dms-2324-062.tower-site-sup-srvcs.final.pdf

4050 Esplanade Way Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950

850-488-2786

Ron DeSantis, Governor Pedro Allende, Secretary

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RADIO TOWER SITE SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES

RFI NO: DMS-23/24-062

THE STATE OF FLORIDA

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Refer ALL inquiries to:

Procurement Officer:

Alisha Morgan

Departmental Purchasing State of Florida, Department of Management Services

4050 Esplanade Way, Suite 260 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950

Email: DMS.Purchasing@dms.fl.gov

The sole purpose of this RFI is to obtain information from the vendor community. The Department is not seeking bids or proposals, and no contract award will result from this RFI.

mailto:DMS.Purchasing@dms.fl.gov

RFI No.: DMS-23/24-062 Radio Tower Site Support and Maintenance Services Page 2 of 7

I. INTRODUCTION

The State of Florida (State), Department of Management Services (Department), seeks information about support services for Department-owned tower sites associated with the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) from the vendor community through this Request for Information (RFI). The information gathered from the RFI may be used to develop a future competitive solicitation.

II. PURPOSE OF AN RFI

Rule 60A-1.042, F.A.C., provides that an agency may request information from the vendor community by issuing a written RFI. Agencies are authorized to use an RFI for research to determine whether to competitively procure particular commodities or contractual services, which solicitation process to use for a particular need, and to research general, special, or technical specifications to be included in a solicitation.

A vendor’s response to an RFI is not an offer to contract, and the agency may not use the vendor’s submission to justify a contract with that vendor without otherwise complying with Chapter 287, Florida Statutes. Vendors submitting a response to an agency’s RFI are not prohibited from responding to any related subsequent solicitation.

III. DEFINITIONS

A. SLERS

The Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System, which consists of over 200 tower sites including 700 and 800 MHz trunked radio and microwave transport systems.

B. Department Tower

A tower that the Department owns and operates to support SLERS and other wireless communications systems. Ground space for the tower, equipment buildings, and supporting ancillary equipment may be secured via separate agreements from other agencies.

C. Division of Telecommunications (Division)

The division within DMS that is responsible for establishing telecommunications standards and procuring telecommunications services for the State’s telecommunications enterprise.

D. Vendor

The business entity submitting a response to this RFI.

IV. BACKGROUND

On July 1, 2021, the Department executed a contract with L3Harris to upgrade and operate the SLERS network. Since then, L3H assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of all SLERS towers, equipment buildings, and supporting ancillary equipment through contract completion. The Department anticipates reassuming ownership, control, and management of approximately fifty L3H owned tower sites in 2026.

Upon reassuming ownership of the tower sites, the Department will be responsible for marketing available tower space, managing any associated lease agreements at those sites and maintaining radio tower structures.

V. GOALS

The Department seeks information regarding reliable, efficient, user-friendly, and cost-effective radio tower management services that minimize the impact on Department staffing while

Radio Tower Site Support and Maintenance Services Page 3 of 7 maximizing cost benefits to the Department and the SLERS program. These services include but are not limited to maintaining and repairing tower facilities, grounds maintenance, tower inspections, site audits, site management and administration. Additionally, support includes identifying potential users/tenants, facilitating lease negotiations, billing, customer service, accounts receivable, and collections. The Department expects all service information to comply with regulations established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as applicable.

A. Marketing Tower Space

The Department may enter into revenue-generating lease agreements with commercial entities for unused space on the Department’s towers, wherein the commercial entities would pay the Department for tower space.

B. Managing Lease Agreements

The Department may enter into one or more lease management agreements with an entity to manage the Department’s lease portfolio, with the intent of reducing the Department’s administrative and operational costs.

C. Maintaining Radio Towers

The Department may enter into one or more contracts for construction-related maintenance on Department-owned towers to ensure operational integrity.

The Department’s objectives in acquiring this industry information include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Understanding the market for tower site support services.

• Identifying cost-effective solutions for tower site support services.

• Identifying the range of site development and construction services for new tower or tower rebuild projects, including all necessary and required tasks per local, state, and federal regulations.

• Identifying any new or upcoming regulatory or industry standards that may impact tower site support services.

• Identifying and understanding methods to market Department-owned towers to increase co-location revenue and reduce SLERS program costs.

• Assessing the potential for third party front-end lease management for Department-owned towers to minimize impacts on Department staffing and processes.

• Understanding of opportunities to enhance and fortify the resiliency and robustness of the SLERS network through strategic infrastructure improvements.

The Department expects to issue a solicitation in the future with a multi-year term for tower site support services to assist in managing existing co-location leases and marketing Department-owned towers for additional co-location revenue.

Radio Tower Site Support and Maintenance Services Page 4 of 7

VI. RESPONSE

To potentially develop a new solicitation for tower site management, the Department requests the following information:

A. Company Information:

1. Primary contact

2. Address

3. Phone

4. Email

B. Procurement Considerations:

1. Describe potential models for marketing Department-owned towers and include any associated benefits these models may provide the Department.

2. Identify current market and supply chain conditions which may impact the marketing of Department-owned towers.

3. Describe current or upcoming regulatory or industry standards that may impact delivery of tower site support services or the rebuilding or replacement of existing towers.

4. Describe potential models for full-service lease management on Department-owned towers and how that model minimizes impacts on Department staffing and processes.

5. Describe the systems or software used to manage the towers.

6. Describe the potential methodologies for expanding the SLERS network through contracting or acquiring new towers.

7. Describe potential models or methods for maintaining the Department-owned towers to support additional co-location lease revenue, capacity, or coverage.

8. Identify current market and supply chain conditions impacting the construction or maintenance of Department-owned towers.

9. Describe potential models, cost savings, advantages, and disadvantages for the use of a single vendor for site development and construction services of new Department-owned towers or tower rebuild projects, including all necessary and required tasks per local, state, and federal regulations, versus the use of multiple, separate vendors on a site-by-site basis. Specific examples of entities that have adopted this approach should be provided, if available.

C. Additional Information:

1. Please provide additional information for consideration. Where possible, use a question-and-answer format.

2. Pricing: Do not provide any specific cost or pricing information at this time; this is not a solicitation for an offer. However, general pricing information which may affect contract design may be provided (e.g., price ranges and variable factors that impact the price).

PLEASE NOTE: Any submitted material is subject to the Public Records Act, section 119.07, F.S.

Radio Tower Site Support and Maintenance Services Page 5 of 7

VII. RESPONSE SUBMISSION

Responses should be submitted in both Microsoft Word and as a .pdf via email to the Procurement Officer identified in Section XV, Procurement Officer, by the required date and time in Section X, Timeline. Additionally, a redacted copy should be submitted, if necessary (see Section XIII, Confidential, Proprietary or Trade Secret Information, for additional information).

VIII. PROCESS

• Responses to this RFI will be reviewed by the Department for informational purposes only and will not result in the award of a contract.

• Any request for cost information is for budgetary purposes only.

• If necessary, the Department may ask to hold presentations with one or more of the responding vendors.

• Responding to the RFI does not prevent a vendor from being eligible to contract with the Department pursuant to section 287.057, F.S.

IX. PRESENTATIONS

After the Department receives responses to this RFI, and at the sole discretion of the Department, one or more vendors may be selected to demonstrate to the Department the products and services related to the information submitted in the RFI response. The purpose is for the Department to learn about the most current solutions available.

Any presentation should be direct in nature and remain on topic. The presentation moderator will remind vendors that the meeting is for information gathering only and should not take on a sales tone.

Vendors are encouraged to bring technical and legal representatives to the presentations.

X. TIMELINE

Listed below are important dates and times when actions should be taken or completed. If the Department finds it necessary to update any of the dates and, or times noted, it will be accomplished by an addendum to the RFI. All times listed below are in Eastern Standard Time (EST) in Tallahassee, Florida.

Date Time Event

12/22/2023 Release of RFI

1/8/2024 5:00 PM Questions due to the Procurement Officer

1/29/2024 Anticipated date that answers to vendor questions are posted to VIP

2/12/2024 3:00 PM Responses are due to the Procurement Officer

2/26/2024 – 3/1/2024

TBD Presentations, if applicable

XI. CHANGES TO THE RFI

The Department will post addenda to the RFI on the Vendor Information Portal (VIP). Vendors may view addenda by selecting “Department of Management Services” in the “Agency” drop down box. Each Vendor is responsible for monitoring the VIP for new or changing information.

Radio Tower Site Support and Maintenance Services Page 6 of 7

XII. RFI QUESTIONS AND CONTACT WITH DMS

Vendors shall address all questions regarding this RFI in writing to the Procurement Officer identified in Section XV. The Department will post answers to questions on VIP as noted in Section X, Timeline.

XIII. CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY OR TRADE SECRET INFORMATION

Article 1, section 24, Florida Constitution, guarantees every person access to all public records, and section 119.011, F.S., provides a broad definition of “public record.” As such, the entirety of the responses are public records and are subject to disclosure unless exempt from disclosure by law. If the vendor considers any portion of its response to be Confidential Information, the vendor is to mark the document as “confidential” and simultaneously provide the Department with a separate, redacted copy of its response. For each portion redacted, the vendor is to briefly describe in writing the grounds for claiming exemption, including the specific statutory citation for such exemption. On the cover of the redacted copy, the vendor is to provide its name and the RFI name and number and clearly title it, “Redacted Copy.” Only portions of material that the vendor claims are Confidential Information are to be redacted.

In the event of a request for public records pursuant to Chapter 119, F.S., the Florida Constitution, or other authority, to which documents that are marked as “confidential” are responsive, the Department will provide the redacted copy to the requestor. If a requestor asserts a right to the redacted Confidential Information, the Department will notify the vendor such an assertion has been made. It is the vendor’s responsibility to take the appropriate legal action to assert that the information in question is exempt from disclosure under Chapter 119, F.S., or other applicable law.

If the Department becomes subject to a demand for discovery or disclosure of documents that are marked as “confidential” in a legal proceeding, the Department will give the vendor notice of the demand or request. It will be the vendor’s responsibility to take the appropriate legal action in response to the demand and to defend its claims of confidentiality. If the vendor fails to take appropriate and timely action to protect the materials it has designated as Confidential Information, the Department will provide the unredacted materials to the requester.

By submitting a response, the vendor agrees to protect, defend, and indemnify the Department for all claims arising from or relating to the vendor’s determination that the redacted portions of its response are Confidential Information. If a vendor fails to submit a redacted copy in accordance with this section, of information it claims is Confidential Information, the Department is authorized to produce the entire material submitted to the Department in response to a public records request for, or demand for discovery or disclosure of, these records.

XIV. VENDOR COSTS

Vendors are responsible for all costs associated with the preparation, submission, and any potential meeting to discuss this RFI. The Department will not be responsible for any vendor related costs associated with responding to this request.

Radio Tower Site Support and Maintenance Services Page 7 of 7

XV. PROCUREMENT OFFICER

If you have administrative questions concerning this RFI, please contact:

Alisha Morgan, Procurement Officer Departmental Purchasing 4050 Esplanade Way, Suite 260 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0950 Telephone: (850) 413-7190 E-mail: DMS.Purchasing@dms.fl.gov

***ALL EMAILS TO THE PROCUREMENT OFFICER SHALL CONTAIN THE RFI NUMBER

IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE EMAIL***

mailto:DMS.Purchasing@dms.fl.gov