26-406AGR-NATRE-B-52983 SPO Signed SS Form-US Acclaim-Ag Enterprise Implementation.pdf

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Sole Source:AGR-EP-USA Acclaim-AG Enterprise Implementation
Solicitation number
26-406AGR-NATRE-B-52983
Issued by
Illinois

About this file

This is a Sole Source Justification Form submitted by the Illinois Department of Agriculture for a software maintenance and implementation contract with Acclaim Systems Inc. for the USA Plants system. The Department seeks to upgrade the existing USA Plants licensing system and migrate all data to support a new recertification process mandated by Public Act 104-0363, which requires implementation of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for pesticide certification and licensing. The project encompasses the AgEnterprise Framework with account management, security, logging, and data management capabilities; plant industry functionality including licensing, product registration, workshop and CEU processing, inspection management, enforcement, and complaint management modules; data conversion from the current USAPlants system; configuration for the pesticide program with structural pesticide licensing; power user training delivered virtually; and yearly support and maintenance services. The contract term begins August 3, 2026 and ends August 2, 2027, with no renewal options. The Department identified the need on August 3, 2026.

The initial contract value is $256,800 for the one-year term, with funding coming from state sources. The Department justifies the sole source award based on proprietary rights to the USA Plants software, which was created specifically for the Illinois Department of Agriculture by Acclaim Systems and customized extensively to meet the Department's pesticide licensing requirements. The Department asserts that no other vendor can migrate the existing data without significant risk of corruption or loss, and that alternative vendors would require complete system redesign at substantially higher costs. The Department projects future annual maintenance and support costs below $100,000. Purchase history with Acclaim Systems includes three prior contracts valued at $79,592 (January 2020–December 2022), $86,972.82 (January 2023–December 2025), and $41,187.51 (January 2026–December 2026). The State's Chief Procurement Officer denied approval of this sole source justification.

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Sole Source Justification Form Version 7.01 Page of Sole Source Justification Form - Part I Section I - General Information Will this Sole Source amend a Professional or Artistic Services contract?

If yes, what was the original contract value?

*Sole Source may not be used for amendments for Professional or Artistic Services if the amendment would increase the value by more than 5% of the initial award or extend the term by more than 60 days.

Section II - Proposed Term If a Term Contract, does the term, including renewals, exceed 12 months?

If yes, provide a detailed justification including any economic benefit received for agreeing to a multi-year term:

Section III - Funding Source Select the type of funding to be used (Check all that apply):

Section IV - Sole Source Justification Are there secondary justification(s) for this sole source?

Section V - Purchase History Has the Agency or University Purchased these supplies or services in the past?

Term Term From Term To Value Description Contract Number Type Section VI - Business Rationale

1. Provide a detailed explanation of the need for the supplies or services:

2. Provide a list and describe in detail the specifications required to satisfy the need:

3. Provide detail explaining the justification selected in Section IV to explain why the requested supplies or services are the only ones available that can satisfy the agency or university requirements?

4. What are the unique features of the supplies or services that are not available in any other product or by any other vendor? Provide specific quantifiable factors/qualifications:

5. Has the Agency or University considered alternative supplies or services to satisfy their need?

5a. If yes, name the alternative vendors whose supplies or services were evaluated:

5b. If yes, what were the alternatives for each vendor and why were they unacceptable? Be specific with regard to features, characteristics, requirements, capabilities and compatibility:

5c. Explain how the market evaluation was conducted?

*This evaluation is to determine available options within a market. If the evaluation is to determine quality or best suited option, this is not the appropriate source selection. Under no circumstances shall the evaluation consist of testing alternative options. These activities must be conducted in a competitive transparent environment (i.e. IFB or RFP).

5a. If no, why weren't alternatives evaluated?

6. Are there resellers or distributors?

7. What efforts were made to get the best possible price (i.e. did the agency/university negotiate) and how did you determine the price for this purchase is considered fair and reasonable?

8. Will this purchase obligate the State to this vendor for future purchases such as maintenance, licensing or continuing need?

8a. If yes, please provide details regarding future obligations and/or needs:

9. What will be the financial or other impact to the State if this sole source is not approved and a competitive bid is required?

10. Is there any additional information you would like to add to justify this sole source?

Section VII Requesting Department Signature Required I know and understand the contents of this Sole Source Justification and attest that all statements are true and correct and the fairness and reasonableness of the price was adequately confirmed.

State Agency Bureau/Division Head or University Purchasing Director Approval and Signature Required I know and understand the contents of this Sole Source Justification and attest that all statements are true and correct and the fairness and reasonableness of the price was adequately confirmed. (All prior form fields will lock once this e-signature is completed) SPO Approval and Signature Required Sole Source Justification Form - Part II Section I - General Information Was a Sole Source hearing held per 30 ILCS 500/20-25?

Section II - Sole Source Hearing Details The State posted to the Illinois Procurement Bulletin a description of the State's need, the justification for the sole source decision, and information regarding the opportunity to submit comments and testify at a public hearing. Notice of the hearing was also posted outside of the hearing room 48 hours prior to the hearing.

The public hearing was conducted for the purpose of receiving testimony regarding the sole source determination. The Hearing Officer recommends the following:

The following relevant documents are attached:

Section III - CPO Approval and Signature Required 9.0.0.2.20101008.1.734229

BulletinNum: B-52983
Requesting: Illinois Department of Agriculture
CurrentPage:
PageCount:
Department: Illinois Department- Environmental Programs
NeedIdentifiedDate: 2026-08-03
NeedbyDate: 2026-08-03
ProjectTitle: Sole Source: AGR-EP-USA Acclaim-AG Enterprise Implementation
ProjectTitle: Sole Source: AGR-EP-USA Acclaim-AG Enterprise Implementation
Vendor: Acclaim Systems INC.
Vendor: Acclaim Systems INC.
Description: Vendor to upgrade the existing system of licencees, as well as migrate all the data. Vendor to provide software maintenance and support services for the USAPlants system utilized by the Environmental Programs Division for pesticide certification, licensing, and regulatory activities. The USAPlants system was originally installed and extensively customized for the Department by Acclaim Systems, and the underlying software, configurations, and support services are proprietary in nature. Continued maintenance and support services are essential to ensure the system remains fully operational, secure, and compliant with evolving programmatic and statutory requirements. These services include software updates, troubleshooting, system enhancements, technical support, and maintenance necessary to preserve system functionality and reliability. Because Acclaim Systems developed and customized the system architecture specifically for the Department’s operational needs, no other vendor possesses the proprietary knowledge, system access, or technical capability required to effectively maintain and support the platform.
ValueIs: Actual
ValueofInitialTerm: 256800.00000000
P-Ayes:
P-Ano:
P-AValue:
ThisIsA: New Sole Source
One-Time:
Term:
BeginDate: 08/03/2026
EndDate: 08/02/2027
NumberofRenewals: 0.00000000
RenewalLength:
RenewalValue:
ExceedingYes:
ExceedingNo:
TextField3:
StateFunds: 0
FederalFunds: 0
FundingOther: 0
TextField4: The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) requires USA Plants software, maintenance, problem resolution and implementation from Acclaim Systems, INC.
DropDownList1: Software License/Upgrade/Maintenance
DropDownList1: Small Purchase
DropDownList1: Small Purchase
DropDownList1: Small Purchase
Justify:
PastYes:
PastNo:
DateTimeField20: 01/15/2020
DateTimeField19: 12/31/2022
NumericField8: 79592.00000000
TextField5: 20-406AGR-ADMIN-P-14961
DateTimeField18: 01/03/2023
DateTimeField17: 12/31/2025
NumericField9: 86972.82000000
TextField10: The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) requires USA Plants software, maintenance, problem resolution and implementation from Acclaim Systems, INC.
TextField11: 23-406AGR-NATRE-P-45045 : 0
DateTimeField16: 01/01/2026
DateTimeField15: 12/31/2026
NumericField10: 41187.51000000
TextField16: The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) requires USA Plants software, maintenance, problem resolution and implementation from Acclaim Systems, INC.
TextField17: 26-406AGR-NATRE-P-89828
DateTimeField14:
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DateTimeField8:
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DateTimeField4: 06/15/2026
DateTimeField4: 2026-07-06
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Q1Answer: Due to the enactment of Public Act 104-0363 by the Illinois General Assembly, the Department is required to implement a new recertification process through Continuing Education Units (CEUs). To comply with these statutory requirements, significant modifications and upgrades to the existing licensing system are necessary. A critical component of this upgrade involves the successful migration of all existing licensing data into the enhanced system environment. This includes thousands of business and employee profiles that are essential to maintaining uninterrupted licensing operations while incorporating the new CEU recertification functionality. The Department’s pesticide licensing program is uniquely tailored to Illinois statutes, administrative rules, and operational requirements. Over many years, the Department has invested substantial financial resources and staff time customizing the USAPlants/Acclaim system to efficiently support these specialized processes. Utilizing Acclaim and USA Plants for this upgrade will allow the Department to maintain continuity of operations, preserve existing workflows, and minimize the risk of service disruptions or data loss during implementation. Additionally, the data maintained within the Acclaim/USAPlants system is sensitive in nature and currently operates within systems that have been reviewed and approved under Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) security protocols. Continuing with the existing vendor and platform ensures data migration can occur within established, vetted infrastructure, thereby reducing security risks and protecting sensitive information.
Q2Answer: Base Line Product: AgEnterprise Framework- This includes Account Management, Security, Logging, Data Management, and all the low-level building blocks for the application. Internal and External portal.

Plant Industry Functionality- This includes the Account Management Module, Licensing module, product registration Module, Workshop and CEU Processing Module, Inspection Management Module, Enforcement Management, Complaint Management. Internal and External Portal.

Data Conversion from USAPlants and Configuration of the applications to support these items: Pesticide Program: Structural Pesticide License with Workshop Management for CEU units per Categories.

Power User Training (Virtually).

Yearly Support and Maintenance.

Q3Answer: The requested services are the only one available that can satisfy the agency because of the proprietary rights of the software by the vendor as well as due to the Due to the enactment of Public Act 104-0363 by the Illinois General Assembly. The law requires the department to implement a new recertification process through Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The rights of the software are owned by the USA Acclaim, therefore, the department is required to use this vendor. The software was created specifically for the Illinois Department of Agriculture, to satisfy the requirements, regarding the department's pesticide licensing. All the data that has been stored through years of pesticide licensing will need to migrate to the new version of the software.
Q4Answer: The USA Plants was created specifically for the Illinois Department of Agriculture by the Acclaim Systems. The software was customized to meet the requirements of the pesticide licensees. No other vendor can offer this software, without having to be customized and tailored according to the agency's needs and desires. In addition, due to the Public Act 104-0363, the Acclaim Systems, will be the only one to guarantee the migration of all the data and licensees. If the agency rewards other vendors, the migration of the data will be extremely risky, due to the software differences, and at the worst scenario, all the data can be lost and corrupted. In addition, the new software would have to go through DoIT risk and governance, which can take years.
altYes:
altNo:
Q5aAnswer: Because the USA Plants software was created by the Acclaim Systems to satisfy the need and the requirements of the agency. In addition, considering other alternatives would increase the chances of data corruption, since the data has to migrate from this software to another software. This would cause a huge issue, due to all the pesticide licensing that is stored at this software.
Q5bAnswer:
Q5cAnswer:
Q6Yes:
Q6No:
Q6NA:
Q7Answer: The software was created in 2020, with a much cheaper price, compared to what it would cost today, due to the rising cost of services, due to inflation. Currently, with this sole source, the vendor will just upgrade the software, and not create from scratch. If another vendor would create the software from scratch, that would cost much more than $ 256,800.00. All the data migration and requirements by the state, would highly increase the cost.
Q8y:
Q8n:
Q8aAnswer: The Illinois Department of Agriculture will have to pay yearly for the software maintenance and support, however, that will be below $100,000.00
Q9Answer: There is a lot of negative impact that could affect the agency as a whole and the state. First, due to the enactment of Public Act 104-0363 by the Illinois General Assembly, the Department is required to implement a new recertification process through Continuing Education Units (CEUs). If the Department does not implement this new recertification, it will violate that act, and the department can be held liable. Secondly, if this sole source is not approved, the department might lose all the data since the current software will not be updated in the short future, due to the implementation of the new format. The data stores all the current pesticide licensees and if that information is lost, that would cause havoc at the department and the state as a whole. The data includes thousands of business and employee profiles that are essential to maintaining uninterrupted licensing operations.
Q10Answer: N/A
SignatureField1:
TextField63: Leke Hoxha
TextField63: Leke.a.Hoxha@Illinois.gov
TextField63: Michelle.Grimsley@illinois.gov
TextField63: Michelle Grimsley
TextField64: 217-790-1356
TextField65: 217527030
Approve:
denied:
Comments:
Phone: 217-720-7077
Date: 2026-07-07
PN: Abigail Bailey
Email: Abigail.K.Bailey@Illinois.gov
InitialPostingDate: 2026-07-07
HearingYes:
HearingNo:
HearingDate:
HearingTime:
HearingLocation:
No: 0
Members: 0
recommends:
WrittenComments: 0
DecisionMemo: 0
HearingMinutes: 0
Other: 0
OtherComments:
HearingOfficerSignature:
Authorize:
AuthorizeWChanges:
Cancel:
CPOComments:
CPOSignature:
CPOTelephone:
CPOPrintedName:
CPOEmail:

File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .