Access Andrews Consulting was the accessibility consultant on the pre-design phase for the building of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture. This 300,000 square foot project, to commence in 2012, will be located near the Washington Monument.

The Smithonian Institute began the architectural programming phase for the new building in October 2007. The architectural programming phase provided research and decision-making on the scope of the Museum. Space and systems requirements for the major physical components of the Museum are determined in this phase—such as the size of the auditorium, exhibit space, and offices, as well as the energy usage requirements.

The Institution initiated the architectural design process—the next critical phase in the building of the Museum on July 10, 2008 when it issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to architectural firms inviting them to submit professional qualifications to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Institution voluntarily followed the guidelines of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). When issuing contracts that use Federal appropriations, the Smithsonian's Office of Contracting engages in an open and competitive contracting process which is virtually identical to that found in the FAR.

The Smithsonian posted the RFQ on fedbizopps.gov, the federal business opportunities website, and advertised nationally using methods designed to reach the greatest number of firms. Additionally, the Smithsonian performed outreach initiatives to attract bids from minority architectural firms.

In January 2009 an evaluation board narrowed the field of applicants to six firms and turned the process over to a design competition board, which included outside experts and Smithsonian professionals. The design competition board reviewed the finalists' concept designs and presentations and the highest-ranked firm was asked to submit a formal proposal and subsequently will begin contract negotiations with the Smithsonian.

The architectural team Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup was selected and announced at a press conference at the Smithsonian Castle on April 14, 2009. They were among six architectural firms that entered the design competition in January 2009 from a total of 22 firms that responded to a Request for Qualifications issued during the summer of 2008. The selection was made by a jury chaired by Museum Director Lonnie G. Bunch III.

Access Andrews Consulting was selected to provide ADA accessibility compliance and consulting on the pre-design phase of the development.