Project Information

Bid Title

SSP 26_017 Career Coach

Issuing Agency

University of Southern Mississippi

Location

Mississippi

Published Date

Feb 3, 2026

Closing Date

Feb 23, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

SSP 26_017

Original Source

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Bid Inquiries

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Solicitation	Submission Deadline	Request Documents and Specifications
SSP 26_017 Career Coach	2/23/26 8:00 AM	SSP 26_017

Attachment Preview

USM SSP 26_017 Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase of Career Coach + Widget Builder.

http://www.ms.gov/dfa/contract_bid_search/Bid

RFx: 3150006661

Comments/objections will be received as required per Section 31-7-13 (C) of the Mississippi Code until

8:00 a.m. (Central Time) on February 23, 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:

Jacob Cochran

Director of Procurement & Contracts 118 College Dr. Box 5003 Hattiesburg, MS 39406

bids@usm.edu

Phone: 601-266-4131

Subject Line must read "Sole Source Objection USM SSP 26_017"

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: 2/4, 2/11

The University of Southern Mississippi

Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase

SSP 26_017

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:

USM seeks to purchase Lightcast Career Coach and Widget Builder, an integrated career

exploration platform that enables students to identify careers aligned with their interests

and skills, provides validated regional labor market and wage data, and directly connects

careers to USM academic programs. The platform supports student decision-making,

recruitment and advising efforts, and provides administrators with analytics to inform

program planning and workforce alignment. This solution improves transparency

between academic programs and career outcomes, supporting student retention and

degree completion.

2. What efforts were made by the Agency to determine that the proposed provider is the

only entity that can provide the commodity needed?

The Office of the Provost team researched peer institution websites to review approaches

to career exploration and career data. In this review, products were identified that could

support one element of the request, and not the full scope of what we seek. We aim to be

efficient in finding one product that can support a holistic effort for career readiness

initiatives. The product needs to provide validated and reliable real-time data, be user-

friendly to potential and current students on the USM webpages, and provide the ability

for degree program leads to make updates to career lists based on the goals of the

1

The University of Southern Mississippi

Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase

SSP 26_017

program. No single alternative vendor was identified that provides all required features

within one integrated platform.

3. What efforts were made to ensure the best possible price for the commodity was

obtained?

Market research identified products offering only partial functionality at costs exceeding

$50,000 annually. Lightcast provides a comprehensive solution at approximately 40%

lower cost while eliminating the need for multiple vendors, making the pricing

reasonable and cost-effective.

4. Why is the commodity the only one that can meet the needs to the Agency?

Lightcast is the only vendor capable of providing this complete, integrated solution within a

single platform. The following proprietary capabilities are not collectively available from any

competing vendor:

• Proprietary Unsuppression Methodology that produces reliable labor market and

wage data not available through public datasets

• Validated Program-to-Career Mapping developed through more than a decade of

higher education partnerships

• Military-to-Civilian Career Mapping, supporting veteran and military-affiliated

students

• Pathways-Integrated Interest Assessment connecting interests directly to

academic programs and careers

• Guided Résumé Builder aligned with real-time employer demand

2

The University of Southern Mississippi

Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase

SSP 26_017

• Embedded Web Delivery through widgets and APIs that ensure consistent

information across institutional platforms

5. Why is the amount expended for the commodity reasonable?

Because this solution will be accessible to prospective students, enrolled students,

advisors, faculty, and program leaders across all degree programs, the institution-wide

impact supports a strong return on investment and makes the cost reasonable.

3

The University of Southern Mississippi

Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase

SSP 26_017

Advertisement Schedule

1st scheduled

2nd scheduled

Date

2/4/26

2/11/26

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 February 23, 2026, 8:00 AM CST,

to:

Jacob Cochran

Director of Procurement & Contracts

Jacob.Cochran@usm.edu

Subject Line must read "Sole Source Objection 25_XXX"

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.

4

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541612Human Resources Consulting Services
• NAICS 611430Professional and Management Development Training

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