DHS Sole Source FY26 Williams Consent Decree Court Monitor

The Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), specifically the Division of Mental Health, is seeking to award a sole source contract to Kathryn DuPree of Crosswinds Consulting LLC for Williams Consent Decree Court Monitor services. The contract, identified as Bid-47463, will cover the fiscal year 2026 period from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. DuPree was originally appointed by Judge Lefkow on May 27, 2022, to serve as an independent Court Monitor for the Williams v. Pritzker Consent Decree. Her key responsibilities include evaluating defendants' compliance with the Consent Decree, convening meetings with co-defendants and stakeholders, identifying potential non-compliance areas, mediating disputes, and preparing periodic reports for the Court. The court monitor will be compensated at an hourly rate of $300 per hour, with an estimated total contract value of $315,000. Interested parties must submit written comments or request a public hearing by Friday, May 2, 2025, at 4 p.m. to the designated information contact.

The procurement is a direct sole source award, specifically justified by the Court Monitor's direct appointment by a federal judge and her unique qualifications in managing complex consent decree implementations. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations are mentioned in the documentation. The contract will be funded entirely by state appropriated funds, with no apparent limitations on vendor type or enterprise classification. This contract represents a continuation of previous court monitor contracts, with the vendor selected based on recommendations from the Parties and previous Court Monitor due to her extensive experience. The primary goal of this procurement is to prevent potential forced allocation of state funds under a federal monitor and to avoid additional litigation costs by ensuring compliance with the implementation plan. The total estimated contract value is $315,000, to be paid through an hourly rate structure of $300 per hour for the court monitoring services.