9280-24-R-RFIN-00023

The State of Mississippi, specifically the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), is proposing a sole source purchase of replacement sensors for their MTE Instruments buoy systems under Bid RFx 3150005593. The procured items include the Vaisala WMT700 wind sensor, Vaisala WXT536 weather station, and Carmanah M650H solar-powered marine lantern. These sensors are required to be programmed and configured to be compatible with the proprietary VAK controller box used in USM's buoy systems. The state claims that MTE Instruments is the sole source capable of providing the necessary programming and configurations, as they are the original manufacturer of the relevant buoys. The state is requesting comments and objections to this sole source procurement by April 5, 2024. If no viable alternatives are identified, USM will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board to proceed with the sole source purchase from MTE Instruments.

The procurement is limited to the jurisdiction of Forrest County, Mississippi. No set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond are mentioned. The state has not provided details on the contract term, quantities, pricing, incumbents, or funding sources. The estimated costs for the individual sensors range from $1,000 to $4,500, but the overall contract value is not specified.