IDEXX Water Testing Sole Source

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Division of Laboratories, is pursuing a sole source procurement from IDEXX Distribution, Inc. for water microbiology testing supplies and reagents. The contract covers a comprehensive suite of EPA-approved and CDC-recognized consumables, including specialized reagents, Quanti Trays, sample vessels, filtration components, molecular testing kits, and quality control materials used to detect coliform bacteria, E. coli, enterococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Legionella pneumophila. These supplies support IDPH's regulatory and public health water testing activities, including drinking water testing, well water monitoring, recreational beach water assessments, Legionella outbreak response, and environmental surveillance. IDPH has justified the sole source designation based on IDEXX's exclusive manufacturing and distribution of all required products, which are integral to EPA-validated testing methods and essential for maintaining IDPH's USEPA certification for Colilert-based drinking water testing and CDC ELITE certification for Legionella testing. The contract is structured as a two-year term running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, with no renewal options. The critical deadline for interested parties to submit written comments or requests for a public hearing is Friday, April 17, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., with the public hearing scheduled for April 22, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. via WebEx. All correspondence should be directed to Dianne Richman at Dianne.Richman@illinois.gov or 217-622-1857.

This procurement contains no stated set-aside designations or restrictions limiting participation to specific categories of organizations, including disadvantaged enterprises. IDEXX Distribution, Inc. is the incumbent vendor, with documented procurement history from the state dating back to February 2021, with annual purchases ranging from $99,505.60 to $99,941.88. The sole source justification emphasizes that no alternative vendors can meet the EPA and CDC validation requirements, as all required materials are proprietary to IDEXX with no acceptable substitutes available in the marketplace. The total contract value is $216,689.02 for the two-year period, funded through state appropriated funds. IDPH determined IDEXX's pricing is fair and reasonable based on long-standing purchasing history, and the multi-year contract locks in firm pricing while mitigating an anticipated 8 percent annual cost increase. The State Purchasing Officer approved the sole source procurement on March 31, 2026.