USM SSP 27_008 Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase of Underwater Monitoring and Machine Learning System

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) intends to acquire a complete MarineSitu underwater monitoring system—including cameras, computing hardware, cabling, Mangrove software, SaltySuite cloud access, and custom machine‑learning models—through a sole‑source procurement. The agency has posted a notice inviting objections to the sole‑source determination; if none are received by the deadline, USM will proceed with the purchase. The solicitation is classified as a Request for Information (RFI) and serves primarily to document the justification for the sole‑source award. • Procurement of a turnkey underwater monitoring and analytics solution for marine research and environmental monitoring. • Includes hardware (underwater cameras, computing units, cabling) and software (Mangrove, SaltySuite, custom ML models). • Sole‑source justification required; objections due 09/09/2026. • Submission window runs 08/19/2026 – 08/26/2026. • Primary contact: Millissa Stork, Procurement Buyer (email: [email protected], phone: (228) 818‑8001). • No award amount disclosed; typical systems of this scope range from low‑hundreds‑thousands to mid‑hundreds‑thousands of dollars.