Development, Implementation, And Administration of A Remote Easy Access License (R. E. A. L) Point-Of-Sale System

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is soliciting proposals for development, implementation, and administration of a Remote Easy Access License (R.E.A.L.) point-of-sale system, with an RFI response deadline of September 30, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time and a written questions deadline of September 11, 2026. This is a Request for Information (RFI) stage; responses do not create contract rights and are not prerequisites for future solicitations.

The scope encompasses design, deployment, and ongoing operation of a centralized licensing platform supporting hunting and fishing licenses, boat registration and titling, game harvest reporting, quota hunt draws, reservations management, captive wildlife permitting, and commercial fishing licenses. The system must process a minimum of 245 distinct license and permit types through multiple channels: in-person transactions at TWRA regional offices and authorized agents, and 24/7 web and mobile portals. TWRA currently processes approximately 1.1 million annual license sales, 91,000 quota hunt applications, and 200,000 harvest records, generating approximately $54 million annually.

Key deliverables include system design documentation, quality assurance protocols, training programs, disaster recovery services, real-time revenue collection via automated clearing house processes, automated eligibility validation, and financial reconciliation tools. The contractor must maintain 99.97% monthly uptime and operate a toll-free customer support help desk 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CST, seven days per week, answering calls within 15 seconds. Cybersecurity requirements include AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.2 in transit, NIST SP 800-53 controls compliance, $10 million cyber liability insurance per occurrence, annual penetration testing, and annual independent security audits. All state data must remain within the continental United States, with system administration performed by U.S.-based resources only. Disaster recovery must achieve a 24-hour Recovery Time Objective and 12-hour Recovery Point Objective.

Compensation is transaction-based, with rates to be determined in the final contract. Up to 1,000 development hours annually are included; unspent hours are subject to dismissal, rollover, or chargebacks at the State's discretion. The contract term may extend up to 60 months, with an optional extension of up to 180 days at the State's discretion. The contractor must comply with the Tennessee Business Solutions Methodology and submit a Project Management Plan within 30 days of the effective date.