9250-24-R-RFIN-00034

This is a sole source request by Mississippi State University to purchase a Nikon Eclipse Ti2-E Inverted Microscope and its components. The microscope offers a wide field of view, versatile imaging and analysis capabilities, and is uniquely suited to meet the specific needs of the department. Nikon Instruments Inc. is the sole U.S. provider of this product, as Nikon holds the patent and no other source can provide the product with the same warranties. The estimated cost of the microscope and components is $49,637, which is within the range of comparable systems from other manufacturers. The university has made efforts to determine this is a sole source procurement and to obtain the best possible price, including contacting other microscope manufacturers. Any entity that objects to this sole source determination must submit a written notice detailing why the commodity is not a sole source. If the university determines the product can be provided by another entity, it will withdraw the sole source request and pursue a competitive bid process. If the university determines there is only one source, it will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board to prove the commodity is only available from one source.

There are no set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond to this sole source request. The incumbent vendor is Nikon Instruments Inc., as they are the sole provider of the Nikon Eclipse Ti2-E Inverted Microscope. The estimated value of the procurement is $49,637.