IEPP Technical Expert RFP_FINAL.docx

Illinois State Board of Education Request for Proposal Illinois Educator Preparation Profile Technical Expert

25-586SBE-FINAN-B-48882

Section A. SCOPE OF WORK

A.1. OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) seeks one Vendor to provide expertise, thought partnership, and leadership to assist ISBE in evaluating, refining, and expanding the Illinois Educator Preparation Profile (IEPP.) The IEPP is a public-facing scorecard for teacher preparation programs at Illinois institutions of higher education that strives to provide Illinois educator preparation stakeholders with a system of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. The IEPP, which is published annually in December, provides the public with designations that provide data on the performance educator preparation programs.

Specifically, ISBE is seeking one Vendor that will provide services pertaining to technical expertise to assist ISBE in developing and refining IEPP performance metrics, scores, and weights for teaching, school support personnel, and administrative preparation programs (and considering implications of such changes) and to assist ISBE in evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of its data collection and reporting systems. The Vendor will be expected to recommend changes that may streamline processes, improve user experience, and result in higher-quality data.

Also, the Vendor selected through this procurement will serve as a member of the Core Planning Team along with representatives of ISBE and other contractors serving as research analysts for the project. The Core Planning Team will serve as the internal team that plans each upcoming advisory group and technical advisory group meeting and makes decisions that drive the work of the advisory groups.

Offerors are permitted to submit a Bid for this position. The resulting contract with the awarded Offeror shall have an initial term of date of Agency execution to June 30, 2028.

A.2. DESIRED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT/ENGAGEMENT

ISBE’s Strategic Plan (Goal 1.4.2) charges the Agency with expanding the IEPP by developing criteria (indicators, scores, and weights) for all educator preparation programs. The IEPP currently includes only teacher preparation programs. ISBE. The Vendor will work with stakeholders to create new data collection systems for administrative and school support personnel preparation programs so that the IEPP will include all programs offered by educator preparation providers (EPPs) in Illinois. ISBE and the Vendor also will work with stakeholders to examine existing teacher preparation indicators and domains on the IEPP to determine refinements that will result in better quality data and improved usage among users. This work will be completed through a series of advisory group meetings. Practicing educators and faculty/administration from EPPs will be invited to participate in one of three advisory groups -- teaching, school support personnel, or administrative. Each advisory group will consist of up to 25 participants. ISBE envisions some distinct meetings of these groups but plans for most advisory group meetings to take place concurrently with a shared introduction and framing and then placement of each group into a separate breakout room for nuanced discussion. Topics of each advisory group meeting will be determined by ISBE in conjunction with the Core Planning Team. Meetings will result in recommendations for new data metrics to be collected for school support personnel and administrative programs, and revised data metrics to be collected for teaching programs. Groups also will provide input on data collection timelines, reporting data for small programs, and program reauthorization timelines. ISBE will subsequently pilot the recommended metrics through a two-year data collection period. After each data collection period, a technical advisory group will meet to analyze data from the pilot and recommend scores and weights for each metric. The following pilot data collections will take place:

· Principal preparation programs in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 (These pilots will be based on data metric recommendations made prior to the start of this project.); and

· All other preparation programs (teaching, school support personnel, and administrative programs) in fiscal years 2027 and 2028.

The principal preparation data collection will be fully implemented in FY 2028 and all other programs’ data collections will be implemented in FY 2029. A high-level depiction of project milestones is listed below.

Milestones: (Note that milestone dates may change depending on when the successful Offeror contract is executed.)

*Month will be contingent on contract execution

*The advisory group meetings will begin in the month following the Core Planning Team’s first meeting.

Advisory group meetings conclude.

Data collection pilot period No. 2 for principal preparation programs.

Technical advisory group refines scores and weights for principal preparation programs.

Thus, the desired outcomes of this project are to develop, pilot, and launch an expanded and improved IEPP that includes all educator preparation programs in Illinois.

A.3. SCHEDULE

ISBE estimates the following timelines for this procurement:

Posting: August 2025

Bid Opening: September 2025

Evaluation: September 2025

Award: September 2025

Execution: October 2025

A.4. UNIQUE CONSIDERATIONS

Although numerous states provide public-facing report cards for their teacher preparation programs, none provide public accountability metrics for school support personnel and administrative preparation programs. Illinois is positioned to be a state leader in this work upon conclusion of the project.

Unique terms that may be unfamiliar to Offerors are used throughout this procurement. Please see a glossary of terms below.

Glossary of Terms

A.5. TERM

A.5.1. TERM OF THIS CONTRACT: The contract resulting from this procurement will have an initial term commencing upon execution and ending on June 30, 2028. In no event will the total term of the contract, including the initial term, any renewal terms, and any extensions, exceed 10 years. Vendor shall not commence billable work in furtherance of the contract prior to final execution of the contract except when permitted pursuant to 30 ILCS 500/20-80.

Section B. CURRENT CONDITIONS

B.1. OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

In 2016, the Illinois State Board of Education began working to advance the quality and transparency of educator preparation programs statewide by strengthening data collection, sharing, and reporting. The state’s goal was to ensure every student in the state is supported by learner-ready teachers. To reach this goal, ISBE collaborated with stakeholders to create a new data-informed system centered around continuous improvement, accountability, and transparency. Illinois launched the Illinois Educator Preparation Profile in 2020 after three years of piloting the data collection system.

The IEPP has been published four times, and the Illinois State Board of Education seeks to evaluate the data collection and reporting process. ISBE’s Strategic Plan (Goal 1.4.2) charges the Agency with expanding the IEPP by developing scoring criteria for all educator preparation programs. The IEPP currently includes only teacher preparation programs. ISBE previously convened an advisory group for principal preparation program metrics, and those indicators will be piloted in spring 2026.

Beginning in fall 2025, ISBE will convene advisory groups (composed of practicing teachers, school support personnel, and administrators; representatives from educator preparation providers; and other key stakeholders) to help select new indicators and scoring criteria for school support personnel programs and administrative programs. ISBE also will bring together advisory groups to assist the Agency with revising existing indicators and scoring for teacher preparation programs. Stakeholders will advise ISBE on scores and weights after new metrics are piloted.

The technical expert will provide technical support to ISBE and advisory group members before, during, and after advisory group meetings, including leading stakeholders through a process of modeling various scores and weights for each recommended indicator and domain to assist the advisory groups in making data-informed scoring recommendations to ISBE (technical advisory group meetings.) The technical expert also will lead system improvement efforts with ISBE, educator preparation providers, teacher candidates, and current educators to create clear business rules, enhance aesthetics, and improve usability of the IEPP and the Agency’s internal data applications.

Project Milestones and Deliverables may be viewed in Attachment A.

The contributions of the Vendor/Vendors will lead to advisory group recommendations for new data metrics to be piloted in statewide data collections and ultimately published in the IEPP. Vendor contributions also will lead to technical advisory group recommendations for scores and weights to be assigned to each data metric, which will ultimately result in the scoring designations and program reauthorization statuses assigned to each preparation program. Score and weight recommendations will be made after analyzing data collected during each pilot year. All in all, the Vendor’s work will result in refinements to the IEPP and ISBE’s internal-facing data collection systems that will contribute to a higher-quality, streamlined data collection and reporting process that meets user needs and improves educator preparation in Illinois.

B.2. VOLUMES & QUANTITIES

Please see the chart below for an estimate of the number of planning, debriefing, and advisory group meetings that will take place over the term of the contract. Estimates were derived from the deliverables and timelines listed in Section F.1.: Contract Requirements.

B.3. AREAS OF CONCERN/CHALLENGES

Four years after implementing the IEPP, ISBE seeks to rectify flaws in the system, including issues with data quality, timelines for reauthorization, and transparency and fairness when reporting data for small programs. Research conducted by IWERC suggested that changes be considered to improve data quality and to provide better indication of program performance. This research will be used to guide IEPP refinements and new scoring criteria.

Furthermore, the project is complex, with simultaneous strands of distinct and overlapping work occurring for four different stakeholder groups:

1. Principal preparation programs (technical advisory group work only),

2. Teacher preparation programs,

3. Administrative preparation programs, and

4. School support personnel preparation programs.

Each of the latter three advisory groups may have upward of 25 participants, which means that full group meetings could include 75 participants. Breakout rooms with strong facilitation and ample engagement activities will be essential. This project includes a robust scope of work to be accomplished over a period of three years.

B.4. STRENGTHS

Strengths of the current IEPP include:

· Internal Control over Development and Enhancements: The IEPP (which includes a scorecard and Power BI dashboard) was developed internally (as opposed to being purchased off-the-shelf and customized by a Vendor), which allows ISBE maximum flexibility in making changes and enhancements.

· Ample Access to Data: An internal-facing data collection system (also developed internally) provides Illinois EPPs with more nuanced data than is available on the public-facing IEPP. This system, the Annual Program Report System, provides data to the IEPP. Since the system was developed internally, ISBE maintains full control over changes and timelines for changes to the data collection process. Stakeholder recommendations can be implemented more quickly than if externally led development would be needed because ISBE owns the system, employs the developers who work on the system and can therefore set priorities and timelines for completion of development work. The Annual Program Report System -- the source system for the IEPP -- has the capacity to be built as a robust hub of data reported by institutions of higher education and provided by ISBE that is centered on performance of preparation programs.

· Stakeholder Voice: Rather than the State determining requirements and imposing them upon stakeholders, ISBE includes stakeholders in the planning, development, and implementation of new initiatives, such as the one described in this procurement, to ensure their perspectives are heard. New requirements (such as data reporting mandates) are often better received from stakeholders when ISBE engages them in all steps of the change management process, from planning to inception.

· Motivated Stakeholders: Stakeholders have a keen interest in being part of the IEPP expansion. More than 70 educators and higher education representatives applied to participate in the advisory groups that will drive the direction of this project. Professional organizations representing teachers, EPPs, school support personnel, and administrators provided additional recommendations.

· Robust Allocation of Resources: ISBE has invested ample funding into securing necessary human resources to ensure this project’s success. First, the Agency will create a Core Planning Team to lead this project. This team will consist of several ISBE team members, the facilitator selected through this procurement, the technical expert selected through this procurement, and a researcher from IWERC. ISBE also secured two new developers, who will make changes to the IEPP, APR, and ELIS applications per stakeholder and Vendor recommendations.

· A Prior Framework to Guide the Project: In 2016, ISBE brought together a core planning group to assist with stakeholder advisory groups to recommend metrics and scoring criteria for the current IEPP. This framework provides context and historical perspectives for the current project.

· Prior Research to Inform Decision-Making: Previous Vendors have conducted research on IEPP data quality and usability. Their findings can be used as a framework for additional evaluations.

B.5. FIGURES, DIAGRAMS, & REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Read more about the IEPP’s technical specifications in the IEPP Technical Guide. This guide Offeror explains the current structure of the IEPP, including data metrics (indicators and domains) reported for each teacher preparation program, the scores and weights assigned to each indicator and domain, and sample calculations for each metric.

Read more about the Annual Program Report System (the system used to collect data for the IEPP from EPPs) on the Annual Program Reporting webpage. View a variety of reports and user guides under the Resources dropdown.

Section C. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Only Electronic Submissions through BidBuy of Offers will be Accepted

C.1. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT

The Offeror shall submit the listed documents in BidBuy under the Attachments tab in the appropriate “Required Attachments” spaces.

· Vendor Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure

· Technical response

· Offer to the State of Illinois

· Commitment to Diversity

· References

· BEP Utilization Plan

· VBP Utilization Plan Blank documents may be found on the Chief Procurement Officer for General Service’s website at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html and on the BidBuy posting under “File Attachments:”. Business Enterprise Program/Veterans Small Business Program Utilization Plan may be downloaded from the Commission on Equity and Inclusion’s website at https://cei.illinois.gov/purchasing-entity-resources/compliance.html.

Failure to submit Vendor Disclosure or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, as applicable, and the Utilization Plan(s), as applicable, with the Offer submitted in BidBuy shall render the Offer non-responsive.

Offerors are required to submit their response to the State’s solicitation through BidBuy. Any information sent to the State outside of BidBuy, for example by US Mail, FedEx, UPS, e-mail, or hand delivery, will neither be accepted nor considered. Offeror submissions will only be considered if they are received through BidBuy and on or before the time and date indicated as the “Bid Opening Date” on the BidBuy posting. Any required attachments must be submitted via BidBuy.

Price entries on the Items tab will be locked automatically upon submission of the quote. Entering cost, pricing, or discount information in the Alternate Description may result in disqualification. If the Agency requires pricing to be submitted in an attachment, Offeror shall upload pricing under the “Required Documents” section on the Attachments tab and check the box “Does the attachment contain any pricing, cost or discount information?”. Failure to check this box allows your pricing to be viewed when Bids are opened and will result in disqualification of your offer. Note: Do not check “Does the attachment contain any pricing, cost or discount information” if the attachment does NOT include pricing, cost, or discount information.

Documents shall be submitted in an electronic format that is accessible and readable using Microsoft Office suite software or Adobe Reader. Corrupted files shall not be considered. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to check that files are accessible and legible after uploading.

The Offeror is solely responsible for ensuring timely submission of their electronic solicitation response. Failure to allow adequate time prior to the Bid Opening Date to complete and submit a response to a solicitation, particularly in the event technical support assistance from the State is required, places the Offeror and their offer or response at risk of not being accepted.

The State encourages the Offeror to ensure that their BidBuy account is up to date. It is recommended that you access your BidBuy account prior to the solicitation due date and time to make sure that your company’s information is up to date and your password is current. Files may be uploaded at any time prior to submission.

File size may impact the uploading and downloading speed and may lead to browser time-outs, resulting in failed upload/download attempts. Please consider this dependency when attaching very large documents.

OFFEROR INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT IN BIDBUY

Create Quote:

Note: Any pricing entered in the Unit Cost of the Items tab will be locked until after Technical Evaluations take place. Do not enter cost, pricing, or any discount information in the Alternate Description field. Entering cost, pricing, or discount information in the Alternate Description may result in disqualification.

Note: If taking any exceptions to Standard Terms and Conditions, an Offeror must submit a redline version of the Standard Terms and Conditions with their proposal.

: “Upload” (next to each required attachment).

: “Choose File.”

Note: If a pricing document is required, mark the box next to the question, “Does this attachment contain any pricing, cost, or discount information?”

Failure to mark this box when attaching a Pricing document will result in disqualification.

Check this box ONLY if a separate Pricing document is required.

Do NOT check this box for any other required quote attachment such as the Technical Proposal, Vendor Disclosure / IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, or Utilization Plan(s), or Offer.

Offerors may also view the “Request for Proposal (RFP) Vendor Submission Instructions Video found at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/vendor-resources.html.

C.2. DUE DATE AND TIME FOR SUBMISSION OF OFFERS

Each solicitation contains the Offer due date and time, appearing as the “Bid Opening Date:” on the BidBuy posting. Offeror shall submit Offers in BidBuy, and the State shall open Offers electronically in BidBuy on the “Bid Opening Date.” The Offer must remain firm for 180 days from opening.

C.3. CONFLICT BETWEEN INFORMATION IN ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS AND ON BIDBUY

If the State provides information in electronic documents (i.e., the RFP and other attachments) that is different or in conflict with the information the State provides on BidBuy, then the information in electronic documents is presumed to represent the State’s intent. If the Offeror provides information in electronic documents that is different or in conflict with the information the Offeror provides in BidBuy through their Seller Account, then the information in electronic documents shall represent the Offeror’s intended submission.

C.4. PUBLISHED PROCUREMENT INFORMATION

The State publishes procurement information, including solicitations, awards, and amendments, on the Chief Procurement Officer for General Services’ Illinois Procurement Bulletin, known as the Bulletin or BidBuy at https://www.bidbuy.illinois.gov/bso/. Procurement information may not be available in any other form or location. Offeror is responsible for monitoring BidBuy. The State will not be held responsible if Offeror fails to receive the optional email notice of future amendments to the solicitation.

C.5. INFORMATION CONTACT

The individual listed in the “Info Contact:” field on the BidBuy posting shall be the single point of contact for this solicitation. Unless otherwise directed, Offeror should only communicate with the Information Contact. The State/Agency shall not be held responsible for information provided by or to any other person.

Suspected errors should be immediately reported to the Information Contact. Do not discuss, directly or indirectly, the solicitation or any Offer with any State officer or employee other than the Information Contact.

C.6. OFFEROR QUESTIONS AND AGENCY RESPONSE

All questions, other than questions raised at the Pre-Submission Conference, pertaining to this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the Information Contact no later than August 20, 2025. Questions received and Agency responses may be posted as a Bid Amendment to the original solicitation on BidBuy; only these posted answers to questions shall be binding on the State. Offeror is responsible for monitoring BidBuy and BidBuy email notifications.

C.7. PRE-SUBMISSION CONFERENCE

The Agency may conduct a Mandatory or Non-Mandatory Pre-Submission Conference, listed in the “Pre-Bid Conference:” field of the BidBuy posting. Please refer to BidBuy for this information.

If attendance is mandatory, Offeror (current contractor included) will be disqualified and considered non-responsive if Offeror does not attend, is not on time, leaves early, or fails to sign the attendance sheet. Offeror must allow adequate time to accommodate security screenings at the site.

C.8. SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE

In the Bulletin posting, if “Yes” is shown to the question “Is this a Small Business Set-Aside Procurement?”, then Offeror must be registered by the Illinois Small Business Set-Aside Program at the time Offers are due for the Offer to be evaluated. For requirements on qualifying Offeror’s business in the Small Business Set-Aside Program, please go to the Chief Procurement Office for General Service’s website at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/sell-2-illinois.html.

C.9. SECURITY

Bid/Performance Bond: N/A. If a bond is required, Offeror must submit the Bid Bond with your offer or Performance Bond to the Information Contact within 10 days after contract execution. The bond must be from a surety licensed to do business in Illinois. An irrevocable letter of credit is an acceptable substitute. The form of security must be acceptable to the State.

C.10. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Standard Terms and Conditions will become a part of any resulting contract. To view the Standard Terms and Conditions, please go to https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/solicitation-and-contract-templates.html.

Agency specific terms and conditions will become a part of any resulting contract, which are included herein as Attachment B.

Section D. EVALUATION PROCEDURES

D.1. EVALUATION PROCESS

The State assesses each Offer for Responsibility (E.10) and Responsiveness. The State considers the information provided and the quality of that information when assessing Offers. If the State finds a failure or deficiency, the State may reject the Offer or reflect the failure or deficiency in the assessment.

There are three scored parts to each proposal – Technical, Commitment to Diversity, and Pricing. Each part of the proposal is evaluated and ranked independently of the other parts of the proposal. The results of the evaluation of all three parts shall be used in ranking the proposals.

The State may award to the most responsive and responsible Offeror whose offer best meets the specified criteria.

D.2. RESPONSIVENESS

A “responsive” Offeror is one who submits an Offer that conforms in all material respects to the Request for Proposal and includes all required forms.

D.2.1. The State will determine whether the Offeror complied with the instructions for submitting offers. Except for late submissions, and other requirements that by law must be part of the submission, the State may require that an Offeror correct deficiencies as a condition of further evaluation.

D.2.2. Subcontractor Disclosure: If the Offer includes any subcontractors, then Offeror shall complete the Subcontractor Disclosure section of the Offer to the State of Illinois.

D.2.3. If completing IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure, then Responsiveness may include and may not be limited to:

· Active Illinois Procurement Gateway registration number with expiration date

· Certifications timely to this solicitation

· Disclosure of lobbyists for Offeror and parent entity(ies)

· Disclosure of pending and current contracts

D.2.4. If completing Vendor Disclosure, required parts may include and may not be limited to:

D.2.5. The State will determine whether the Offer meets the stated Technical Requirements. Minor differences or deviations that have negligible impact on the Price or suitability of the supply or service to meet the State’s needs may be accepted or corrections allowed. If no Offeror meets a particular Technical requirement, the State may waive that requirement.

D.2.6. When the specification calls for “Brand Name or Equal,” the brand name product is acceptable. Other products will be considered with proof that the other product meets stated specifications and is equivalent to the brand product in terms of quality, performance, and desired characteristics.

D.3. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

The Technical Requirements are described in Sections F.2. and F.3. The State evaluates the Technical Requirements without consideration of Price.

D.3.1 Total number of points available for Technical Requirements is 400.

D.4. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY ELEMENTS

Sections 20-15 and 35-30 of the Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500/) require Offerors to be evaluated on their Commitment to Diversity. The points available for Commitment to Diversity are described in Section F.4. and are equivalent to 20% of the Technical Requirements points. The State evaluates Commitment to Diversity without consideration of Price.

D.4.1. The total number of points for Commitment to Diversity is 80.

D.4.2. Offeror shall complete and return Section F.4 Commitment to Diversity

D.4.3. Commitment to Diversity Categories: The percentages at the end of each section reflect the weighted distribution of points available identified in D.4.1.

Commitment to Diversity Categories

Category 1 – BEP Compliance - Whether the Offeror meets the set goal for contracting or subcontracting with businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities (WMD) or completed a Good Faith Effort Waiver for this procurement. 5%

Category 2 – Subcontracting/Contracting with any WMD businesses (not limited to BEP Vendors) - Whether the Offeror has contracted/subcontracted within the prior calendar year with businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities. 10%

Category 3 – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Spend – Offeror’s percentage of business, education and/or community spend from prior calendar year gross revenue that involves businesses owned by women, minorities and/or persons with disabilities. The assisted businesses are not required to be certified in the Illinois Business Enterprise Program. 20%

Category 4 – DEI Time - Offeror’s hours spent in the prior calendar year on promoting DEI in the workplace, the community, education institutes, or supporting businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities. The assisted business is not required to be certified in the Illinois Business Enterprise Program. The success or failure of each event does not impact the points achieved. The event may be voluntary or paid time. 20%

Category 5 – DEI Policies - Entity has provided a written copy of, or link to, their current written workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion policy. Policies must be actionable plans, not overarching concepts around DEI. 10%

Category 6 – Diversity in Staffing - Percentage of individuals on governing board and/ or Senior executives who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities. 10% Percentage of individuals in management /supervisor positions who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities. 13% Percentage of total staff who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities. 12%

D.5. PRICE

The State opens Price proposals after evaluating all Technical and Commitment to Diversity proposals.

If the State does not consider the Price to be fair and reasonable and negotiations fail to meet an acceptable Price, the State reserves the right to cancel the award and take appropriate action to meet the needs of the State. The State determines whether the Price is fair and reasonable by considering the offer, including the Offeror's qualifications, the Offeror's reputation, all Price proposals submitted, other known Prices, the project budget, and other relevant factors.

D.5.1. The total number of points for Price is 50.

D.5.2. The State will determine Price points using the following formula:

Maximum Price Points X (Lowest Price/Offeror’s Price) = Total Price Points

D.6. MAXIMUM AVAILABLE POINTS

The maximum number of points is 400 (Technical) + 80 (Commitment to Diversity) + 50 (Price) = 530 maximum available points.

Section E. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

E.1. GOVERNING LAW AND FORUM

Illinois law and rules govern this solicitation and any resulting contract. Offeror must bring any action relating to this solicitation or any resulting contract in the appropriate court in Illinois. This document contains statutory references designated with “ILCS”. To view the full text, go to http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs.asp. The Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500) and the Standard Procurement Rules (44 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1) are applicable to this solicitation. To view them respectively, go to http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs5.asp?ActID=532&ChapterID=7) and https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/044/044parts.html.

E.2. PUBLIC RECORDS AND REQUESTS FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT

Offers become the property of the State. All offers will be open to the public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140) and other applicable laws and rules, unless Offeror requests in its Offer that the State treat certain information as confidential. A request for confidential treatment will not supersede the State’s legal obligations under FOIA. The State will not honor requests to keep entire Offers confidential. Offerors must show the specific grounds in FOIA or other law or rule that support confidential treatment. Regardless, the State will disclose the successful Offeror’s name, the substance of the Offer, and the Price.

If Offeror requests confidential treatment, Offeror must submit additional copy/copies (see Instructions for Submission of Offers in Section C.) of the Offer with proposed confidential information redacted. This redacted copy must tell the general nature of the material removed and shall retain as much of the Offer as possible. In a separate attachment, Offeror shall supply a listing of the provisions identified by section number for which it seeks confidential treatment and identify the statutory basis or bases under Illinois law, including a detailed justification for exempting the information from public disclosure.

Offeror will hold harmless and indemnify the State for all costs or damages associated with the State defending Offeror’s request for confidential treatment. Offeror agrees that the State may copy the Offer to facilitate evaluation, or to respond to requests for public records. Offeror warrants that such copying will not violate the rights of any third Party.

E.3. MINORITY CONTRACTOR INITIATIVE

The State requires a fee of $15 to cover expenses related to the administration of the Minority Contractor Opportunity Initiative. Any Offeror awarded a contract of $1,000 or more under Section 20-10, 20-15, 20-25 or 20-30 of the Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500) is required to pay a fee of $15. The Comptroller shall deduct the fee from the first check issued to the Vendor under the contract and deposit the fee in the Comptroller’s Administrative Fund (15 ILCS 405/23.9).

E.4. FEDERAL FUNDS

The resulting contract may be partially or totally funded with Federal funds. Upon notice of intent to award, the percentage of supplies and/or services involved that are Federally funded and the dollar amount of such Federal funds will be disclosed.

E.5. EMPLOYMENT TAX CREDIT

Offerors who hire qualified veterans and certain ex-offenders may be eligible for tax credits (30 ILCS 500/45-67 and 45-70). Please contact the Illinois Department of Revenue at 217-524-4772 for information about tax credits (35 ILCS 5/216, 5/217).

E.6. RESERVATIONS

Offeror must read and understand the solicitation and tailor the Offer and all activities to ensure compliance. The State reserves the right to amend the solicitation, reject any or all offers, award by item/services, group of items/services, or grand total, and waive minor defects. The State may request a clarification; inspect Offeror’s premises; interview staff; request a presentation; or otherwise verify the contents of the Offer, including information about subcontractors and suppliers. The State may request Best and Final Offers when appropriate. The State will make all decisions on compliance, evaluation, and terms and conditions, and shall make decisions in the best interests of the State and in accordance with the Illinois Procurement Code, rules, and other applicable State and Federal statutes and regulations. This competitive process may require that Offeror provide additional information and otherwise cooperate with the State. If an Offeror does not comply with requests for information and cooperate, the State may reject the offer as non-responsive to the solicitation. Submitting an offer does not entitle Offeror to an award or a contract. Posting a Vendor’s name in a Bulletin notice does not entitle the Vendor to a contract. The State is not responsible for and will not pay any costs associated with the preparation and submission of any Offer.

Awarded Offeror(s) shall not commence and will not be paid for any billable work undertaken prior to the date all parties execute the contract, unless approved in writing in advance by the State Purchasing Officer or the Chief Procurement Officer (or designee).

E.7. AWARD

The State is not obligated to award a contract pursuant to this solicitation. If the State issues an award, the award will be made to the responsive and responsible Offeror whose offer best meets the specified criteria unless otherwise permitted by the Illinois Procurement Code and Illinois Administrative Code. However, if the State does not consider the Price to be fair and reasonable and negotiations fail to meet an acceptable Price, then the State reserves the right to cancel the award and take appropriate action to meet the needs of the State. The State will determine whether the Price is fair and reasonable by considering the Offer, including the Offeror's qualifications, the Offeror's reputation, all Prices submitted, other known Prices, the project budget, and other relevant factors. The State will post a notice to the Bulletin identifying the apparent most responsive and responsible Offeror.

E.8. INVOICING ADDRESS

The awarded Vendor shall invoice at the completion of the contract unless invoicing is tied in the contract to milestones, deliverables, or other invoicing requirements agreed to in the contract. The Bulletin posting contains the “Bill-to Address:” where invoices should be sent.

Vendor shall not bill for any taxes unless accompanied by proof that the State is subject to the tax. If necessary, Vendor may request the applicable Agency’s Illinois tax exemption number and Federal tax exemption information.

E.9. PROTEST REVIEW OFFICE

Offeror may submit a written protest to the Protest Review Office following the requirements of the Standard Procurement Rules (44 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1.5550). For protests related to specifications, the Protest Review Office must physically receive the protest no later than 14 days after the solicitation or related addendum was posted to the Bulletin. For protests related to rejection of individual proposals or awards, the protest must be received by close of business no later than 14 days after the protesting Party knows or should have known of the facts giving rise to the protest. The Protest Review Office’s information is as follows:

Chief Procurement Office Attn: Protest Review Office Email: cpogs.pro@illinois.gov

E.10. RESPONSIBILITY

A “responsible” Offeror is one who has the capability in all respects to perform fully the contract requirements and who has the integrity and reliability that will assure good faith performance. The State determines whether the Offeror is a responsible Offeror, one with whom the State can or should do business. For example, the State may consider the following:

E.10.1. A “prohibited” bidder includes any person assisting an employee of the State of Illinois by reviewing, drafting, directing, or preparing any Invitation for Bids, a Request for Proposal, or Request of Information, or providing similar assistance unless such assistance was part of a publicly issued opportunity to review drafts of all or part of these documents. For purposes of this section, an employee of the State of Illinois means one who, by the nature of his or her duties, has the authority to participate personally and substantially in the decision to award a State contract. No person or business shall submit specifications to a State Agency unless requested to do so by an employee of the State. No person or business that contracts with a State Agency to write specifications for a particular procurement need shall submit a Bid or proposal or receive a contract for that procurement need.

Nothing herein is intended to prohibit a Vendor from bidding or offering to supply developing technology, supplies, or services after providing the State with a demonstration of the developing technology, supplies, or services, provided the subject of the demonstration to the State represents industry trends and innovation and is not specifically designed to meet the State's needs. Nothing herein is intended to prohibit a person or business from submitting a Bid or Offer or entering into a contract if the person or business: (i) initiates a communication with an employee to provide general information about products, services, or industry best practices and, if applicable, that communication is documented in accordance with Section 50-39 of the Illinois Procurement Code or (ii) responds to a communication initiated by an employee of the State for the purposes of providing information to evaluate new products, trends, services, or technologies.

E.10.2. Other factors that the State may use to evaluate to determine Responsibility include, but are not limited to, political contributions, certifications, conflict of interest, financial disclosures, taxpayer identification number, past performance in business or industry, references (including those found outside the Offer), compliance with applicable laws, financial responsibility, insurability, effective equal opportunity compliance, payment of prevailing wages if required by law, capacity to produce or sources of supply, and the ability to provide required maintenance service or other matters relating to the Offeror’s ability to deliver in the quality and quantity within the time and Price as specified in this solicitation.

E.10.3. Awarded Offerors must always have financial resources sufficient, in the opinion of the State, to ensure performance of the contract and must provide proof upon request. The State may require a Performance Bond if, in the opinion of the State, it ensures performance of the contract. The State may terminate the contract, consistent with the termination for cause provision of the contract, if the Vendor lacks the financial resources to perform under the contract.

E.10.4. The State may require that an Offeror correct any deficiencies as a condition of further evaluation.

E.11. BidBuy Terminology and Guidance: BidBuy is an online e-procurement system. There may be some difference between the procurement terminology used in this solicitation and the terms used in BidBuy. Please learn more about BidBuy by accessing the online resources found at https://www2.illinois.gov/cpo/PathwayToProcurement/Pages/Guides-and-Manuals.aspx.

Section F. PROPOSAL FORMS Offeror must complete and return:

· The following three tables, including Contract Requirements (Section F.1), Technical Requirements: Mandatory…