Oct 1, 2018

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) released a Call for Tender to select Cultural Heritage Projects – Security for Public Cultural Institutions holding Collections. The purpose of the call is to select project proposals of security (Detection, Prevention, Fire Fighting and Panic Projects, Electrical Installations and Lightning Protection System) in historic buildings that hold Brazilian Collections (museums, archives, libraries). 

The total amount of the Call for Tender is up to R$ 25 million under the Rouanet law, and is valid for a period of 24 months, renewable for an equal period from the date of publication. 

The requirements of the contest were based on the Iphan Ordinance no. 366, from September 4, 2018, which provides for the guidelines for prevention, fire fighting and panic projects in heritage-trust buildings.

The call is part of the set of measures taken by the Federal Government, alongside the establishment of a Steering Committee to coordinate the reconstruction process of the National Museum and the publication of a provisional measure that creates the Law of Equity Funds.

Collections – Collections are assets of undeniable historical value, by which one can have access to valuable information on several areas of knowledge, in order to preserve the identity and the memory of a community. This set includes museums and archival and bibliographic collections. 

Public institutions that hold Brazilian collections kept in buildings listed by Iphan and that have at least one of the following degrees of recognition will be considered eligible: (a) listed by Iphan; or (b) registered at national or global level by Unesco through “Memory of the World Prize”; or (c) participant in the listing of bibliographic collections in the “Catalogue of the Bibliographical National Heritage – CPBN” run by the National Library.

Tenderers – They may propose projects to Public Cultural Institutions holding Collections or another institution that represents them as long as it is not-for-profit, incorporated for at least two years and with a cultural purpose. The tenderer must show technical and management capacity in the development of cultural projects, which will be evaluated by the Technical Committee (TC) and, subsequently, by BNDES legal and technical team, during the analysis phase of each project. 

Facilities – Tenders shall consider the development of executive projects and the physical implementation of fire alarm systems, prevention, fire fighting and panic projects; lightning protection systems; and upgrading of electrical installations. 

The maximum supported value per proposal is R$ 4 million, being R$ 1 million the maximum for the development of projects. In the case of request for the physical implementation of security systems, only the executive projects already approved by competent organs (fire brigade and equity) will be accepted.

The maximum supported value by BNDES will respect the amount approved in the National Cultural Incentive Program (Pronac), and this condition must be verified at the time of release of funds by BNDES. Proposals must have a maximum execution time of 36 months and may be extended at the discretion of BNDES.

Applications – Applications are free and will be made through electronic form and through an online tool, the digitized version. The preparation of the proposal should follow the guidelines available on the website www.bndes.gov.br/seguranca-de-acervos

The application deadline begins on October 5 and closes on November 14.