The Utah Procurement Code provides that a procurement may be made without competition when the University determines that there is only one source that can reasonably meet the University’s need for the required supply or service, as described in Utah Code Ann. § 63G-6a-802.
The Purchasing Department has received the following request for sole source procurement
Product and/or Service to be purchased: Media Monitoring Service Renewal
Sole Source Supplier: Meltwater News US, Inc.
Earliest Proposed Purchase Date: February 22, 2024
Buyer Name: Matthew Cooney
Sole Source Justification:
The University Marketing and Communications office works with campus partners in various areas including U of U Health, Moran Eye Center, Huntsman Cancer Institute and more to provide a single media monitoring and relationship management tool.
Some of the functions required to meet our needs include the following:
•News feed
•News searches
•Historic data tracking up to 10 years
•Daily, weekly, monthly, and real-time news alerts
•Sending press releases with capability to track open rates
•Extensive reporter database where we can search for journalists according to their outlet, beats covered and recent articles
•RSS feeds for daily emails and websites
•Social media tracking
•TV Eyes integration and download to track broadcast and radio media and share results with executive leadership
•Onboarding training for everyone with a login, as well as customer support for anyone who is having issues or needs more training throughout the year.
There are other companies in this space. However, none have all the necessary tools that meet the specifications required for the university team. For example, one competitor does not allow for the downloading of broadcast media through TV Eyes, which is a vital component of media tracking. And another competitor does not have historical data—they only have two years of information which does not cover the needs of the university.
This sole source will be valid for two years.