DES-Sole Source- Fast WS (STC) FY27

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) is procuring sole source contract services for hosting, maintenance, and support of the FastWS software system, which administers the WorkShare Illinois Short-Time Compensation (STC) program. This procurement, issued under Bid/Buy Number 27-427DES-FINAN-B-52374, is intended for award to Fast Enterprises LLC and covers hosted infrastructure services including data center management, security, firewall and routing services, software maintenance, and professional services support. The FastWS platform processes employer plans, unemployment insurance claims, certifications, and benefit payments through integrated interfaces with IDES' existing Illinois Benefit Information System (IBIS) and Gen-Tax systems. The contract period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with services required to commence by July 1, 2026. A public hearing is scheduled for June 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM via WebEx, and interested parties must submit written comments or requests for a public hearing by 4:00 PM on May 30, 2026, to prevent hearing cancellation. The notice contact is Dianne Richman at the Chief Procurement Office for General Services, reachable at Dianne.Richman@illinois.gov or 217-622-1857.

This sole source procurement is designated for Fast Enterprises LLC, the incumbent vendor providing these services since December 2020 under prior awards. IDES justifies the sole source methodology based on the proprietary nature of the FastWS software, copyright and trademark protections, and the software's unique integration with IDES' existing systems, noting that competitive bidding would require rebuilding an entirely new system at comparable costs to the original $4 million implementation expense. The total estimated contract value is $349,000 for fiscal year 2027, comprising $300,000 for annual hosting and software maintenance and $49,000 for 200 hours of professional services at $245 per hour. The annual maintenance cost of approximately 8.3% of the original implementation cost is noted as below the typical 10% industry standard. Funding for this procurement is provided through federal funds, consistent with prior awards and IDES' historical approach to this critical unemployment insurance administration system.