Intent to Sole Source Harvester

Montana State University (MSU) Procurement & Contract Services is pursuing a sole source contract for a specialized forage harvester to be utilized by the Northwestern Agricultural Research Center. The procurement targets RCHaldrup USA as the preferred vendor for a highly technical agricultural research instrument with specific requirements including an adjustable cutting width, crop divider system, weighing hopper, and advanced data collection capabilities. The solicitation, identified as MSU-SolSour-2024-0601, covers procurement of agricultural supplies and specialized vehicles under commodity codes 0104 and 5118. The procurement process allows for alternative vendors to submit equivalent product descriptions through the eMACS procurement system, with a strict submission deadline of December 26, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. local time. MSU retains full discretion to determine whether to proceed with a competitive solicitation or award the contract directly to RCHaldrup USA based on submitted vendor responses. The forage harvester must meet precise research requirements, including plot width compatibility, automated subsampling, comprehensive data analysis features, and robust operator safety mechanisms.

The solicitation does not explicitly outline specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. No information is provided regarding disadvantaged enterprise participation or specific vendor diversity requirements. The contract will be issued in US Dollars with payment terms structured as 0% 0, Net 30. The primary contact for this procurement is Kelly Laney, who can be reached at kelly.laney@montana.edu or by phone at +1 406-994-3213. While no specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the available documentation, the procurement appears focused on acquiring a highly specialized piece of agricultural research equipment. No incumbent vendors or existing technological infrastructure integration requirements are mentioned in the solicitation documents. The procurement process suggests a direct, targeted acquisition of a unique technological solution designed to meet the specific research needs of the Northwestern Agricultural Research Center.