Single Source provider for Mobex, Inc. YakChat application

The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) is seeking a single source procurement for user licenses of the Mobex, Inc. YakChat application, specifically for SMS and MMS messaging capabilities integrated with Microsoft Teams for fiscal year 2025-2026. The procurement is a non-competitive solicitation under Florida statutes, focused on acquiring a specialized communication technology solution. The YakChat application is unique in its full integration with Microsoft Teams, Active Directory, Outlook, SharePoint, and Microsoft's bot framework, making it a distinctive messaging platform. The solicitation will be open from July 7, 2025, at 4:30 PM to July 28, 2025, at 4:30 PM, with an estimated not-to-exceed budget of $21,100.00. The primary objective is to facilitate two-way communication between Teams users and external parties, with the intended source being Mobex, Inc., located in Clearwater, FL. During the fifteen-business-day advertising period, vendors who believe they can provide similar services are invited to submit information, though the agency retains discretion to determine whether to proceed with a competitive procurement based on responses received.

The procurement appears to be unrestricted in terms of set-aside designations or specific enterprise requirements. The current procurement is directly targeting Mobex, Inc. as the sole provider of this specific messaging technology, with Kim Whitwam, Director of Purchasing, serving as the primary contact. No incumbent vendors are explicitly mentioned beyond Mobex, Inc. The existing technological infrastructure involves Microsoft Teams and related Microsoft ecosystem platforms, which the YakChat application is designed to seamlessly integrate. The budget range for this procurement is precisely defined at $21,100.00 for user licenses covering the 2025-2026 fiscal year. While the solicitation is currently structured as a single-source procurement, the document indicates openness to alternative solutions if vendors can demonstrate comparable capabilities during the advertising period. The geographical scope of this procurement is specific to St. Johns County within the state of Florida, targeting the communication needs of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.