Amendment #6 to RFP #32701-04678: Wireless-as-a-Service Provider for Tennessee State Parks

This is Amendment #6 to a Request for Proposals issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for a Wireless-as-a-Service (WaaS) provider to deliver comprehensive wireless connectivity across eleven Tennessee state parks. The amendment updates the schedule of events for the procurement process. The original RFP was issued on October 20, 2025, with a pre-response conference scheduled for October 28, 2025, and a notice of intent to respond deadline of October 29, 2025. Two rounds of written questions and comments are permitted, with deadlines of November 4, 2025, and January 23, 2026, respectively. The technical response deadline is March 13, 2026, followed by state completion of technical evaluations by April 2, 2026. Qualified respondents will participate in mandatory site visits on April 14, 2026, with cost proposal submissions due April 24, 2026. Cost proposals will be opened and scored on April 27, 2026, followed by optional negotiations scheduled for May 4-6, 2026. The state will release its notice of intent to award on May 8, 2026, marking the beginning of the protest period, which ends May 15, 2026. The contractor signature deadline is May 20, 2026, with a performance bond deadline of May 22, 2026. The contract term is 60 months with two optional 30-month renewal periods, not to exceed 120 months total.

Evaluation will be based on general qualifications (10 points), technical qualifications and approach (60 points), and cost proposal (30 points), with only the top three technically-scored respondents eligible to submit cost proposals. The RFP explicitly welcomes responses from minority-owned, women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and small business enterprises. Respondents must hold valid Tennessee Electrician and Contractor licenses and maintain specified insurance coverage, including $10 million in cyber liability insurance. The contract includes a maximum liability cap of $10 million with a required $5 million performance bond. Proposals must include comprehensive network infrastructure with Wi-Fi 7 technology, all fiber and power installation, trenching, pole placement, permitting, and utility coordination. Vendors must demonstrate robust business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities with 120-hour Recovery Point Objectives and 48-hour Recovery Time Objectives, along with SOC 2 Type 2 annual compliance audits and annual penetration testing. All costs must be submitted as complete, all-inclusive proposals covering equipment installation, maintenance, network upgrades, user support, and management services with provisions for seasonal rate adjustments and per-site expansion options.