Licensing Opportunity - Animal History - Call for Expressions of Interest

The National Archives (TNA) is seeking expressions of interest from potential partners to digitise and to publish online records on the subject of animal history. The contract award would include a commercial license to publish online digital images and associated metadata, and a requirement to undertake all the necessary activities to make that possible - including conservation, digital image capture, use of metadata to allow for meaningful searches of the records, and online publication.

Animal history is an area of academic study that is linked with environmental history and the sciences. It attempts to understand animal-human relationships in the past and their significance in human culture and society. Throughout human history, animals have been used in diplomacy, warfare, agriculture, transport and entertainment. They have been vectors of disease, as well as commodities and objects of scientific study.

The records at The National Archives offer an insightful account of human interaction with animals since the nineteenth century. They cover topics such as panda diplomacy, the use of carrier pigeons in both world wars, veterinary services in warfare, the spread of invasive species and zoonotic diseases - amongst others.

If this opportunity is of interest to you, please email us at procurement@nationalarchives.gov.uk by 5pm (UK time) on 18 April 2024.

TNA expects that the appointed Supplier will deliver the contract at NIL cost to TNA and will also deliver a royalty return to TNA during the contract period, in consideration for the licence to publish the Collection. The figures quoted in this notice as 'Contract Value' represent our estimate of the revenue which may be generated by the appointed supplier by providing the contracted services.