FY 23 - DHS - sole source OBS - equipment purchase

The State of Illinois, Department of Human Services (DHS), is issuing a sole source contract opportunity for the purchase of a refurbished Apex Mlocr Front End Sorter to replace an aging Criterion Sorter front-end system. This equipment purchase is intended to increase the sorting capabilities and throughput of the DHS Mail Processing Unit's second pre-sort group, which is expected to result in $240,000 in annual postage savings. The contract term is from October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, with no renewal options, and the total contract value is $291,400, which is considered fair and reasonable as the refurbished equipment will save the state over $31,000 compared to purchasing new. The justification for the sole source award is that the Criterion front-end, existing bins, and the Apex MLOCR upgrade are all proprietary to Bluecrest, and no other vendor can provide the required equipment and upgrades.

This sole source contract opportunity is limited to Bluecrest, the sole economically feasible source. The state has purchased related equipment and services from Bluecrest in the past through sole source contracts. The hearing for this sole source opportunity will be canceled unless an interested party submits written comments or requests a public hearing by September 23, 2022 at 4 PM. If a public hearing is requested, the purchasing agency will present testimony justifying the sole source procurement, and interested parties may present testimony for or against the sole source award. After considering the testimony, the Chief Procurement Officer may approve the agency's request to contract via the sole source method.