Plot Seed Drill, MSU Post Farm

Montana State University's Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology is conducting a competitive procurement for a Precision 6-row Plot Seed Drill to support its Pulse Crop Breeding Program at the MSU Post Farm. The solicitation, identified as MSU-IFB-B0003595, was released on January 30, 2017, with bid submissions due by February 17, 2017, at 2:00 PM MST. The procurement seeks a specialized agricultural implement with specific requirements, including a six-row configuration with 9-inch row spacing, designed explicitly for planting peas, lentils, and chickpeas. Bidders must provide a standard warranty of at least 24 months and include shipping costs to the destination address at 8431 Huffine Lane, Bozeman, MT 59718. Submission of bids must be completed through the Montana Acquisition & Contracting System (eMACS), with vendors required to upload descriptive literature and ensure compliance with all specified requirements. The procurement contact is Ramie Pederson, reachable at ramie.pederson@montana.edu or +1 (406) 994-3213, and the procurement involves commodity codes 5111 (Vehicles - Implement, Agriculture, & Accessories) and 0104 (Agricultural - Supplies).

While no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondents are explicitly mentioned in the documentation, the procurement follows standard state bidding protocols. Payment terms are established at 0% 0, Net 30, with transactions conducted in US Dollars. The bid is structured as an Invitation for Bid (IFB), which typically indicates a straightforward, lowest-price technically acceptable procurement approach. Though a specific budget range is not disclosed, the procurement is for a single precision agricultural implement, suggesting a moderate-value equipment purchase typical of research and agricultural program investments. The solicitation does not reference incumbent vendors or require specific integration with existing infrastructure, focusing instead on acquiring a new plot seed drill to support the university's pulse crop breeding research capabilities.