IVHQ- Sole Source - Linen Services

The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) is seeking a sole source contractor to provide linen services at the Quincy Illinois Veterans' Home under contract 26-497DVA-QUINC-B-50274. The procurement involves picking up soiled linen three to four days per week, laundering it to required standards, and delivering clean linen back to the facility with the capability to respond to emergency requests within one hour and provide 24/7 delivery service when necessary. The vendor must be capable of maintaining rapid turnaround times due to the facility's limited linen storage capacity and occasional emergency demands resulting from resident illness or other operational needs. The contract was estimated to begin January 16, 2025, and end January 15, 2027, with a total estimated value of $509,200.00. A written hearing is scheduled unless an interested party submits written comments or makes a written request for a public hearing by Friday, January 9, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. to the specified information contact. However, it should be noted that the hearing officer determination included in the procurement documentation recommends non-approval of the sole source justification, concluding that IDVA's assumption that only Denman Services, Inc. can meet the facility's requirements based primarily on geographic proximity is insufficient and that competitive procurement would be more appropriate.

The current procurement is designated as a sole source procurement, which restricts bidding to a single vendor without a small business set-aside. The incumbent vendor identified for this contract is Denman Services, Inc., located in Quincy, Illinois, whose primary operational advantage centers on its ability to reach the facility within thirty minutes for routine pickups due to geographic proximity. No specific disadvantaged enterprise designations or restrictions are indicated in the available procurement documents. The contract value is estimated at $509,200.00 for the two-year initial contract term, with the possibility of extension. IDVA has indicated plans to transition linen services in-house once adequate staffing is secured, which the department estimates will occur within six to nine months plus a short transition period. Interested parties should be aware that the hearing officer determination questions the necessity of sole source procurement and suggests that better inventory planning and improved PAR level management could reduce reliance on emergency procurement mechanisms in future contracting efforts.