Notice End Date: October 7, 2026

Vendor Name: Ventris Learning (Word Origins Teacher Manuals & Printed Morpheme Tiles, student workbooks printer resources) SS-2627-21

Contract Amount: $75,000 Anticipated Amount

Agency Procurement Manager: Maurice Jackson, NIGP-CPPB

Agency Procurement Manager Email: mjackson@horrycountyschools.net

Agency Procurement Manager Telephone#: 843-488-6929

The Agency hereby provides notice that it intends to enter into a sole source contract per S.C. Code Ann. §11-35-1560 with Vendor for the following supplies, services, information technology, or construction:

The Elementary Programs Department seeks a research-based morphology and word study curriculum that supports the District's literacy initiatives, implementation of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS), and alignment with South Carolina English Language Arts standards for students in grades 3 and above. Following implementation of LETRS practices throughout the District, the Department identified a need for supplemental instructional materials that provide explicit and systematic instruction in morphology, including prefixes, suffixes, Greek and Latin roots, word origins, vocabulary development, spelling, and reading comprehension. The Department's requirement is for the proprietary DSF Word Origins™ curriculum and its associated instructional materials, not merely for morphology instruction generally. Because the curriculum, materials, instructional sequence, teacher resources, and student resources are proprietary and copyrighted, no other vendor can provide an equivalent source for these specific materials. As a result, competition is not available for the acquisition of the identified curriculum, and Ventris Learning is the only source for providing the required materials to meet the Department's needs. Ventris Learning is the exclusive authorized supplier and distributor of the U.S./Canadian version of the Dyslexia SPELD Foundation (DSF) Word Origins™ curriculum, including Level 1, future curriculum levels, and all associated printed instructional materials and resources. Vendor documentation confirms that no other organization is authorized to distribute or sell these materials within the United States or Canada. The curriculum and related materials are copyrighted intellectual property and are not available through competing distributors, dealers, resellers, cooperative purchasing organizations, or other suppliers. Based on the Department's market research, no alternative source exists from which the identified curriculum can be obtained. The Department verified that the specific U.S./Canadian version of Word Origins™ selected through its instructional review process is available solely through Ventris Learning. No authorized alternate sources were identified.

Anticipated value not to exceed $75,000 within 1 year 2026-2027

Sole Source Notice SS-2627-21

This notice is not a request for competitive proposals.  Any responsible source who wishes to identify their capability to provide these products/services must notify the Buyer by email at the address and no later than the submittal due date specified in this ad.  Telephone responses will not be accepted. Upon receipt of the interested parties’ notification, the District will determine whether to conduct a competitive procurement or proceed with sole source negotiations.

Agency's justification for a sole source procurement may be viewed or immediately obtained at: Agency Procurement Manager (Listed Above)

PROTESTS:
Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor aggrieved in connection with the intended award 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 Notice Of Intent To Protest And Protest Must Be Addressed To: Other
Contact Name: Robin Bell Strickland, NIGP-CPP, CPPB
Contact Email Address: rstrickland@horrycountyschools.net
Contact Mailing Address: PO Box 260005, Conway, SC 29528