4618-20261013152621 Hattiesburg

Hattiesburg Clinic, P.A. issued RFP No. HC-RTG-2026-WAN for tertiary cellular wide area network service at 67 rural satellite clinic sites in South Mississippi, with proposals due November 1, 2026, a date that has passed. The procurement is funded through the Mississippi Rural Health Transformation Program, which subjects the awardee to 2 CFR Part 200 requirements, including the telecommunications equipment prohibitions in 2 CFR 200.216, SAM.gov registration verification, and 2 CFR Part 180 debarment certification. No set-asides are specified, and small, minority-owned, women-owned, and labor surplus area firms are encouraged to apply.

The service provides a third, physically diverse connection that supplements existing dual fiber circuits from two carriers at each site. The cellular link operates in hot standby and activates automatically during dual-fiber outages to maintain access to the electronic health record and critical clinical applications. It must integrate with existing Meraki MX edge devices through Ethernet handoff. Bidders must confirm coverage at each site and deliver a coverage report before award. Implementation must finish within 90 days of contract execution and includes site activation, equipment delivery, completion records, and successful failover testing.

The contract term is 36 months from service activation. Year 1 is grant-funded, and Years 2 and 3 are subject to fund availability. Bidders must state any early-termination charges that apply if subsequent years go unfunded. Pricing goes on Attachment B with separate Year 1 and Years 2–3 pricing. Line items cover per-line cellular data, static IP or private APN service, equipment rental or purchase, per-site activation, overage, antennas, and early termination. Pricing excludes Mississippi sales tax and government-imposed telecommunications taxes and fees, and any cost not listed will not be reimbursed. Attachment A is a notarized non-collusion affidavit that must accompany the proposal.

Proposals will be evaluated on coverage and service quality (40%), cost (35%), vendor experience and references (15%), and implementation approach (10%). Award goes to the responsible bidder whose proposal is most advantageous to the Clinic.