FY 27 Sole Source: Illinois Firefighter Memorial Foundation

The State of Illinois, through the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Special Projects Division (AMIN592 - Administration), awarded a sole source contract to the Illinois Firefighters Memorial Foundation for $600,000 covering the two-year period from August 6, 2026, through August 5, 2028. The contract represents a reimbursement arrangement for costs associated with administering three statutorily mandated programs under Illinois Compiled Statutes Chapter 625, Section 3-634(d).

The Foundation will deliver services encompassing three primary areas: maintenance of the Illinois Fire Fighters' Memorial facility; planning and execution of an annual memorial commemoration and Medal of Honor ceremony with associated activities; and administration of educational scholarships for undergraduate and graduate study provided to children and spouses of firefighters killed in the line of duty. Eligible reimbursable expenses include scholarship payments (currently supporting one full-time and two part-time recipients), memorial maintenance costs, and ceremony-related expenditures such as venue rental, catering, lodging, transportation, and awards. The Foundation operates these programs at no administrative cost to the State, with funding derived from state appropriated revenues generated through firefighter license plate sales. The State Purchasing Officer approved the sole source justification based on the Foundation's unique statutory authority and operational capacity to manage these mandated programs, supplemented by the vendor's continuous performance history with the State since 2008.