Rivada will not bid on state RFPs until FirstNet announces nationwide contractor, co-CEO Ganley says

Rivada Networks and Rivada Mercury will not consider submitting bids in response to any current or future state requests for proposals (RFPs) to build public-safety LTE radio access networks (RANs) until after FirstNet announces the winner of its nationwide RFP sometime next month, according to Rivada Networks co-CEO Declan Ganley.

“We had said a long time ago that we would not respond to any more state RFIs—I think we said that last spring,” Ganley said yesterday during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “Given that we are so close now to seeing what FirstNet’s decision is, we are not going to be responding to any further state RFPs.”

Rivada Networks won the RFP competition that gives the company exclusive rights to build a statewide RAN for the state of New Hampshire, if that state chooses to pursue the opt-out alternative next year. The opt-out alternative does not mean that a state will not participate in FirstNet; the opt-out alternative requires the state—instead of FirstNet—to build the RAN within its borders.

Recently, the states of Alabama and Arizona released RFPs similar to the one completed by New Hampshire. Alabama bids—originally scheduled to be submitted on Friday—are due on Oct. 24, and Arizona bids are due on Oct. 31. With FirstNet not expected to make its contractor announcement until sometime in November, Rivada Networks and Rivada Mercury—the bidding team led by Rivada Networks that is vying for the nationwide FirstNet prize—would not participate in these procurements under the current timelines, Ganley said.

In addition, if Rivada Mercury wins the nationwide FirstNet procurement, Rivada Mercury and Rivada Networks would not participate in a state RAN procurement, Ganley said.

“We are not responding to anything until after we see what FirstNet’s decision is,” he said. “And, of course, if FirstNet decides that Rivada Mercury is the best decision for them and for public safety nationwide, then, obviously, we would not be responding to any further state RFPs.”

“We are going to wait until we receive the FirstNet decision, and then any future RFP responses will be based upon that.”

If Rivada Mercury does not win the nationwide FirstNet procurement, Ganley indicated that Rivada Networks or Rivada Mercury would be willing to consider participating in subsequent RFPs for state RAN deployments.

“We’re not going away,” Ganley said. “We’re here to serve public safety and the public-safety broadband communications mission, and that mission will remain.”

Ganley said he decided to make the announcement about Rivada’s state RFP intentions to clarify the company’s position amid speculation that several additional states could issue RFPs in the near future.