Emergency Extension for Illinois Patient Access and Care Optimization Study

The Illinois Department of Public Health is extending an emergency contract with Massachusetts General Hospital for the Illinois Patient Access and Care Optimization Study, with proposals due October 29, 2026. This is a sole-source emergency extension — no competitive procurement is underway, and the Department determined that standard procurement would jeopardize a January 31, 2027 statutory deadline.

The extension responds to a statutory mandate under Article 257 of Public Act 104 requiring submission of a comprehensive report to the Governor and General Assembly on the impact of federal policy changes, particularly H.R. 1, on Illinois's health care system. The contractor must deliver professional research, policy analysis, and consulting services including project management, stakeholder coordination, data collection and analysis, assessment of patient access to care, evaluation of hospital financial stability, analysis of federal legislation impacts, policy option development, and preparation of comprehensive deliverables consisting of a final report, executive summary, and legislative briefing materials.

The original emergency contract (BidBuy B-53490) ran from July 28, 2026, through October 25, 2026, at $1.248 million. The extension period runs from October 25, 2026, through February 28, 2027, with an estimated amount of zero, indicating no additional funds are being requested beyond the original contract value. The Department was unable to include Business Enterprise Program participation due to the vendor's inability to practicably subdivide work to certified BEP firms and the absence of qualified BEP-certified contractors with specialized expertise and capacity to meet compressed statutory timelines. The Chief Procurement Officer approved the extension on October 9, 2026.