27- Westlaw Software-Sole Source

The State of Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) is procuring a sole source contract award for Westlaw software and support services from West Publishing Corporation. The procurement involves twenty (20) Westlaw Proflex software licenses to provide legal library access to patients residing in DHS Mental Health facilities, a requirement mandated by statute. The primary objective is to deliver legal research capabilities through Westlaw's proprietary Key Numbering System with headnotes and natural language search functionality, features that the agency determined are not available through alternative platforms such as LexisNexis. The contract term runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with services required by that date. A notice of intent to award was posted on May 6, 2026, with a due date of May 20, 2026. Interested parties must submit written comments or make written requests for a public hearing by Friday, May 15, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. to Dianne Richman at the Chief Procurement Office (Dianne.Richman@illinois.gov, 217-622-1857). A public hearing is scheduled for May 20, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. via WebEx (1-312-535-8110 US Toll Chicago or 1-415-655-0002 US Toll, Access Code 28661804104, Password Yn632u6qRS3), and the hearing will be canceled unless written comments or hearing requests are received by the May 15 deadline.

This is a sole source procurement with no set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent organization types mentioned in the documentation. West Publishing Corporation is the sole named incumbent vendor and current contractor for this service, with documented purchase history demonstrating consistent use of Westlaw since 2020, and a previous IFB conducted in FY25 that yielded zero competing bids. The contract is funded entirely through state funds with a not-to-exceed value of $113,520.00 for the initial term and no renewal options specified. The pricing structure is $5,676.00 per license ($473 per month per license) with no additional costs or fees, determined to be fair and reasonable based on approved rates from previous years. The vendor must comply with the State of Illinois IT Terms and Conditions v.26.1 with DHS Provisions, which establishes key operational and financial parameters including HIPAA compliance requirements if applicable, six-year record retention provisions, vendor classification as an independent contractor, and a twenty-day correction period following rejection notices with potential contract termination and full refund if deliverables fail to meet specifications.