NOTICE 267-028.pdf

Mississippi State University

Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase

Mississippi State University anticipates purchasing the item(s) listed below as a sole source purchase. Anyone objecting to this purchase shall follow the procedures outlined below.

1. Commodity or commodities to be purchased (make, model, description):

Axiom and Speedflex True Football Helmets and components manufactured by Riddell

All American Sports

2. Explanation of the need to be fulfilled by this item(s), how is it unique from all other options, and why it is the only one that can meet the specific needs of the department:

As one of the top college football programs in the country, Mississippi State Football is continually seeking ways to improve player safety, especially in regards to head injuries.

A scan-to-fit helmet provides the best possible fit, which is essential for player safety and performance. It provides the best available protection against head injuries by absorbing and managing impact forces while staying securely in place during play.

Additionally, with the provided impact analytics, our staff can obtain useful data regarding contact and frequency of contacts that was previous unavailable. Overall, the right fit is critical to keeping athletes safe and the more data we can obtain, the better we can monitor their safety. The helmets and components that are scan-to-fit for each individual athlete are only provided directly from Riddell. These helmets also include data pertaining to impact analytics. Additionally, we require a customizable helmet that is certified for use in NCAA football games.

3. Name of company/individual selling the item and why that source is the only possible source that can provide the required item(s):

Riddell All American Sports is the only company that can provide these types of scan-to-fit helmets with the impact analytics platform included for each helmet. No other vendor provides this precision fit and impact data.

4. Estimated cost of item(s) and an explanation why the amount to be expended is considered reasonable:

The spend for the year will not exceed $400,000.00 total with a not to exceed

$200,000.00 per year on a 2 year contract for the 3-4 helmet combinations throughout the year.

5. Explanation of the efforts taken by the department to determine this is the only source and the efforts used to obtain the best possible price:

The Athletic Department worked with our Riddell regional rep to obtain the best bulk pricing available.

Any person or entity that objects and proposes that the commodity listed is not sole source and can be provided by another person or entity shall submit a written notice to:

Jennifer Mayfield, CPPO

Director of Procurement Services, Chief Procurement Officer jmayfield@procurement.msstate.edu

Subject Line must read “Sole Source Objection”

The notice shall contain a detailed explanation of why the commodity is not a sole source procurement. Appropriate documentation shall also be submitted if applicable.

If after a review of the submitted notice and documents, MSU determines that the commodity in the proposed sole source request can be provided by another person or entity, then MSU will withdraw the sole source request publication from the procurement portal website and submit the procurement of the commodity to an advertised competitive bid or selection process.

If MSU determines after review that there is only one (1) source for the required commodity, then MSU will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board. MSU will have the burden of proving that the commodity is only provided by one (1) source.

mailto:jmayfield@procurement.msstate.edu