Administration of Remote Pesticide Certification and License Exams - UPDATED

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is requesting information on remote pesticide certification and license exam administration, with responses due July 17, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. This is an RFI, not a binding solicitation — responses do not create contract rights or obligate the State to reimburse costs.

The scope encompasses scheduling, applicant eligibility and identity verification, secure exam-material handling, test security, privacy, accessibility, recordkeeping, and regulatory compliance for both certification and licensing exams. The vendor must provide 24/7/365 testing availability across physical and/or remote testing locations, develop secure API integration with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's CoreOne system, and offer exam administration in multiple languages with appropriate accessibility accommodations. Examination results must be transmitted to the State through automated electronic transfer, SFTP, API integration, encrypted email, or secure web portals.

Vendors must comply with Tennessee's mandated maximum exam fees of $25 for certification exams and $150 for licensing exams, with transparent fee-collection procedures, multiple payment methods, and clear refund policies addressing cancellations, rescheduling, and applicant errors. Data security is a critical qualification requirement: vendors must describe encryption practices, user authentication controls, cybersecurity standards, and incident response protocols protecting confidential applicant information and examination materials.

The vendor must outline policies and procedures for detecting and preventing unethical testing practices, including identity verification methods, proctoring approaches, monitoring tools, and incident investigation protocols.

Respondents must submit responses using the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Technical Informational Form, Cost Informational Form, and Additional Considerations form to Lori Holt, referencing RFI #32505-00126.