RFQ update: Crowdsourcing Accessible Image Description Project

Please see the linked RFQs for the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Digital Transformation’s Crowdsourcing Accessible Image Description Project. There are two separate RFQs being posted for the project, one for a Learning and Evaluation firm and one for a Writer/Editor. The two teams will work together with the Smithsonian to evaluate accessible image descriptions and produce an open-source playbook to share findings.

If your firm is interested in providing the above services to the Smithsonian Institution, please email Ryan King, kingr@si.edu. Please feel free to submit to either or both RFQs depending on the nature of your offered services. Proposals must be received by e-mail no later than Friday, April 14, 2023, 6:00PM Local Washington DC Time.

We have received a few additional questions regarding the RFQs and wanted to inform everyone of the responses:

Will this project focus on one collection or all of Smithsonian’s museums and collections?
- The scope of this project will focus on 2D images. However, we hope to note considerations for 3D and other media types.
- We will be selecting diverse sets of objects to review through the events as part of this project. While it will not be exhaustive of all types of collections across the Smithsonian, we hope it will be a diverse representative sampling of various objects and disciplines.
Will this project be experimenting with AI as a solution?
- We hope to address AI (artificial intelligence), ML (machine learning), ChatGPT, and other emerging technology tools as areas of investigation as part of a solution toolset. However, for the scope of this project, it will be largely information gathering, listing considerations, and sharing research on them, rather than incorporating any of them or offering in-depth recommendations.
Can I share this RFQ with others?
- Yes – please share with colleagues and other firms that would be a good fit for the project. Thank you!