Purchase manual cadaver lift fork, cooling pads, vests.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness issued an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) on May 3, 2018, to procure specialized mortuary equipment for the state's Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT). The procurement encompasses one manual cadaver lift with fork extension, 96 cadaver cooling pads in high-density black, and eight blue circulatory cooling vests, all designed exclusively for integration with two existing Disaster Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU) Mortuary Enhanced Remains Cooling System (MERCSystems) currently maintained by MDHHS Emergency Preparedness. These items are specialized components engineered to function specifically with the state's existing mortuary response infrastructure. Written questions regarding the ITN must be submitted by May 8, 2018, at 3:00 p.m., with answers posted on the state website. Any potential bidder disputing that these goods are available only from the intended source must submit a written response by the due date of May 11, 2018, describing equivalent products or services being offered. The state contact for all matters related to this ITN is Shirley Martin at (517) 241-2305 or MartinS@michigan.gov.

The intended source for this procurement is Mortuary Response Solutions located in Belton, South Carolina, reflecting the single-provider nature of this specialized equipment acquisition. No set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions on organization types are specified in the ITN documentation. The procurement is justified based on the determination that no viable alternatives exist for these specialized items, as they are uniquely engineered to integrate with Michigan's existing DPMU MERCSystems infrastructure. No pricing terms, budget ranges, award values, or funding sources are detailed in the ITN document. Upon completion of the negotiation process, the state will issue a purchase order to the selected vendor.