Natchez Trace Visitor Center Exhibit Gallery Design, Production, and Installation

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is seeking a contractor to design, produce, and install exhibit galleries at the Natchez Trace State Park Visitor Center through RFP #32701-25-096. The project requires comprehensive services including thematic research, exhibition design (from concept through final design), production, installation, exhibit text creation, and audio-visual script development. The exhibits will focus on four primary themes: flora and fauna (15%), hydrology and erosion (25%), restoration (35%), and site co-management (25%), targeting a young audience of middle-grade students aged 12-14. Key deliverables include detailed exhibit specifications, interpretive content, and installations that comply with National Park Service Universal Accessibility Guidelines. The evaluation criteria will weight technical qualifications and approach at 50 points, cost proposal at 30 points, and general qualifications at 20 points. Critical dates include a pre-response conference on February 4, 2025, a written questions deadline of February 14, 2025, and a response deadline of March 7, 2025, with contract award notification expected by March 24, 2025. Site visits are available on February 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2025, from 8:00-4:30 at the park location in Wildersville, Tennessee.

The State of Tennessee actively encourages participation from diverse business enterprises, including minority-owned, women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and businesses owned by persons with disabilities. Contractors must demonstrate commitment to diversity business enterprise participation and will be required to report monthly to the Governor's Office of Diversity Business Enterprise. The project has a maximum budget of $310,000, which covers all aspects of planning, design, fabrication, media production, A/V hardware integration, delivery, and installation. The contract will be structured with milestone payments corresponding to four project phases: Planning and Development (8 weeks), Design (12 weeks), Fabrication (8 weeks), and Installation (8 weeks), with a total contract term of nine months and an optional twelve-month renewal. Insurance requirements are comprehensive, including Commercial General Liability ($1M per occurrence), Workers' Compensation ($1M), Automobile Liability ($1M), and Professional Liability ($1M per claim, $2M aggregate). The State will maintain ownership rights to all goods and materials produced under the contract, with the expectation that the selected vendor will create exhibits that effectively communicate the environmental and historical narrative of the Natchez Trace State Park.