The University of South Carolina hereby provides notice that it intends to enter into a sole source contract per S.C. Code Ann. §11-35-1560 to Palmetto Breeze/Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority for public transportation services to offer students, faculty, and staff for commuting between the campus in Bluffton, SC and the campus in Hilton Head, SC.

PROTESTS

Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor aggrieved in connection with the intended award or or award of this sole source contract shall notify the appropriate chief Procurement officer in writing of its intent to protest within five (5) business days of the date this notice is posted. Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract and has timely notified the appropriate chief procurement officer of its intent to protest, may protest to the appropriate chief procurement officer in the manner set forth below within fifteen days of the date this notice is posted; except that a matter that could have been raised as a protest of the solicitation may not be raised as a protest of the award or intended award of a contract.

A protest must be in writing, filed with the appropriate chief procurement officer, and set forth the grounds of the protest and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. The protest must be received by the appropriate chief procurement officer within the time provided above. Days are calculated as provided in S.C. Code Ann. §11-35-310(13).

Any protest or notice of intent to protest must be addressed to the Chief Procurement Officer Materials Management Office, and submitted in writing (a) by email to: protest-mmo@mmo.sc.gov or (b) by post or hand delivery to: 1201 Main Street, Suite 601, Columbia, SC 29201