SOLE_SOURCE_NOTICE_20230707 (1).docx

Mississippi State University Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase 245-03

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):

Queen Monitoring Cage v.1 Egg-laying Plate v.1

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:

This unique item is a laboratory-based system to study honey bee queens and her egg laying performance under laboratory conditions. In our research projects, we heavily investigate the health and fecundity of honey bee queen, the sole reproductive individual in a honey bee colony. To eliminate different environmental variations, and understand the effect of a specific stressor on queen reproductive capacity or her health, we would like to utilize the Queen Monitoring cages under controlled laboratory conditions.

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

ForgeBee, Inc. is the company selling the items we need. There are no other companies like ForgeBee that can provide the Queen Monitoring Cage system for purchase.

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

The cost is $7,492.70. This amount is considered reasonable given the unique capabilities of the Queen Monitoring Cage system provided by ForgeBee, Inc.

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:

We conducted a market search and found that ForgeBee, Inc., a newly established company, is the sole provider of the Queen Monitoring Cage system. To ensure the best possible price, we engaged in negotiations with ForgeBee, Inc. This confirmed that the quoted price is both competitive and reflective of the system's specialized features and quality.

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 Interim Deputy Director of Procurement & Contracts 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.