Request for Proposal SSBCI INVENT Re-Bid B- Final.docx

Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Request for Proposal SSBCI INVENT Investment Advisor BidBuy Bid Number B-54021 Section A. SCOPE OF WORK

A.1. OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) (“the Agency”) is issuing this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for an Investment Advisor for the Illinois Innovation Venture Fund (INVENT), a $114 million direct equity venture capital program. DCEO INVENT is funded through the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) which is administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Investment Advisor will provide investment consulting and advisory services as described in this RFP. DCEO will retain all discretion over programmatic, policy, and investment selection decisions.

A.2. DESIRED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT/ENGAGEMENT

The Investment Advisor will provide consulting and advisory services to support INVENT staff in successfully implementing the program’s objectives, including:

· Creating a balanced portfolio that supports Illinois’ small businesses and entrepreneurs and facilitates economic development in Illinois;

· Providing access to opportunities for very small businesses, capital disadvantaged businesses, and entrepreneurs operating in underserved communities;

· Aligning investments with key growth sectors in the state’s economic development plan;

· Partnering with investors to leverage private capital; and

· Laying the groundwork for a sustainable, long-term program.

A.3. SCHEDULE

A.4. TERM

A.4.1. TERM OF THIS CONTRACT: The contract resulting from this procurement will have an initial term commencing upon the last dated signature of the Parties and ending four (4) years from contract execution. In no event will the total term of the contract, including the initial term, any renewal terms, and any extensions, exceed ten (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

The Agency is the lead agency responsible for implementing Illinois’ programming under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (“SSBCI”), authorized by Title III, Subtitle C of the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”). The SSBCI program (or “Program”) is expected to provide up to $354,636,570 in federal funding to support eligible Illinois small businesses through credit and equity investment programs. Additional funding is being made available to provide technical assistance to support small businesses applying for SSBCI funding and other similar government small business programs. Information about the SSBCI program may be found under “Program Rules and Materials” at https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/small-business-programs/state-small-business-credit-initiative-ssbci.

The Agency intends to improve small businesses’ access to capital through lending programs (a loan participation program and a loan guarantee program) and a venture capital program. The Agency’s equity investment program (Illinois Innovation Venture Program, or “INVENT”) is administered directly by the Agency. Information about the INVENT program may be accessed at https://dceo.illinois.gov/illinoisinvent.html. The SSBCI program is expected to last through January 30, 2028, though investments and loans may extend beyond that date and, depending on the performance of the lending and venture capital programs, continue indefinitely.

The Agency anticipates providing at least $114 million in SSBCI funds through the INVENT equity investment program(https://dceo.illinois.gov/illinoisinvent.html). The total amount of funding available depends on (1) the Agency achieving its funding deployment goals through the SSBCI Program (see Sections III-V of the SSBCI Capital Program Policy Guidelines), and (2) any returns on our investments, which will be re-invested through the program. Investments may range from $10,000 to $6 million, and are made in the form of stock purchases, convertible notes, and Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFEs).

The INVENT program is subject to the SSBCI Insider rule set forth in U.S. Treasury guidance (https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SSBCI-Capital-Program-Policy-Guidelines.pdf). The Vendor will not be participating in the investment decision making process and, based on guidance from U.S. Treasury, would not be considered an “SSBCI Insider” based on their support role.

B.2. VOLUMES & QUANTITIES

The Agency will select one (1) vendor through this procurement who will serve as the Agency’s outside Investment Advisor supporting this Program. The Program is currently designed to make equity investments directly in eligible small businesses alongside other investors.

The Agency received its initial SSBCI main capital allocation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury in December 2022 and received its second disbursement in February 2025. In CY 2024, INVENT closed thirty-two (32) investments and deployed $10.8 million of capital to Illinois small businesses.

The contractor will assist Agency personnel with consulting and advisory services on a variety of investment-related matters to support the full lifecycle of the program’s operations, such as deal sourcing and application intake, due diligence, portfolio analysis and management, and reporting. The Agency estimates 25-40 investment transactions per year and may seek advice related to the Agency's portfolio and operations on a deal level or to support macro-level program or portfolio considerations.

The work under the resulting contract will be upon request of the Agency and does not guarantee a certain amount of work.

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 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 (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 e-mail 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 10/07/2026, 5:00 pm CST. 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.

See attachment from previous posting of this solicitation for recorded pre-bid conference. Please note that the due dates in this recording have been updated via this document.

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 ten (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.

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 # 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., F.3., and F.5. The State evaluates the Technical Requirements without consideration of price.

D.3.1. Total Number of Points Available for Technical Requirements is: 640

D.3.2. Offeror shall complete and return (Attaching in BidBuy) Sections F.2., F.3.

D.3.3. Relative Weight in Point Format

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 128.

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 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 - The vendor has provided a written copy/screenshot of their current written workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) policy. The policy provided must be actionable plans, not overarching concepts around DEI. 10%

Category 6 – Diversity in Staffing - % of individuals on governing board and/ or Senior executives who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities. 10% % of individuals in management /supervisor positions who identify as women, minorities or person with disabilities. 13% % 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 154 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 640 (Technical) + 128 (Commitment to Diversity) + 154 (Price) = 922 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 https://ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Chapters . 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 and Illinois General Assembly - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE.

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 (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 & 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

E.8.1. [Vendor] shall submit invoices to the Department at a frequency agreed upon by the Department, but no less than a quarterly basis throughout the term of this Agreement.

E.8.2. Invoices for services delivered prior to July 1 of any year must be presented to the Department no later than July 31 of that year; otherwise [vendor] may have to seek payment through the Illinois Court of Claims.

E.8.3. Billings shall conform to State fiscal year requirements, including prorating, if necessary, notwithstanding any contrary provision herein. By submitting its invoices, [vendor] represents that the services have met all written requirements of the Agreement.

E.8.4. Upon request by the Department [vendor] shall submit invoices in reference to an agreed upon workplan.

E.8.5. Invoices shall be submitted as a PDF to CEO.AccountsPayable@Illinois.gov and include:

A. Reference to an appropriate 10-digit contract number or DCEO issued purchase order number.

B. Invoiced amount due, invoice date, [vendor]’s invoice number, remittance address, and period of service.

C. An itemized list of products or services rendered within the invoice period which must include:

i. Detailed accounting of hours worked along with a description of the services provided, and how such services relate to the completion of specific milestones and/or deliverables under this Agreement.

ii. Supporting documentation to support payment of amounts within the invoice including but not limited to: hourly billed rate in accordance with the Agreement, copies of receipts, time report logs, and other materials upon request from Agency.

iii. Evidence of agency pre-approval must be submitted along with detailed receipts when submitting invoices for reimbursement of food and travel expenses

E.8.6. Vendor’s invoices shall not include sales tax that is charged directly to the Department. Additionally, Vendor may not use the Department’s tax-exempt certification to exempt themselves from any tax liability. However, if Vendor incurs taxes while purchasing goods or services on behalf of the Department, the cost may be included on invoices and are allowed to be reimbursed, so long at the invoice is deemed an appropriate expense under the contract.

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 1.5550. For protests related to specifications, the Protest Review Office must physically receive the protest no later than fourteen (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 fourteen (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; an offeror 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 here:

https://pathway2procurement.illinois.gov/bidbuy.html

Section F. PROPOSAL FORMS Offeror must complete and attach in BidBuy with Proposal the following:

· The following three (3) tables include: Contract Requirements (Section F.1), and Technical Requirements: Mandatory Requirements with Evidence (Section F.2), and Proposed Technical Solution (Section F.3)

· Commitment to Diversity (Section F.4)

· Offer to the State of Illinois Please read and follow each instruction carefully.

F.1. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Please read each contract requirement carefully in F.1. These contract requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WITHOUT EVIDENCE/CONTRACT TERMS

The Awarded Vendor will be asked to perform the following services or advise on the following topics in accordance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations:

Vendor Acknowledgement of Contract Term

F.1.1. The selected Vendor will be expected to deliver all or parts of the services (outlined below in F.1.2.-F.1.17.) as needed and as directed by the DCEO on an on-demand/ work request basis:

· DCEO INVENT will submit a work request with guidance and deliverable to Vendor via email;

· Vendor may respond with any question(s); if none, Vendor will provide an estimate of # hours/total cost to complete the requested deliverable;

· DCEO INVENT will clarify any question(s) and provide final approval of Vendor’s estimate on # hours/total cost to complete deliverable;

· If Vendor encounters a situation where cost is expected to exceed initial estimate by 10%, Vendor shall contact DCEO INVENT to discuss and modify deliverable criteria or approve new estimate;

· Vendor will complete task and send deliverable to DCEO INVENT;

· Upon final approval of deliverable by DCEO INVENT, Vendor will submit invoice as described in Section E.8.

|_| Agree

F.1.17 The selected Vendor will be expected to deliver all or parts of the services (outlined above in F.1.1-F.1.16.) as needed and as directed by the DCEO on an on-demand/ work request basis:

· DCEO INVENT will submit a work request with guidance and deliverable to Vendor via email;

· Vendor may respond with any question(s); if none, Vendor will provide an estimate of # hours/total cost to complete the requested deliverable;

· DCEO INVENT will clarify any question(s) and provide final approval of Vendor’s estimate on # hours/total cost to complete deliverable;

· If Vendor encounters a situation where cost is expected to exceed initial estimate by 10%, Vendor shall contact DCEO INVENT to discuss and modify deliverable criteria or approve new estimate;

· Vendor will complete task and send deliverable to DCEO INVENT;

· Upon final approval of deliverable by DCEO INVENT, Vendor will submit invoice as described in Section E.8.

|_| Agree

By submitting an offer to this solicitation. The offeror agrees that they will meet the contract requirements in Section F.1.

F.2. MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WITH EVIDENCE

Please check “Met” to each of the mandatory requirements for the proposed solution. An Offeror that does not provide substantiating evidence for each requirement will be disqualified and the rest of the proposal will not be scored.

These Mandatory Requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

Please provide substantiating evidence in your Proposed Technical Solution. Use the column on the right to indicate the section and page number where your evidence/response to each item may be found. The State will evaluate Offeror’s evidence/response to verify the mandatory requirement is met.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WITH EVIDENCE

Proposal Section and Page Number

F.2.2. Vendor must have demonstrated two (2) years of traction and expertise in identifying promising early- and growth-stage companies with a minimum of $10 million assets under management (AUM).

If this information is provided in Vendor’s most recent filed form ADV they can upload this document in BidBuy again to meet this requirement, however, if the form ADV does not contain the required information, the Vendor should provide sufficient documentation that this requirement is met.

|_| Met

F.3. PROPOSED TECHNICAL SOLUTION – DESIRABLE ELEMENTS

Please explain in your proposal how your organization meets or will meet each of the desirable elements. Use the column on the right to indicate the section and page number of your proposal where your response to each item may be found and attach the completed Table in BidBuy with your proposal documents.

General Experience, Staffing & Capacity

F.3.1. Vendor’s prior work shows a history in providing investment services to investors, fund managers, new business ventures, established small businesses at all phases of the investment life cycle (i.e. from business formation, to fundraising, to exit or liquidation).

Vendor’s proposal should demonstrate and describe applicable experience working with funders and investees.

F.3.3 Vendor demonstrates in their written proposal, that the Vendor’s staff assigned to a resulting contract has relevant investment experience such as in Venture Capital (VC) (including educational background, areas of expertise, and experience advising venture capital funds and their investors).

Vendor should include the staff’s experience advising governmental entities or, if no experience advising governmental entities, experience advising clients participating in public economic development programs.

Vendor should demonstrate team strength, experience, skillsets, knowledge of VC markets, and staff to be assigned to contract as related to the requested services.

Marketing, Outreach, Communications

F.3.8. Vendor demonstrates in their written proposal, ability to perform marketing and outreach associated with the INVENT program including engagement strategies with applicable stakeholders.

F.3.9. Vendor demonstrates in their written proposal, deal sourcing strategies for direct equity investments in Illinois growth sectors and capital disadvantaged businesses.

Vendor’s proposal should describe its previous similar client work and working relationships, its understanding of the Agency's needs and its approach for addressing these needs.

Investing Services

F.3.11. Vendor demonstrates in their written proposal, ability to perform application intake management.

F.3.12. Vendor demonstrates in their written proposal, ability to perform screening/evaluation of potential investment eligibility based on…