SS 396- NOTICE OF PROPOSED SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE.pdf

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI

Notice of Intent to Certify Sole Source

#SS 396

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

Commodity or commodities to be purchased (manufacturer, model, description):

Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ Sequencing Units

The need to be fulfilled by this item(s) and why it is the only one that can meet the specific needs of the department:

Oxford Nanopore Tech (ONT) sequencing is becoming widely popular for its cost-effective and agile/mobile platform is used in teaching and research and allows long-read sequencing with high accuracy of DNA sequences. The other competing technology costing over half a million dollars — it is not practical (logistically or financially) to sequence a few samples we might do for Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) courses. Moreover, ONT sequencing is the only emerging technology that would permit direct RNA sequencing, with potential protein sequencing in the years to come. We want to purchasing numerous minION devices that enable individualized use by students in sequencing. This is not possible with any other “centralized” hub sequencer. Only ONT sequencing uses individual sequencers about the size of a granola bar that are cost-effective to buy for individual or small groups of students. Moreover, ONT sequencing permits long-read sequencing (>1 bp).

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

Oxford Nanopore Technologies Inc. The MinION, GridION, PromethION, P2i, and P2 Solo devices as well as associated software, flow cells (including Flongle), sample preparation reagents, and kits are manufactured, produced, and made available under license exclusively by Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

Why the amount to be expended for the commodity is reasonable:

Our purchase will allow individualized or small team sequencing not possible with any other current next-generation sequencing technology.

Efforts that the agency went through to obtain the best possible price for the commodity:

Oxford Nanopore Technologies is the only company that makes nanopore sequencing devices and the pricing of ONT is transparent on their website. We are comfortable that we were given the best price as there is some bundling discounting that would be cheaper than if we bought the equivalent items a la carte from their public website.

Submission Instructions and Format of Response from Objecting Parties:

Interested parties who have reason to believe that the item(s) above should not be certified as a sole source should provide information in the following format for UM to use in determining whether or not to proceed with awarding the Sole Source purchase.

1.1 Interested Party Information

1.1.1 Contact Name, Phone Number, Address and email address

1.1.2 Company Website URL, if applicable

1.2 Objection to Sole Source Certification

1.2.1 Interested parties must present specific objections to the Sole

Source certification using the criteria listed above.

1.2.2 A statement regarding the Interested Party's capabilities as related to this Sole Source Certification Request.

1.3 Comments will be accepted any time prior to Wednesday, October 2, 2 0 2 4 at 10:00 am (Central Time) to Frank Kemp or Jeff Wells at solesource@olemiss.edu (with Cc: to jeffw@olemiss.edu ) at The University of Mississippi Procurement Services Department, 164 Jeanette Phillips Drive, PO Box 1848, University, Mississippi 38677. Responses may be delivered by hand, via regular mail, overnight delivery, or e-mail.

The e n v e l o p e or emai l should r e f e r e n c e t h e sole source n u m-be r .U M WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DELAYS IN THE DELIVERY OF RESPONSES. It is solely the responsibility of the Interested Parties that responses reach UM on time. Interested Parties may contact Frank Kemp or Jeff Wells to verify the receipt of their Responses.

Responses received after the deadline will be rejected.

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

If UM determines after review that there is only one (1) source for the required commodity, then UM will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board for approval to purchase.

mailto:solesource@olemiss.edu mailto:%20jeffw@olemiss.edu