OAKLAND (ORANGE COUNTY) · LOCALlocal legislationPassed

Passed

Contract Approval for African American Museum Library Materials Storage

Original title: Subject: Atthowe Fine Arts Services Contract From: Oakland Public Library Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Waiving The Request For Proposals/Qualifications Requirements, And Awarding A Contract To Atthowe Transportation Cooperative Corp. DBA Atthowe Fine Art Services For The Storage Of Select African American Museum Library Materials For A Five Year Term In An Amount Not To Exceed Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000)

March 16, 2026

public-contracts library-services museum-collections storage-services oakland-city-government

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The Frame

What this does

The city is committing $300,000 in public funds over five years to a private vendor for the specialized storage of museum and library assets.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Atthowe Fine Art Services

The company is awarded a five-year contract for storage services.

Oakland Public Library

The library is the agency overseeing the storage of the museum materials.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 16, 2026.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Oakland City Council has approved a five-year contract with Atthowe Fine Art Services to store specific library materials from the African American Museum. The city waived standard competitive bidding requirements to award this $300,000 contract.

Key Facts

The City Council approved a contract with Atthowe Fine Art Services for the storage of African American Museum library materials.
The contract term is set for five years.
The total cost of the contract is not to exceed $300,000.
The city waived the standard Request for Proposals (RFP) and Request for Qualifications (RFQ) requirements for this contract.
The resolution was passed during a special concurrent meeting of the Oakland Redevelopment Successor Agency and City Council.
The resolution was introduced on February 2, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the standard bidding process waived for this contract?

The document states the resolution includes a waiver of the Request for Proposals/Qualifications requirements, though it does not provide the specific justification for the waiver.

How long is the contract for?

The contract is for a five-year term.

What is the maximum amount the city will pay?

The contract is capped at $300,000.

Why It Matters

The city is committing $300,000 in public funds over five years to a private vendor for the specialized storage of museum and library assets.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Bidding Waiver

The city bypassed its standard competitive bidding process for this specific museum storage contract.

Oakland Public Library Atthowe Transportation Cooperative Corp.

Connected Entities

organizationAtthowe Transportation Cooperative Corp.“The vendor awarded the contract, doing business as Atthowe Fine Art Services.”Map →

organizationOakland Public Library“The department recommending the contract.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

webapi.legistar.com

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance40
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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