JPMC Official State Newspaper

The State of Illinois is seeking to establish a Joint Purchase Master Contract for the placement of publications and advertisements in the Official State Newspaper on an as-needed basis. The contract will have a term of five years with no renewal options. The selected vendor must meet specific requirements to be considered a newspaper in Illinois, such as publishing at least 4 pages per issue with a minimum of 100 square inches of printed matter per page, and having an average of at least 25% news content per issue or 1,000 column inches of news content per issue. The vendor must also have the capability to place notices on the statewide website at no additional cost to the government. Pricing will be based on a minimum rate of 20 cents per column line for each insertion, with a maximum rate not to exceed the vendor's annually published rate for comparable local advertising space. Economic adjustments to the pricing are permitted no more frequently than once every six months, with the State reserving the right to make downward adjustments as well. The solicitation has an estimated dollar value of $95,000.

The State previously attempted to solicit this procurement to small business vendors under two separate bids, but received no offers in either case. As a result, the State is seeking a waiver from the Small Business Set-Aside Program requirements. The waiver request cites the inability to obtain any offers from the prior solicitations as the justification. There are no subcontractor utilization or set-aside requirements specified in the contract documents. The State has not provided information about any incumbent vendors or current contractors for this requirement.