational databases, systems integrations, semantic data and semantic data technologies across sectors.
• Relevant references from significant cultural heritage, performing arts, archiving and preservation institutions, libraries or museums, or organizations serving comparable audiences to CHRA.
• Awareness and consideration for archival data and information best practices, including subject and user privacy and security, and a commitment to inclusiveness and diversity that aligns with Carnegie Hall’s Code of Ethics.

Additional selection considerations:

• Awareness of cultural heritage data practices and technologies.
• Familiarity with CHRA’s current technology stack is desired:
  • Orchestral Planning and Administration (OPAS) by Fine Arts Software
  • GraphDB by Ontotext
  • Cortex by Orange Logic
• Familiarity with CH enterprise technology will be considered: Diese by IT4Culture, Artifax, Tessitura, and Sitecore.

Submitting Your Proposal

To be considered for this opportunity, please submit a proposal which includes:

• Brief description of the consultant’s work experience and expertise as it relates to the opportunity, demonstrating data and sector awareness.
• Summary of relevant data management projects with links to associated clients (where applicable) and references from these organizations for which the consultant has performed data management or similar services.
• A list of key personnel who will be involved in the project and brief descriptions of their experience and expertise.
• A draft proposed work plan that includes a timeline, description of activities, and estimates of hours to be worked and onsite/virtual effort required. A schedule of costs, including hourly rate and/or retainer for follow-up questions and support after delivery of the final report.

Interested consultants are invited to submit clarifying questions by email to assist in the development of their proposal. CHRA commits to a 48-hour response time during business hours for questions.

Please submit questions and final proposals via email to Rob Hudson, Assistant Director, Carnegie Hall Rose Archives (rhudson@carnegiehall.org) by 5:00PM EST on September 1, 2022.

Shortlisted consultants may be invited to connect with CHRA staff and select CH leadership.

Header image: Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage, © Jeff Goldberg / Esto