Wireless Communication infrastructure and service

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a Special Notice regarding wireless communication infrastructure and services for their National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas. This notice serves as a sole source justification posting for procurement of wireless communications services from RF Connect. The opportunity involves a distributed antenna system (DAS) requiring management, maintenance, hardware replacement, and LTE signal source services for both AT&T and Verizon networks. The estimated contract value is $57,857.00 and encompasses critical wireless communication needs for the facility. The notice was posted on September 4, 2025, with a due date of October 4, 2025.

The purpose of this Special Notice is to justify the use of other than full and open competition procedures for procuring essential wireless communication services. APHIS has determined that RF Connect is the sole vendor capable of providing these services because they originally engineered and installed the current distributed antenna system and retain ownership of the equipment. The agency explains that replacing the vendor would cause significant operational disruption and potentially result in temporary loss of LTE services throughout critical facility areas including offices, basements, and penthouses. Due to the sole source nature of this procurement, there are no specific eligibility criteria for other contractors to participate in this particular opportunity. However, the agency has indicated that future equipment replacements or upgrades will utilize fully competitive acquisition procedures when technological advances occur or when the current equipment reaches the end of its useful life.