Opportunity Overview
The University of Southern Mississippi has issued SSP 27_010, a notice of proposed sole-source purchase for a Discovery Hybrid Rheometer HR 30. The Mississippi procurement portal lists Smart Number 9280-27-R-RFIN-00011, RFx 3150006993, advertised September 3, 2026, and status Open.
Deadline
Comments or objections are due September 18, 2026 at 8:00 AM Central Time. The state procurement landing page lists September 18 at 8:00 AM; the publicly indexed copy of USM’s legal advertisement identifies the deadline as Central Time.
Procurement Structure and Value
This is a proposed sole-source purchase and objection process under Mississippi Code Section 31-7-13(C), not a conventional competitive RFP or applicant grant. The controlling state and USM public pages reviewed by Atlas do not publish a verified maximum contract value or estimated purchase price. No match or cost-share requirement applies to this procurement notice.
Scope and Sole-Source Basis
The procurement is for a TA Instruments Discovery Hybrid Rheometer HR 30 for the Mississippi Polymer Institute. Publicly indexed solicitation information describes the instrument as supporting advanced rheological characterization of polymers, including recycled and bio-based formulations, and identifies compatibility with existing Discovery DMA 850 and Air Cooling Accessory ACS-3 infrastructure as part of the asserted sole-source rationale. Those scope details are supplemental to the controlling Mississippi procurement record because the state document-server attachments were not directly renderable during this verification.
Objection Process and Contact
The state procurement record states that comments or objections will be received as required by Mississippi Code Section 31-7-13(C). It lists Amber Floyd at amber.floyd@usm.edu and 601-266-4855 as the procurement contact. A publicly indexed copy of USM’s legal advertisement further directs written objections to the Director of Procurement & Contracts at bids@usm.edu and requires a detailed explanation with supporting documentation showing why the commodity is not properly available from only the proposed source. Prospective objectors should use the exact subject line and submission instructions in the controlling advertisement.
Addenda, Forms, Qualifications, and Submission
The Mississippi procurement record currently lists the sole-vendor letter, Mississippi Polymer Institute business justification, SSP 27_010 notice, and USM advertisement as attachments. No separate addendum or FAQ is identified on the public state record. Because this is an objection process rather than a competitive bid, Atlas found no separate applicant eligibility form, reference requirement, bidder registration requirement, or proposal qualification package on the public landing page. Any entity objecting must support a genuine technical and sourcing basis rather than merely express interest in selling a different product.
Atlas Analysis
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. The Nonagon N9+ remote physical examination platform is not a rheology or polymer-materials characterization instrument and is not a technically equivalent substitute for the requested system.
QC Healthcare / Dr. Miltie direct-vendor fit: 0/100. Available Dr. Miltie records do not establish manufacturer authorization, distribution rights, technical equivalency, or another legitimate basis to challenge the asserted sole source. Atlas will not fabricate such qualifications.
Atlas Opportunity Score: 0/100 for direct pursuit. The item is published for Mississippi education/research procurement completeness, but no Dr. Miltie/QC direct response or outreach is recommended on verified facts.
Atlas Action
Published as verified Mississippi higher-education procurement intelligence. No CRM Deal, WorkDrive pursuit folder, contact, task, applicant record, or outreach should be created because there is no legitimate Dr. Miltie/QC pursuit path.
Official source: Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration procurement detail for RFx 3150006993 and University of Southern Mississippi current bid materials. Atlas verified September 11, 2026.