DWR Intelligent Document Processing Solution

STATE OF TENNESSEE
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

FOR

INTELLIGENT DOCUMENT PROCESSING SOLUTION

RFI # 32701-26-619

JUNE 1, 2026

1. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

The State of Tennessee, Department of Environment and Conservation issues this Request for Information (“RFI”) for the purpose of soliciting informational responses paired with live demonstrations from qualified vendors for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered Intelligent Documentation Processing (IDP) solution to perform completeness reviews of reports and permit application submissions managed by TDEC’s Division of Water Resources (DWR). The IDP solution will focus on providing technical and administrative support to help DWR ensure compliance with Federal and State environmental regulations by enhancing, streamlining, and expediting the intake, assessment, and preprocessing of permit applications and related documents. We appreciate your input and participation in this process.

2. BACKGROUND:

TDEC encompasses sixteen different program areas, each organized and conducted to effectively protect human health and the environment, conserve natural resources, manage state parks and promote overall quality of life in Tennessee. The TDEC Division of Water Resources (DWR) is the administrative agent for key Tennessee Statutes, Rules and Regulations including those intended to enable the regulatory management of surface waters, safe water, quality and quantity of drinking water, non-federal dam construction, wells, the licensing of well drillers and pump setters, as well as water withdrawal registration and subsurface sewage disposal systems.

TDEC is responsible for managing, protecting and enhancing the quality of the state's water resources through voluntary, regulatory and educational programs. The Division of Water Resources is the administrative agent for the following key Tennessee Statutes, Rules and Regulations:

• Water Quality Control Act  /  Water Pollution Control Rules regulating surface waters in Tennessee.

• Tennessee Safe Drinking Water Act /  Safe Drinking Water Supply Rules regulating the quality and quantity of drinking water in the state.

• Safe Dams Act / Safe Dams Rules regulating the construction of non-federal dams.

• Water Wells Act / Well Rules regulating the licensing of well drillers and pump setters.

• Water Withdrawal Registration Act / Tenn. Code Ann. § 69-7-301 requiring the registration of water withdrawal.

As the overseeing agency, DWR issues permits to manage water quality, withdrawals, and infrastructure construction. To streamline permit application management, DWR utilizes a third-party cloud-based software (nForms by Windsor Solutions, Inc.) to automate the creation, submission, and processing of permit applications. Permit forms, including applications and reports, are submitted via the MyTDEC Forms site. Examples of permit types for which applications may be submitted include:

• Authorizations and Contact Update Form for NPDES and SOP Permits: This form is for the official contact of a permit to delegate signatory authority for reports; identify the certified operator in charge for the wastewater plant and collection system; and update contacts associated with the permit.

• Construction General Permit (CGP) - Notice of Intent for Contractors: Notice of Intent (NOI) for General NPDES Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities-Contractor Additions

• NPDES Notice of Termination - Construction General Permit (CGP NOT): Notice of Termination (NOT) for General NPDES Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities (CGP)

• Construction General Permit (CGP) - Notice of Termination for Contractors: Notice of Termination (NOT) for General NPDES Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities (CGP)

• NPDES Notice of Intent - Construction General Permit (CGP): Notice of Intent (NOI) for General NPDES Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities (TNR100000)

• Monthly Operating Report (MOR) for Municipal Wastewater Facilities: This form is for the submittal of the Monthly Operating Reports for NPDES Municipal Wastewater discharges.

• NPDES & SOP 24-Hour Notice of Non-Compliance: This form is to report a non-compliance that could be a threat to human health or the environment. Initial notification is required within 24 hours of becoming aware of the non-compliance and a detailed follow-up report is due within 5 days.

• NPDES Cooling Water Intakes 316(b) - Annual Report: Annual Report - 316 (b) (Cooling Water Intake)

• NPDES Notice of Intent - Hydrostatic Test: Hydrostatic Test Water Notice of Intent (NOI)

• NPDES Notice of Intent - Ready Mixed Concrete Plant Permit (RMCP): Ready Mixed Concrete Facility (RMCP) Notice of Intent (NOI)

• NPDES Notice of Intent - Stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit (TMSP): Notice of Intent (NOI) for NPDES Stormwater Multi Sector General Permit for Industrial Activities (TNR050000)

• NPDES Notice of Intent - Underground Storage Tank Remediation (UST): Notice of Intent (NOI) for Discharges of Treated Groundwater Associated with Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Remediation

• NPDES Notice of Intent - Water Treatment Plant (WTP): Water Treatment Plant Filter Backwash and Sedimentation Basin Washwater Notice of Intent

• NPDES Notice of Non-Compliance 5-day Follow-Up Report: This form is to report a non-compliance that could be a threat to human health or the environment. Initial notification is required within 24 hours of becoming aware of the non-compliance and a detailed follow-up report is due within 5 days.

• NPDES Pretreatment Program Report: Semi-Annual/Annual Report - Pretreatment

• NPDES Sewer Overflow/Release/ByPass/Upset Event Report: Sanitary Sewer Overflow/Release/ByPass/Upset Event Report

• NPDES TMSP No Exposure Certification: No Exposure Certification - Stormwater Multi-Sector (TMSP)

• NPDES Universal General Permit Notice of Termination (NOT): Notice of Termination - General NPDES Permits

Note: A complete inventory of TDEC current and upcoming permits is available at https://www.tn.gov/environment/permit-permits-home.html.

DWR is interested in understanding and previewing the IDP solution’s optical character recognition, artificial intelligence, and how the solution’s machine learning model is used to automate the ingestion, classification, and extraction of structured or unstructured data. Additionally, DWR would appreciate an overview of AI bot (i.e., OpenAI, ChatGPT, etc.) foundation, guardrails for how it can be trained, as well as maintenance, support, licensing, and overall cost associated with the solution.

Qualified IDP solutions include those capable of:

• Permit Application Review Support:

o Analyze submitted applications (forms) for completeness and accuracy.

o Analyze submitted documentation for completeness, accuracy, and appropriateness.

o Verify compliance with applicable application standards.

• Technical Assessment:

o Where necessary, provide form (application and report) submitters with recommendations for mitigation measures and the opportunity to address recommendations in advance of form submission.

• Documentation & Reporting:

o Prepare summary reports of AI findings and recommendations.

o Maintain records of reviewed permits and associated correspondence.

• Coordination:

o Communicate with applicants, regulatory agencies, and internal teams as needed.

• Quality Assurance:

o Ensure all AI reviews adhere to established protocols and timelines.

3. COMMUNICATIONS:

3.1. Please submit any questions and your response to this RFI via email to:

LINDSAY OLIVERAS, TDEC-SENIOR SOURCING ADVISOR

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION

500 JAMES ROBERTSON PARKWAY, NASHVILLE TN 37243

629-219-6003

LINDSAY.OLIVERAS@TN.GOV

3.2. Please reference RFI # 32701-26-619 with all communications to this RFI.

4. RFI SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

	EVENT	TIME (Central Time Zone)	DATE (all dates are State business days)
1.	RFI Issued		June 1, 2026
1.	RFI Response Deadline (Delivered via Email)	2:00 PM	June 18, 2026
1.	Complete Review of Responses		July 10, 2026
1.	Schedule Demonstration Sessions		July 14 – 15, 2026
1.	Conduct Virtual Demonstration / Q&A Sessions*		July 20 – 22, 2026

* Sessions will be recorded

The solicitation coordinator may invite apparently responsive and responsible respondents to make an oral presentation for 90 minutes, with questions and answers incorporated throughout the presentation.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5. GENERAL INFORMATION:

5.

5.1. Please note that responding to this RFI is not a prerequisite for responding to any future solicitations related to this project and a response to this RFI will not create any contract rights. Responses to this RFI will become property of the State.

5.2. The information gathered during this RFI is part of an ongoing procurement. In order to prevent an unfair advantage among potential respondents, the RFI responses will not be available until after the completion of evaluation of any responses, proposals, or bids resulting from a Request for Qualifications, Request for Proposals, Invitation to Bid or other procurement method. In the event that the state chooses not to go further in the procurement process and responses are never evaluated, the responses to the procurement including the responses to the RFI, will be considered confidential by the State. 

5.3. The State will not pay for any costs associated with responding to this RFI.

5.4. Responses should be prepared, with emphasis on completeness and clarity, and should NOT exceed thirty (30) pages in length. Responses, as well as any reference material presented, must be written in English, and must be written on standard 8 ½” x 11” pages and all text must be at least a 12-point font with at least 1.15 line spacing. All pages must be numbered.

6. INFORMATIONAL FORMS:

The State is requesting the following information from all interested parties. Please fill out the following forms:

RFI #32701-26-619 TECHNICAL INFORMATIONAL FORM

1. RESPONDENT LEGAL ENTITY NAME

1. RESPONDENT CONTACT PERSON: Name, Title: Address: Phone Number: Email:

1. What is the estimated implementation (designing, developing, and launching) timeframe for this system?

1. Describe the end-to-end configuration capabilities within your system.

1. Describe the search and filtering capabilities of this solution.

1. Describe the support and training that is offered for your solution.

1. Explain the data security standards that the solution uses or can integrate with.

1. How are permissions to the system managed?

1. Can the system integrate with existing systems (e.g., FileNet) for document management?

1. Can the system be a component in a system of systems?

1. Please explain the platforms, devices, and environments on which the solution may be operated.

1. Please explain if the solution includes mobile enabled or mobile native functionality.

1. Please describe the access‑control safeguards included in the solution to ensure that only authorized user‑to‑form interactions are permitted. In particular, outline how these controls prevent customers from inadvertently initiating actions that could result in unintended AI‑related charges.

1. Please describe the post go-live warranty or hyper care process and duration included in the typical cost of your system.

1. What is the typical customer process and SLA for incident reporting and resolution?

1. Provide a brief description of experience providing similar scope of services/products. Include a summary of the solution that would be proposed to the State of Tennessee.

COST INFORMATIONAL FORM

1. Describe what pricing units you typically utilize for similar services or goods (e.g., per hour, each, etc.

1. Describe the typical price range for similar services or goods.

1. What is the typical cost per project phase (design, development, testing, and launching a system)?

1. How are costs determined for usage of configuration capabilities within your tool?

1. Describe the pricing structure, including upfront costs, licensing fees, implementation services, and ongoing support/maintenance.

1. What other typical costs might be involved which we have not mentioned?

1. Can you describe how product enhancement requests are managed, prioritized, paid for in your solution? Could one customer’s functionality conflict with another customer’s functionality in this solution?

1. Detail an all-in year 1 cost, including implementation and annual costs.

1. Detail a typical year 3 cost, or the method used to calculate this, e.g., % decrease/increase by ascending years by xx%.

1. What cost structure or cost‑sharing model would support the AI solution’s use beyond DWR, and how could these costs be scaled to enable enterprise‑wide implementation?

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

1. Please provide input on alternative approaches or additional things to consider that might benefit the State.