Intent to award sole source - meggitt

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is pursuing a sole source procurement for Smart Weapons compatible with its existing FATS (FireArms Training Simulation) weapons training system. The solicitation, numbered 5400019290, was issued on January 22, 2019, with Myrtle DeWerdt serving as the Procurement Officer. The procurement encompasses comprehensive hardware, software, warranties, extended warranties, maintenance, repair, and potential upgrades or enhancements for the Smart Weapons system. Responses must be submitted by February 19, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., either via physical mail to the SC Department of Corrections Purchasing Branch at 4420 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29210, or electronically to purchasing@doc.sc.gov with "SOLE SOURCE" in the subject line. No pre-bid conference or site visit is required, and vendors must be authorized to perform and supply all products and services necessary for the Meggitt FATS system at the SCDC Training Academy.

The procurement appears to be specifically targeted at Meggitt Training Systems, Inc., which was the original vendor of the FATS system through a previous solicitation (5400010857) awarded on March 29, 2016. While no specific set-aside designations are mentioned, the procurement includes provisions for vendor protests, with aggrieved vendors able to submit a notice of intent to protest within five business days of posting and a formal protest within fifteen days to the Chief Procurement Officer at the Materials Management Office. The notice will be posted in the South Carolina Business Opportunities (SCBO) for at least ten business days as required by state law. Though no specific award value is provided in the documentation, the procurement covers a comprehensive system of training weapons, related software, and ongoing support services for the department's training infrastructure. The sole source nature of the procurement suggests that Meggitt Training Systems is the preferred and potentially exclusive vendor for this specific system integration.