Mn/DOT Office of Technical Support—Consultant Services:
Work Type Definition
Rev. 1.5(9/12/2011)
Archaeology Studies
12.1 Archaeological Work
Work Type Name
Work Type Standards and
Guidelines
Work Type Definition
Work Type Deliverables
Specific Examples of
Deliverables
Quality Attributes of
Deliverables
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (48 Federal Register 44716-44740; National Park
Service), Mn/DOT’s Cultural Resources Unit Project and Report Requirements (2003), Minnesota Deep Test Protocol (Mn/DOT
2005), the report guidelines in the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Guidelines for Archaeological Projects in Minnesota
(SHPO 2001), Mn/DOT Geographic Information System (GIS) Standards (2002), and Mn/DOT’s Standards for Archaeological
and Historic Structures Data (2002)
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requires federal agencies to take into account the effects of their
undertakings on historic properties and afford the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) a reasonable opportunity to
comment on such undertakings. The Section 106 process seeks to accommodate historic preservation concerns with the needs of
Federal undertakings through consultation among the agency official and other parties with an interest in the effects of the
undertaking on historic properties, commencing at the early stages of project planning. The goal of the Archaeology Study is to
identify, evaluate and provide recommendations on the eligibility of archaeological properties within the area of potential effects
(APE) of the undertaking, or to perform mitigation for adverse effects for archaeological properties eligible for, or listed on, the
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). All determinations of the APE, the NRHP eligibility of identified resources, the
effects of an undertaking, and the development of mitigation programs shall be completed by the Mn/DOT CRU staff acting on
behalf of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Archaeology Studies
Examples include, but are not limited to:
 Archaeology identification, precontact deep testing, precontact evaluation and precontact mitigation fieldwork and reports
(Level I);
 Archaeological identification, historic archaeology evaluation and mitigation fieldwork and reports (Level II); and
 Appropriate site forms, photographs, curation, and GIS data by project.
All tasks to be completed in accordance with appropriate federal and state standards including, but not limited to, the standards and
guidelines listed above.
Levels of Work (Compare & Contrast)
Level I: Archaeological Work
Level I consists of Phase I archaeological identification, Phase II precontact
archaeological site evaluation, Phase I and II precontact deep testing, and Phase III
precontact archaeological data recovery work as per the Standards and Guidelines
cited herein.
Level II: Historic Archaeological Work
Level II consists of Phase I archaeological identification, Phase II historic
archaeological site evaluation and Phase III historic archaeological data
recovery work as per the Standards and Guidelines cited herein.
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Mn/DOT Office of Technical Support—Consultant Services:
Work Type Definition
Rev. 1.5(9/12/2011)
Requirements of the Professional Staff
Minimum Number
of Staff
Professional
Certification/Licensure
Qualifying Experience

At least one individual meeting the minimum technical qualifications listed herein.

An M.A., M.S., or Ph.D. in anthropology (with a specialization in archaeology), archaeology, or a
closely related field (historical archaeology, ancient studies, classics, etc.). Include date when graduate
Past Record & Experience of Firm
degree was obtained.
LEVEL I – Archaeological work
 A minimum of two (2) years total (24 months) demonstrable experience in post-graduate school work as
a Principal Investigator on precontact archaeology projects conducted for compliance with Section 106 of
the National Historic Preservation Act completed within the past 15 years; PLUS
 A minimum of five (5) completed precontact archaeological projects in Minnesota within the past 15
years, totaling at least 25 days in the field
 A minimum of two (2) years total (24 months) field experience on any archaeological projects
(precontact or historic) within the past 15 years; PLUS
 No outstanding license requirements with the Office of the Minnesota State Archaeologist (OSA) and
ability to obtain a current OSA license in Minnesota; PLUS
Applicant may count the duration of each project for which they served as PI to total 2 years (e.g. if applicant
was the PI on two concurrent projects, each of which was 4 months in duration, the two projects would total 8
months of PI experience.)
LEVEL II – Historic Archaeological work
 A minimum of two (2) years (24 months) within the past 15 years of experience in post-graduate school
work as a Principal Investigator on North American historical archaeology projects conducted for
compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act or the Minnesota Field
Archaeology Act of 1963 (MS 138.31-42); PLUS
 A minimum of five (5) completed historical archaeological projects anywhere in the United States within
the past 15 years, totaling at least 25 days in the field, PLUS
 A minimum of two (2) years total (24 months) field experience on any archaeological projects
(precontact or historic) within the past 15 years; PLUS
 No outstanding license requirements with the Office of the Minnesota State Archaeologist (OSA) and
ability to obtain a current OSA license in Minnesota.
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Mn/DOT Office of Technical Support—Consultant Services:
Work Type Definition
Rev. 1.5(9/12/2011)
Submittal Requirements
Requirements of Professional Staff
Qualifying experience of the pre-qualification applicant in the category/level of work shall be documented by:
 Indicate professional degree and required qualifying experience outlined above PLUS
 LEVEL I: Submittal of two Phase I reports (Identification) and two Phase II reports (Evaluation) on a
precontact archaeological site (or combined Phase I and II reports may be submitted). Applicant must
complete the Tables for Archaeological Studies (12.1 – Level 1 – Precontact; Level 2 – Historical)
in order to clearly document their experience. Include years of PI experience and years of fieldwork
experience in days.
 LEVEL II: Submittal of two Phase I reports (Identification) and one Phase II report (Evaluation) on a
historic archaeological site (or combined Phase I and II reports may be submitted). Applicant must
complete the Tables for Archaeological Studies (12.1 – Level 1 – Precontact; Level 2 – Historical)
in order to clearly document their experience. Include years of PI experience and years of fieldwork
experience in days.
All reports must have been completed in accordance with the regulations implementing Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act (36 CFR 800) or for Level II work, the Minnesota Field Archaeology Act of
1963 (MS 138.31-42). Letter reports are not acceptable; only final, completed reports will be accepted. The preRequirements of Professional Staff
qualification applicant MUST have been the project principal investigator, completed the fieldwork, and
been either sole author or primary author of the report, especially the results and evaluation portions. If
primary author, please indicate which sections of the report were written by the pre-qualified applicant.
 The firm shall employ at least one individual who meets the minimum technical qualifications listed herein.
Firm shall have ability to provide GIS data, meeting specified standards, as ArcInfo coverages or ArcView
Requirement of Firm
shapefiles. The GIS standards for this work are published at
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/culturalresources/gisstds/gisreqs.html
 It is preferred to have project report examples submitted electronically (5 copies). If pre-qualification
Project Documentation
applicant does not have an electronic file, then one hard copy of the report is acceptable.
Authorizing Mn/DOT Signature/Date
Authorizing Mn/DOT Signature/Date
Authorizing Mn/DOT Signature/Date
Version 1.5
September
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2011
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