Tennessee Code Title 12. Public Property, Printing and Contracts § 12-3-502

(a) The central procurement office shall publicly advertise a copy of the solicitation. All responses received by the central procurement office shall be opened and examined at the time and place specified in the solicitation. Any and all responses may be rejected pursuant to subsection (b).

(b) Whenever the chief procurement officer approves the rejection of all responses for a certain solicitation, the chief procurement officer shall file a notice of such action with the comptroller of the treasury and shall take such action only for one (1) or more of the following reasons:

(c) Submission of a response shall not create rights, interests, or claims of entitlement in any respondent, including the lowest apparent respondent in terms of cost.

(e) Only criteria or factors set forth in the solicitation may be used in evaluating a response.

(f) After response evaluation and prior to award of the contract, the chief procurement officer shall issue a notice of intent to award to all respondents to the solicitation. Notification by the state of intent to award shall not create rights, interests, or claims of entitlement in any respondent.

(g) Upon issuance of the intent to award, all data relating to the procurement shall be made available for inspection to each respondent of the solicitation, upon request. No contract shall be awarded by the chief procurement officer without providing respondents a reasonable opportunity for inspection. The chief procurement officer shall establish procedures for providing inspection by respondents to solicitations. Such procedures shall be approved by the procurement commission. Notification by the state of intent to award shall not create rights, interests, or claims of entitlement in any respondent.

(h) Each contract shall be awarded in the name of the state, with reasonable promptness by written notice to the respondent to whom a contract will be awarded in accordance with the criteria for award as set forth in the solicitation.

(i) Procurement and performance bonds or other security may be required for any contract. Any such requirement shall be set forth in the solicitation. The chief procurement officer shall promulgate rules establishing the requirements for the use and appropriate amount of such bonds or other security with approval by the procurement commission.