Single Source provider for Cochlear Americas hearing aid parts and repair

The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) is conducting a single-source procurement for Cochlear Americas hearing aid parts and repair services for fiscal year 2025-2026. This non-competitive solicitation (Advertisement Number SS-26-005) specifically covers Cochlear registered trademark brands including Nucleus, Kanso, Hybrid, Baha, and Vistafix System Centers. The procurement is designed to secure parts and repair services exclusively from Cochlear Americas, located in Lone Tree, Colorado, with the agency asserting that no alternative vendors can provide these specialized hearing aid equipment and accessories. The solicitation period runs from July 22, 2025, at 11:00 AM to August 12, 2025, at 11:00 AM, with an estimated not-to-exceed dollar amount of $19,999.99. Potential vendors have fifteen business days to challenge the single-source determination by contacting Kim Whitwam, Director of Purchasing, at whitwamk@fsdbk12.org. The procurement is being conducted under Florida Statutes 287.057(3), 120.57(3), and Rule 60A-1.045, F.A.C., which mandates public advertisement of such procurement actions.

The procurement appears to be restricted to the sole manufacturer, Cochlear Americas, with no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises mentioned. No incumbent vendors or alternative contractors are identified, as the solicitation emphasizes Cochlear's exclusive ownership and distribution of its hearing aid equipment and accessories. The procurement is specifically for an institutional customer, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, and covers parts and repair services for their existing Cochlear hearing aid systems. The total budget for this procurement is set at a not-to-exceed amount of $19,999.99 for the fiscal year 2025-2026. While the solicitation does not explicitly outline integration requirements, it implies that the parts and services must be compatible with existing Cochlear hearing aid systems currently in use by the institution.