SSP 26_019 Innovasea Transponders and Receivers

USM SSP 26_019 Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase of InnovaSea.
http://www.ms.gov/dfa/contract_bid_search/Bid
RFx: 3140004520
Comments/objections will be received as required per Section 31-7-13 (C) of the Mississippi Code until
2:00 p.m. (Central Time) on April 2, 2026.
Any person or entity that objects and proposes that the commodity listed is not sole source and can be
provided by another person or entity shall submit a written notice to:
Millissa Weaver
703 E. Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Phone: 228-818-8001
Subject Line must read "Sole Source Objection USM SSP 26_019"
The notice shall contain a detailed explanation of why the commodity is not a sole source procurement.
Appropriate documentation shall also be submitted if applicable.
If after a review of the submitted notice and documents, USM determines that the commodity in the
proposed sole source request can be provided by another person or entity, then USM will withdraw the
sole source request publication from the procurement portal website and submit the procurement of
the commodity to an advertised competitive bid or selection process.
If USM determines after review that there is only one (1) source for the required commodity, then USM
will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board. USM will have the burden of proving that the
commodity is only provided by one (1) source.
Run Dates: 3/15/26, 3/22/26

The University of Southern Mississippi
Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase
SSP 26_019
RFX 3140004520
The University of Southern Mississippi anticipates purchasing the item(s) listed below as a
sole source purchase. Anyone objecting to this purchase shall follow the procedures outlined
below.
1. Description of the commodity that USM is seeking to procure:
* Innovasea Transponders and Receivers compatible with the most recent
updates to track fishes.
2. Explanation of why the commodity is the only one that meets the needs of the
agency:
* USM (in particular Michael Andres' lab in the Division of Coastal Sciences and
the Center for research and Development) have been funded by state and federal
sponsors to track and monitor fish populations in Mississippi's waters and
beyond. This technology ensures that we are able to detect presence/absence of
telemetered species in our waters as well as those from collaborators outside of
our system. Other companies do sell technology similar to InnovaSea's but none
of their competitors sell technology that is both backward and forward compatible
with the investment in technology currently made. Furthermore, no other
competitor has come close to the quality or data precision that we have seen.
3. Explanation of why the source is the only source is the only person or entity that can
provide the required commodity:
* InnovaSea is the premier company in passive acoustic telemetry devices for
tracking of aquatic organisms. Their reputation for customer service and product
quality has positioned them as the top producer of such equipment. All of USM's
current infrastructure for tracking fishes using passive acoustic technology as well
as our collaborators across the Gulf use their technology, meaning that when our
study organisms move into different systems we are able to track those
movements (and vice versa) to ensure that we are addressing the concerns of the
state and federal sponsors of out telemetry projects.
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The University of Southern Mississippi
Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase
SSP 26_019
4. Explanation of why the amount to be expended for the commodity is reasonable:
* The prices are reasonable as the company has not meaningfully raised their prices
in the more than a decade that we have been purchasing equipment from them.
They have also been forward thinking with the advances in their technology and
have hosted many workshops training students and staff in the use of their
equipment at professional meetings. Their customer service is prompt and cloud-
based storage options ensure that data is maintained and secure.
5. Efforts that the agency went through to obtain the best possible price for the
commodity:
* We have contacted other competitors to see if their transmitters and receivers are
compatible with the most recent updates as well as to determine if they have
similar capabilities in cloud storage as to what InnovaSea currently offers... none
of them do.
Advertisement Schedule Date
1st scheduled 03/15/2026
2nd scheduled 03/22/2026
Any person or entity that objects and proposes that the commodity listed is not sole source and can be
provided by another person or entity shall submit a written notice by April 2, 2026, 2:00 PM CST, to:
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The University of Southern Mississippi
Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase
SSP 26_019
Millissa Weaver
703 E. Beach Dr
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Subject Line must read "Sole Source Objection 26_019"
The notice shall contain a detailed explanation of why the commodity is not a sole source
procurement. Appropriate documentation shall also be submitted if applicable.
If after a review of the submitted notice and documents, USM determines that the commodity in the
proposed sole source request can be provided by another person or entity, then USM will withdraw
the sole source request publication from the procurement portal website and submit the procurement
of the commodity to an advertised competitive bid or selection process.
If USM determines after review that there is only one (1) source for the required commodity, then
USM will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board. USM will have the burden of proving
that the commodity is only provided by one (1) source.
3