SFY27 WIC Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program E Solution Final 5.21.26.docx

Illinois Dept. of Human Services Request for Proposal WIC Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program E-Solution

27-444-IDHS-MIS-B-52482

Section A. SCOPE OF WORK

A.1. OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals to establish a contract for an electronic solution (E-solution) for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) and the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) that will include issuance, redemption, and payment disbursements. The E-solution must be a standalone banking platform that allows SFMNP and FMNP issuing agencies, IDHS, and SFMNP and FMNP Farmers to use the E-solution independently. The E-solution shall include a farmer and participant mobile application and/or an option with a physical magnetic swipe card, participant personal identification number (PIN), or QR code. The Offeror will issue the allotted number of SFMNP and FMNP electronic benefits to local SFMNP and FMNP issuing agencies, provide an automated live ledger including reporting for the electronic solution, provide the E-solution at no cost to the farmers and participants, and must not contain advertisements.

A.2. DESIRED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT/ENGAGEMENT

The Offeror will provide an E-solution for the SFMNP and FMNP, including the issuance, redemption, and payment disbursements for both programs. The E-solution must be a standalone banking platform that allows SFMNP and FMNP issuing agencies, IDHS, and SFMNP and FMNP farmers to use the E-solution independently. The E-solution shall include a farmer and participant mobile application and/or an option with a physical magnetic swipe card, participant personal identification number (PIN), or QR code.

The Offeror will issue the allotted number of SFMNP and FMNP electronic benefits to each local SFMNP and FMNP issuing agency for SFMNP and FMNP program participants respectively, will track issuance of physical cards (if applicable) or e-solution benefits in real-time, provide an automated live ledger including reporting as stated above for the electronic solution. E-solution benefits must be inactive until confirmation of receipt by SFMNP and FMNP issuing agency staff and/or participant and will remain inactive until the specified dates set by the State Agency. Offeror will provide additional E-Solution cards/benefits to the State Agency, if necessary, as needed, without requiring a minimum number of E-solution benefits.

Offerors must include a schedule with their proposal supporting implementation of the proposed E-Solution no later than December 2026. Participants must have benefits available to them no later than July 10, 2027.

The Offeror will provide an E-Solution that meets all of the State Agency’s needs as stated in the Technical Solution section below, will pay approved SFMNP and FMNP farmers via direct deposit automatically no less than one time per week, and provide daily and weekly reports to IDHS as well as final close of the season reports.

The Offeror will provide training tutorials within the participant and farmer applications (if applicable) and must provide detailed training for State agency program staff, local issuing agency staff, and farmers regarding all features/functionality of the E-solution.

E-solution staff must be available to participate in project-related meetings as scheduled by the State Agency. Work must be performed during normal business hours, 8:00 am until 4:00 pm central time. Offeror is responsible for providing all personnel resources necessary to perform the Services described in this RFP.

The Offeror must provide an E-solution with comprehensive functionality to allow the State Agency program extensive capability regarding financial management including but not limited to: the ability to redistribute funding, settle payment via direct deposit no less than once per week and reconcile redemption for Farmers by validating the eligibility of State approved Farmers and Farmers Markets, the ability to record and store transaction details for a minimum of 7 years per State and Federal Requirements.

a. Reporting Offerors must provide:

· An E-solution that has the ability to collect, enter, report, and export all of the collected data, such as but not limited to demographics per program applicant/participant and farmer (applicant and authorized), and allow program personnel to mark and update the corresponding status (e.g., applied, approved, benefits issued, benefits expired, benefits violated, disqualified, terminated, etc.) and provide overall statistics on individual and overall FMNP and SFMNP handled by the E-solution.

· Program data reporting including but not limited to:

· Describe how the e-solution will distinguish between different sources of funding (i.e., Federal, State, etc.) for the FMNP and SFMNP programs separately.

· Count and Breakdown of Race and Ethnic Data of FMNP and SFMNP recipients supported with Federal and Non-Federal Funds.

· Seniors 60 or older

· Pregnant Women

· Breastfeeding Women

· Postpartum Women

· Children

· Infants

· Profile of Vendors (approved Farmers and Farmers’ Markets)

· Number of Authorized Farmers

· Number of Authorized Farmers’ Markets

· Value of Electronic benefits redeemed (Federal and Non-Federal Funding)

· Issuance and Redemption

· Total Value of Electronic benefits issued

· Total Value of Electronic benefits redeemed

· Daily and weekly reports to IDHS as well as final close of the season reports

· List of reports included with the E-solution and the process for adding additional reports

b. Services Offeror must detail services included in their proposal:

· Offeror must provide thorough quality assurance testing of the e-solution, provide updates regarding issues and other system changes before it has been fully implemented. The offeror must notify IDHS and fix and address all system defects, issues, and system performance failures.

· Offeror must provide training tutorials and detailed training materials to assist IDHS staff, farmers and issuing agency program staff to prepare them for using the E-Solution and any troubleshooting.

· Offeror must describe their support/Help Desk services for Farmers to assist with questions and concerns to ensure a farmers have a smooth start to the 2027 FMNP and SFMNP season for accepting benefits.

· Offeror must describe their support/Helpdesk services for all users including administrators and provide a detailed outline of their support services to ensure all state agency and local issuing agency staff are able to handle any problems or questions that arise with the e-solution or benefits.

· Offeror must provide remote training for IDHS program staff regarding all features/functionality of the E-Solution.

c. Technical Solution

Offeror must provide an E-solution that:

· Is available at no cost to the Farmers and Participants and must not contain advertisements.

· Tracks issuance of physical cards or e-solution benefits in real-time.

· Reduces duplication of issuance of SFMNP and FMNP benefits by allowing verification of clients applying for benefits in real-time.

· Allows participants access to their account benefits without making a purchase (e.g., to be able to check their benefit balance).

· Must not require a minimum sales amount and must not limit the number of transactions per benefit period.

· Allows participants and Farmers to cancel or void transactions prior to the transaction being completed.

· Restricts benefit issuance to authorized users and must provide detailed information regarding the issuance including the user identity, date, time, and amount of issuance, and the items purchased.

· Allows State Agency administration and issuance users to enter prospective participant demographic information (including but not limited to: First and Last Name, DOB, Address) for consideration of eligibility.

· Allows SFMNP and FMNP contracted Farmers to enter required information (including but not limited to: First and Last Name, Address, Business Name, Social Security # or FEIN #).

· Can identify the category of foods being purchased and can apply logic to the application ensuring food purchased matches the eligibility requirements of the SFMNP (which allows honey) and FMNP (which does not allow honey).

· Manages benefit issuance starting and ending dates, redemption dates, and expiration dates should be viewable to Farmers.

· Only allow for sales within the applicable timeframes.

· Benefit starting and ending dates, benefits amount issued, redeemed amounts, and remaining balances must also be viewable to Participants, Issuing Agencies, and State Agency staff.

· Includes the last date by which the recipient may use the benefits. This date shall be no later than October 31st of each year and the E-solution shall allow the State Agency Administrator to set this date.

· Includes a farmer identifier for the redeeming farmer when agreements are between the State Agency and the farmer.

· Must have the functionality to identify any redemptions without corresponding issuance records.

· Allows IDHS, SFMNP and FMNP Issuing Agency staff, and farmers to track transaction history to ensure validity.

d. Financial Management

Offeror must provide an E-Solution with comprehensive functionality to allow the State Agency program extensive capability regarding financial management to include but not limited to the following:

a. Allow the program to redistribute the funding.

b. Must have the ability to process both WIC FMNP and SFMNP.

c. Must be able to settle payment via direct deposit and reconcile redemptions for Farmers, by validating the eligibility of State approved Farmers/Famers’ Markets. Settlements must occur at least once a week.

d. Must be able to record and store transaction details for a minimum of 7 years per State and Federal Requirements

e. Must have the functionality to identify any redemptions without corresponding issuance records.

A.3. SCHEDULE

Tentative Schedule:

December 2026

07/10/2027

10/31/2027

A.4. TERM

A.4.1. TERM OF THIS CONTRACT: The contract resulting from this procurement will have an initial term of six (6) years commencing upon the last dated signature of the Parties. 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.

A.4.2. RENEWAL: Subject to the maximum total term identified above, the State has the option to renew for the following term(s): two (2) two-year renewal options.

· Renewal #1: two-year term

· Renewal #2: two-year term

A.4.2.1. Pricing for the renewal term(s), or the formula for determining price, is in the Pricing section of this solicitation.

A.4.2.2. Any renewal of the resulting contract is subject to the same terms and conditions that apply to the initial term of the contract unless otherwise provided. The State may renew the contract for any or all of the option periods specified, may exercise any of the renewal options early, and may exercise more than one option at a time based on continuing need and favorable market conditions, when in the best interest of the State. The contract may neither renew automatically nor renew solely at the Vendor’s option.

Section B. CURRENT CONDITIONS

B.1. OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

The agency does not currently have a vendor to provide a e-solution services for these programs; this is a new initiative. Using traditional banking methods to process payments to SFMNP and FMNP farmers has become increasingly challenging as many banks are no longer supporting paper checks. Modernizing the benefits transfer process will increase program use and redemption in the state of Illinois as well as reduce the time it takes for farmers to receive payment for client purchases at farmers markets and roadside stands. For unauthorized farmers, it will eliminate additional banking fees for rejected checks. Moving to an electronic format for both SFMNP and FMNP will improve benefit utilization and redemption rates by eliminating the need for farmers to deposit paper checks at their bank, outside of the program deadline for redeeming checks.

B.2. VOLUMES & QUANTITIES

The projected number of participants for the 2027 season are 24,000 SFMNP participants and 5,000 WIC FMNP participants. Refer to Appendix 1 – SFMNP and FMNP 2025 Participating Counties Map for the list of counties that participated in the 2025 WIC FMNP and SFMNP programs.

For the 2025 Senior and WIC FMNP season, there were 341 farmers and 2 farmer market managers contracted with IDHS to accept benefits. The information in the tables below outline the number of SFMNP and FMNP issuing agencies, number of estimated number of participants served and the redemption rates for 2025.

2025 SFMNP Season

2025 WIC FMNP Season

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 Information and Technology

· Commitment to Diversity

· Pricing

· SOC 2 type 2 Report or ISO 27001 Certification/Attestation 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 6/18/2026. 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 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: 1,170

D.3.2. Offeror shall complete and return Sections F.1., F.2., F.3.

D.3.3. Relative Weight in Point Format

Project Desirable Elements:

· Federal Requirements

· Security of E-Solution

· Reporting

· Details of Service

· Details of E-Solution

· Card Ordering

· Financial Management

1,170 TOTAL

· 50

· 120

· 100

· 250

· 300

· 100

· 250

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 234.

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 281.

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 1,170 (Technical) + 234, (Commitment to Diversity) + 281 (Price) = 1,685 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

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 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 return:

· 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 Information and Technology

Please read and follow each instruction carefully.

Offerors should format their proposals to match the structure, organization, and presentation style below. The purpose of this is to ensure clarity, consistency, and ease of evaluation.

To comply, Offerors shall follow these guidelines:

1. Follow the same section order and headings shown in the sample.

· Each response must be labeled with the corresponding RFP requirement number (e.g., “F.2.1 Government Hosting Experience”).

· Maintain the same hierarchy of headings, subheadings, and topic areas.

2. Provide both bullet point summaries and supporting narrative paragraphs for each requirement, as depicted in the sample.

· Bullet points should summarize key qualifications or capabilities.

· A short paragraph should follow to explain or expand upon those bullets.

· Responses must align with the order and numbering used in the RFP.

· Do not combine or reorder requirements.

5. Include designated contact information in the format shown in the sample proposal, including:

· Primary and secondary points of contact

· Email addresses

· Phone numbers

6. Maintain consistent formatting conventions, including:

· Section titles in bold

· Bullet lists for key points

· Paragraph summaries after bullet lists

· Structured lists for timelines or phased work plans

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.

CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

F.1.12. Vendor must maintain an acceptable security audit report for the duration of this contract. The state prefers this to be a SOC 2 type 2. The State in its discretion may agree to accept a similar, alternative type of security audit report for review, if no SOC 2 type 2 report is available.

☐ Agree

F.1.14. . The Vendor must maintain all minimum Service Level Agreements (SLAs) defined in Attachment C throughout the life of the contract.

• SLA compliance will be measured and reported according to the formulas and reporting periods specified in Attachment C.

• All monetary penalties for SLA non-compliance shall be applied as service credits and deducted from the following month’s invoice without exception.

• The Vendor must provide monthly SLA reports within five (5) business days after month-end and submit a root-cause analysis and corrective action plan for any SLA breach within five (5) business days of notification.

• Chronic SLA failures (three or more breaches of the same SLA within a rolling three-month period) may result in escalation and termination for cause.

• The State reserves audit rights to validate SLA measurements, including access to dashboards and raw data.

☐ 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.