EXEMPT NOTICE: DNR Real Estate Acquisition, Rice Lake SFWA

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has issued an exempt notice for a real estate acquisition involving 15.36 acres at Rice Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area located in Fulton County. This procurement involves the purchase of two specific tracts of land: Tract 1 comprises approximately 5 acres in the Southeast Quarter of Section 29, and Tract 2 encompasses approximately 10.36 acres in the Northeast Quarter of Section 32, both situated in Township 6 North, Range 5 East of the Fourth Principal Meridian. The property was acquired from Louck Farms LLC and includes an easement for Westwood Street that provides ingress and egress rights. The acquisition is being conducted under an exempt transaction classification per 30 ILCS 500/1-10b(6), which means it does not require competitive bidding or additional procurement procedures. The notice was prepared on July 7, 2025, with a posting date of November 21, 2025, and a due date of December 11, 2025, indicating a relatively short window for review and processing.

The procurement appears to be a direct acquisition with no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. The total acquisition value for the 15.36-acre property is $110,000.00, which represents the full budget for this real estate transaction. Property maps provided are considered representational and not legal surveys, with acreage figures derived from tax assessments. The acquisition includes detailed legal descriptions with specific metes and bounds for each tract, referencing survey information from J.H. Cordes dated August 7, 1962. No incumbent vendors or existing technology integration requirements are mentioned in the documentation. The primary objective of this procurement is to expand the DNR's land holdings for the Rice Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area, potentially for conservation, management, or recreational purposes.