9280-25-R-RFIN-00002

The University of Southern Mississippi's School of Ocean Science & Engineering is pursuing a sole source procurement for four OceanScout Glider Li Battery sets from Hefring Inc., supporting a five-month hurricane modeling and forecasting research mission under the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program. The procurement is specifically for 1400Wh lithium-ion battery packs designed exclusively for the OceanScout seaglider, with each battery set priced at $4,000, totaling $16,000. The research project is a collaborative effort funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce NOAA and Texas A&M, focusing on ocean observation in the Gulf of Mexico region. The solicitation is posted under Bid RFx: 3150005860, with a formal notice inviting comments or objections from potential alternative vendors until September 11, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. Central Time. If no viable alternative vendors are identified, USM will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board to finalize the sole source procurement.

No specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondents are mentioned in the procurement documents. Hefring Inc. is explicitly identified as the sole manufacturer and distributor of the OceanScout glider and its battery systems, with no authorized resellers in the United States. The vendor has emphasized that using batteries from any other source would void warranties, potentially compromise vehicle performance, and pose safety risks. The procurement is funded through an existing research grant, with the total budget for the four battery sets fixed at $16,000. While the documents do not indicate incumbent vendors or integration requirements beyond the specified batteries, they do stress the critical nature of using manufacturer-specific batteries for the seaglider's operational integrity and research mission success.