Notice of Proposed Sole Source Procurement - Uplift Aerospace Virtual Reality Educational Program

Closed State & local contract opportunity Posted

Solicitation number
WK2632-UA-SS
State
Utah
Responses due

Opportunity facts

Opportunity details come from utah.bonfirehub.com. Updated .

About this opportunity

The Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) is pursuing a sole source procurement for an innovative 8-week virtual reality (VR) educational program from Uplift Aerospace, a Utah-based aerospace firm. The procurement involves acquiring approximately 132 VR headsets on the Meta Horizon Management System, with a comprehensive educational platform called Starborn Academy. The program includes a Moon Mission Program and a real-life Spacesuit Experience, with top-performing students potentially earning a trip to Kennedy Space Center (5 students and 1 teacher). The procurement is being processed under the Utah Procurement Code, specifically using the "only one source" justification to bypass standard competitive bidding processes. Interested vendors must submit a detailed challenge by November 14, 2025, including documentation showing competing sources, capability to provide comparable services, and potential cost comparisons for transitional expenses. The district requires vendors to provide their company name, a comprehensive explanation of their challenge, and proof of meeting or exceeding the specified procurement requirements.

No specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent organization types are explicitly mentioned in the documentation. The procurement appears open to any vendor capable of demonstrating equivalent or superior capabilities to Uplift Aerospace's proposed program. The estimated contract value is $95,000 for a one-time purchase with no specified renewal options. The procurement includes not only the VR hardware (132 headsets) but also comprehensive setup, software management, transportation, and an integrated educational experience with mission-based learning activities. Uplift Aerospace has been identified as the sole source vendor due to the unique nature of their educational program, with the district determining that no other sources exist and no reasonable modifications can be made to allow competitive bidding. The contract will cover the complete implementation of the VR learning platform, including technological infrastructure, software management, and educational content delivery.

Opportunity text

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A CONTRACT WITHOUT ENGAGING IN A STANDARD PROCUREMENT PROCESS The Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) is publishing this notice pursuant to the Utah Procurement Code. The Salt Lake City School District intends to award a contract without competition if it is determined, in writing, that: there is only one source for the procurement item; transitional costs are a significant consideration in selecting a procurement item; or the award of a contract is under circumstances, described in rules adopted by the applicable rulemaking authority, that make awarding the contract through a standard procurement process impractical and not in the best interest of the procurement unit. The attached document indicates where the SLCSD department has identified its justification for wanting to award a contract without engaging in standard procurement process. Determination of Other Interested Vendors The intent of this notice is to determine if there are any other interested and qualified vendors that meet the specifications of this notice. Any such vendors must submit the following information: * The name of the contesting person; and * A detailed explanation of the challenge, including documentation showing that there are other competing sources for the procurement item. * Documentation that your firm can provide a comparable or better procurement item that meets or exceeds the specifications; and * Documentation that your firm can also provide the same proprietary procurement item or an equivalent procurement item; * If transitional costs are identified as the justification for this notice, submit a cost comparison of the identified transitional costs with your firm's anticipated transitional costs. Regardless of any prior communications with the SLCSD or the Purchasing Department, all vendors interested in responding to this notice must submit a response to this posting containing complete responses to all of the information requested above. DO NOT CONTACT THE USING SCHOOL/DEPARTMENT. Any questions regarding this notice, including obtaining additional information, can be obtained through the Purchasing Department during the publication period. No action is required if you agree with this notice. If, after the public notice period has passed, the Purchasing Department determines that there are other interested and qualified vendors that meet the specifications of this notice, the Purchasing Department will not award a contract pursuant to this notice. If, after the public notice period has passed, no valid challenges have been received, then the Purchasing Department may award a contract to the identified vendor without competition. Please read the entire form very carefully before responding to this notice.

Files

File Type Posted
1-WK2632-UA-SS Uplift Aerospace Sole Source.pdf PDF

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