9250-25-R-RFIN-00070

Mississippi State University is pursuing a sole source procurement for specialized weather station instrumentation from OTT HydroMet Corp, located in Oktibbeha County. The procurement encompasses multiple components including an XLINK 500 CAT4 LTE network device, solar panels, batteries, cell antennas, cables, a WS600-NA Weather Sensor, a PARSIVEL Laser Disdrometer, mounting hardware, and Verizon CDMA activation and data plan. The equipment's primary objective is to characterize local weather conditions in Starkville, Mississippi, with specific technical requirements for precise data resolution that the university claims cannot be met by alternative vendors. The solicitation is identified as contract number 9250-25-R-RFIN-00070, with a posting date of June 11, 2025, and a response deadline of June 25, 2025. Potential respondents or objectors are instructed to submit written notices to Jennifer Mayfield, Director of Procurement & Contracts, detailing why the procurement should not be a sole source acquisition.

The procurement appears to have no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. The total estimated cost for the sole source purchase is $15,503.95, which the university considers reasonable given the equipment's specialized capabilities. If no viable alternative sources are identified through the objection process, Mississippi State University will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board to validate the sole source determination. The procurement focuses on a specific technological solution from OTT HydroMet Corp, with the university asserting that these instruments are industry standard and used by their collaborators and funding agencies. The procurement process allows for potential challenges, but the university has conducted market research and consulted multiple companies, finding none capable of providing the required data resolution for their specific research and monitoring application.