Project Information

Bid Title

In Person Trainings on the following topics & dates: March 17, 2026 - Crucial Teams April 15-16,2026 - Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue October 27, 2026 Crucial Conversations for Accountability Training sessions include certified trainer, ebooks, training materials, license, SDI-a personality assessment, SDI platform access, digital learner guides, digital model cards, digital course completion certificate, six-week ongoing learning experience, online resources, access to videos, weekly emails with tips and skill building resources, articles & webinars access, CDs, DVDs, downloadable files, workbooks.

Issuing Agency

Mississippi State University

Location

Mississippi

Published Date

Jan 20, 2026

Closing Date

Jan 29, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

SSP 256-053

Original Source

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Bid Inquiries

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Submission Deadline Thu January 29th, 2026 at 8:00 am

SSP 256-053

In Person Trainings on the following topics & dates: March 17, 2026 - Crucial Teams April 15-16,2026 - Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue October 27, 2026 Crucial Conversations for Accountability Training sessions include certified trainer, ebooks, training materials, license, SDI-a personality assessment, SDI platform access, digital learner guides, digital model cards, digital course completion certificate, six-week ongoing learning experience, online resources, access to videos, weekly emails with tips and skill building resources, articles & webinars access, CDs, DVDs, downloadable files, workbooks.

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Mississippi State University

Notice of Proposed Sole Source Purchase

256-053

1. COMMODITY OR COMMODITIES TO BE PURCHASED (MAKE, MODEL,

DESCRIPTION):

In Person Trainings on the following topics & dates:

March 17, 2026 “Crucial Teams”

April 15-16,2026 “Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue”

October 27, 2026 “Crucial Conversations for Accountability”

Training sessions include certified trainer, ebooks, training materials, license,

SDI-a personality assessment, SDI platform access, digital learner guides,

digital model cards, digital course completion certificate, six-week ongoing

learning experience, online resources, access to videos, weekly emails with

tips and skill building resources, articles & webinars access, CDs, DVDs,

downloadable files, workbooks.

2. EXPLANATION OF THE NEED TO BE FULFULLED BY THIS ITEM, HOW IT IS

UNIQUE FROM ALL OTHER OPTIONS, AND WHY IT IS THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN

MEET THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT:

MSU Extension Early Childhood Programs serve diverse communities through

multiple program models, all of which rely on strong, adaptive leadership to deliver

high-quality services and respond to evolving needs. As programs grow in scope,

complexity, and reach, there is a critical need to intentionally build leadership

capacity across all levels of the organization. Investing in a shared leadership

framework strengthens alignment, improves decision-making, supports staff

development, and ensures consistency in how leaders guide teams, manage

changes, and sustain program excellence.

As a higher-education-affiliated organization and a provider of educational services

to children and families, it is essential that leadership development for our staff

reflects the same level of rigor, quality, and intentionality that we expect in our

program delivery. Crucial Learning offers premium learning experiences, high-

quality facilitation, exceptional customer support, and measurable outcomes. The

organization maintains a ninety-three percent customer satisfaction rate and has

partnered with nearly half of the Forbes Global 2000, demonstrating both credibility

and proven impact at scale.

Alternative vendors were reviewed but do not meet the specific needs of MSU

Extension Early Childhood Programs. Most offer generic leadership training without

a strong foundation in social science or the ability to customize content for the

complexity of early childhood and community-based programs. Crucial Learning

uniquely combines evidence-based methodology, tailored content, and scalable

delivery to build a shared leadership framework across all programs, making them

the only vendor able to meet the intended outcomes.

3. NAME OF COMPANY/INDIVIDUAL SELLING THE ITEM(s) AND WHY THAT

SOURCE IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE SOURCE THAT CAN PROVIDE THE REQUIRED

ITEM(s):

VitalSmarts, LC, dba Crucial Learning, 320 River Park Drive, Suite SWB,

Provo, UT 84604

VitalSmarts, which changed its name to Crucial Learning in August 2021,

owns several key intellectual assets primarily related to its corporate training

and leadership development programs.

Its intellectual assets include:

• Trademarks: VitalSmarts owns trademarks for its flagship course names,

including Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability and Crucial

Teams.

• Copyrighted Materials: The company holds copyrights for its extensive

training materials, course content, books, and related documentation.

• Proprietary Research and Methodology: Crucial Learning's courses are

based on over 25 years of social science research into behavior modification

and organizational change, which forms a core part of its proprietary

methodology.

• Software and Platforms: The company utilizes software and hardware

platforms to deliver its services and materials online, which are also part of

its owned assets.

• Book Intellectual Property: VitalSmarts (now Crucial Learning) has licensed

or owned intellectual property rights related to bestselling books such

as Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability, Influencer, and Change

Anything, authored by its co-founders and vice presidents of research. These

assets are typically protected as copyrights, trademarks, and potentially

trade secrets, and government agencies have noted that their material is

exclusively copyrighted and not available for subcontracting.

4. ESTIMATED COST OF ITEM(s) AND AN EXPLANATION WHY THE AMOUNT TO BE

EXPENDED IS CONSIDERED RESONABLE:

3 In-Person Trainings including License for 35 participants

and training materials =

3 In-Person Trainer Delivery Fees =

Travel and Expenses for 3 Trainer Visits =

Sub Total =

3 Shipping Charges for Course Materials =

Grand Total =

$28,700.00

$32,800.00

$ 8,400.00

$69,900.00

$ 225.00

$70,125.00

Crucial Learning is the only known provider capable of delivering the specific

training, curriculum, and instructional methodology required to meet the

operational and compliance needs of our Early Childhood Program. The

requested services are uniquely designed and proprietary to Crucial Learning

and cannot be obtained from another vendor without significant

modification, loss of functionality, or disruption to program outcomes.

Crucial Learning utilizes a proprietary, research-based curriculum delivered

by certified expert facilitators who have extensive experience working with

public-sector and early childhood organizations. The training content,

learning activities, assessments, and instructional materials are developed

and owned exclusively by Crucial Learning and are not licensed or

distributed through third-party vendors. The proposed training includes

customized, program-specific content tailored to address the unique

challenges, regulatory environment, and workforce dynamics of our Early

Childhood Program. In addition to instructor-led training, participants receive

sixty (60) days of unlimited access to proprietary post-course learning

resources, including digital job aids, reinforcement tools, eBooks, and

customized materials designed to ensure retention, application, and long-

term behavioral change. These resources are integral to the training and are

not available independently from other sources. Comparable training

programs do not offer the same integrated combination of customized

curriculum, proprietary learning platform, certified facilitation, and post-

training reinforcement necessary to achieve the required outcomes.

Substituting another vendor would require redevelopment of course content,

retraining of staff, and interruption to program continuity, resulting in

additional costs, delays, and diminished effectiveness.

5. EXPLANATION OF THE EFFORTS TAKEN BY THE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE

THIS IS THE ONLY SOURCE AND THE EFFORTS USED TO OBTAIN THE BEST

POSSIBLE PRICE:

Other vendors were reviewed but none offered the specialized trainings and

careful curated suite of learning solutions that will yield the greatest potential

of addressing critical outcomes and success. Critical Learning offered the

trainings that would be designed specifically for our program and pricing that

was within the ream of our budget. Ultimately, the combination of

customized training delivery, proprietary course materials, and extended

post-training resources was the final determining factor in selecting Crucial

Learning, as no other vendor could offer an equivalent or comparable

solution.

This is the most in line with current accreditation standards and assessment practices.

ARC-PA is cracking down hard on standard 83.03 -Supervised Clinical Practice experiences

must provide sufficient patient exposure to allow each student to meet program

expectations and acquire the competencies needed for entry into clinical PA practice.

Other programs were not able to offer these required features.

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:

Jennifer Mayfield, CPPO

Director and CPO, Procurement & Contracts

jmayfield@procurement.msstate.edu

Subject Line must read “Sole Source Objection”

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, MSU determines that the

commodity in the proposed sole source request can be provided by another person or

entity, then MSU 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 MSU determines after review that there is only one (1) source for the required commodity,

then MSU will appeal to the Public Procurement Review Board. MSU will have the burden

of proving that the commodity is only provided by one (1) source.

Commodity Codes

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

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