Installation of Outdoor Antennas for Twenty-One (21) Fire Stations

The City of Wichita, located in Sedgwick County, Kansas, is seeking bids for the Installation of Outdoor Antennas for Twenty-One (21) Fire Stations through Request for Bid (RFB) #250235. The project requires a contractor to provide comprehensive labor, materials, and equipment to install omni-directional tri-band base station antennas (covering VHF/UHF/700/800MHz) and VHF directional (yagi) antennas at each fire station. Specific deliverables include base station mounts, radio coax routing, proper terminations with QMA and mini-UHF connectors, independent grounding installation, lightning arrestors/surge protectors, and coax and antenna integrity verification using instruments like Bird Signal Hawk. The primary objective is to relocate fire station radio antennas from interior locations to outside structures, supporting the Fire Department's transition to a dual-pathway alerting system that meets NFPA 1221 standards. Key procurement dates include questions due by August 8, 2025 at 5:00 p.m., addendum posting on August 11, 2025, and bids due August 15, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Award will be based on the lowest and best total net bid from a responsible and responsive vendor.

The solicitation does not specify any specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. Vendors must submit bids electronically through the City's Procurement Portal and provide both a Performance Bond and Labor & Material Payment Bond for 100% of the contract value, issued by a bonding company authorized to do business in Kansas. Insurance requirements are comprehensive, including Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 each occurrence/$2,000,000 annual aggregate), Comprehensive Automobile Liability ($1,000,000 each occurrence), statutory Workers' Compensation, and Employers Liability ($1,000,000 each accident). Successful contractors must permanently mount antennas, with non-penetrating mounts explicitly prohibited. While no specific budget range is detailed, the project involves installing antennas at twenty-one fire stations, suggesting a potentially significant contract value. The tentative City Council approval is scheduled for August 26, 2025, with a project completion timeline of 60 days after receiving materials. No information about incumbent vendors or existing infrastructure integration was explicitly provided in the solicitation documents.