Opportunity Overview
The University of Montana–Montana Tech, Sherry Lesar School of Nursing, is considering a sole-source purchase of the Elevate Healthcare Evo modular adult patient simulator under solicitation UOM-ISS-2026-3328. This is an intent to sole source, not a general competitive RFP. The controlling procurement system is Montana eMACS. A vendor may submit a written challenge only if it can legitimately demonstrate an equivalent product and services.
Deadline and Submission
Current procurement records sourced from Montana eMACS report a challenge deadline of September 11, 2026 at 12:00 PM; the accessible public event mirror does not explicitly state a time zone. Michelle Wunder, michelle.wunder@mso.umt.edu, is identified as the procurement contact. Public procurement records identify both the Montana eMACS online portal and email to the procurement contact as challenge-submission routes. Prospective challengers should verify the live event and current instructions in eMACS immediately before submission.
Healthcare and Nursing-Education Scope
The proposed purchase includes an Evo modular adult patient simulator, diversity kit, starter package, and on-site training for Montana Tech’s nursing simulation environment. The stated educational use includes airway management, circulation, medication administration, patient assessment, communication, teamwork, clinical judgment, and complex decision-making. The proposed solution must integrate with the school’s existing Elevate Healthcare LearningSpace and Maestro platforms and its Apollo, Lucina, Aria, SimEquip Ventilator, and SimDefibrillator environment.
The sole-source justification cites preservation of existing faculty training, scenarios and workflows, interoperability with existing software and equipment, modular repairability, cloud-based fleet management, real-time physiological responses, and a five-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Vendor Requirements and Procurement Rules
Public procurement records classify the requirement under NAICS 334510, Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing, and PSC R412, Simulation. No grant match or cost share applies because this is a procurement. A challenge must establish genuine technical and service equivalency to the specified simulation ecosystem. Atlas will not treat unrelated clinical technology as equivalent. The public materials reviewed do not state a purchase value or contract ceiling, and Atlas does not infer one.
A public mirror of the posted attachment displays a filename containing UOM-ISS-2026-3349 even though the event is consistently identified as UOM-ISS-2026-3328. Vendors should rely on the live Montana eMACS event and confirm the controlling identifier before filing any challenge.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 55/100. This is a highly relevant Montana nursing-education and healthcare-simulation procurement, but the actionable vendor pathway is narrow because the university has announced an intended sole source and the remaining challenge window is extremely short.
N9+ Fit: 0/100. The Nonagon N9+ remote physical examination platform is not an equivalent substitute for the specified high-fidelity modular patient simulator and integrated simulation ecosystem. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. Publicly verified QC Healthcare capabilities reviewed for this run center on digital health, telehealth, diagnostics, research, AI, analytics, and population health, not a verified Evo-equivalent patient-simulation platform. Dr. Miltie Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. Atlas has no verified basis to represent Dr. Miltie, LLC as an equivalent patient-simulator manufacturer or authorized supplier for this requirement.
Outreach and Next Action
No new outreach is permitted because fewer than 48 hours remain before the exact deadline. Atlas is not advancing a Dr. Miltie challenge because verified equivalency is absent. A genuinely qualified patient-simulation vendor would need to retrieve the live eMACS package, confirm all specifications and any amendments, and substantiate equivalent hardware, software integration, training, warranty, service, and support before the deadline.
Sources
Controlling procurement system: Montana eMACS, solicitation UOM-ISS-2026-3328. Supporting public procurement records mirror the eMACS event details. Product capability context was checked against Elevate Healthcare’s current Evo product information.