On Mon, 5 Feb 2001 14:54:20 -0000, Emmerson Consulting
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Really?  It would have been useful for the rest of us to see precisely
what was said.
I agree with Peter. What was said?
>
>It really does depend on what you want to store and whether you are
prepared to manage the process and the relationship actively.  What's the
alternative?  Do you currently have a BS 5550 repository? Swapping a third
basement archives store alongside the Thames for a well-constructed, dry
and computer-controlled warehouse on new-build business park may be
positively beneficial to the records. Relieving you of the need to allocate
valuable resources to the intake and retrieval of records may make it
possible for you to focus on those areas where your expertise is unique and
where you add most value.  There is nothing magic in custodianship.
>
An RFP (Request For Proposal)is one key in the selection process you would
use. Here in the US we (meaning consultants) are seeing more and more
organizations issuing very detailed RFPs with strict TOS (Terms of Service)
included.

I know of two instances within the last 90 days where an organization
stored records in a basement and the basement was flooded. The first
organization was a municipal archives with over 10,000 cubic feet of
records flooded (December 2000). The second was a private sector company
located in Manhattan (Feb 5, 2001). The records manager showed up this
morning to find that the basement where the records were stored had been
flooded during the night.

Most recently I have worked with an organization removing records that were
stored in an old dairy barn and transferring them to a commercial records
center.

>Provided  professionals get involved in the process of requirements
definition and vendor selection and in subsequent contract management there
are benefits to be had. Leaving it to your procurement colleagues will
generally lead to buying on price rather than quality. If you want to buy
or provide your own acid free containers most vendors will be happy to go
along.  Naturally high quality facilities and services do not come cheap
but then neither does a BS 5550 repository.

Yes, contact someone to help you determine your requirements. Not just how
many boxes of stuff, but how you want it stored; in a vault, in a climate
controlled environment or in general storage. All three have different
pricing levels. How much activity will you have with the material, daily,
weekly, monthly, annually.

>
>The commercial storage sector does not fully understand archival quality
storage - it's not their mainstream business - but it is possible to
educate them.

Here in the States they are learning fast. Many independent commercial
storage centers are installing new sprinkler systems or fire suppression
systems, new vaults (see this link http://www.firelock.com see an example),
segmenting the area, placing the sprinkler systems within the racks.
Service is the key. The vendors are willing to work with you especially if
it means a new segment to serve.

>Learn the lessons of the horror stories and use them to inform your
approach to commercial storage positively so that you can realise the
undoubted benefits of a natural outsourcing opportunity.

The old adage "you get what you paid for" is true in the records storage
business if your procurement office goes only by cost per cubic foot then
you will not be happy. But if you develop requirements that state that your
material must be stored in fire-resistant vault protected by a fire
suppression system (halon-like and not water), with limited access to
record center staff only via a numeric keypad and retinal eyescan
verification and web-accessed temperature and humidity controls then be
prepared to pay a pretty penny.

I know of plenty of horror stories that I can share.

So as state earlier I would like to know what was said to turn you off of
commercial records centers.

Peter Kurilecz CRM, CA
Richmond, Virginia