Emergency Notice: Executive Search Firm Services Emergency Extension

The State of Illinois, specifically the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), is seeking an emergency contract extension for executive search firm services with Korn Ferry (US) Inc. The procurement is an emergency extension to support the identification, screening, and interviewing of executive-level candidates for two critical leadership positions: Director of Human Resources and Chief Information Officer. The original emergency contract, initiated on September 11, 2025, is set to run through December 9, 2025, with the proposed extension covering December 10, 2025, through February 28, 2026. The primary objective is to fill these vacant positions urgently to support agency-wide and mission-critical initiatives related to affordable housing financing throughout Illinois. IHDA requires specialized expertise in executive-level recruiting that cannot be met internally, justifying the emergency procurement approach. The contract necessitates comprehensive candidate search, screening, and interview processes with no modifications to the original contract terms or deliverables. The due date for this emergency contract extension is December 9, 2025.

Regarding set-aside designations, IHDA determined that Business Enterprise Program (BEP) participation was not feasible after researching 11 registered BEP vendors under NIGP 958-74, concluding that none met the agency's emergency executive-level recruiting needs. The original contract and proposed extension maintain a consistent not-to-exceed amount of $124,400. No competitive procurement is currently in process to replace this emergency contract, and the extension has not been previously extended. The document indicates that the emergency purchase extension approval is pending final chief procurement officer sign-off, with an initial approval signature dated November 25, 2025. The procurement is specifically targeted at a specialized executive search firm with demonstrated capabilities in identifying high-caliber leadership candidates for critical government agency positions. The contract focuses exclusively on Korn Ferry (US) Inc. as the sole vendor for these executive search services, with no indication of alternative or competing vendors being considered for this emergency extension.